Tag Archives: Guardians of the Galaxy

#3431: Cosmo

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

COSMO

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Added to Marvel’s cosmic slate in 2008, Cosmo the Spacedog, a Russian space dog  granted increased intelligence and super powers, who references Laika the Soviet space dog who flew in Sputnik II, got a pretty quick turnaround for film adaptation.  First appearing as one of the Collector’s captives in the first Guardians, and then getting another quick cameo in Vol 2, Cosmo finally got a slightly larger role in the Holiday Special, and even got to be a more involved member of the team in Vol. 3.  Perfect timing for an action figure, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cosmo is the Build-A-Figure for the titular series of Marvel Legends, assembled by purchasing 6 of the 7 figures in the line-up.  The figure is about 2 1/2 inches tall and 4 inches long, with 32 points of articulation.  Cosmo is similar in design, if a bit scaled down from, the Timber figure we got back in 2021.  In that regard, I still find her to be a little bit on the restricted side when it comes to movement.  If anything, she’s actually a bit *more* restricted than Timber was, just based on how the joints are laid out relative to her design.  Of course, a dog in a spacesuit’s only going to be so mobile to begin with, I suppose.  Cosmo is sporting an all-new sculpt, which is generally a pretty strong one.  The texturing on the fur is a touch soft, but not terribly so, and there’s only so much of it visible to begin with.  The head bears a decently close “likeness” of the breed of the dogs that portrayed Cosmo in the films, and the detailing on the suit is all pretty sharply handled.  Her helmet piece (which does not fully close) can be removed…or I guess just left off during assembly…allowing you to do her more dressed down look seen in the Holiday Special and Vol. 3.  It’s honestly easier to leave her that way, since you have to pop the head off to get the helmet in place, and the head/body is one of the few things that’s pre-assembled.  Cosmo’s paint work is a bit more on the basic side.  Honestly, it’s a touch too basic.  The fur in particular seems really devoid of detail, without any accenting to help sell the sculpted elements.  Compared to more recent offerings, especially Timber, it feels a bit lacking.  The suit at least gets a little more work, but it could definitely have done with at least a wash or something, to make it look a little more dirty and lived in, as it is in the films.  Cosmo doesn’t include any accessories, but she’s kind of an accessory herself, so that’s honestly not too bad.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t have a ton of in-comics experience with Cosmo, so the movies have honestly been my main connection to the character, and really my only driving force for any sort of toy needs.  While I wasn’t dying to get the character, I’m also not unhappy to see her show up here.  She’s decent.  Nothing amazing, and definitely more of an accessory than her own figure outright, but that’s really all she was designed to be anyway.

This set’s a pretty good one, start to finish.  There were some misteps on a few figures, but I don’t feel like there’s really any dead weight on it.  I do find it amusing that we’ve gone from a place of needing Iron Man to anchor the first movie assortment, meaning they only just barely fit the smaller line-up, to them getting an entire movie-only assortment, plus a bonus deluxe figure to go along.  That’s one heck of an accomplishment for a team that most people knew nothing about a decade ago.

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.

#3426: Kraglin

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

KRAGLIN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Former first mate of Yondu and Ravager who fought alongside the Avengers against Thanos, Kraglin sets off with the Guardians to protect the galaxy.”

When he appeared in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Kraglin was really just an extended cameo for director James Gunn’s brother Sean.  He had a few memorable lines, and got a spot standing next to Yondu, but that was really it.  By the time of the sequel, he became a full-fledged character on his own, and by Vol. 3 he’s actually worked his way into the team’s family dynamic.  Not so bad for a throwaway character.  Given his ever growing role, he’s also been fortunate to make his way to the world of toys. That’s not so bad either!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kraglin is the final single-release figure from the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, wrapping up the Guardians 3 tie-in stuff.  This is his first proper figure, though he also got a Pop around the same time.  Are we really gonna count that, though?  No, we’re not.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  Kraglin is seen here in his full Ravagers gear, which he wears during the film’s climactic battle.  It’s also the same basic thing he wore during the last two films, so he can also work as a mid-credits Kraglin from Vol. 2 if you’re so inclined.  Since he’s wearing Ravagers garb, Hasbro’s taken the opportunity to do a little re-use on this figure.  He’s got the arms and legs of the movie Yondu from the last movie’s tie-ins, coupled with a new head, torso, and hands.  Unfortunately, the Yondu parts were engineered to match up with pieces from the first film’s Star-Lord figure, which was one of the first film’s weakest figures to begin with, and was already a little outdated by Vol. 2, making the parts feel even more out of whack all this time later.  The new head and torso certainly do their best to elevate the general quality of the figure, especially with the fairly respectable likeness of Gunn on the head, he still feels a little bit out of place.  Those limbs are just rather unforgiving.  Kraglin’s paint work isn’t too bad; there’s a decent amount of smaller detailing present, which goes above and beyond what Yondu got.  He also gets the usual face printing, which is as strong here as ever.  He’s packed with Yondu’s arrow piece, a small knife, and a leg for Cosmo.  The arrow piece is still a bit stubborn, and I don’t like that it’s got that permanently attached trail, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.  I’d have liked to see maybe an extra head, without the fin, so that he could be a Vol 1/Vol 2 Kraglin, but I guess that would have just been too much Sean Gunn for one package.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Thanks to how large just the main cast was on the first two Guardians, I knew there was no way we’d be getting a Kraglin, but I still really liked the character, and was always hopeful.  I was glad to see him get a larger role this time around, and even more glad that it translated into him finally getting a figure.  It’s not a perfect figure.  In fact, it’s a bit rough.  But, on the flipside, it also matches up pretty well with that Yondu figure, so I guess there’s that.  And, quite frankly, it could have been a lot worse.

