The Hobgoblin action figure was created from one of those bad guys from the Marvel comic books. Mattel ended up making a villain action figure out of him. He never did catch on, but for collectors, this fact is not always bad news.
The Hobgoblin and the Secret Wars edition from the Marvel comic books inspired Mattel to create plastic copies of him. He is ranked as number 57 in the list of greatest comic book villains in the world. He came about as a result of Roger Stern’s writings on Spider Man. Many readers of the Marvel comic books considered him a weak villain. As an action figure he did not go over well with buyers and as such he is not going to demand a high price on the market. He is easy to find and when included in a bubble pack can be bought for twenty dollars. A Hobgoblin without his packing will cost ten dollars. He will come in various sizes. He comes in a three and a half inch tall version and up to ten inches with the larger sizes fetching a higher price. Finding a Hobgoblin action figure will also demand a higher price if you can find one with his “secret shield”.
Hobgoblin has a two tone torso. The boots, cape and gloves were orange while the arms and legs were medium blue. He was crafted with more quality than the other action figures of the day. The plastic cape was missing from the Magneto and Doctor Doom action figures in series 1 but Hobgoblin was given a small one. The figure had a scary face with an open mouth. His craftsmanship seemed to be slightly better than the “good guys”. He was created as the evil enemy of Spider Man in the comics and on the bubble packaging in stores. In fact, many of the packages that contained a Hobgoblin had the words, “Spider Man”, written in big letters above the figure. The series 2 versions were limited enough that that there were not any noticeable variations in construction.
Since the series 2 figurines were on the way down in popularity even before the series 3 came along, not many were made. The series 2 contained Hobgoblin, Falcon, Baron Zemo, Black Spider Man and Daredevil. This particular figure was not included in the mini-series from Marvel so some wonder how he even got into the Secret Wars series. He was a new addition to the Marvel Universe when the line was introduced. His forerunner was called the “Green Goblin”. Hobgoblin was not a part of the Secret Wars limited series Marvel comics.
In conclusion, Hobgoblin is collectable as an action figure. He was one of the enemies of Spider Man and still has some market value left in him. When he is found in stores online, he sells quickly, attesting to the durability of the character.
