FIGURES BY NAME
A VISUAL GUIDE TO ALL TOYBIZ FIGURES AND VARIANTS FROM THE PRE-LEGENDS ERA
Under Construction. Launch date (hopefully) of June 1, 2022
Welcome to FIGURES BY NAME.
I love these figures. I bought hundreds of them when they first came out back in the 90's as I started to have my first paying job while in High School. Of course action figure collecting was not nearly as socially acceptable as it is today, but that didn't stop me then and it doesn't stop me now. As great as they were, all the Toybiz figures I owned were sold over time as new toys came out and space through those college years was at a minimum.
Take me to today. In October of 2020, I started revisiting sites that showcased Toybiz during the pre-Marvel Legends era. I started to really appreciate the simplicity of these figures and their overall evolution as they progressed through the decade. From the most simple to the details to the absurd, there was something in this line that everyone could appreciate, and from growing up in the He-Man era I could also appreciate the often re-use of parts and repaints. What was difficult though, was finding sites that really showcased the multitude of variations that existed in these figures. Sure there are sites that cover a majority of the lines but with new variations still only being discovered thirty years later, nothing quite covers all of the variations that are actually out there...and so began my journey.
Starting that October, I started buying and researching, researching and buying. I am a loose collector but this collection (as most of my toys are) needed to be purchased sealed and then opened to ensure three points: one, that the toy is unplayed with, two, that it is complete, and three, that it is original. It also allowed me the flexibility of buying cheaper figures that were in poor packaging. While I held onto most card backs, the plastic, the ties, and the large boxes could be discarded (I know, I know). I visually scrutinized tons of figures, Googled daily, and reached out to several long-time collectors who have already been around the block and helped point out some very unique variations. I'd like to thank Diego Zuñiga Urmeneta and Brian Peregrina for their X-Men and Spider-Man expertise. I'd also like to give a shout out to the following, who without knowing, assisted quite a bit at putting the database together:
ToyShiz:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ToyShiz/about
Action Figure Resource:
https://www.action-figure-resource.com/toy-biz-spiderman-action-figures.html
The Figure In Question:
https://thefigureinquestion.com/tag/toy-biz/
Figure Realm:
https://www.figurerealm.com/actionfigure?action=manserieslist&id=196
Spider-Man Animated Fandom:
https://spiderman-animated.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man:_The_Animated_Series_Action_Figures
Raving Toy Maniac:
http://www.toymania.com/archives/xmen/
http://www.toymania.com/archives/ironman/
http://www.toymania.com/archives/spidey/
Toybiz Spider-Man Figure Archives:
http://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~spa-girl/35910034/
The Action Figure Archive:
http://figure-archive.net/index.htm
The Toybox1138:
http://thetoybox1138.blogspot.com/search/label/Toy%20Biz
Figure Collections:
http://figurecollections.com/line.php?id=790
http://figurecollections.com/brand.php?id=6
To be clear, this really isn't a database of "series" and "waves"; though I will be including a link that does showcase the lines and waves. It is more of a database of the each character and their numerous versions and variations based on molds and paintjobs, and so on. I hope that this site is useful and helps to finish collections and light the spark for those who choose to start collecting.
One last thing...how it works. My system starts by using the character name, for instance "Beast". The unique molds of each character is designated by the number that follows. Lastly, each specific variation of that unique mold is designated by a letter. For example, Beast 1A would be an example of a specific Beast mold (1) and unique variation (A). Beast 1B would be a variant based on the same mold. Variants for the purpose of this list occur with every paint variation or a change of accessory. Mold changes themselves are designated by a change in the mold number. So the next unique Beast mold would be designated Beast 2A, and so on.
Enjoy.
Toyjesus