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.

#3421: Adam Warlock

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

ADAM WARLOCK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“With his cosmic powers and super-human strength, Adam Warlock is sent by the Sovereign to seek revenge on the Guardians of the Galaxy who have humiliated them.”

First teased in one of the many stingers that dropped during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2‘s credits, Adam Warlock is one of the very first characters we see during Vol 3, already in the midst of his mission to take the Guardians down.  With Nebula firmly on the side of the heroes this time around, it’s Adam who begins this story as an antagonistic force, as he stumbles his way into being a better person.  And, it’s honestly a pretty good take on the character.  And hey, he gets a new Marvel Legend out of it!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Adam Warlock is figure 5 in the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, which serves as the tie-in assortment for Guardians Vol 3.  While Adam has had the Legends treatment two times prior (including one figure in the second tie-in assortment for the *last* Guardians film), this is his first MCU figure. The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation. His articulation scheme is a pretty basic set-up for the line at this point. It’s not bad, bust it doesn’t really push the envelope or anything.  Adam is sporting an all-new sculpt, based on his look early-on in the film, prior to losing the cape.  It’s admittedly when he’s at his most Adam-Warlock-y in terms of look, so I get the choice.  The sculpt’s certainly got the height for the character, but he does seem a touch scrawny for the character as portrayed in the movie.  Like, not terribly far off, but just kinda small feeling, especially when placed next to the likes of Star-Lord and Drax.  His head has an okay likeness of Will Poulter, hindered only ever so slightly by the hair, which is a bit short and too composed for how Adam looked in the movie.  He’s definitely based more on the concept art for the character than the actual film look, though admittedly, it’s much closer to the final product than most concept work, so that’s a definite plus.  The one major downside to the sculpt is that the cape is totally non-removable, which does somewhat limit his applicability to the other figures, since he spends so much of the movie without the cape.  But, honestly, it’s not the end of the world.  The color work on this guy is generally pretty basic.  Lot of molded colors.  The distinction between the armor and skin tone could maybe be a touch more pronounced, but it’s also pretty minor in the movie.  Adam doesn’t get any accessories of his own, but does include the helmet and tail to the Cosmo Build-A-Figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I have a soft spot for Adam Warlock, so I’ve been looking forward to his official introduction into the MCU since he was teased in Vol. 2.  Will Poulter was definitely an out of left field casting choice, but he turned in a really solid performance, and I was glad to get him in figure form.  The figure’s not without its issues, but I still dig the overall vibe of it.  And, I’m sure we’ll see more of him down the line.

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.

#3416: Rocket

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

ROCKET

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“As Rocket takes on more leadership duties within the Guardians of the Galaxy, his past actions have consequences that come back to haunt him.”

