Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3150: Fennec Shand

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

FENNEC SHAND

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“An assassin and elite mercenary, Fennec Shand has worked for all the top syndicates. Clever, capable, and cunning, she is not to be underestimated and is full of surprises”

Though seemingly killed halfway through her debut appearance in The Mandalorian‘s first season, Ming-Na Wen’s charismatic bounty hunter Fennec Shand proved far too good a character for a throwaway role. A cryptic end of the episode teaser hinted at a possible return, and the second season would reveal that Fennec had been saved by none other than Boba Fett. After a few more episodes of The Mandalorian, she returned once more as a main character in The Book of Boba Fett, which was as good a spot as any for her to get some toy coverage.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Fennec Shand is the first figure in the Book of Boba Fett sub-line of Star Wars: The Black Series. She was part of the first assortment of 2022, alongside a bunch of non-Book figures. Thus far, she and the deluxe Boba are the only figures under the branding. The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and she has 30 points of articulation. The articulation is standard for modern era Black Series. Her sculpt is all-new. It’s a pretty solid offering. The head sculpt has a respectable likeness of Ming-Na Wen, as well as matching pretty well with the design for the character. The body sculpt is a nice, clean recreation of her show design, with respectable proportions and sharp detailing. The paint work on Fennec is a good offering. The base work is all fairly cleanly applied, and her face makes alright use of the face printing. It seems a touch offset on all of the copies I’ve seen, but not so bad as to look too wonky. Fennec is packed with her helmet and her sniper rifle, which features a removable strap. The helmet fits well on the head, and she can hold the rifle nicely and securely.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I liked Fennec from her first appearance, and I was very glad when she returned on the show, as well as with her follow-up on Book. Her figure took its time getting here, but I feel she was worth the wait. Not everything is perfect, but she’s very cool, and another great addition to the growing Mando cast.

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

#3145: Quasar

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

QUASAR

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Donning a pair of Quantum Bands, Wendell Vaughn transforms into Quasar, the Protector of the Universe!”

 Before Marvel really exploded in the ’60s, but after Timely’s real start in the ’40s, the company had this sort of nebulous period in the ’50s (at which point they were operating under the name Atlas), where they just tried a little bit of everything. They still tried at the superhero game every now and again, and one of those attempts was Marvel Boy. Though he didn’t amount to much in his first go-round, he would resurface years later in the pages of Fantastic Four, having suffered a nervous breakdown, and ultimately dying in battle. His power source, the Quantum Bands, would find their way to a new wielder, Wendell Vaughn, aka Quasar. Though never a top tier Marvel character, Quasar had a fair bit to do up through the ’90s, as a notable fixture in Marvel’s cosmic line. He’s never been particularly plentiful on the action figure front, but he did at least get some Legends love in the last year. I’m taking a look at that figure today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

 

Quasar was a Walgreens-exclusive Marvel Legends release, following last year’s theme of cosmic characters. He has subsequently been offered up for a wider release, which is probably for the best, since he never really showed up much of anywhere on the first time around. The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation. Quasar is built on the Bucky Cap body, which is pretty much on the eve of its retirement at this point. It’s been given a little bit of a facelift, with a new set of arms, which now have the pinless construction on the elbow joints. He also gets a new head, cape, and Quantum Bands. The head has an impeccable likeness of a younger Robert Redford, which honestly works. It looks like his comics counterpart, but with a touch of realism. The new cape is very clean and sleek, and quite well-balanced. The bands are sharply detailed, and a good match for the in-comics pieces. The color work on this guy is pretty solid. He’s bright and eye catching, and I really like how the star field on the cape turned out. Quasar is packed with two sets of hands (fists and flat handed) and a set of effects pieces to go over his fists.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

 I’ve always wanted a good Quasar figure, and there’s never really been a good option for one. The MU one was all modern, and not my thing, so the classic look here is definitely cool. The Walgreens exclusives haven’t been super easy to get, so I was really glad that he got the wider release. It would be great if, perhaps, it were followed up by, I don’t know, maybe that Nova figure that I also could never find. That would sure be nice.

