Tag Archives: Hasbro

#2811: The Child

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

THE CHILD

STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“A mysterious alien pursued by bounty hunters on behalf of Imperial interests.”

Due to how close kept a secret he was, Baby Yoda, aka The Child, aka Grogu, was absent from the merchandising for the show early in the game.  However, once the dam broke, oh boy was it broken, and we’ve subsequently had so much product.  Not that it’s been enough for any of it to hang around, of course.  The first figure treatment was the Black Series release, but since then we’ve gotten him in just about every available style in Hasbro’s wheelhouse.  That includes today’s offering, the latest of the bunch, which puts him into that nice retro style.  Let’s have a look!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Child (which is still the name the tie-ins are sticking with) is part of the seven-figure line-up of Mando-themed figures that makes up the first mass release set of Hasbro’s Star Wars Retro Collection line.  The figure stands about 1 1/4 inches tall and has 3 points of articulation, moving at the had and shoulders.  This guy’s actually the largest of the Grogu figures we’ve gotten, standing 1/4 inch taller than even the Black Series version.  Of course, scaling up a bit wasn’t a terribly uncommon thing in the vintage days, since it was hard to justify such a small figure.  In Grogu’s case, there’s probably room to justify him as an unarticulated pack-in somewhere else, but then that would damage their ability to sell the show’s most profitable character as a figure on his own.  In terms of sculpt, Grogu is kind the opposite of Kuiil.  While Kuiil felt very authentic, Grogu simply feels like a slightly less detailed modern figure.  He wouldn’t look terribly out of place with one of the more recent 5-POA lines, and honestly, he doesn’t really have many tell-tale signs of being vintage-inspired.  In Hasbro’s defense, of course, with a much smaller canvas, it’s a lot harder to get those details to read the right way.  He’s certainly not a bad figure, mind you.  It looks enough like the in-show puppet to make it immediately clear who it’s supposed to be, and he’s got all the basic detail work he would need.  Also, he’s a little sturdier than the other versions, which I consider something of a plus.  His paint is very basic, with just the eyes and hands getting coverage.  That’s probably the most accurate thing about him, really.  In order to justify charging full price for this guy, he gets another version of his pram (it’s amusing how many of these we got in the last year, given how little use it saw in Season 2), complete with a base, a hovering stand, and removable lid.  He also gets the small frog creature, much like the Black Series.  Keeping with the Child’s own sizing, both are a bit larger here than they possibly should be, but that’s expected, and certainly helps you feel better about the price point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Black Series release generally filled my need for a toy version of the Child, so I haven’t grabbed any others.  This one was a pretty easy snag, since I’d already decided I wanted the whole set.  Lest anyone reads the above review and gets the impression I don’t like this figure because of its relative lack of vintage-ness compared to the rest of the set, I do actually like him.  I like him quite a bit, and he may be my favorite version of the character.  Sure, he’s not quite as authentic, but he’s just generally harder to translate properly than some of the others.  He still makes for a good toy, though.

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.

#2810: Kuiil

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

KUIIL

STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“A vapor farmer on Arvala-7, Kuiil came to seek peace in an out of the way world, which is now being trespassed upon by criminals and mercenaries.”

