Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3528: Daredevil

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

DAREDEVIL

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0007:  This is the 20th Daredevil figure I’ve looked at here on the site! Sub-FiQ Fact, I know I just used this for Nightwing last week, but it’s also amusing that the two baton boy acrobats are so close in numbers, right?

I’ve been off and on with Daredevil’s comic runs pretty much since I started reading comics.  Waid and Samnee’s run from a few years back is one of my absolute favorite comics runs ever, and I dropped off the book for a bit after that because, well, how do you follow that up?  I jumped back in with Chip Zdarsky’s run when it started, and while it didn’t hook me quite the same way as the Waid/Samnee run, it was still a strong run in its own right.  It removes Matt from the title role for a while, granting Elektra the spotlight, but when Matt came back, he got a swanky new look, and I’m pretty much always down for a new Daredevil look.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Daredevil is the unnumbered figure in the Mindless One Series of Marvel Legends, which is our second Marvel Knights-themed series, following up on the Man-Thing Series from way back in 2017.  Curiously, while DD is the unnumbered figure and is sans-BaF piece, he’s *not* the set’s double pack in the case, which is a bit of a change-up to how things normally are.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  His articulation set-up is notably a little stiff, especially for a character like Matt, but its generally comparable to the Bucky Cape base that he’s been on previously, I suppose.  It’s also pinless, so at least it looks pretty smooth.  Matt gets a brand new sculpt, based on his “King Daredevil” look from the comics.  It’s essentially taking the costume Elektra was wearing during her time with the mantle and adapting to Matt, which isn’t a terrible way of handling things.  Since taking up the look was preceded by Matt doing a stint in prison, he grew out a beard, which is probably the biggest real visual change, though he also gains a lot more black, as well as adding wraps on the feet to the handwraps that have become a go-to for modern updates to the DD look. The sculpt generally translates the look into figure form pretty decently, with the only specific nit being that his collar piece is missing the hood section from the comics. It sort of came and went there, though, so it’s possible it was actually meant to be a separate piece. Otherwise, the sculpt conveys the book design well, and there’s plenty of depth of detail mixed in. His color work is pretty basic, largely relying on molded colors. Weirdly, his shoulder joints are molded in red, despite them only being visible in sections of the shoulder that are black, which is annoying. Also, his ears wind up being painted to match his beard, which is just plain incorrect. At least the red/black break up is very clean. DD is packed with his usual two piece billy club set-up, as well as a longer bladed staff. It definitely feels light. At the very least, some extra hands would be appreciated, but a hood piece would also have been nice.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

This guy felt pretty inevitable once we got the Elektra version, and it was ultimately his announcement that truly sold me on that figure. I dig a good Matt DD variant. This one isn’t as strong as other recent DD figures, but he’s still a respectably fun figure in his own right.

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.

#3520: KX Security Droid – Holiday Edition

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

KX SECURITY DROID — HOLIDAY EDITION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Okay, so it may not quite be Christmas yet, but you know what? I’m gonna do two Christmas-y reviews this year. Of course, since Christmas Eve falls on a weekend this year, I guess I’ll just observe it today, instead. That seems fair, right?  Yeah, let’s do that!  Last year, I took a brief look into Hasbro’s Black Series holiday offerings, and that feels like a pretty easy road to go back down.  There’s even more of them this year, including today’s offering, the KX Security Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Holiday Edition KX Security Droid is one of the six Holiday Edition Star Wars: The Black Series figures for 2023.  This one in particular is the Walmart-exclusive portion of the line-up.  As with last year’s Protocol Droid, the KX doesn’t get any sort of clever name or anything, which feels like a bit of a bummer, but it’s at least brand-consistent.  The figure stands 7 1/2 inches tall and has 31 points of articulation.  The KX is re-using the K-2SO mold, which makes sense, them being the same model of droid and all.  It helps that it remains a really strong mold, even seven years after its original use.  The only draw back to my personal copy is that one of his legs snapped off at the hip joint, which is a real bummer.  The color scheme really mixes things up on this one, going for a predominantly white color scheme, accented with red and green, which is all appropriately festive.  I especially dig the snowflakes swapping in for the Imperial Cog.  The KX is packed with a small blaster pistol, done up in Nerf-style colors, which is fun.  He also gets the requisite smaller companion figure that all of the Holiday Edition figures have gotten.  It’s another BD-1, this time decoed up in white and blue.  Not quite as overtly festive as the one that came with the Protocol Droid, but it’s still pretty nifty.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m a big fan of this mold, and of the Holiday Edition concept.  That said, given how kitschy they are, I’m not hunting any of them down.  With this guy being a Walmart exclusive, I figured I wouldn’t be getting one any time soon and called it a day, but when one turned up as a trade-in at All Time, I jumped on it.  His broken hip is a real bummer, but he’s otherwise a fun, and I’m still very much a fan of this whole concept.

