Mc Farlane NHL Sports Picks - Chase Vs. Variant

Chase Vs. Variant

Quoted from Mark Weber (McFarlane: Sports Brand Manager)

Q: What's the difference between a "chase figure" and a "variant?"

A chase figure is a different version (the differences usually involve paint application, but could also be sculpt or accessory changes) of a regular figure, intentionally produced and generally released in limited numbers. For example, Nomar Garciaparra in MLB 9 was painted in his road gray uniform, but there are a small number of the same figure painted in the home white uniform. Those white-uniform Nomar figures are chase figures. All four figures in Spawn Series 16: Nitro Riders were released in both pewter- and gold-washed chase versions in addition to the regular fully painted figures. Almost every sports figure—and a lesser number of non-sports figures—has a chase version.

A variant figure is a paint or accessory difference from the “normal” figure that is often unintentional. Sometimes, these are production errors or glitches that occur at the factory and might be released into distribution before the mistake is caught and corrected. An example would be the Redeemer figure from Spawn Series 25 with different gradations of green paint on his wings or the Anthony Thomas figure from NFL 5, some of which had different coloured mouthguards"

On April 11, 2008, McFarlane Toys made an announcement on their new chase figures. There will now be a new form of chase figures surfacing on the market. There have been the traditional chases like alternate, third jersey, retro's and throwbacks. Now the release of new chases will be minor tweaks or variations to the current jersey of the regular figure. These are most likely to be removal or addition of captaincies or the addition of patches.

On October 31, 2008, McFarlane Toys announced that they recognized the disappointment within their customer base regarding the "tweak" chase system. Because of this, they will bring back the traditional jersey chase which includes alternate and retro uniforms starting with their MLB 2009 Wave 1 lineup.

Starting with their Series 23 line, a new "Collector Level" chase system will be implemented. Chase figures will be announced and classified into levels. Depending on the level, only a certain production run will be available to collectors. Below is an example of their new Collector Level System.

Level/Production Number

MVP = 1-50 ALL STAR = 50-100 PREMIER = 100-250 GOLD = 250-500 SILVER = 500-1000 BRONZE = 1000-2000