It feels like just yesterday I was talking about the amazing turnaround The Mandalorian had done for Ugnaughts with the character of Kuiil, but apparently it was a whole month ago.  Time is truly an enigma, isn’t it?  Well, after two years of no Kuiils, Hasbro is giving us a year of three Kuiils, with the previously reviewed Black Series figure, the upcoming Mission Fleet release, and today’s offering, a Kuiil in vintage stylings!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kuiil is part of the seven-figure Mando-inspired first mass retail assortment of Hasbro’s Star Wars Retro Collection line.  The figure stands 2 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Kuiil’s another all-new sculpt.  He’s no doubt inspired by the vintage Ugnaught, them being of similar design struction and all, but there are no directly shared parts between them.  The sculpt is a good middle-ground between screen accuracy and that true Kenner feel.  He’s not technically accurate, of course, with the face being a little more alien, and the details of the costume are shifted around and adjusted a bit.  It’s a bit like an early animated equivalent to the live-action look.  The broad strokes are certainly, making him easily identifiable, but he at the same time feels very authentic to the older aliens.  He’s even got that mix of one gripping hand and one different pose, which also feels very true to the cantina aliens.  Kuiil’s paint work continues the Kenner style of slight inaccuracy.  The colors are certainly drawn from a similar palette as the proper ones, and at first glance they honestly don’t seem that far off, but as you double check them, you realize just how far off they become.  But again, this is the correct course for that truly authentic feel.  And, it’s honestly a pretty good look regardless of accuracy.  Kuiil is packed with his small blaster rifle, which he can hold in his right hand quite well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I mentioned in the Black Series review, I’ve been waiting for Kuiil toys since episode 1 of the show.  When it came to the retro figures, he certainly felt like a natural fit, and, after IG-11, he was probably the one I wanted the most.  In hand, he’s really great, and is, up to this point, the figure in the set that best captures the feel that Hasbro’s going for with these figures.  He truly feels like a proper ’80s release, and is just a lot of fun.  Certainly a nice surprise of a figure.  Both this and the Black Series figure were nice surprises, both for entirely different reasons, and I really dig them both for those differing reasons.

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.

#2809: IG-11

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

IG-11

STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“One of a series of dangerous assassin droids largely outlawed in the galaxy, IG-11 is a hired gun programmed to follow Bounty Hunters Gild protocols to the letter.”

Without a doubt, my very favorite part of The Mandalorian was IG-11.  It’s not a huge stretch, since I already really liked IG-88, and I also like Taika Waititi, and IG-11 is really just those two things put together.  Works for me.  IG-11 also helps with that retro feel of the show, so it only makes sense that he’d also be part of the Retro Collection set based on the show.  Let’s have a look at that one, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

IG-11 is part of the seven-figure Mando-themed assortment of Hasbro’s Star Wars Retro Collection line, which kicks off the major retail release for the Collection.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  IG-11 is the least unique figure in this particular set, a trend amongst IG-11 figures from Hasbro.  Much like those other releases, this one is patterned on an IG-88, specifically the vintage release, even more specifically the second version of the vintage release’s mold, which had slightly modified details.  Given the overall similarities of the characters, it does make sense to re-use, although I’m not sure how true to classic Kenner it would be.  His torso has been modified, so as to include the proper dual bandoliers, of course, and other parts, notably his hands, are also slightly different from 88.  That said, though they may be different, the hands are still not accurate to the upgraded hands 11 was sporting.  I guess I just got spoiled by that Mission Fleet version.  IG-11’s main change-up is paint.  Rather than sticking purely to the show’s far closer to IG-88 color scheme of largely grey/silver, this guy’s more of a dark bronze, I guess to sort of simulate his sequences underground in the finale, and also maybe to look like the credits art?  Whatever the case, the color change is certainly something that feels more authentically Kenner, as they were known for changing up colors for the sake of a more visually unique figure.  IG-11 is packed with two blaster rifles, long and short.  They appear to be more or less the same as the ones included with IG-88, but in black instead of dark blue.  I can dig it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

IG-11 is the only figure from this set I knew for certain I was getting from the start.  Which is kind of silly when you get down to it, since he’s also the only figure that’s a re-use, and it’s of a mold I already own three other ways.  What can I say, I’m not the most diverse collector on some things.  It’s a simple figure, but I do still love him, mostly because I still love the vintage IG-88, and I’m always happy to be reminded of that.

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.

#2808: Cara Dune

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

CARA DUNE

STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“A veteran of the Galactic Civil War who fought under the banner of the Rebellion, Cara Dune is a seasoned warrior.”

