History Main / EnvironmentSpecificActionFigure

** To give you an idea of how bad this is: "Combat Belt Batman" is the ONLY regularly-colored Batman from the 90's animated series, released in the first of around twenty waves. A *low* bid for one on ebay is $80.00!

** To give you an idea of how bad this is: "Combat Belt Batman" is the ONLY regularly-colored Batman from the 90's animated series, released in the first of around twenty waves. A *low* bid on ebsy is $80.00

** Also somewhat justifiable, in that it's somewhat in-character for Tony Stark to make ARC reactor-powered, gold-and-titanium allow racecars and jetskis for himself.

Particularly bad MerchandiseDriven shows will introduce these sorts of 'gear', like the snow gear in ''TheBatman'' (though in this case, the villain that justified its creation and inclusion already existed in the mythos), the new ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' episode with the backpacks, or just about any ''PowerRangers'' episode with the new bike or SuperMode.

* There exists action figures of ''KingdomHearts'' characters (well, Sora, at least) in Halloween and Christmas-themed outfits. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as these outfits actually appear in the game.

** For ''PowerRangersSamurai'', a new armor variant has all but replaced the regular suit in the merchandising. We aren't sure what role it'll have in the show until it airs, but from ads we suspect that it's for ''piloting the Megazord''.

*** Let us not forget the [[http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/archives/sp/jjog.html Justice Jogger]]...

** The series took it a step further for ''PowerRangersJungleFury'', creating whole new Rangers for the toyline and producing them with every armor variation that the canon Rangers get - that is, the male canon Rangers. [[TheSmurfettePrinciple The female Rangers aren't so lucky.]] And there's even a handful of Red and Sixth ranger only powerups, too. (The new Rangers have made a handful of appearances on the show to justify the toys' existence. ''RPM'' had its own toy-exclusive Rangers, but no ArcticAction variants for them and no TV appearances.)

*** Annoyingly, while it has all that stuff, there are many actual power-ups that they ''didn't'' add. Instead of Rangers that transform into phones, can we have the Shark Cycles that the Rangers ''actually had,'' or things like Tommy without his vest? (For the couple times he let another Ranger use it.) Apparently, the answer is no.
*** (There ''was'' a Green Ranger with removable vest - but it was a pack-in with the Dragonzord.)

The tendency for toylines of MerchandiseDriven (and sometimes otherwise) shows to also contain variations of the characters made up out of, er, [[IncrediblyLamePun whole cloth]]. Most variations fall under StylishProtectionGear, and virtually every toy line has at least one of these:

** Also, while again it's true to the universe, ''StarWars'' produces a number of figures that use the same basic mold and look very similar to each other, but are in fact different characters and have different specialities. For example, anyone care to tell [[IncrediblyLamePun This Trooper]] the differences between the regular Clone Trooper and a "Coruscant Landing Platform" Clone Trooper? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? (The answer: unit colors and an antenna.) See also ''{{Transformers}}'' below.

* The SonicTheHedgehog toy line has an invisible Espio, a [[SonicColors Sonic with Wisps]], a [[SonicStorybookSeries Sonic with Caliburn the Talking Sword]], and a Shadow who comes with [[ShadowTheHedgehog his bike]]. Plus more [[SonicUnleashed Werehog]] merchandise than is really justifiable. That's not even getting into the plush line...
** Wait, ''[[LogicBomb invisible Espio?]]''
*** Espio is clear purple.

** The series took it a step further for ''PowerRangersJungleFury'', creating whole new Rangers for the toyline and producing them with every armor variation that the canon Rangers get - that is, the male canon Rangers. [[TheSmurfettePrinciple The female Rangers aren't so lucky.]] (The new Rangers have made a handful of appearances on the show to justify the toys' existence. ''RPM'' had its own toy-exclusive Rangers, but no ArcticAction variants for them and no TV appearances.)

* Though not action figures, NeonGeneisEvangelion has been infamous for a merchandising empire built, largely, on figures of Rei and Asuka doing...well, ''anything''. Yes, [[RuleThirtyFour even that.]]

* ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' has more toylines than one would consider to be strictly necessary, so they had to fill them up somehow... The first cartoon's toylines, in particular, absolutely reveled in this sort of thing. Never mind noncanonical armors, the turtles were out there getting every conceivable job, from Green Beret to stage magician to, yes, [[StarTrek Starfleet officer]]. (Does it scare anyone else that ''Raph'' is the medic?)

* The SonicTheHedgehog toy line has an invisible Espio, a [[SonicColors Sonic with Wisps]], a [[SonicStorybookSeries Sonic with Caliburn the Talking Sword]], and a Shadow who comes with his bike. Plus more [[SonicUnleashed Werehog]] merchandise than is really justifiable.

* The SonicTheHedgehog toy line has an invisible Espio, a [[SonicColors Sonic with Wisps]], a [[SonicStorybookSeries Sonic with Caliburn the Talking Sword]], and a Shadow who comes with his bike. Plus more [[SonicUnleahed Werehog]] merchandise than is really justifiable.

** TransformersGeneration1 turned an (originally) smallish toyline into LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters through repaints, sticking new heads on otherwise identical figures, and putting the same parts in a slightly different configuration. Later lines follow suit, even if the character the new paintjob represents isn't actually in the show or comic. (For example, TransformersGeneration1 had a red Bumblebee called Cliffjumper. The live-action movies don't. However, the toy of movie Bumblebee has a red Cliffjumper repaint.) Therefore, where there's a Starscream, you can bet a Skywarp (black repaint) and Thundercracker (blue repaint) won't be far behind, on the shelves if not in the show. Lately, the radioactive berserker Sunstorm from DreamwaveComics has been added. [[hottip:*:''TransformersCybertron'' has a twofer: since the original Starscream and Thundercracker looked alike but the Cybertron versions are dissimilar, there are Skywarp and Starscream repaints of Thundercracker ''and'' Skywarp and Thundercracker repaints of Starscream.]]


. (Strangely, though, there are not nearly as many cases of this as there ''could'' be. Prowls don't get repainted into Bluestreaks, or Red Alerts into Sideswipes. In fact, ''TransformersArmada'' has a Sideswipe and a Red Alert who look nothing alike, though both of them have gotten repainted into other folks.) Oh, before anyone says it, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are ''not'' a case of this. The twins both turn into the same kind of car, but are not based on the same toy. The same actually goes for ''all'' Transformers who are considered twins.

* The SonicTheHedgehog toy line has an invisible Espio, a Sonic with wisps, a Sonic with Caliburn the Talking Sword, and a Shadow who comes with his bike.

* The SonicTheHedgheog toy line has an invisible Espio, a Sonic with wisps, a Sonic with Caliburn the Talking Sword, and a Shadow who comes with his bike.

* The SonicTheHedgheog toy line has an invisible Espio and a Shadow who comes with his bike.

** The LegoCrossoverGames even acknowledged this when the game forced you to at least once per level change your suit to one of Glasbreaking-Batman or Thermosuit-Batman and Magneticfeet-Robin. The LEGO toyline the game was based off only had Batman in his standard grey/black, grey/blue and all black costumes.