#3519: Nighthawk & Blur

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

NIGHTHAWK & BLUR

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“The high-flying Nighthawk and super-speedy Blur ally with each other and the Squadron Supreme to defend their Earth”

It’s a rarity that I get to return to a Squadron Supreme discussion.  Sure, I’ve brought the team up a few times before, but it’s always about recontextualizing what is inevitably another Nighthawk or Hyperion.  This time, I actually get to build on a set I’m already building….albeit with another Nighthawk…but that’s not the point!  There are others as well!  That’s right, the Not-Batman comes packed with a Not-Flash, The Whizzer Blur!  Let’s check them out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Nighthawk and Blur are the second of the two Fan Channel-exclusive Marvel Legends two-packs based on the Squadron Supreme.  While the first set was a fairly catch-all classic take on its characters, this set more definitively dials in on specifically the Squadron Supreme of America incarnation created by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness.

NIGHTHAWK

Hey, it’s Nighthawk!  The Kyle Richmond version!  Which Kyle Richmond version, you ask?  Valid.  There’s actually four separate Kyle Richmond Nighthawks, and that’s *just* the Kyle Richmond versions.  There’s another four not-Kyle Richmond Nighthawks, but they admittedly get outweighed by Kyle.  This latest Kyle is perhaps the most Batman-y of the Kyle Nighthawks, so he’s got that going for him.  Design wise, he’s kind of a greatest hits of all the Richmonds before him, which is nifty, I suppose.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  He’s built on the Vulcan body, which makes a degree of sense, since Vulcan’s supposed to be replacing Bucky Cap, and that’s what the last Nighthawk was based on.  He gets a new head and cape piece.  They seem pretty in line with McGuninness’s depiction of the character, albeit filtered through the line’s usual stylings.  The cape’s a little tricky to keep in place and kind of stiff, but it’s an improvement on the last one for the most part.  His color work is a bit darker than the last Nighthawk, which is in line with the depiction in the comics.  The molded color work is solid, and the paint application is nice and sharp.  Nighthawk is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open, and three not-Batarangs.