Hey, cool, a Cara Dune figure.  Weren’t those all sure to be cancelled, as confirmed by all those people on the internet with no actual ties to anyone involved with the production of this figures?  No, it would seem that weren’t.  And this one wasn’t.  And now I’m gonna review it. And that’s all I got to say about that…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cara Dune is part of the seven-figure line-up of Mando-themed figures that makes up the first mass release set of Hasbro’s Star Wars Retro Collection.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Cara is another all-new sculpt, and is another first season-inspired figure, although in this case, it’s at least the whole season, rather than just a single episode.  She doesn’t really have any direct inspiration in the vintage line, but she’s still designed to fit well within it.  Much like a proper vintage release, she’s got no real likeness to speak of, instead going for a more generic appearance, which I suppose kind of worked out for them, now didn’t it.  But I’m not getting into that.  That way lies madness.  I do like the way that they’ve sculpted the hair, so as to keep it clear of the neck joint, allowing for full range of motion.  The body gets a respectable amount of detailing as well, while still keeping that slightly dialed back look of the vintage line.  In terms of paint work, Cara is honestly a bit advanced for the proper Kenner style.  Not only does she get all of the appropriate color work, but she also gets her tattoo and her lipstick, both of which would have more than likely been left off of an authentic Kenner release.  But, she still feels very true to the line and the character, making this a rather happy medium.  Cara is packed with two guns, one a large rifle with a strap, and the other a smaller pistol.  She holds both of them nicely in her hands.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was never really worried about this Cara making it out, since it was in production before there was reason for it not to, and it doesn’t really have much of likeness anyway.  My faith was well-placed, I suppose.  This figure’s pretty fun.  Not a ton going on, but she gets the execution down pretty well, and even does things a little bit better, while still evoking the feel of the earlier figures.

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.

#2807: The Mandalorian

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

THE MANDALORIAN

STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“The Mandalorian is battle-worn and tight-lipped, a formidable bounty hunter in an increasingly dangerous galaxy.”

A week and a half ago, I took a look at one of Hasbro’s latest ventures into reviving some Kenner nostalgia, courtesy of their oddly-placed Retro Marvel line.  Marvel’s not the most natural fit for such a thing, but Star Wars, on the other hand, is pretty much perfect.  Hasbro tested the waters the last two years with some re-issues of the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back lines, but they’re finally making their way into something newer, albeit still fitting that Retro feel, with a whole assortment of new figures based on The Mandalorian.  I’m kicking off my look at them with the show’s titular character today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandalorian is the first of the seven figure line-up that is the Mando-themed series of Hasbro’s Star Wars Retro Collection, which is technically the third series under the Retro Collection banner, but the first to be offered up to retailers at large, rather than just being an exclusive.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His design is based on his first episode appearance, which is on one hand kinda weird, but on the other rather befitting the style, since any vintage figures would have undoubtedly been based on the early look seen in promotional images and the like.  It’s an all-new sculpt, patterned a little bit after Boba Fett, I suppose, mostly by virtue of them both having that distinctive helmet.  Through the lens of vintage Kenner, it’s a good sculpt.  It fits the general style, but certainly has that slightly higher level of detailing that came with 1980 and later figures.  The articulation has clear range of motion, and the hands are clearly designed for holding the guns, so he’s very well-utilized in that way.  The one slightly odd bit is the “cape.”  He’s got a vinyl cape patterned after the ones seen on the ones seen with the early line figures.  While it’s certainly well-recreated, technically, a character like the Mando, coming from a post Jedi-era, would have a cloth cape, as the vinyl ones had been phased out on new figures by the time of Jedi.  So, technically, it’s inaccurate.  Of course, the vinyl reads as more obviously retro, I suppose, which has its own benefits.  Mando’s paint work is actually surprisingly involved, which I guess again makes it *technically* inaccurate, but it looks good, and it still has that proper feel, so I can’t really complain too much.  The Mando is packed with his long rifle and his blaster pistol, both of which he can hold pretty nicely.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was a sucker for the 5-POA Star Wars lines, and was quite upset when they were phased out for Rise and Mandalorian, because they’re kind of my main jam for the toys.  I was hoping we might get something later down the line.  This isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I can’t say I’m unhappy about it.  Hasbro did a very good job of capturing that retro feel here, and they’ve made a figure that’s just good clean fun, and generally more functional than the more detailed counterparts.  I look foraward to getting the inevitable beskar re-deco, and whatever else Hasbro wants to throw at us with this mold.

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.

#2806: Jawa & “GONK” Droid

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

JAWA & “GONK” DROID

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“Jawas are small, foul smelling machine-scavengers of Tatooine’s deserts. Crafty traders and talented mechanics, they often use power ‘Gonk’ droids to provide energy for their scavenged goods.”

