DRAX THE DESTROYER & MOONDRAGON

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0019: In the comics, Drax the Destroyer is not an alien, but rather the soul of a human man, Arthur Douglas, bound to an artificial body. His daughter Heather Douglas has her own identity, Moondragon!

My direct exposure to Marvel’s cosmic side as a kid was kind of fleeting.  I knew a little from the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer cartoons, which was certainly cool and interest piquing, but I had to rely more on my Dad’s knowledge for the rest of things.  As such, I have the appreciation that he gave me for certain characters, which results in me liking characters that I’ve only really ever known second hand, just because he did.  That initially applied to Drax (though I knew him a *little* from the Surfer cartoon), but I’ve obviously gotten to know him better since the Guardians movies came out. It still kind of applies to Moondragon.  Still dig them both, though.  Certainly enough to buy this Marvel Legends set.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Drax and Moondragon were initially a Hasbro Pulse-exclusive Marvel Legends two-pack, but they were rather quickly upgraded to a wider Fan Channel release.  They’re part of a wider cosmic Marvel theme for exclusives from last year, which also featured the previously reviewed Ronan the Accuser, plus Star-Lord, and Yondu.

DRAX

In his initial appearances, Drax was more a tool than a character, designed to be the thing that took down Thanos.  As he progressed, he changed, in characterization and in look.  Early on, Drax wasn’t particularly large, but he grew in size over time, ultimately landing on the hulking behemoth look he’s got here.  The figure stands about 8 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Drax is built on the Caliban body, which is a reasonable choice for him.  He gets two new heads, new boots, and add-ons for his cape, bracers, and belt.  The heads give us stern and angry Drax options, which certainly makes for some fun variety.  I personally lean more towards the stern, but they’re both solid.  The cape is a little stiff, but not terribly so, and the other add-ons are pretty by the numbers, but still good.  His color work is quite fun; the bright green and purple definitely gives him some really nice pop.  It’s gonna be hard to miss him on the shelf.  Drax is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and relaxed, as well as the previously mentioned extra heads, which is honestly pretty strong for a figure of his size.

MOONDRAGON

Moondragon’s had a few looks over the years, all of them kind of circling around the same concept.  This figure uses a look that kind of averages them all.  It’s not bad.  This is only her second action figure (and the first was a Minimate), and her first Legend.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  She’s using the same pinless construction legs as Clea, with a bunch of newer, character-specific parts.  The new parts are surprisingly in depth in terms of detailing, with sculpted elements on her upper arms and upper torso, rather than just a bunch of painted details.  The head’s a solid recreation of her usual look in the comics.  Like Drax, the cape’s a bit restrictive, but it does at least look pretty cool.  Her color work is more subdued than her father’s, relying on some more minor changes in greens.  It’s still a good look, and definitely feels well suited to the character.  Moonstone is packed with two sets of hands.  It’s light, but I’m not entirely sure what else you would give her.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I passed on this set as Pulse-exclusive because I didn’t feel an undying need to jump through hoops to get them, but once they got the wider release, the hoops were gone.  Much easier to justify them at that point.  I largely got the pack for classic Drax, because I really dig that look.  He’s really fun, and exactly what I was hoping for.  Moondragon is a little less thrilling on her own, but she’s hardly a bad figure, and it’s nice to finally get her in Legends form.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.