BLUR

When the Squadron Sinister first appeared back in the ’60s, their Flash equivalent was re-using the name of Golden Age speedster The Whizzer, and when the Squadron Supreme came into existence a decade later, the heroic equivalent was also re-using the name.  It’s a name that’s admittedly a little on the sillier side, I suppose, so the villainous version switched to “Speed Demon,” while the heroic version took on the name “Blur” during Strazinski’s reboot of the team from the early ’00s.  Aaron and McGuinness’s version kept the “Blur” name going, albeit married to a design that’s a pretty strict update to the Silver Age Whizzer designed.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  This figure is based on the 2099 base body, with the upgraded arms and legs to remove the elbow and knee pins.  Speed Demon was built on the Pizza Spidey body, and I honestly was never entirely happy with that.  This one suits the general character set-up a lot better.  He gets a new head and belt, courtesy of sculptor Paul Harding.  The head’s a fantastic piece of work, with a nice, fun-loving grin on his face.  It feels very true to the character.  The color work is pretty clean; the black and yellow works well, and the painted elements are quite nice.  Blur is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I honestly didn’t intend to pick this set up.  I got the first pack mostly because I just wanted a Doctor Spectrum.  These two using the newer designs meant I had less attachment to them, so I was planning to pass.  But, then they announced Power Princess, meaning I’d be able to finally have *some* version of the team completed, and the more I looked at the Blur figure, the more I liked him.  Blur is the real star here for me; something about his simplicity just really works, and he’s close enough to the classic Whizzer design to work for my collecting sensibilities.  Nighthawk I can take or leave.  I prefer the Defenders costume to this one, so it’ll remain my primary version of the character.  Of course, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a first appearance costume for 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.

#3518: Marrok

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

MARROK

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

In the lead up to Ahsoka, the trailer showed a mysterious figure in dark armor, wielding an Inquistor-style saber.  Who could this guy be?  Could he be…oh, I don’t know, maybe an Inquistor?  But who?  Well, then we got a name, Marrok.  He’s an ex-Inquisitor named Marrok.  But who could he be, though?  Well, as it turns out, an ex-Inquisitor named Marrok.  Can you believe that’s all.  How could he not be Starkiller, or a revived Kanan.  How could this character whose name we already had not be…that exact guy?  They’re killing the franchise, right?  Yes, that must be it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Marrok is figure 8 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV run.  He, like last week’s Hera, is part of the second assortment with tie-in figures for the show.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  He’s largely using the now standard set-up for the line, which works reasonably well.  One notable change is that he’s got ball-jointed wrists, rather than the usual universals.  It gets a little bit less movement in each direction, but has the benefit of being able to move all directions.  Marrok is sporting an all-new sculpt, which looks to be a pretty good recreation of his show design.  The armor pieces are all separate, which looks pretty good, but is a little floaty in some spots, especially the chest armor.  He’s also a little bit off on the proportions, with the head and hands seeming just a touch on the large side.  That said, the detail work on this guy is pretty sharp, and there’s a lot going on.  The figure’s color work is a solid match for this show look; it’s a mix of greys and blacks; it’s a little more pronounced in difference than the show look, but that’s probably a lighting thing.  I do dig the brown accenting work, which adds some pop to the sculpt.  Marrok is packed with a cloth cape and his Inquisitor saber.  The cape is a little clunky, but not a terrible piece.  The saber is a pretty standard set-up for the line; removable blades, and you can mount it on his back.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Marrok’s design is one that spoke to me from his early appearances.  I never expected him to be anything more than he was, and I was thus not disappointed by his role on the show.  He’s a Star Wars character with a cool look and little else, putting him in a pretty decent category of characters from the franchise.  His figure’s not the height of The Black Series quality, but he’s still a pretty fun little figure.

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.

#3517: War Machine

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

WAR MACHINE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“With a new modular Gatling Cannon and enough firepower to take on a legion of enemies, the War Machine — AKA Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes — is a true one-man army.”

Hey, do you guys wanna talk about the implications of Secret War‘s big Skrull identity reveal on the events of everything post-Civil War as it pertains to Rhodey?  No?  Yeah, me neither.  Wanna pretend its not a thing until we have no other choice?  I certainly do.  Let’s do that.  But, hey, while we’re on that, can we address that the Civil War era armor design for War Machine is, like, peak War Machine design?  It’s pretty solid, and it’s got a figure, and I’m looking at that now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