Though they only got one single release in the vintage line, and they’re only in one film of the original trilogy, when it came to Power of the Force II, Kenner was determined to give the Jawas some more proper coverage.  They got in early, with a pair of them joining the line’s second year.  There was also a follow-up in 1997 with one of the creatures.  Finally, we got one last one just as the line was on its way out, this time alongside possibly the best droid in the whole franchise, the “GONK” Droid!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The Jawa and “GONK” Droid were added to Power of the Force in 1999, officially falling into Hasbro’s tenure in the last two years.  They were part of the second round of figures for the year, running concurrently with the Episode I figures.  The Jawa stands about 3 inches tall (placing him between the two from the two-pack in sizing) and has 6 points of articulation.  Hasbro was getting a little more experienced with robe construction, so this one’s actually got a separate robe piece for the bottom half, with actual legs sculpted beneath it.  It means more articulation, but also means less motion, since the robe only allows so much movement.  In terms of pure functionality, the prior design honestly worked a bit better, but I suppose the appearance is a little better on this one.  The depth of detail on this new figure was more involved, so he’s a bit more technically impressive, although the overall appearance is really the same as the larger Jawa from the two-pack.  The paint work on the Jawa is virtually identical to the prior releases, right down to the light-piping square on the top of his head.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess.  The GONK winds up as a bit more of an accessory.  He’s about 2 3/4 inches tall and he has moving legs, but not in a way that really counts as articulation.  There’s a button on the left side, which moves right leg backward, and the left leg forward.  Unfortunately, to facilitate this feature, that means the default set-up has the right leg forward and the left leg backward, with no way to lock them into place in a regular standing position.  And he’s not really stable in the default pose.  You have to rely on rubber bands or twisty ties if you want to keep his legs in a regular pose.  That’s not ideal.  On the plus side, it’s at least a fairly nice sculpt, far removed from the vintage design, and transitioning into something far more screen accurate.  These two are packed with two accessories: a blaster for the Jawa and a CommTech chip, which actually does play sounds for both figures.  That’s pretty cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve always liked the Jawas, and, of course, I have a fondness for the GONK due to my brother Christian’s attachment to the LEGO version, so this was a set that it’s kind of surprising how long it took me to acquire.  I actually had it for a while before reviewing, as I’d picked it up during one of my big splurges of Power of the Force buying from All Time.  But, it remained sealed hanging on my wall for a bit, until one in a ratty package came through, and I decided it was easier to swap them, since I was going to open mine eventually anyway.  Hey, at least it pushed me to finally open them.  These figures are overall pretty good, but they both suffer a little bit from some over-engineering.  Fortunately, it’s easy enough to work around, and, especially in the case of the GONK, it’s worth working around, because it’s a very nice looking figure.

#2797: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“The shield for Freedom and Liberty, Captain America is the star-spangled avenger with super solider abilities!”