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

#3144: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“When, in 1941, a frail young patriot agreed to be a test case for an experimental “super-soldier” serum, he was transformed into Captain America – the living symbol of freedom. His body is now physically perfect, his courage unmatched and his fighting skills cannot be equaled. Cap joined WWII and helped the allies win the war. After spending the decades following the war in suspended animation, he was revived by the Mighty Avengers, a super hero group this charismatic born leader would eventually command.”

Hey, remember way back, when I was having to space out my Marvel Legends reviews, because, like, there weren’t a ton of them?  Well, I’m not *quite* back to that level, but I’m still kind of needing to space some things.  I mean, it’s been more than two weeks, which feels like a fair bit of time.  Also, last time I left off on a standard Captain America, and this time I’m picking up with a standard Captain America.  You know, for consistency sake.  Back in May, I took my first look at Hasbro’s celebration of Marvel Legends‘ twentieth year, with their fancy updated take on Iron Man.  They’re working to recreate the whole “Series 1” line-up from Toy Biz’s run, so joining up with Iron Man is the aforementioned Captain America!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain America is another of the four figures in Series 1 of the “20th Anniversary” sub-line of Marvel Legends.  Though he was the first figure shown off, Cap’s trailing Iron Man and Hulk in his arrival at retail.  As with the whole line-up, Cap’s a Fan Channel-exclusive, so he’s not at big box stores.  It’s a nice change of pace, given that the 80 Years Cap was a Walmart-exclusive.  While Iron Man was a slight deviation in terms of design from the 80 Years figure, Cap is more or less an equivalent update, though this one is without the Alex Ross-inspiration.  He’s a more straight-forward update of the look of the original Legends Cap, which certainly makes a lot of sense for this release.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation.  From the neck down, this figure’s sculpt is the same as the 80 Years release.  It’s a good, strong sculpt for a classic Cap, and it’s only gotten the one use before, so I like seeing it crop up again.  He gets a brand new masked head sculpt, which is rather different from the last one.  After years with the weird scowl-face, the 80 Years was a step in the right direction.  It was a bit specifically inspired by Ross’s art, which is a little less on the multi-purpose side.  This one, sculpted by Paul Harding, is more general in its design, and it’s very definitely my favorite Hasbro Cap sculpt to date.  Definitely a worthy successor to the original Cap sculpt, and that’s saying quite a bit.  Cap’s color scheme is much brighter on this release than the 80th figure.  I like it.  I like it a lot.  It’s bold and very eye catching, and there’s a ton of really well-rendered accenting, especially on the scale mail.  It really helps the sculpted elements to pop.  Much like Iron Man, Cap is quite well-accessorized.  He gets an unmasked head, a corresponding pulled down mask piece to go over the neck, three sets of hands (fists, open gesture, and a flat/pointing combo), a shoulder harness, his shield, three different styles of effects pieces for the shield, and a display stand with a cardboard backdrop.  The unmasked head matches up well with the masked one, and it’s a pretty solid sculpt in its own right.  I dig that ’80s style hair for Rogers.  The hood piece is kind of loose and floaty, but it serves its purpose well enough.  The hands are all re-used, but they work well, and provide him with a host of cool posing options.  The shoulder harness is a new piece, distinctly different from prior ones.  I like its more simple design.  The shield is at once an improvement on prior pieces, and also the worst thing about the figure.  I really like the larger size of the shield, and I like the effects pieces…in concept.  In practice, it results in three permanent holes in the shield, rendering it rather odd looking when the effects pieces aren’t in place.  So close, and yet so far.  Perhaps a future release will re-work the piece to remove the holes, and then we can have it all.  Cap’s display stand is the same one included with Iron Man, and his backdrop is likewise double sided, with an illustration of the original figure’s stand on one side, and the cover to the issue of Captain America packed in with the Series 1 release.  Yes, unlike Iron Man, Cap’s cover is actually the same one was the original figure.  So, that’s a pretty cool touch.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I liked a lot about the 80th Cap, but I felt like he was just shy of hitting that perfect Cap mark.  I definitely liked the look of this one from its announcement, and I was thrilled when it turned out to *not* be a Walmart exclusive.  It was very definitely my favorite and most anticipated of the Anniversary figures, and it’s been a little bit of a wait, but it was very definitely worth it.  The shield thing is a bit annoying, but that issue aside, this figure’s absolutely fantastic, and undoubtedly the best Legends Cap to grace the line.  I really, really like this 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.