War Machine is part of the 2023 assortment of the Infinity Saga sub-line of Marvel Legends.  He’s one of the three Captain America: Civil War-based figures, which, rather amusing, doesn’t include a Captain America, but *does* does have both Iron Man and War Machine; way to upstage a guy in his own movie, guys.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  War Machine is a total mold re-use of the original Civil War release, which I looked at when it was repainted as Punisher War Machine.  The only times it was released in standard colors were as a Target-exclusive in a two-pack, and as a Disney Store-exclusive in a four pack, so a single release does make a lot of sense.  It helps that its also a pretty solid sculpt, and it still holds up pretty nicely, apart from a few spots where the articulation is a little bit stiff.  That said, it’s a really good looking sculpt, and very accurate to the source material.  I also found that the guns and baton stayed in place better on this release than my Punisher War Machine, which is a definite plus.  The only area with notable change from the original release is the paint work.  Admittedly, even that’s minor, but this time around the application is a lot sharper and cleaner, and the reds on the eyes and arc reactor now have a fade to white, giving them a bit more depth and realism.  In general, it’s just a much better look, all around.  This release gets the same accessories set-up as all the prior releases of the mold, meaning he includes two sets of hands (in fists and gripping), deployed and stowed versions of the baton and cannon, and the two removable forearm guns.  Its a shame we couldn’t get an unmasked Rhodey head, since there’s not new parts on this one, but it’s not like he’s a light feeling figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My saga of owning this version of War Machine is…well, it’s frustrating, and it’s entirely my own fault.   I passed up on the figure in the two-pack a couple of times, even when I saw it on clearance, which felt silly once they were gone.  Shortly after getting the Punisher version of the mold, I finally managed to track down a loose one…and then I opted to get rid of it when streamlining my collection, since I had the Punisher version and the Endgame armor.  Then I decided to downsize my Punisher figures, and I realized that I wouldn’t have this armor at all, which…well, it was annoying.  But, then they announced this release, and that made things better, especially since this one is just the two-pack figure, but improved.  Definitely my go-to MCU War Machine.

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.

#3515: Mike Power – The Atomic Man

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

MIKE POWER — THE ATOMIC MAN

G.I. JOE: ADVENTURE TEAM (HASBRO)

While a good portion of the fanbase has a tendency to ignore anything pre-1982, G.I. Joe had almost two decades of existence prior to its Real American Hero incarnation.  Originally “America’s Moving Fighting Man,” G.I. Joe began as a purely military line.  As public outcry against the Vietnam War grew at the end of the ’60s, desire for toys based on war declined sharply.  Hasbro adapted, easing out of the purely military side with Adventures of G.I. Joe.  When that proved successful, the entire line was then rebranded in 1970 as G.I. Joe: Adventure Team.  The group were now a non-military group of adventurers, focussing more on surviving the environment than on taking down enemy combatants.  The line was even more successful than its predecessor, allowing for expansion beyond its original set-up.  The team found themselves in even more fantastical environments, fighting aliens, and even taking on new members who were more than just simple adventurers.  That included today’s focus, Mike Power, the Atomic Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mike Power The Atomic Man was added to the G.I. Joe: Adventure Team line in 1975.  His addition was in response to the success of The Six Million Dollar Man, and Hasbro had in fact attempted to make him the “Bionic Man” in hopes of locking up the trademark on “Bionic” before the show-runners could get it.  Kenner, however, already held the toy rights to the show, and Hasbro was forced to make Mike Atomic, rather than Bionic.  The figure stands about 12 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Mike was built using the standard Joe 12-inch body of the era, and is in fact the last new figure to be introduced on it, as the “muscle body” would become the standard issue that same year.  He does, however, feature the one notable change to the body from the prior year: Kung Fu Grip!  In 1974, the Joes got new hands, made from a softer rubber, which allowed them to more properly grip tools and weapons than the previous hard plastic hands.  It was a cool novelty, albeit one tarnished a bit by how quickly the rubber broke down, leading to many yellowed and torn up hands.  But, it was a cool idea at the start, and its cool when you find not as messed up ones, which I just so happened to do.  Beyond the standard parts, Mike got a modified right arm and left leg, which were his atomic parts.  The leg is essentially the same, just in clear plastic with some extra parts embedded inside.  The arm, however, gets a tweaked internal construction, which also adds a spinning action feature to the forearm.  Mike also got a brand-new head sculpt, which was quite distinct from the standard Joes.  He still kept the cheek scar (something that other non-Joes from the line tended to lack), but he’s got a different set of features, and a generally friendlier expression.  While most Adventure Team figures sported flocked hair, Mike was back to painted hair (at least for his US release; Palitoy’s equivalent figure had flocked hair like the rest of them), presumably to make his “Atomic Eye” feature work a bit better.  Mike’s paint is contained almost entirely on his head.  Again in contrast to the other Adventurers, his head was completely painted as opposed to having molded plastic skin.  It results in a little bit of a mismatch between the head and the rest of the body, but it’s minor.  Mike’s outfit was a rather simple one, as it was really just a placeholder for the more involved outfits you could buy for him.  He gets a camo shirt and brown shorts.  The shirt is the same as the one included in the main line’s “Jungle Survival” set, while the shorts were unique.  He also had a hand-held helicopter blade accessory, which is the one thing missing from mine.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My first exposure to G.I. Joe was through my Dad’s old Joes from his childhood, which was largely a collection of ’60s era Joes that had been passed down to him.  His own proper Joe items were all from Adventure Team, and through researching those and obsessing over them as a kid, Adventure Team became my first real love of the Joe franchise (Check out my fan art of the Commander, Mike, and Bulletman, circa 2000, just down below).  Mike was one that always fascinated me in particular, and my Dad even got me my own Mike when I was a kid.  He took a bit of a beating (especially those poor hands), but he remained a favorite.  A month or so back, All Time got in a large collection going back to the ’70s, largely devoid of much Joe-related product, but it did have this guy in there all on his own, so your boi got himself another one to review.  He’s very, very fun.  Hokey, but fun.

