Toy Review: Wolverine & Ghost Rider / Marvel Super Hero Mashers (Hasbro)

The first two Marvel Super Hero Mashers I purchased were this one of Wolverine and Ghost Rider.   They were both at Five Below for $5 each and since they were there- along with some others- I had just assumed that the line had been discontinued and thus they were pushed here to clear out.   Little did I know that a few days later I'd be at Target and see these very same figures for double the price.   Just one of the many reasons why I love Five Below.

My son has a lot of toys that are based around the DC Universe, so I must admit that starting a collection of Marvel Mashers was in some way to help him build up his Marvel roots as well.   Initially, I wanted these two figures (which were sold separately but just feel like they should be reviewed together given the circumstances) because I thought it was pretty cool to see Ghost Rider- of all the characters they could have chose and did choose to make in this series- and also because of the brown color scheme Wolverine, which in many ways is how I will always picture Wolvey in my mind simply because it is how I was first exposed to him growing up.

The idea behind these Mashers is that they break apart.   You can take the heads off, the arms and legs and then switch them around with the other figures also in the line.    They even show you on the package how to create some ideas using a piece from a different figure and so mainly it must be said that in some ways, yes, the more you have the more you can mash them up and so this is a fairly clever idea because it encourages you to buy more and more.

As a child, I was the one who would take apart G.I. Joes and put them back together, sometimes swapping out a head as well.  I remember taking the head of someone such as Flint and putting it on the body of a Cobra Officer, so as to make it appear as if Flint was going undercover.   I've always had that fondness for how things work-- to take them apart and put them back together again-- and so I expect my son to as well and this is a great sort of puzzle in some ways that helps hone his fine motor skills.

At the time I purchased these I was under the impression that if they were the only ones I ever bought I'd be fine with that.    As I'm currently sitting on a collection of thirteen I can tell you that they have become quite popular in this house.    They're just so much fun and as the more detailed lines seem to be a bit much for a three year old (Really? A $20 figure for a three year old?  Pass), these offer a great way to play at a much better price point, especially if you have a Five Below or two nearby.

Ghost Rider comes with a flaming sort of chain whip deal and it's a pretty large and excellent accessory for him.   Wolverine, who basically can't die and has knives for hands, comes with two swords.   I'm not going to complain though because my old brown scheme Wolverine figure came with a sword as well.   It's just one of those things I'll never understand-- like why The Flash would need a motorcycle or Superman a jet.   Regardless, these are two of the finer figures in the line- even still to me- just because of the fact that a) Ghost Rider is not really for kids and b) this is not the brightly colored Wolverine I'd expect them to release (Though the yellow and blue one is out there) but yet here they are, in a line geared towards the kids.