#3141: Boba Fett – Morak

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

BOBA FETT — MORAK

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“Once regarded as one of the most fearsome bounty hunters in the galaxy, Boba Fett seemingly met his demise in the Sarlacc pit.  A survivor to his core, Fett lived to fight another day”

Hey there, I’m looking at these here Retro Collection figures, and there’s still one left, so, you know, I’m gonna review it now, I guess.  Returning in all his fully armored glory after being presumed dead for almost 30 years (though not in-universe, of course), Boba Fett takes an important role in The Mandalorian‘s second season’s conclusion, before taking the central role in his own show, The Book of Boba Fett.  Yay, Boba Fett actually doing things!  That’s great!  Everyone should be thrilled!  And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.  Now I’m gonna say some stuff about the figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Boba Fett (Morak) is the final figure in the six-figure line-up for the second mass release assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  He caps off the second season-inspired looks with his fully kitted-out and restored look from the last couple of episodes of the show (which also doubles as his Book appearance).  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s clearly inspired by the original Kenner Fett, but is almost totally reworked to match the new look.  Like Bo-Katan, the range finder on the head has been moved to its upright positioning, though the rest of the helmet remains effectively the same.  The rest of the sculpt is a great half-step between the original figure and the updated look we saw on-screen.  I particularly like that they’ve kept his not-actually-firing-rocket set-up for his jet-pack.  It feels very appropriate to the vibe.  Boba’s paint work is pretty decent.  It’s more accurate than the original Boba, but still dialed back a bit to fit in with the style.  The colors are a little brighter and more vibrant, and the application, while perhaps a little bit thick, is fairly clean.  Boba is packed with two blasters.  While the vintage figure just made do with a re-purposed Stormtrooper blaster, this Fett actually gets a version of his classic rifle, as well as a smaller pistol, which can sort of be holstered, like how Karga could holster his gun.  It’s not quite as well implemented, but it’s still cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As much as I rag on Boba, the vintage figure is one of my favorites, and I was excited about the prospect of an update to it with the new look.  This figure was probably the one I was most looking forward to in the set.  He’s pretty basic, but certainly still a lot of fun.  Ultimately, I think the Armorer remains my favorite from this set, with Boba as a close second.  It’s not a bad space to be, all things considered.

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

#3140: Bo-Katan Kryze

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

BO-KATAN KRYZE

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“Bo-Katan Kryze has been fighting for the future of Mandalore since the Clone Wars. The last of her line, she leads a team of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant”

Remember back in 2021, when Bo-Katan was a prominent character with no toy coverage?  Man, that really turned around fast, huh?  Now getting a Bo-Katan figure feels all blasé.  As I mentioned the last time I reviewed her, much like sand, she’s coarse and she gets everywhere.  And that includes the Retro Collection.  Though, to be fair, she hasn’t had one of those, and with it being so Mando-focused, it’s hard to blame them.  So, I guess we’ll dive into that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bo-Katan Kryze is the second to last of the six figures in the second mass-release assortment of the Star Wars: Retro Collection line.  She’s also the third of the four Mandalorians included in the line-up, and the fourth Bo-Katan figure from Hasbro.  The figure stands a little under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation. She’s another all-new sculpt, inspired specifically by her appearance in the second season of The Mandalorian, but there’s enough vagueness there that she can work for other looks too, should they ever gay around to working any of the other animation characters into this style. Her sculpt has her helmet as a permanent fixture for the figure. The vintage line didn’t really do removable headgear, so it tracks. That said, there’s a part of me that wonders if maybe they should have gone unmasked for her, just to at the very least mix up the look for the assortment just a little bit. But who knows how exactly Kenner would have handled it. Whatever the case, it’s still a pretty cool look, and the sculpt handles it well, hitting that midpoint between her on-screen look and the vintage Fett sculpt that’s inspired all of this line’s Mandos.  Unlike the original Fett, her range finder is all the way up, rather than the partial bend.  It’s still really short, but more in line with how Power of the Force II handled it.  The paint work on Bo-Katan is probably one of the most tweaked, for that vintage set-up.  Since the vintage line was dealing with much more limited applications, so is this figure.  So, she doesn’t get much detailing on her mid-section.  The most impressive work is definitely on the helmet, which gets the full assortment of detailing for her unique markings.  Bo-Katan is packed with a pair of blaster pistols, which are kind of comedically sized, just as they should be.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Bo-Katan is a somewhat frustrating character, I suppose, but she does make for a good toy.  And, given how far reaching she is, I suppose the toy treatment makes sense.  With the heavier Mando-focus of this assortment, she’s a natural fit.  The figure does alright with the vintage style, and, even just as a generic Mando, she’s still pretty fun.  I’d love to see a Koska and Axe to go with her.