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.

#3514: Black Widow

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

BLACK WIDOW

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Working alongside Captain America, Super Spy Black Widow makes a discovery that hints at a sinister worldwide conspiracy — and must do whatever it takes to counteract it.”

Back in May of 2014, when I reviewed the original Winter Soldier Black Widow, Scarlet Johannson’s live action take on the character was still quite a rarity in the toy world.  She was notably the only member of the original Avengers left out of the initial 6-inch line-up, and even her Winter Soldier figure was a short pack (since it was the days before the more even pack-outs on Legends).  In the almost decade since, that’s certainly changed.  It’s still not quite on par with her male counterparts, but she’s gotten a lot more headway.  And now, they’re even doubling back to that very first look to get the proper Legends treatment.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Widow was released the 2023 assortment of the Infinity Saga sub-line of Marvel Legends.  She joins the previously released Cap to make up this assortment’s Winter Soldier portion, and the two of them jointly help the Flashback Winter Soldier in giving us updates to all three of the original Legends tie-ins for the movie.  The figure stands just under 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  She remains too tall to truly be a Johannson Widow, but that’s been a consistent issue across the board.  Her articulation scheme has changed compared to the original, as she’s now got double jointed elbows (with swanky pinless construction), and her neck joint is a double ball joint, rather than a single.  These changes are due to the fact that Widow actually gets some new parts, in contrast to Cap’s total re-use.  Her upper torso and arms are new, while the lower torso and legs remain the same.  The new parts are quite nice, and fix some slight issues with proportions and suit detailing on the last mold, as well as improving her movement quite a bit.  Apart from the slight issues with standing, the fact that she’s still got visible pins on the knees, and those dreaded holsters with the permanently molded guns, the re-used parts do at least still look pretty good.  Near as I can tell, the head is also re-used, but its worth noting that the likeness looks *a lot* better this time around.  Widow’s paint work on her original figure was based on concept coloring, while this one is based on what she’s actually wearing in the movie.  In Winter Soldier, she’s notably wearing actual black for most of her gear, and that’s reflected here.  It results in a number of areas actually getting a lot less paint than the last time, but it looks better.  It also helps that the areas that *do* get paint are a lot cleaner this time around.  The face paint in particular is night and day, and it does really look like a different sculpt.  I also really like that they’ve done proper accenting for her hair.  Widow is packed with two sets of hands (fists and gripping), a pair of guns, a pair of widow’s sting effects, and the alternate Avengers-style head like the original had.  The guns aren’t real firearms, or accurate to the movie, but I’m glad she at least gets *something* this time around, rather than the complete lack from last time.  The alt head gets the same paint improvement as the main, which is very nice to see as well.  Of course, we don’t really have the rest of the core Avengers in a style that matches, but that’s hardly this figure’s fault.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Despite my issues with the original release of this costume, I maintained that it was still a pretty good figure, and didn’t really feel the same need for an update that I did with Cap.  I certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea, though, when her name popped up on the list.  I didn’t think that much of her when I got her, and I was prepared to be a bit let-down after Cap…but I really wasn’t.  There are a few small things that I’m still not 100% sold on, but in general, she’s just a solid improvement on the original figure, in ways that I hadn’t even really thought of.  I’m glad she got the new parts, and the extras, and she actually feels like she was worth the price of the upgrade.  Just a good figure.

