Category Archives: Reviews

#0491: Android No. 18

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ANDROID NO. 18

S.H. FIGUARTS

Slowly, but surely, I’m being sucked into the world of Japanese import figures. It started with Ultraman, which is a Japanese property for which there is a small quantity of US-based merchandise. I’m a huge Ultraman fan. So I had to get an import, right? Then there were the Power Rangers, and sure, there’s been a plethora of stuff from that show, but it wasn’t ever particularly good. I was rather fond of Power Rangers too, so it made sense. But, then there was Dragon Ball Z. I’d seen the show, and all, but I never even bought the cheap figures released in America. Why would I pony up the big bucks for import figures? Well, I’m weak. I can’t help it. I caved, and I bought Android 17 at a convention. So, obviously I had to get his sister, Android 18. It’s just what’s right! So, umm… here she is, I guess…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Android 18 is part of the Dragon Ball Z subset of Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line. She was released in the third quarter of 2014, not long before her brother. Her figure is about 5 ½ inches in height, with 36 points of articulation. Unlike her brother, 18 actually had quite a few looks on the show to choose from for the figure. They’ve gone with her earliest look, from the episodes that introduced these two. Since they’re also releasing Android 16, it’s a sensible choice to put her in this outfit, as it allows the three of them to be displayed together properly. It’s also the outfit I most associate with the character, so no complaints here. 18 features a unique sculpt, based on her design from the show. I thought 17 was a pretty great translation of the show design and I think that 18 is even better. She looks great from just about every angle and stays true to the show, while still adding some nice fine detail work not present in the show designs. The hair in particular has some wonderful fine detail work. The vest and skirt pieces have both been carefully engineered so as to look good and solid while at the same time not interfering with the movement. It’s a careful balance, and it’s handled very well. Like 17, 18’s basic face is one devoid of emotion, which is perfect for the early portrayals of the character. Perhaps the only down point of the sculpt is the separation of the hair pieces, which are not quite as recessed as they were on 17. It’s especially noticeable around the part at the front of her hair. However, it’s mostly a matter of posing, so there’s lots of views where the seam isn’t too obvious. The paintwork on 18 is pretty solid. The colors are nice and bold, and accurate to the show. Everything is clean and there is plenty of great accent work to help bring out the strengths of the sculpt. All of the small detail work is clean and concise, and there’s no bleed over or slop to speak of. S.H. Figuarts are always well accessorized, and 18 is no exception. She includes a spare set of arms in the crossed position, three extra faces, a separate hairstyle and four sets of hands. The crossed arms are much the same as those with 17, and they offer a definitive pose for the character. The faces include one with a grin, one with angry eyes, and one with what can only be described as a “kissy face.” The differences in the grin and angry faces are minimal at best, but not bad, I guess. The kissy face is meant to directly interact with Krillin, and it’s a good replication of that look, though it’s hardly a standard look for the character. The hair is windblown, in a similar fashion to what we saw on 17, which is definitely cool. The hands include: fists, wide spread open palm, two finger grip, and relaxed. They are, notably, a lot easier to swap than 17’s, which is good. In addition to her own pieces, 18 also includes and extra head, hand, and a remote control piece that are all meant to go with Krillin. The head is Krillin’s reaction to the kissy face, and the hand and control are pieces that are directly related to the Android story arc. They’re nice enough pieces, though, having no Krillin figure, I won’t be getting much use out of them.

 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting 17 at MAGFest, I was immediately interested in getting the other two members of the android trio. 16 is still up for preorder, so he was easy enough to get, but 18 proved a bit more difficult. She’d been out for a while, so the price was a bit higher than I wanted to pay. However, I ended up making use of a few Amazon gift cards, which allowed me to get the figure for (essentially) nothing. 17 was a great figure, and I think 18 is an even better one. I’m definitely happy I took the plunge on this line. Now I just need to resist the urge to get a Krillin to go with those extra pieces I got with this one…