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

#3139: Ahsoka Tano

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

AHSOKA TANO

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“A Clone Wars veteran and now wandering Jedi, Ahsoka Tano forges her own path in the galaxy, righting injustices that she discovers”

Though not particularly well-received when she first debuted in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has become one of the franchise’s most consistent through lines, and a definite fan-favorite. Season 2 of The Mandalorian finally brought the character to live action, and that led to a follow-up in The Book of Boba Fett as well as her on spin-off show, which is currently in the works. She’s currently kind of rolling in the toy coverage, and today I’m taking a look at her Retro Collection figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

 Ahsoka is another of the six figures in the second mass-release assortment of the Star Wars: Retro Collection line. She’s notably the only non-helmeted figure in this assortment, which is a fun little side note. The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation. The motion on the neck is a little bit restricted, but otherwise the mobility is the same as the rest of the line. The sculpt is all-new, and does a very nice job of dialing in on her appearance as it would be in the vintage line. The broadest of the details are all still present, but dumbed down a bit, as they would have been back in the day.  It works out pretty well overall.  The paint work is likewise pulled back a bit, compared to, say, the Black Series release.  The grey becomes a bit more present, and the blue detailing on the head tails is simpler.  Even the gloves are full, instead of being fingerless like in the show.  Ahsoka is packed with her two lightsabers, reworked to look like the ESB and RotJ Luke sabers, albeit with her distinctive curved handles.  They’re also all white, as well as being two different lengths, as they should be.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Ahsoka’s a pretty important character these days, and I’ve enjoyed her OT-adjacent role as of late.  Getting an OT-adjacent figure seems pretty appropriate for the direction the character is headed.  This one’s a pretty good one.  It hits the right notes, and it, like the rest of the series, is just pretty fun.  And, really, what more can you ask for from a Star Wars toy.

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

#3138: The Armorer

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

THE ARMORER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The Armorer plays a vital role in keeping the culture of the Mandalorians alive. She forges beskar armor in the ancient tradition of her people”

The first series of Mandalorian-themed Retro Collection figures was very much focused on getting a diverse selection of rather distinct figures released.  As such, some of the more memorable looks, even from Season 1, were omitted, on the basis of presumably not wanting a bunch of similarly themed figures.  Series 2, which is more based around the show’s second season, is a bit more comfortable with having, for instance, no less than four figures wearing some form of Mando helmet.  For the first non-Din of those figures, I’m actually looking at our one truly Season 1 figure from the set, the Armorer.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Armorer is part of the six-figure second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  Much like Greef Karga was the first assortment’s only Season 2 figure, she’s the only Season 1 figure present here.  While she’s of course shown back up since, she hadn’t when the figure was announced.  The figure stands just over 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  As a later addition to an earlier set, the Armorer seems to follow the late-run Kenner styling, a la Stormtrooper Luke.  She’s a more detailed and refined looking figure, which feels more appropriate for this particular design.  This is aided by the presence of a soft-goods “cape” piece, which straps over the figure’s shoulders.  I really like it.  It adds a lot to the figure’s overall presence and design.  Her coloring takes the show’s design and filters it through that vintage lens a bit, making it brighter, and just a bit more basic.  It works well, and it’s unique and eye-catching.  The stuff that’s there is well applied and clean, and what’s overlooked is consistent with how vintage Kenner figures would have been handled.  The Armorer is packed with both her tongs and her large hammer, both of which she can hold with relative ease.  They’re oversized, and slightly tweaked in terms of shaping, making them accurately inaccurate, if that makes any sense.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Armorer’s design is one of the first season’s coolest looks.  Of all the season 1 characters I wanted to see them circle back around to after the initial assortment, she was definitely the highest on the list.  There’s definitely something very classic about this look, and it translates exceptionally well to this style.  She’s probably the best figure in this assortment, honestly.

