McFarlane NBA Legends Series IV Announced

I figured that since I was hired to comment on NBA and MLB that I might pass along the news that McFarlane Toys has announced their NBA Legends series IV figures. This particular lineup includes:

• Larry Bird 2 - Celtics (Home)
  
• Elgin Baylor - Lakers (Purple)
  
• Patrick Ewing - Knicks (Home)
  
• Spudd Webb - Hawks (Red)
  
• George Gervin - Spurs (Black)
  
• Julius Erving 2 - Sixers (Red)
  

I have never, EVER, been a fan of McToys, having purchased no more than two or three of their plastic statues over the years, and not a single one of their Sports figs, mostly because I've never seen any players at retail that I would actually purchase. Not to mention that I cannot stand Todd McFarlane as a person, having met him a couple of times back when he was still actually drawing comic books. I also could never get over the lack of Kings players in their Hockey lineup. I also just don't plain care for figures that have a lack of articulation, and 90% of Todd's toys are nothing more than plastic statues. Back in the day I collected Starting Lineups when I could find them at retail, and I've been curious about the new Re-Plays series of figures in both MLB and NFL, but I've never been a fan of McFarlane's efforts. Sure they are nice hunks of plastic, but not particularly my cup of tea. That said, if you enjoy them, you'll appreciate this series.

This time around, Todd is trying to capture sales based on the classic Laker/Celtic rivalry, but here I think he misses the boat big time. If he were going to really go after rivalry sales, he would have repackaged some of his previous figures in a nifty two or four pack set, instead of relying on Larry Legend and the first figure of Elgin Baylor to carry the load. I understand, of course, that there's no way that McFarlane Toys can react that quickly to the finals match-up of the decade, but that doesn't mean that a half-hearted effort is better than no effort.

The other players in the wave are certainly unexpected. Sure, another Dr. J. is always welcome, but I truly wonder how many collectors were slavishly waiting with anticipation over the diminutive Spudd Webb. While I'm sure that Gervin has his fair share of fans, I can already see him warming the pegs at my local TRU. Can't say anything disparaging about Ewing though, he's certainly a legend, but I'm also pretty sure that they've done him before.

Did I mention that these figures won't be on retail shelves until October?

Click the link above for official photography, and to see what kind of butter face Larry Bird has these days.