#0490: Nebula

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

NEBULA

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VINYL FIGURES

Alright, so after the detour into Marvel Legends land, I’m coming back around to Funko’s Guardians of the Galaxy stuff. This review was actually supposed to be posted last Monday, but it wasn’t. I’m not sure if it had to do with being rather sick last weekend or if I had just had too many “meh” reviews in a row, but when it came time to write this, I just couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come to me. So, I did the ML stuff, which has brightened my spirits a bit, and now I’m back to Nebula. Let’s take a look at how she turned out.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nebula’s part of the first assortment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vinyl Figures. Unlike Star-Lord, Nebula is the only version of the character available in the line (also one of only three Nebula figures available total, like in all of the GotG product). Nebula is a little under 3 inches tall and has no articulation, unless you want to count the bobble head. Nebula’s sculpt is wholly unique to her, and while it is well done from a technical stand-point, there are some questionable choices. Namely, what the heck is up with her pose? She’s standing kind of straight, with her legs wide, and she’s leaning forward just a bit, with her head tilted back ever so slightly. And then there’re the arms, which are outstretched, but almost in a halfhearted sort of way, like she’s been holding them up for a minute and now they’re starting to get tired. What was Funko going for here? Is this meant to replicate a specific pose from the movie? Because I don’t recall Nebula replicating this pose at any point, and if she did it must have only been for the briefest of moments. There seems to be some inconsistency on how the mechanics on her head should be done as well. The bit at the top of her scalp is sculpted, which the stuff around her eye is just painted, so they don’t match. Those things aside, she does have some nice detail work on her costume and such, which is cool, I guess. While the paint on Star-Lord was beyond the Funko norm, Nebula is about par. There’s some nice work on the face, but the paint on the body is fuzzy around the edges and there’s a fair bit of bleed over. Also, the colors are all very similar, which makes the figure a little dull looking. I know she had a limited palette in the movie, but other merchandise has made it work.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Nebula is from the same mall trip (with Super Awesome Girlfriend!) that got me Star-Lord and my SciFi Vinyl Figures. Nebula was the other half of the two GotG blind-boxed figures I picked up. I was initially rather excited to get her, what with Nebula being a favorite of mine from the movie, but I think some of the excitement has worn off. She’s really not as good as she could have been, and it’s sad that this was Nebula’s only figure at the time of the movie’s release. With all that in mind, the figure’s not the worst thing ever. I honestly can’t say why I put this review off for so long. It was actually rather painless.

#0489: Odin

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

ODIN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Yesterday, I looked at Thor, God of Thunder! How about a look at his dad? As luck would have it, Odin happens to be the Build-A-Figure of the very series that Thor was a part of! Isn’t that convenient? Or perhaps just proper planning on Hasbro’s part. I guess it could be that. If you wanna be all practical and stuff. So, let’s have a look at the Allfather, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Odin is the Build-A-Figure for the first series of Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series figures. Technically, he doubles as both Odin and Future Thor, but the series is dubbed the “Odin” series, so I’m going to refer to him as Odin, and include the Future Thor parts as accessories (for the most part, anyway). Odin is about the same size as Thor (fitting), clocking in at about 7 inches tall, and he has 30 points of articulation. I don’t actually know which particular Odin this is based on, or if it’s a particular Odin at all. I think they’ve actually used the Future Thor design as a starting point and just made it work for Odin, which, when you’re dealing with a character who doesn’t really have a definitive look, like Odin, isn’t a bad move. The look is mostly armored and has an appropriately regal look to it. The sculpt is fairlyt detailed, with a lot of texture work and such. Also, you’ll note that the left arm is armored, while the right is not. This actually isn’t completely accurate for Odin, as the left arm is meant to be Future Thor’s Destroyer arm, which replaced his missing arm. However, the regular Odin arms were packed with Sentry, and I didn’t really want to get him, so I settled for the Thor arms. Plus, the armored arm is a little cooler anyway. As a build-a-figure, the figure works pretty decently. He snaps together pretty easily and, aside from his legs popping off from time to time, he stays together pretty well. Odin’s paintwork is generally pretty clean, and it has some decent weathering to help ring out the sculpt’s details. The blue cape is definitely a cool touch, and it nicely separates him from Thor. It would be a little better if there were a some more gold on the actual body armor. As it stands, it’s entirely confined to his helmet, which looks just a bit jarring. Also, some gold on the body might make the figure a little brighter; it’s just a little on the drab side. Odin includes his trusty spear Gungnir (which never gets the credit it deserves!) as well as a spare head and cape for Future Thor, as well as Future Thor’s axe Jarnbjorn. I think this may be the first Build-A-Figure to actually get an accessory compliment. Let’s hope that idea sticks around!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, Odin is the Build-A-Figure that resulted from my getting all of the figures in this series. I actually kind of wanted to finish him. I’m not the world’s biggest Odin fan or anything, but he’s certainly a fixture in the Marvel Universe. He also makes for a pretty neat figure, drab color choices aside. Odin’s one of the few B-A-F’s I’ve finished of late, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that not only is he a pretty solid figure, but also none of the figures required to build him were the dud’s that we’ve inevitable come to expect from the B-A-F model. I’m glad to see Hasbro applying equal effort to all of the figures in the series!