When Super 7 and Funko revived the vintage Kenner style back in 2013, they leaned pretty hard into it, and a handful of other companies joined in, giving the style as a whole something of a revival.  While it’s died down somewhat in the eight years since, in the last couple of years, Hasbro, who actually own the rights to the Kenner name and other assets, got in on it too.  They started with some reissues of the original Star Wars figures, along with one new figure for each assortment.  At the end of last year, they expanded the set-up to include Marvel…despite the fact that Kenner never actually made any Marvel figures.  Ah, let’s not get stuck on that.  The line began as an exclusive to Hasbro Pulse, but is finally getting a wider release.  I’m taking a look at the Captain America today, just to try the line out.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain America is part of the first mass release assortment of Marvel Legends Retro (a name that is shared with the 6″ figures in retro packaging as well, once again showcasing Hasbro’s perverse love of giving the same name to a bunch of very different products, seemingly to only cause confusion for the retailers and consumers), and is also re-packed in the second assortment as well.  Before that, he was one of the figures in the Pulse-exclusive launch, although the package on that one was slightly different to denote the earlier release.  While I don’t usually talk about packaging here, I do think this one warrants it, because it’s actually a very attractive package.  Each character gets their own completely unique set of graphics, and they’re just very eye-catching.  I have two notable complaints, though.  Firstly, the lack of cross-sell on the back makes it difficult to track who’s in the line, and secondly, they aren’t really designed for any sort of resealability.  I know that would violate the Kenner homage slightly, but it did really give me a dilemma about opening Cap.  But, of course, what good am I as a reviewer if I don’t open my toys?  The sacrifices I make, right?  (Ultimately, I ended up cutting it open at the bottom, so I can slide the inner tray in and out without it being too obvious it’s open)  Once you’ve destroyed the beautiful work of art that houses the figure, you’ll find that he stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  He’s got the usual Kenner 5POA, plus swivels at the wrists, which is kind of nifty, I suppose.  The extra wrist joints are more there because the gloves need to be separate pieces (as do the boots, though they aren’t articulated) due to the construction of the figures in the line.  A number of them are built from a base body, which Cap makes use of.  It’s a rather basic hero build, and it works perfectly fine for the figures we’ve gotten so far.  The boots are shared with Cyclops, but the head and gloves are unique to Cap at this time.  They’re decent enough pieces, though not exactly heavy on detailing.  Despite the lack of said detailing, it’s worth noting that they don’t really fall into the classic Kenner stylings either.  He occupies something of a middle ground, placing him more on par with Hasbro’s more recent 5POA Star Wars figures than Kenner’s.  It’s not a bad look, mind you, but it just further pushes the question of what the heck the audience for these figures is supposed to be.  Cap’s paint work is fairly basic, but that’s to be expected.  There’s a little bit of slop on some of the transitions, but for the most part, it works pretty well.  Cap gets one accessory: his shield.  It’s a bit on the smaller side, but that’s kind of expected, I suppose, given the scale and style.  What I found kind of weird is that, even though there’s a peg hole on his back, there’s no peg on the shield, so it can’t be attached that way.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When these figures showed up on Pulse, I was intrigued, but not enough to actually go to the trouble of ordering them, especially with the two-pack set-up they had going on.  Once they went to mass retail, and All Time was able to get them in, I happily snagged Cap here just to try things out.  Ultimately, I’m a bit baffled by this figure.  He’s not bad.  Like, I honestly quite like him.  But, at the same time, there’s a lot of questions as to why?  If you’re going to go for a retro Marvel line, why not go with Secret Wars or even Toy Biz stylings?  Or, if you want to stick to Kenner, why not do a Super Powers-inspired set of Marvel figures?  That’d be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?  But putting them at 3 3/4 and then not even fully committing to the vintage Kenner stylings for that is a weird choice.  I really want to like this line, but I don’t really see it having major legs going forward.  But, I guess we’ll just see how it goes.

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.

#2796: M.O.D.O.K.

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

M.O.D.O.K.

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“The freak product of intense scientific experimentation, the living computer M.O.D.O.K. now sits atop a vast empire of criminal co-conspirators bent on world domination.”

About three weeks ago, Hulu dropped Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K., an animated sitcom starring Patton Oswalt as the titular character, which re-envisions the character as the head of a dysfunctional family, because it’s an adult animation comedy, and we don’t really have another mold to poor those into yet.  Slight jests aside, I binged the show when it dropped and I rather enjoyed it, and all of its deep-reach Marvel in-jokes.  M.O.D.O.K. himself is finally getting into a greater spotlight, after being just on the fringe for several years.  And, no doubt in an effort to tie in with the show, he’s just gotten a Legends update courtesy of Hasbro.  How kind of them.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

