006-R
Toy Biz- Marvel- X-Men Evolution: Wolverine.
Release Date (approx): 2001
Current Price and availability: $22.99
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/TOY-BIZ-X-ME...wAAOSw~y9ZAluf
Sometime after the Fox Kids X-Men series and before Disney bought Marvel there was a few cool Marvel based cartoons that were release. One of them, that survived a surprising long time, was X-Men Evolutions that featured a cast of X-Kids as teenagers, dealing with the stresses of being High School students while managing Super powers. In truth it’s nothing groundbreaking (kind of Spiderman territory of you ask me), but was a really well made series with a lot of heart and cool storylines; almost like if the kids of Degrassi had super powers. The toys predated Marvel Legends and certainly appeared to me as I liked the “animated style and the added articulation, something new for Marvel figures at the time. The toy line didn’t last long, but I was able to get the first wave which included Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Sabertooth and Toad, as well as 3 separate motorbikes; 2 Wolverine and a kick ass hog with Sabertooth. It's a shame that more female characters were not included in this wave as they played a big part in the series, but this was the time when female characters just sat on the shelves.
Pros: The figure is well sculpted and had decent articulation for the time. The bike is amazing with a die-cast construction and rubber wheels. I can’t recall the original cost on this set, but I feel like if was released now would be easy $60.
Cons: Wolverine has a bit of a difficult time holding on to the handle bars with, and while I like the head sculpt and that added accessory, it seems a bit superfluous to include a safety helmet to a guy who can literally heal from any injury. I would have rather had a masked head instead.