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.

#3513: General Hera Syndulla

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

GENERAL HERA SYNDULLA

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy”

Yes, that’s certainly a very descriptive bio for Hera, who is very definitely mentioned in the text on the back of her packaging…Sorry, am I critiquing the bio text again?  I really don’t want to get back into that.  Those poor copy writers!

Ahsoka hit Disney+ back at the end of the summer, and, in addition to focusing on the eponymous character, it also brought back a good number of the cast of Rebels.  Amongst them was the Ghost‘s pilot, General Hera Syndulla, now portrayed in live action by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  Her role is notably a bit smaller than some of the others, but she still gets a fair bit to do, as her personal goals place her at odds with her high-ranking position in the New Republic.  And she’s also gotten more Black Series treatment out of it, which is very dope.  Let’s check that out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hera Syndulla is figure 6 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  She’s part of the second assortment to bear figures from the show, alongside Marrok and Hyang from the show, as well as Pre Vizsla from Clone Wars and R2-D2 from The Mandalorian.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Hera’s last figure was honestly in a pretty good spot when it came to articulation, but this one improves even on that, giving her a very good set-up, which allows for some really natural posing.  Hera gets an all-new sculpt, based on her look from the show.  She’s not too far removed from her Rebels design, changing things up, while keeping them within the same general theming of her prior look.  The biggest change-up is the addition of the bomber jacket, which is really just always an improvement.  It’s a good look, and it translates well to the toy.  The sculpt is nicely handled.  The head’s sporting a strong likeness of Winstead in the role, and I especially like the slight smile; it’s very friendly, and definitely very Hera.  The goggles are a separate piece, but do not come down.  I don’t believe she ever has them down in the show, but it might have been cool.  As it stands they’re just goggles that do nothing, which is really what they’ve been the whole time.  The rest of her outfit is sharply detailed, and the articulation is cut in in such a way as to not mess with the aesthetics too much.  Her color work is pretty decent.  It’s a lot of molded colors, as has become the norm, but it works well.  It’s eye-catching, without being too garish.  The face printing works well on this release, and really adds to the overall likeness.  Hera is packed with her blaster pistol, which she now has holstered on her hip, rather than her boot.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really like Hera as a character, and I was happy to hear she was making the jump to live action, and then even happier to hear she was being played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose work I’ve enjoyed since Sky High.  I liked her take on Hera in the show, and I really dug the new design, so I was very much down for an updated figure.  Hera was my favorite of the Rebels figures for Black Series, so topping that was no small feat, but, well, this one kinda did just that.  She’s a very nice figure.

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.