#0488: Thor

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

THOR

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

When you’re doing a series of figures based on the Avengers, there’s a few characters you are pretty much required to include. Generally, those characters are Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Cap got a few slots in the Winter Soldier themed Infinite Series line-ups last year and Iron Man got a spot in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, so I guess Hasbro thought it was Thor’s turn. So, he’s got the prominent spot in the first series of AoU stuff. Yay Thor.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Thor was released in the first series of Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series figures. Unlike Hawkeye and Iron Fist, Thor doesn’t have the “Marvel’s” qualifier on his name, which is actually a little weird, since adding “Marvel’s” to Thor’s name seems like it would be the only way hold the trademark on an otherwise public domain name. Maybe there’s more to it. The figure is gargantuan, at roughly 7 inches tall, and he features 30 points of articulation. He’s based on Thor’s Marvel Now! look, just before the switch to the female Thor. It’s after he got the cape back and lost the chainmail sleeves, resulting in an amalgam of his classic and Copiel looks. It works as a very nice summation of all of the Thor looks over the years and it’s pretty well in line with how he looks in the movies right now, so it’s a good look. The figure is built on the New Thor body that Hasbro sculpted for the first series of re-launched Legends (the one with Terrax as the Build-A-Figure). It’s easily one of the best Thor sculpts put out by any company in the last few years, so it’s a great starting point. They’ve added a new head and arms, which match up very well with the pre-existing pieces. The head exhibits some minor changes, mostly to make the helmet more elaborate, but the face is also a little more intense in expression and it’s a bit more squared off. The helmet is a separate piece, and that works to give the head some really great dimension. The arms have of course been re-sculpted to remove the sleeves. They’re well done, if maybe a little veiny. Overall, the figure’s paint is pretty decently handled, with nice color work and some great texturing on the metallic parts. However, there are a few areas with some issues, most notably the rather obvious slop on the figure’s right wrist. Random flecks of black paint have just gone everywhere. Thor is accessorized with his hammer Mjolnir which is freaking huge and amazingly detailed, as well as a sword which I think is meant to be the Odin Sword (or possibly Gorr’s Sword. I’m not up to date on Thor comics) and the right leg of Odin/Future Thor.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, Thor is another figure that I pretty much only got because I was getting the rest of the series. That said, I actually really like this figure. For one reason or another, I only have one of the previous Legends Thors and it’s not even a “default” one, so this figure fills something of a hole in my collection. This a really solidly put together figure and he ties up a really solidly put together series.