Though certainly a character that was always in the focus in the movies, Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Rocket was typically more of a quirky supporting player than an outright lead for most of his appearances.  In Guardians Vol. 3, Rocket takes on a far more central role, and one that grants the character a lot more nuance than we’ve seen out of him previously.  Resting the emotional core of your story on a CGI talking raccoon is an iffy prospect at best, but Vol. 3 makes it work.  It makes it work very well.  And Rocket gets to really shine because of it, which is honestly pretty awesome.  You know what else is awesome?  Toys.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Rocket is figure 4 in the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, which, as noted previously, is the tie-in assortment for Guardians Vol. 3.  The whole team is present, and Rocket’s also Rocket, so his inclusion makes perfect sense.  Curiously, this marks the first time that a Legends MCU Rocket has been released without any sort of Groot packed alongside him (though that was technically flipped this time, since the deluxe Groot included a baby Rocket).  Like the rest of the team, he’s seen here in his swanky new uniform, which is definitely a good look.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Like his last go-round, Rocket is still a fully articulated figure, and he’s even a little bit better this time around, since his ankles are rocker joints and the wrists are universals, rather than the straight swivels that we got the last time around.  If nothing else, it certainly makes him a bit easier to stand.  Rocket is sporting an all-new sculpt, courtesy of Rene Aldrete, which is certainly a respectable recreation of Rocket’s on-screen model.  He’s not the drastic step-up in quality we saw with the last release, but that’s largely because the last one was really, really good already.  This one largely sticks to that, just giving him the new uniform, and working in the articulation just a tad bit better.  Rocket’s color work generally matches with the rest of the team suits; the red is still a little sloppy, but it otherwise works okay.  There’s some more intensive work on the head and tail, which captures the detailing of the fur pretty well.  There’s something about the eyes on this one that, much like Mantis, just seem a bit off to me, however.  I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s the only thing that I prefer on the older version.  Rocket is packed with the same large blaster rifle as the Vol 1 version, which, I’ll be honest, I was never much of a fan of.  It was awkward and hard to hold the first time around, and it remains so this time around.  Rocket is also packed with the head and main body of the Cosmo Build-A-Figure, which is by far the largest section, since he’s by far the smallest figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The original Rocket figure was honestly one of the worst the line ever put out.  The second, on the other hand, was one of the best.  There wasn’t a ton of room to improve, but this figure found some, and it went for it.  I’m not big on the eyes or the backpedalling to the weird bulky gun, but I do like the core figure a lot, and I also really like having a cohesive set of Guardians.

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.

#3411: Nebula

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

NEBULA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Since helping the Avengers defeat her adoptive father, Nebula has become a full-fledged member of the Guardians of the Galaxy who show her the true meaning of family.”

Of all the characters within the Guardians movies, Nebula gets perhaps the most compelling arc. She begins as a wholly antagonistic force towards the Guardians, an angry, violent, and jealous character, focused purely on getting what’s hers. By the final chapter, she’s faced down her genocidal maniac of a father, as well as confronting her former self (literally) and become a central member of the team, deeply concerned with the care of the rest of the group. She’s just a cuddly blue ball of cybernetics. And who doesn’t love that?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nebula is figure 3 in the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends. Like the rest of the team, Nebula is seen here in her full uniform set-up, which puts her into something other that sort of maroonish color for the first time. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 31 points of articulation. Nebula is built from a lot of the same bank of parts as Mantis, which was honestly kind of expected. It seems like the sculpt was slightly more tailored to Nebula and then also used for Mantis, as the height is more in line with the slightly taller Karen Gillan, who portrays Nebula. As Nebula has had some of her cybernetic implants removed since we last saw her, the figure gets a new head showing off her updated look, as well as a new left arm, which highlights her new nano-tech appendage. To my eyes, the head seems a touch too large for the body, but only slightly so. It does sport a respectable Gillan likeness, however, and makes the proper adjustments to the older head. The new arm looks the part of the one seen in the movie, and again is distinctly different from the previous version.  I like all of the smaller nanite details that they’ve worked into it.  The color work on Nebula is largely similar to Mantis, which make sense.  Same body, same uniform, same colors.  The application is pretty clean for the most part.  There’s a little bit of slop on the red, but otherwise the lines are clean.  The face gets the now standard printing, which is suitably lifelike…I mean, as lifelike as a blue alien cyborg lady is going to be.  Nebula is packed with a swap-out blade attachment for her cyborg arm, a blaster rifle (re-used from the Vol 2 Gamora), a pistol (re-used from the prior Nebula), and one of Cosmo’s left legs.  I was a little bit bummed that there’s not extra right hand with any sort of grip to it, as well as the fact that the rifle’s lost all of its accent paint.  Ultimately, those are both pretty minor.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Nebula’s a character that I’ve liked more and more with each of her MCU appearances, which is saying something, because I honestly really liked her a lot the first time around.  Vol 3 was a great close to her arc, and I really liked seeing her fully integrated into the team.  This may well be her best figure yet, honestly.  It’s not a lot of flash or flair, but it’s just a well-put-together figure of a well put together character.