#3512: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Equipped with a streamlined new uniform and his Vibranium shield, Captain America leads a team of covert S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives on clandestine missions into the most dangerous corners of the world.”

During this site’s very first year, I got back into Marvel Legends hardcore for one major reason: Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  That was a pretty crazy shift.  And, as of next April, the movie is a decade old.  It tracks, of course, but, you know, it does still feel a little crazy to me.  Whatever the case, ten years means more toys, right?  It sure does.  In fact, we’re even getting them just a little bit early, so that’s not so bad.  Today, I’m taking a look at our latest update to Cap’s stealth look from the movie.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain America is part of the 2023 assortment of what has become the ongoing Infinity Saga sub-line of Marvel Legends.  I guess we’re just revisiting it every year now.  I got no problems with that, of course, so let’s do it.  We’re finally getting Cap in a standard release assortment for the line, which I’m always happy to see.  Cap is seen here in his S.T.R.I.K.E. suit from the movie’s opening half, which is patterned on his Commander Rogers gear from the comics.  It’s a very good look, and certainly one of the MCU’s most memorable Cap designs.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  His articulation is a lot like the Stealth Cap from 2014.  In fact, it’s identical to the articulation on the Stealth Cap from 2014.  Do you know why?  Because this figure is, aside from the head, the Stealth Cap from 2014.  The thing is, I liked the sculpt a lot in 2014, and it was very good in 2014.  But that was a decade ago and Legends has definitely made some advancements since then.  This figure, with his visible pins, somewhat limiting ab-crunch and waist swivel, and kind of scrawny arms, is…well, he’s dated.  Don’t get me wrong; the sculpt was top of the line when it hit, and it’s not completely outmoded in this day and age…but it could be better.  In 2021, we got a totally upgraded Mark III sculpt to replace the old movie figure, and this is serving as an update for a figure that’s almost as old, relatively speaking.  At least a new upper torso would go a long way.  He does at least get the updated helmeted sculpt from the First Ten Years two-pack; that sculpt is at least a very strong one, with a much better Evans likeness than the last release of this body.  This figure’s paint work is, unsurprisingly, very similar to the last one.  It’s a little cleaner this time, and he gets the printed face, as opposed to the rather thick paint from the last one.  In terms of accessories…we run into some issues again.  He’s got an unmasked head and a shield.  I can’t tell if the head is the same sculpt as the First Ten Years one, or not.  If it is, the paint’s not holding up its end, because the likeness doesn’t feel as strong this time.  It also looks a bit large on the body, which doesn’t help the overall scrawniness feeling.  The shield is the updated version from the two-pack, now in the stealth colors.  It’s a fine piece, but it again seems too large compared to the rest of the figure, making him feel a bit small by comparison.  And that’s it on the accessory front.  The last release included a shield and an alternate head as well, but also had a second set of hands, as well as a Build-A-Figure part, and he was $5 cheaper.  Now, I understand rising costs and all, but given that this figure features at most a single new part, it sucks that he can’t at least get extra hands.  We finally got a pair of gripping hands for Cap with the Infinity War update, so the fact that we’re back to him not being able to grip his shield properly so shortly after that is definitely frustrating.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been waiting for an update to this look for at least five years, and I was very happy to see his name crop up on this list.  And then the figure arrived and…well, it let me down.  It’s very frustrating that after ten years, we don’t actually get an update to this design, and instead get yet another release of a mold that needs to be retired.  This very definitely should have been our chance to finally get a new Cap mold, built from the ground up, rather than continuing to get MCU Caps cobbled together from old parts.  It feels like a real missed opportunity.  Okay, ready for the flip around?  This figure?  I like him.  I know, I tore him to shreds up there, and brought up a ton of issues.  And I stand by those issues.  But, I also acknowledge that, viewed purely on his own, this is still a very good figure.  After getting through my issues with him, I just sort of sat back and took in the figure by himself, with no other figures, and I remembered why I loved this mold in the first place.  I’d still love an actual update (maybe they can do a new one without the shield and helmet and just say it’s him from the beginning of Endgame), but at the end of the day, there are worse things they could have done than re-use these parts.

