Reports are trickling out of San Diego Comic Con of NECA Toys selling an exclusive HeroClix figure at the show. Yes, I said HeroClix – NECA is selling a Marvel HeroClix: Hammer of Thor figure called Thor’s Mighty Chariot, which depicts exactly that. NECA is also offering , where a shipping date of August 15 is listed. The convention exclusive itself isn’t particularly newsworthy – these sorts of big show releases serve to anger retailers on a regular basis – but the fact that NECA seems to have bought HeroClix and still hasn’t officially announced said purchase is certainly worth noting.
I wonder how this is going to play out with Upper Deck’s license with Marvel. I thought that was both exclusive and now covers miniature gaming, so I’m puzzled as to how this is getting released.
I don’t know but I do know that, once I cut off those stupid blue lightning bolts coming off the hammer, it will look great on my shelf next to my other old heroclix figs.
Lee, in lieu of an announcement from NECA it might be safer to assume that they are simply selling off the old stock of figs from WizKids.
UD’s deal is not exclusive, so that’s not an issue for making more heroclix sets.
As for the figure itself, why wouldn’t Topps (owners of the now defunct Wizkids) sell it themselves? They have been actively trying to sell the intellectual property, and would have no reason to remove bargaining chips like already developed figures, especially via another company.
Besides, NECA announced that their show exclusives are now smaller than in the past because of the cost of space on the show floor. They have no reason to fill up their space with another company’s product.
I’m expecting a sale announcement, or at least an announcement that the Hammer of Thor set, which apparently had completed development, will be produced, any minute now.
NECA has finally made an announcement that it’s purchasing most of the Wiz Kids properties:
http://ogrecave.com/2009/09/14/neca-buys-wizkids-clix-and-pirates-properties/