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.

#3406: Mantis

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

MANTIS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“After fighting many battles with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the once quiet Mantis is ready to open up, embrace her powers, and settle into her new home on Knowhere.”

When first introduced in 1973, Mantis was an Earth-native femme fatale-style super heroine, who was added to the Avengers roster by her creator Steve Englehart to shake-up the team dynamic at the time.  She would ultimately become a central player during the “Celestial Madonna” story, taking her to a more cosmic level.  She remained in the background for a bit after that (and was actually carried across a few different publishers as Englehart jumped around, albeit never being explicitly identified as “Mantis”), and was eventually worked into Marvel’s cosmic side proper when she was worked into the Guardians of the Galaxy.  When she made her jump to the MCU in Guardians Vol. 2, she, like Drax before her, went from being a human who went out into space to being an alien outright.  She also got quite a personality overhaul, becoming far more quiet and timid.  Over the course of her subsequent appearances, she’s grown a fair bit, and by Vol. 3, she’s far more capable in her own right.  And now she also gets a proper single release figure, rather than being chopped up as a Build-A-Figure.  Yay!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mantis is figure 2 in the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, which serves as the tie-in for Vol. 3.  Like the rest of the main team, she’s seen here in her proper uniformed design, which is a change of pace after she wore pretty much the same get-up for her prior five appearances.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and she has 31 points of articulation.  Where both Star-Lord and Drax relied heavily on parts re-use from older figures, Mantis is a lot more new parts…with the caveat that there’s a lot of sharing with another figure in the set, but we’ll get to that later.  She appears to be using the same head sculpt as the Build-A-Figure Mantis, which is reasonable enough; that was a good sculpt, with a respectable likeness of Pom Klementieff, so why not stick with it?  Everything from the neck down is new, and it’s generally pretty good, apart from one notable issue: she’s too tall.  I mean, not like, crazy too tall, but definitely too tall.  Beyond that, it’s a respectable offering, which details the design of the team suit nicely.  Some of the details are a little on the softer side, but otherwise it’s pretty good.  She’s also got the pinless construction for the elbows and knees, which keeps things pretty clean.  Mantis’s color work is alright.  It’s a lot of molded plastic colors, and in the case of the suit, I do feel it robs her of some of the sculpted details, since there’s not a ton of accenting going on.  Like the last two team suit figures, there’s definitely a bit of slop on the red sections, and in her case, her chest emblem is also a little bit offset.  Mantis’s face work is a little more detailed than her prior figure, and, as odd as it feels to say, I think I like the last one just a bit better.  There’s something about the eyes on this release that feels just a little off for me.  I’m not sure why, and it’s not bad in a vacuum, just odd compared to the other one.  Mantis doesn’t get any extras of her own; I’m not sure what there is to give her, but maybe some extra hands or something would have been nice.  As it stands, all she gets is one of Cosmo’s legs.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really liked Mantis’s addition to the team in the second film, and I’ve enjoyed seeing her growth as a character over the films.  I wasn’t initially sure I needed another version, but we’re getting those team suits, and it’s so hard to say no to any of them at that point.  She’s got some smaller issues that definitely hold her back a bit, but the overall product is honestly pretty good.

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.

#3401: Drax

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

DRAX

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Drax finally dons a shirt and becomes a more active member of the Guardians by helping set up their new headquarters–but he still has trouble thinking before he acts.”

Everybody gets a real character arc in all three Guardians movies, and Drax’s is getting a shirt on over his sensitive nipples. Right? Okay, no, not quite. In fact, his arc, much like the other Guardians, is about learning how to be a part of a family again, even if it’s not quite the family he was expecting. It’s admittedly a pretty nice arc for the guy. Also, he starts wearing shirts. Good for him.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Drax is figure 1 in the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, which serves as the tie-in for Guardians Vol 3. He’s seen here in his full team uniform, a marked change from his last two figures. The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and has 30 points of articulation. Like Star-Lord, Drax is making use of prior molds for the character, though in Drax’s case, those molds go back to the very first film’s tie-in stuff. This figure makes use of the legs and feet from the previous movie Draxes, and apart from the visible pins on the knees, they honestly hold up quite well. Drax obviously gets a new torso and arms, so as to give him his shirt. It matches well with both the movie and with the Star-Lord figure, so those are both pluses. Drax also gets a new head. Like his first figure, this one is back to being calm. It’s not drastically different, but it does get a slight improvement to the Batista likeness. Drax’s color work is generally alright. Nothing major to write home about. As with Star-Lord, the red stripes stop right at the hips, rather than continuing into the pocket the way they do in the movie, but that’s a symptom of those re-used parts. Application on the reds is a little sloppy around the edges, but otherwise he looks pretty clean. Drax is packed with his two knives, as well as the front right leg of Cosmo.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Drax is a character I keep thinking I don’t need to update, and then I keep liking his new figures more than I expected to. I largely grabbed this guy because I was getting the whole team in their fancy new suits, but I really like how he turned out, especially with that new likeness.