#0487: Iron Fist

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

IRON FIST

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

The latest series of Marvel Legends from Hasbro is definitely based on the Avengers, and all of the figure’s I’ve looked at so far have attested to that. Today’s figure, Iron Fist is probably the one most removed from the team. Admittedly, Iron Fist has been a member of the team in the past, but he’s never really been a member of note, and even when he was on the team it was more due to his connection to Luke Cage. But, Iron Fist’s prototype was sitting there unreleased and that’s something that Hasbro doesn’t like very much! So, here he is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Iron Fist is a part of the first series of the Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Like the Hawkeye figure, he’s a figure that got displaced from one of the last regular Marvel Legends series. Iron Fist was originally intended as a swap figure for the Protector figure from the Hit Monkey series. The figure is about 6 inches tall, with 34 points of articulation. The figure is based on Iron Fist’s most recent comic, which is a variation on the costume he’s had for a few years now, just with white in place of the green. It’s the costume the character’s had for a little while, so it’s a reasonable choice for a figure. The figure is built on the body that started its life as Bullseye back in the ToyBiz days. Over the years, it’s gotten a new set of shins, feet, and forearms, but it’s the same basic body. It was one of my favorites from the ToyBiz years, and it’s a decently proportioned and articulated body, but it’s a little clunky and outdated compared to the newer base bodies like Bucky Cap. Iron Fist also features an all-new head sculpt and an add-on sash piece. Both are well sculpted and look good on the base body, though the sash does sit weird in some poses. The figure’s paint is pretty good. The gold is a nice shade, and most of the line work is clean. There is a fairly noticeable bit of bleed over at the edge of the mask, but other than that things are pretty well done. Iron Fist is one of the best accessorized figures in the series, with an pair of fists, knife hands, grabbing gesture hands, and two-figure gesture hands, as well as the leg of Odin/Future Thor.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Iron Fist is really one of those figures I got because I was getting the rest of the series. I wanted that leg for my Odin. I have to say, he’s not the most fantastic figure in the series (in fact he may actually be the weakest), but he’s not a bad figure, and he’s certainly an improvement over the original ToyBiz figure. Plus, it’s really great to see a figure with a large selection of hands. That’s a rarity in domestic release figures. Let’s hope Hasbro does more of that in the future!

#0486: Hawkeye

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

HAWKEYE

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

When you talk about the Avengers, there’s one quintessential Avenger who often gets overlooked. Someone who’s been with the team almost since the beginning and has stuck with the team for most of its career. I speak, of course, of Hawkeye. Hawkeye is easily one of the most popular Avengers (Outside of the big three and Hulk, who’s only actually had a short career with the team), and he’s even more popular following his introduction into the movies. And yet he still gets the short end of the stick on action figures. It seems that Hasbro is finally wising up, though, and they’ve chosen him as one of the anchors of their latest Marvel Legends line-up.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hawkeye was released as part of Series 1 of the Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series. He’s the first figure I’ve reviewed from this series that actually has his own name on the box (okay, technically he’s “Marvel’s Hawkeye” but that’s splitting hairs!) This Hawkeye figure was originally meant to be a variant version of the Modern Hawkeye figure that made it into one of the last pre-Infinite Series line-ups, but the refresher cases he was meant to be a part of never happened, leaving him unreleased. Hasbro seems to be dead-set against letting any of their prototypes go to waste, so here he is now. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and features 32 points of articulation. He’s based on the look that Hawkeye was sporting during the “Heroic Age,” right after Clint returned to the Hawkeye mantle. It’s a good look because, while it’s technically a modern look, it’s got all the trappings of a classic Hawkeye. And that’s a good thing, because the last classic Hawkeye in this scale was way back in Series 7 of ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends line (and that one still goes for quite a pretty penny!) The figure is built on the ever-popular Bucky Cap body, with the cuffed boots like we saw on Zemo and Boomerang. The left arm has been replaced with that of the Cap Marvel Legends Infinite Series Winter Soldier, to give it more of an armored look, and that’s a change from the initial prototype. Aside from the slightly small wrist size, it’s a good change, and it does add some diversity to the figure’s sculpt. In addition to the re-used pieces, Hawkeye has an all-new head and a rubber overlay for his upper torso, straps, and loincloth. The head certainly shows some more character than the last classic Hawkeye did, but it seems a bit too… square? I don’t know. It just feels a slight bit off. It’s not terrible, though. The overlay is a pretty good piece, with some very nice sculpting. It would be nice if it were a little thinner, and the snap on the side where it connects is rather obvious, but it’s a good piece. There’s also a quiver piece that plugs into his back to complete his look. It appears to be the same piece from the modern Hawkeye this was meant to be a swap of, which means it’s technically not accurate to the costume, but that’s a minor nit. The biggest issue with it is that it just doesn’t want to stay on his back. It just keeps popping off! The paint on the figure is generally rather straightforward. I might have liked for the purpled to be a little brighter, but he looks pretty good. Everything is applied pretty cleanly, and there’s no real slop or bleed over. I also dig the metallic purple for the arm. It’s a nice touch. Hawkeye includes a bow (molded in purple) and the torso of Odin/Future Thor. The lack of any arrows to hold is criminal, especially since the Toybiz Hawkeye had a metric ton of them!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I never got really, super excited by this Hawkeye figure. I mean, I fully intended to get it when it was originally announced, and I was a little bummed when Hasbro said it wasn’t coming out, but I was pretty content with the ToyBiz figure. In hand, I do really like this figure, and I think it may have a slight edge on the previous one (mostly due to the superior base body), but it doesn’t blow it out of the water in the way that, say, Scarlet Witch does to her original figure. This figure still has a few minor issues that hold it back from perfection. That said, it’s the best Hawkeye in this scale, so that’s certainly a plus.