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.

#3509: Space Knight Venom & Mania

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

SPACE KNIGHT VENOM & MANIA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“To protect high school student Andi Benton, Flash Thompson accidentally bonds his symbiote to her, only learning later that the Venom symbiote had passed on his demonic Hell-Mark to her”

Once Venom’s popularity really started to take off, Marvel began its rather lengthy run of evolving the concept to keep it from getting stale. Eddie Brock himself evolved into an anti-hero, and ultimately lost the symbiote, which was bonded to Mac Gargan, in order to become villainous once more. After Gargan lost the symbiote, the US government passed it on to Flash Thompson, who took on the alias Agent Venom. After joining the Guardians of the Galaxy and visiting the Symbiote’s home planet, Thompson unlocked new abilities, taking on the form of Space Knight Venom. Whilst in possession of the symbiote, Flash also inadvertently created his own sidekick, Mania, who rounds off the pair of figures I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Space Knight Venom and Mania are a Target-exclusive Marvel Legends two-pack, released in the fall of this year. Venom was previously a Build-A-Figure in 2016, but Mania is an all-new release.

VENOM

Though he may be a re-release, Venom’s the real reason for this set’s existence. The Space Knight Venom series was notoriously hard to find, making him one of the most expensive BAFs to piece together. All but one single release character from the set has seen some form of update since (and I don’t believe people are beating down Hasbro’s door for a new Ashley Barton), making Venom a natural choice for another figure. The figure stands — inches tall and has — points of articulation. The core figure sculpt is the same one used by the Build-A-Figure, which makes sense, since not many people got their hands on it the first time. It helps that it’s a generally pretty decent sculpt. It’s not without some signs of its age, of course. There are still visible pins on the elbows and knees, and some of the articulation is a little bit shaky. I do like how well it merges the comic design with the Legends style, and how unique it is from other Venom figures. There are also a lot of sculpted elements that could have just been painted on, which makes it look even better. The figure’s paint work is functionally the same as the Build-A-Figure. It’s hard to go wrong with black and white detailing that follows the sculpted elements, so it makes sense. There’s a bit of fuzziness around the edges of the white sections, especially where there’s no sculpted lines to act as guides, but the overall appearance is pretty decent. The BaF Venom was without accessories, but this release changes that, giving him an extra head (with more of an “unleashed” appearance), as well as blade attachments for both arms. I’m more a fan of the standard head, but the option is nice, and I definitely dig the attachments.

MANIA

While Flash’s Venom sort of bled out into other areas of the Marvel universe, his sidekick Mania remained fairly contained to Venom-specific stories, so I didn’t read much with her. She’s another take on the female Venom play, with more of Flash’s Agent Venom persona present, I guess. The figure is about 5 1/2 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation. She appears to be using a variation of the Spider-Girl body, with new limbs sporting the pinless double joints, as well as character-specific pieces for her head, lower arms, boots, and belt. The new parts mesh well with the old, and create a solid approximation of her comics look. It’s an interesting mix of cartoony and realistic, but that’s kind of the character, I suppose. Her paint work is pretty basic overall, with the whole black/white thing. She does get a little more accenting on her gloves and boots, which is pretty fun. Mania includes no accessories of her own, which is a bit of a letdown, but also I don’t know what she should get.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Try as I may, I was never able to get more than a single piece of Space Knight Venom in his original run, which very definitely sucked. I’ve been hoping for some form of rerelease for a while, but it’s been a long wait. I had no need for Mania myself, but I can dig her getting a figure, and this seems like a good way to do it. Venom is very fun, though, and I’m glad I got him, and that also acquiring him was relatively painless. I just preordered the set and they shipped out no problem. Yay for no problem!