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.

#3396: Star-Lord

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

STAR-LORD

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Peter Quill must do whatever it takes to save a friend whose life is in danger.”

Oh, man, what are we looking at today?  Is it more Marvel Legends?  Of course it is, silly.  Why would it be anything else?  There’s, like, five assortments that hit all at once.  I gotta get through them somehow.  When the first Guardians of the Galaxy was released, Star-Lord was a very minor Marvel character, played by a guy whose main claim to fame was as a supporting player on an NBC sit-com.  Three films and just shy of a decade later, Star-Lord’s a household name, played by a movie star who’s in literally everything.  Seriously, they just announced a film adaptation of the Figure in Question, and Chris Pratt’s playing the Question Mark Guy.  Who does this guy know?  Well, let’s just jump into the review before I too am replaced by Chris Pratt.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Star-Lord is the un-numbered double pack figure for the Cosmo Series of Marvel Legends, which serves as the tie-in assortment for Guardians Vol 3.  Remember the days when they had to rely on Iron Man as the assortment’s heavy hitter?  After several figures detailing various variations on his Ravager look, this time around Star-Lord’s sporting his new, more comics-inspired team suit.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  This Star-Lord makes use of a lot of parts from his Vol. 2 sculpt.  It’s not a perfect match for his look in the movie, but it’s close enough to fudge it.  He gets a new head and torso to sell it.  The new head is Hasbro’s best Pratt likeness to date, which is saying something, because the Vol. 2 head was honestly pretty good itself.  But, this one just showcases the subtle improvement’s Hasbro’s made in the six years since the last one, and it really works in his favor.  The coloring on Star-Lord is a bit different, since he’s got the new color scheme for the uniform.  The head gets the printing, which is nice and lifelike, and one of the big improvements over the last one.  The uniform is generally pretty solid in its paint, though they did go a bit more basic on the smaller details.  That said, the major elements are all there, which sells the main look well.  Peter’s a little light on the accessories front, getting only a pair of blasters.  They aren’t his usual blasters, and are instead modified to only feature the top blaster element.  It’s noteworthy that he actually uses his classic blasters with this look, and uses the modified ones while incognito during the film’s heist sequence.  That said, I don’t mind the new pieces as an option, especially since we’ve gotten the other ones so many times before.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I kind of thought I was done needing new Star-Lord figures after Vol. 2, and I’d even skipped the Love and Thunder version to illustrate that point.  That said, I hadn’t anticipated the proper team suits, and at that point, they got me back in.  How dare they?  He’s not a perfect figure, and he’s definitely light on the accessories, but I enjoy him.

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.

#3391: Groot

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

GROOT

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Grown into a more mature tree, Groot uses his new body changes and more advanced skills to help build Knowhere and protect his family.”

And we all know there’s nothing more important to Vin Diesel than family…

So, you know how I’ve gotten you guys all accustomed to this lovely sort of curated mix of old and new for my reviews the last few months? Hasn’t that been nice? Isn’t spacing everything out super nice? It sure is. Nobody told that to Hasbro, though, so, umm, I’ve got four serious of Marvel Legends, all at once. I sure hope you like Legends, because that’s what we’re doing for at least the next month and a half. To preserve my own sanity, I’m gonna do things just a little bit differently this time, and rather than looking at each set in a straight shot, I’m gonna do one of each set per week. Does that sound better? It does to me, and I outrank the rest of you.