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

#3137: Imperial Death Trooper

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

IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“Elite soldiers, death troopers are encased in specialized stormtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam. They serve as bodyguards and enforcers for figureheads like Moff Gideon”

Introduced in Rogue One as Director Krennic’s personal elite squad, the Imperial Death Troopers wound up repurposed a couple of times, first as Thrawn’s guards, and once more, in a post-Original Trilogy set as the forces of The Mandalorian‘s big bad Moff Gideon, at least until he got his own specially-tailored set of troops in the form of the Dark Troopers.  With an increased visibility from a handful of additional live-action appearances, they’re also getting more toy coverage, including in the form of a retro-style figure, which I’ll be taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Imperial Death Trooper is part of the six-figure second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  The figure stands just over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 4 points of articulation.  Like the vintage Stormtroopers, the Death Trooper lacks a neck joint.  It’s not great from a posing standpoint, but it’s great from an accuracy standpoint, since that’s how they would have done in the early days, especially if you go by the Death Trooper being from a pre-ANH spot in the timeline, and, thereby being an easy re-pack for The Mandalorian, much like the Stormtrooper figures were during both ESB and ROTJ.  Very meta.  In that sense, the figure’s sculpt is a little more rudimentary than some of the others in the set.  It’s quite stiff and a bit more geometric, which all feels very appropriate for the style.  The figure’s paint is pretty simple.  He’s largely just molded in black, but with some green for the helmet, and silver on the belt.  Again, it follows the style, mimicking how Vader’s paint was handled by Kenner.  The Death Trooper was packed with his own unique blaster rifle.  He can only hold it one-handed, of course, but it’s at least a good piece.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Death Trooper isn’t really an essential part of any collection for me, and was probably the lowest on the list for this particular set of figures.  That said, I was already picking up the rest of the set, and didn’t see much point passing on just the one.  He’s still not my favorite, or anything, but I do quite like him.  I dig them really tying him into the vintage Stormtrooper stylings.  And, he gives me hope that we might also see some Shoretroopers in this style at some point, which would make me quite happy.

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

#3136: The Mandalorian – Beskar

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

THE MANDALORIAN — BESKAR

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The Mandalorian, known to a few as Din Djarin, is a battle-worn bounty hunter, making his way through a dangerous galaxy in an uncertain age”

A little over a year ago, I took a look at Hasbro’s first batch of truly new figures in their Retro Collection line, inspired by The Mandalorian.  The figures were a pretty impressive set, and did a solid job of working as a believable continuation of the vintage line.  A year later, we’ve got a follow-up to that set of figures, this time with a focus on the show’s second season.  Headlining the second assortment is another version of the title character, this time decked out in his full-Beskar armor from later in the show’s run.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandalorian (Beskar) is the first of the six figures that make up the second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, officially the fourth series within the wider Retro Collection set-up.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s based on Mando’s look on the show post-Season 1 finale, as signified by the presence of the jetpack on his back.  The head on this one appears to be shared with the prior Mando, but beyond that he’s all-new, as every part is at least slightly different from the prior release.  While the previous Mando went a little earlier in the vintage line for his basis, this one is clearly going for a later in the Jedi line-style look, which is very much appropriate for what a potential vintage one would have looked like, given where the show falls in the overall timeline.  His build is a little thicker, and the details are a little sharper, all without quite being at modern standards.  Also, he’s actually got the cloth cape this time around, correcting the one notable “inaccuracy” of the last release.  The figure’s paint work is more reserved than the last release, but it’s pretty good.  The application is nice and clean, and all of the important elements are present.  As with the last Mando, this one is packed with both a long rifle and a blaster pistol, which appear to be the same pieces as the first time around.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I very much enjoyed the first series of these, and was immediately ready to grab more.  I was definitely happy about these getting announced.  The Beskar version of Mando isn’t exceedingly new, or anything, but I like that they’ve gone for different vintages in how the two designs were interpreted.  The end result turned out really well, and makes for a good starting point for the rest of the set.