*Want a Hawkeye figure of your own?  He’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check him out!

#0485: Scarlet Witch

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

SCARLET WITCH – MAIDENS OF MIGHT

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

What’s that? Two female action figure reviews in a row? And they’re from the same line? The same series even? Man, the odds certainly weren’t pointing towards that!

So, yeah, the latest series of Marvel Legends from Hasbro has two female figures, shipping at the same time. It makes sense, seeing as it’s an Avengers-themed series, and the Avengers have historically had some pretty strong female characters on the team. It also helps that one of the two figures, the one reviewed today, is Scarlet Witch, who’s not only one of the longest running members of the team, but also set to have a pretty important role in this summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. So, let’s see how she turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Scarlet Witch is in Series 1 of the Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series. She share’s the name “Maidens of Might” with Captain Marvel. Like I said in my Captain Marvel review, I’m not a big fan of that name. It seems just a little below her, especially since Machine Man and Sentry got the less pandering “Avenging Allies” name. Also, Scarlet Witch was married to the Vision for quite a while, so maiden isn’t even an accurate term. Scarlet Witch is a little over 6 inches tall and has 27 points of articulation. This is her second Legends figure. The first was released way back in the 11th series of ToyBiz’s run on the line, and it was notoriously bad even then! An update was long overdue, especially on such an important character. I can’t quite put my figure on exactly which of Wanda’s looks she’s based on here, but it’s definitely one of her more “classic” ones, and it sums up the character pretty well. The figure uses the Moonstone body as a starting point, with some pieces from the most recent version of Emma Frost. She features the high-heeled feet, as opposed to the flat-heeled feet seen on Captain Marvel. They’re well sculpted, but a super pain to get her to stand on with any stability. The figure’s new pieces are her head and cape. The head, while not perfect, is pretty darn good. It’s actually attractive, which is an improvement on the last Legends figure. The hair has some nice flow, and the head piece doesn’t look silly, which is always a triumph. The cape is well sculpted, but it’s too long to let her stand up properly and too short for her to use it for support. If you can get it just right, she can actually stand, but it’s tough. The paint work is overall pretty clean. They’ve chosen a red and pink which don’t clash, which is good. The face is cleaner than Captain Marvel, with no slop or bleed over, and the cape has a fairly nice wash to accent the folds and such. Scarlet Witch includes two translucent pink spell casting pieces, which are a little difficult to get on, but look pretty nice, as well as the head, cape, and staff of Odin, (one of) the series’ Build-A-Figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Scarlet Witch was part of the full set of this series that my Dad got for me. Machine Man may have been the figure I was most excited for, but Wanda wasn’t far behind. She’s one of my favorite Avengers, and the last figure was just the worst. Seriously, if you look up the worst in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of that figure. Clearing the bar set by that figure wasn’t hard, but Hasbro went above and beyond with this figure and finally gave Scarlet Witch the figure she deserves!