Back in May, James Gunn closed out his trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and he did it with one very strong finish. And they may have been on uncertain ground for their first outing, but there’s no denying the merchandising juggernaut that the Guardians have become at this point. For their Legends component, there’s a full assortment of movie-based figures, as well as a deluxe Groot, which just so happens to be the item I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Groot is a one-off deluxe Marvel Legends release, whose arrival coincides with the main Guardians tie-in assortment. Long gone are the days of making Groot a Build-A-Figure; he’s far too popular a character for that. After keeping the same general Teen Groot look since Vol 2’s post credits scene, the Holiday Special gave us a more aged up Groot, which Vol. 3 continues with. Now he’s no longer the skinny twig he was before. The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. Despite his bulked up stature, this Groot is probably the most posable version of him we’ve gotten for Legends. In particular, the elbows get a much better range that the Teen Groot body did, and his knees and ankles are better than the elder Groot from the first movie. The shoulders use the moving plate construction that Classified has utilized a few times for armor. It allows for more flexibility when posing, which is nice. Unfortunately, due to a slight mold error, it also means the right arm on my figure tends to pop out of place. Groot’s sculpt is all-new, patterned on that all-new design. It seems a little softer on detailing than the elder Groot, but it’s sharper than Teen or Baby Groot were. In terms of accuracy to the source material, it’s generally pretty good, although the head does seem just a tad more squat and wide than it should be, with features that ever so slightly too human. The general look is still there, of course, and Hasbro was undoubtedly working from in-progress designs for the character. Groot’s color long is largely achieved via molded brown plastic, which is a richer shade than his prior figures. He gets a little bit of green accenting for his “moss,” and printed eyes, which again seem maybe just a bit too human to be fully accurate. Prior Groots have largely been pack-ins of some sort, and therefore pretty light on extras, but this guy gets two sets of hands, wings that can be mounted on his back, and a small baby Rocket figurine. At least I assumed it was Rocket before seeing the movie, but it could also be

[SPOILER]

one of the baby raccoons that Rocket saves at the end of the movie. This one does appear to be unmodified, so perhaps that’s it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I quite like Groot, and it was that like of him that got me to buy the whole set of the first film’s figures, just to build him. I’ve really enjoyed his evolution over the movies, and he was an essential part of Vol 3. Being able to get him on his own now is cool, but of course, now I’m sold in the whole set anyway. This guy’s pretty fun. I don’t know that he was quite what I was expecting, but he’s still fun.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’d like to see a video of this guy in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3286: Nebula & Drax

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

NEBULA & DRAX

MARVEL MINIMATES

“Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos! The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand.”

On December 20 of 2017, I noted in the intro to my Minimates Taserface and Mantis review that I hadn’t picked up the Toys R Us-exclusive Nebula and Drax two-pack. Well, the times they are a-changin…in the spring of 2018…when I actually bought this set.  And…then I took quite a few years to actually review it.  And I’m probably making it worse by drawing attention to it here.  But, you know what, I’m just going for it.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Nebula and Drax were the TRU-exclusive pack in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 tie-in assortment of Marvel Minimates, hitting about two months before the film’s release in 2017.  This pair rounded out the titular team from the film.

NEBULA

For the first movie, Nebula was exclusive to the specialty assortment, while this time around flipped the script and moved her over to TRU.  Still exclusive, but differently so, I suppose.  This release places her in her updated outfit she gets from the Ravagers mid-way through the film.  It’s not crazy different, but it’s got sleeves, and it’s a little redder.  The figure is based on the standard post-C3 Minimate body, so she’s about 2 1/4 inches tall and she has 14 points of articulation.  Like her first release, Nebula is a vanilla ‘mate with no add-ons.  It makes sense, since she’s pretty svelte, and has no notable things that would require anything extra on the standard body.  Nebula’s paint is where the main work is going on.  The detail work is pretty solid; she gets things toned down a bit compared to the previous version, but it’s still impressive, as is the base color work.  Nebula is packed with a blaster pistol and a clear display stand.

DRAX

Drax’s look is the least changed of the main characters in the second Guardians, which makes this release seem pretty unneeded at first glance.  However, this one was largely used to correct an issue with the last release, which bulked him up with a bulky chest piece, generally seen as not the greatest choice for the character.  This one’s only sculpted add-on is a generic pelvis cap piece, which gives him a little more bulk without going too overboard.  Beyond the change of sculpt there are also some changes in terms of paint.  The upper half of the figure is fairly similar to the first movie version, but just a touch crisper on the details.  He also gets the blue Nova uniform pants, rather than the all-black ones, which feature a fair bit more detailing than the all-black ones from the first film.  Drax is packed with his two knives and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While I got the whole Specialty assortment for this movie within a few months after their release, I held off on this one, for a few reasons.  Firstly, I hadn’t gone out and actually tried to find them, and moreover, I was content with the prior versions.  But, with TRU going out of business in 2018, I had another chance at them, for a much better deal.  Nebula I can take or leave; the first one is still a favorite of mine, so this one’s just different to be different.  Drax is actually an improvement, and I quite like the changes they’ve made here.