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

#3130: Korg

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

KORG

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A Kronan warrior on the planet Sakaar, Korg is forced to compete in the Contest of Champions.  When he meets fellow warrior Thor, he allies with the Asgardian to escape Sakaar and defeat Hela.”

Remember on Tuesday, when I was discussing Ragnarok‘s new characters, who were of varying importance and seriousness?  Well, hey, here’s Korg.  Not super important, I suppose, but certainly a good time, thanks to director Taika Waititi’s delightfully charming performance as the character.  He returned as the character for Endgame, and is now coming back once more for Ragnarok‘s sequel, Love and Thunder, which looks to be giving him an enhanced role.  I for one am very much in favor of this, as I absolutely love Korg.  And now I’ve got another Korg action figure.  Let’s see if I love that too.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Korg is the titular Build-A-Figure for the Korg Series of Marvel Legends.  It marks his second time as a Legend, following the Ragnarok version from the two-pack.  This one is based on his upgraded attire from the new movie.  It’s a little more personalized, since he’s not a gladiator anymore.  There’s some fur, and a bit more color to it, making it a little more visually interesting.  The figure stands just shy of 8 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  Korg is built using a number of shared parts from the previous version of Korg.  It’s sensible, what with him being the same character, and the first version being a pretty solid piece of work and all.  This one keeps most of the arms and torso, as well as the feel, with a new set of legs, overlay for the torso, and head.  Generally, it’s a pretty nice selection of new parts, matching well to the quality of the original parts.  The head’s not super different, just with a slightly different expression.  This one’s a little more serious, though still not too serious, because, you know, it’s Korg.  The new legs notably give him actual pants.  That’s a nice improvement for him, I guess.  What’s not so much of an improvement is the hip movement.  He can’t actually get his legs to sit straight down for a standard standing pose; he’s always got to be low-key spreading his legs.  The figure’s color work is fairly decent.  The design allows for a brighter, more eye-catching look than the last one.  The application of the paint is pretty clean, though there’s not a ton going on in the way of accenting, much like with the rest of the assortment.  On the one hand, it’s a bit of a bummer, but on the other, it means there’s not a lot of mismatched shading, as can happen on some Build-A-Figures.  Korg is packed with his mace-thing, which appears to be the same piece as included with the last one, just with a slightly different paint scheme.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really like Korg, and I really liked the last Korg figure, so I wasn’t certain I needed this figure.  That said, I did like the new design for the character, and I was at least somewhat interested in most of the figures needed to build him.  I was able to snag the part that came with Star-Lord on its own, meaning I had less figures I needed to buy, and making the whole thing just a bit easier.  While there are some slight issues with this figure, I do really like the end result, and he’s another fun Korg figure.

This is a more focused set than previous movie sets, to be sure.  I’m glad that Hasbro’s finally splitting movie and comic into their own things, as I think it allows them to cover more of the core movie stuff without dipping into exclusives and multipacks, which are usually pretty frustrating.  That said, for me personally, I’m hitting a point where I don’t feel as pressed to buy every single new MCU figure any more, given how many versions I have of some of these characters.  This one was an interesting experiment for me.  I think Korg remains my favorite, as I expected.  The two Thors I picked up are both fun, if maybe not much beyond what I was expecting.  Valkyrie and Groot are both figures that exceeded my expectations, and have become my favorite versions of the characters, so that’s pretty cool.  And Gorr…well, he’s just sort of there.  Again, hard to judge without seeing the movie.  With the projected price jumps, this one does feel a bit like a last hurrah for this type of assortment, but we’ll see how things progress.