*Want a Scarlet Witch figure of your own?  She’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check her out!

#0484: Captain Marvel

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

CAPTAIN MARVEL – MAIDENS OF MIGHT

MARVEL LEGENDS

So, Hasbro’s finally gotten around to releasing some of their merchandise for the upcoming summer-blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it’s… not quite what I expected. So far, there are four possible scales to collect: 2 ½-inch, 3 ¾-inch, 6-inch, and 10-inch. Curiously absent from every line-up is the titular antagonist, Ultron, which is a bit of a bummer. The 6-inch line actually isn’t getting any proper movie figures until Series 2, meaning the first series is made up of comic-based figures who tie-in at least a little with the movie (although some ties are looser than others…), which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Still no Ultron, though…. Anyway, I’ll be taking a look at the line’s take on the current Captain Marvel. She’s not in the movie, but she’s been a recurring member of the Avengers since the 70s, so she’s run into Ultron once or twice.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Marvel is part of the first series of the Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series. She’s listed under the name “Maidens of Might,” a title she shares with Scarlet Witch. I can’t say it’s the best name; in fact it kinda feels like it’s down playing both characters. Carol’s a colonel in the air force for God’s sake! “Maiden” seems just a tad below her, especially when the character only recently got away from being saddled with Ms. Marvel. Ultimately, it’s a minor issue, but still. The figure is about 6 inches tall and she features 27 points of articulation. This is Carol’s second Marvel Legends Infinite Series figure, and her third ML figure overall. However, it’s the first figure to depict Carol as Captain Marvel, the title she inherited a few years ago. From the neck down, Captain Marvel’s sculpt is a re-use of the Moonstone body. It’s one Hasbro’s best base body’s and it’s very nicely sculpted and pretty well proportioned (odd abdominal cut aside). It’s also the same body used for the three-pack Ms. Marvel, so it’s good for consistency’s sake. The figure features a new head and an add-on for her sash, which is different from the one on Ms. Marvel. The default head depicts Captain Marvel sans helmet with windswept hair. Windswept hair doesn’t always work, but with the shorter hair it actually looks okay. The paint on Captain Marvel is decent, if maybe not perfect. The biggest issue is the face. My figure has a chunk of her left eyebrow missing, and her eyes are a little wonky. Other than that, the line work is nice and clean, and the colors are pretty great matches for those in the comics. Captain Marvel includes an extra helmeted head, an energy blast attachment, and the head, cape, and axe of Future Thor.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Machine Man, Captain Marvel was purchased for me by my Dad, from Walmart of all places. I think Captain Marvel’s probably the figure I overlooked the most, and that’s too bad, because she’s a really good figure. The new costume is pretty great, and it’s awesome to see it get a figure.

#0483: Machine Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

MACHINE MAN – AVENGING ALLIES

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Super hero comics are a pretty big, wide ranging medium, so it only follows that they would have an equally wide selection of characters. Characters who can range from really well-known and widely popular to almost unknown. When it comes to action figures, it can be pretty hard to justify releasing a C or D-list character. While a comic can create or feature an obscure character by printing a few lines, a toy has to be sculpted, tooled and packaged, and then they actually have to find not only a customer base for an item, but a retailer interested in carrying it. So, when a character like Machine Man gets a figure, that’s a pretty big deal.

For those of you who don’t know the character, Machine Man, aka X-51, aka Aaron Stack, is a Marvel character from the 70s. He was created within Marvel’s 2001 comics, after which he made his way into the main universe. In a nutshell, he’s a robot who was raised to be as much like a human as possible. He also saw a jump in popularity a few years ago when he served as one of the principle characters in Warren Ellis’s Nextwave: Agents of Hate. So, with that out of the way, let’s move on to the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Machine Man was released as part of the first series of the Avengers Marvel Legends Infinite Series. He’s been released under the name “Avenging Allies,” a name he shares with Sentry. Unlike most prior shared-name figures, Machine Man and Sentry are both in the initial shipments of the series as opposed to one of them being swapped for the other in refresh cases. The figure is about 6 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation. He’s very definitely based on Machine Man’s original design, which is nice to see, especially in an assortment of otherwise modern figures. The figure is built on the basic male body which originated with Bucky Cap, along with a new head and belt. The Bucky Cap body has been showing up with increasing frequency in Hasbro’s Legends releases, but that’s hardly a bad thing. Aside from the slightly odd veins at the top of the pectorals, it’s a very nicely sculpted body, and it works great for Machine Man. The head sculpt is somewhat simple, but it’s sharply detailed and absolutely perfect for the character. The belt is a good sculpt on its own, however, it’s fit on the figure is a bit iffy. Mine was stuck up a little too high, which caused it to get stuck in the ab joint, leaving the belt rather mangled. It’s not obvious unless viewed directly, but it’s the sort of thing that really shouldn’t happen, especially as prices continue to climb. The figure’s paint is pretty decent. He’s molded in a metallic purple (which is really great) and the silver, flesh tone, and red are all paint. The paint application isn’t bad, but it’s not perfect either. There are one or two spots of bleed over, mostly on the face. That said, it’s a lot cleaner than Hasbro’s recent offerings in the line, which is a good sign. Machine Man includes a set of extended arms with hands attached and a set of arms for the Build A Figure. There are two possible Build-A-Figures this time; one is Odin, and the other is Future Thor. They use the same torso and legs, with different heads and arms included with the “swap” figures. Machine Man includes Thor’s arms.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Machine Man was picked up for me by my Dad, along with the rest of the series. This is the figure I was most eager to get from this series, as I’m a really big Machine Man fan. In fact, back when ToyBiz was still doing Marvel Legends I even made my own custom Machine Man. I’m thrilled beyond belief to have a proper figure in my collection, and I’m happy he turned out as well as he did. Now, is it too much to ask for a Nextwave version?

*Want a Machine Man figure of your own?  He’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check him out!

#0482: Star-Lord

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

STAR-LORD

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VINYL FIGURES

Guardians of the Galaxy was a very good movie, which is a very good thing. Essentially, it’s given Marvel the confidence to make just about any damn thing they want to. It’s also provided various companies a lot of merchandising opportunities. Funko has jumped in on the fun, offering not just their usual Pop! figures, but also a line of blind boxed vinyl bobble-heads. Let’s have a look at one of the line’s offerings of Legendary Outlaw Star-Lord.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Star-Lord is part of the first, and so far only, assortment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vinyl Figures. He’s one of the two versions of Star-Lord released in the line. This is the basic standing one, as opposed to the more wildly posed one. He’s about 3 inches tall and he has no articulation, though he does have a bobbly head. Like just about every other Star-Lord figure out there, he’s based on the character’s long-coated appearance in the film’s opening scenes. The sculpt is simplistic, but very bold and very sharp. It’s a pretty great translation of the movie design, and it looks very nice. It doesn’t have the more ornate texture work of other figures, but it’s very eye-catching and it really has a nice stylistic touch to it. Paint is an area with which Funko sometimes has some trouble, but that’s not the case here. Everything is nice and clean, and the colors are pretty good matches. I’m still a little thrown by the silver on the helmet, but that’s actually just the inaccurate Hasbro color scheme messing with me.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Star-Lord hails from the same Hot Topic trip with Super Awesome Girlfriend that got me the various Sci Fi Vinyl Figures. Star-Lord was one of two of the blind boxes that were still left, which worked out pretty well I suppose. Star-Lord’s a solid figure to be sure, and just another great addition to all the GotG stuff.