M.O.D.O.K. is a single one-off release for Marvel Legends.  He’s kinda like a deluxe figure, but even more so.  He’s like a super deluxe.  Or a two-pack that’s secretly just one figure, only it’s not even a secret.  He’s at the two-pack price point is the main thing I’m getting at here.  This is our second M.O.D.O.K. Legends figure, following Toy Biz’s version from way back in their final assortment.  That one was very good for its time, and holds up pretty well, but it’s been 15 years, and that one’s hard to get these days.  This one’s kinda like a Build-A-Figure whose parts are all sold in one box, because you’ve actually got to put him together after taking him out of the box.  When fully assembled with blast and everything, the figure stands 8 1/2 inches tall and he has 25 points of articulation.  M.O.D.O.K.’s articulation is impressive for what he is, which is floating head with arms and legs sticking out of it.  The movement on the limbs has a good range, and there’s even some slight posability to the blast effect base, as well as the control stick on the left side.  The base does lean a little bit to one side on my figure, but not terribly so, and he still stays fairly stable.  M.O.D.O.K.’s sculpt is, predictably, an all-new affair.  It’s quite impressive from a technical standpoint.  There are a lot of clean technical work on the body, and he’s got two different faceplates to swap out, one calm, one expressive, both of which really capture his ugly visage. The only downside is that you pretty much have to fully disassemble his body to swap the faces out, which is a little involved.  Of course, it means they don’t fall out too easily, so that’s a plus.  The paint work on this guy is quite good.  A lot of molded colors, of course, but there’s some really nice, quite subtle accenting on the gold sections, as well as some very nice work on the faces, giving them a nice lifelike quality.  In addition to the swappable face plates, M.O.D.O.K. also features two sets of hands, one in open gesture, and the other a fist/gripping combo.  It’s not a ton, but he’s a fairly sizable figure on his own, and his assembly literally fills the entirety of the box he comes in.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Toy Biz M.O.D.O.K. was from the era when my brother and I were splitting the BaFs depending on who wanted them more, so he wound up with that one.  At the time I didn’t really mind, because I was so-so on M.O.D.O.K. at the time.  Over the years, I’ve grown to appreciate the character a little more, but that old BaF was kinda pricey, so I just didn’t worry about it.  This guy offered a much easier acquisition, which ultimately worked out far better for me.  He’s really just an improvement on the original in every way, and I think a very solid addition to 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.

#2795: Mr. Hyde

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

MR. HYDE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

So, you know how I was talking about the lack of staying power behind the various Shang-Chi supporting players?  Well, that’s kind of coming to a head here, because for the assortment that is arguably supposed to be a Shang-Chi assortment, rather than getting a Shang-Chi related Build-A-Figure, we instead get Mr. Hyde.  Mr. Hyde isn’t actually the character from Robert Luis Stevenson’s literary tale, but is rather Calvin Zabo, someone who just models himself after Stevenson’s character.  He began as a Thor villain, but did the usual Marvel thing of getting passed around a bit, ultimately rattling around in the background of the Marvel universe for a while.  He also appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, which was pretty cool.  Be it in comics, or in other medium, I don’t know that he’s ever directly interacted with Shang-Chi, but his multi-purpose appeal does help somewhat there.  Maybe they’ll run into each other some time in the future.  But now he’s finally got an action figure, so that’s cool.  Let’s have a look at it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mr. Hyde is the Build-A-Figure for the latest set of Marvel Legends, which was designed to be a tie-in with Shang-Chi, but, again, direct ties are limited here.  The figure stands about 8 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  Design wise, he’s a slightly more modern Hyde, based on his look from his stint in Thunderbolts, as well as his look from the Avengers Alliance game.  It’s a fairly evergreen design, and kind of ties him more into those literary roots.  He’s got quite a number of parts in common with the Joe Fixit figure, which was somewhat anticipated when that figure was shown off.  It’s a big guy in a suit, so it makes sense.  He uses the lower half and arms from that figure, with his own head, hands, and torso.  The new pieces do a good job of converting him into the intended design, and the head and hands in particular are quite expressive.  I also really dig the little touches, such as the suspenders beneath his coat and vest, in a spot where no one’s ever really going to see them.  The paint work on Mr. Hyde is generally pretty straight forward.  The greens are mostly just molded, but it’s a good shade that matches well with his usual coloring.  The work on the hands and head is pretty impressive, with some subtle work on the accenting to give him that slightly hairier appearance.  It helps with making him look even more monstrous.  I’m not quite sure about the eyes; the pupils seem maybe a little too large?  I don’t know, I typically don’t think of him having the pupils at all, so it’s all weird territory for me.  Not that it’s inaccurate, mind you, just not my personal preferred look.  Though he’s a Build-A-Figure, and accessories aren’t standard for them, Mr. Hyde is nonetheless armed with his cane, which is cool, because he’d feel a bit incomplete without it, honestly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My familiarity with Mr. Hyde largely stems from his time with the Thunderbolts, which was also the same run that gave me a big appreciation for Boomerang, so I was definitely down for this figure.  I was kind of expecting him after Kingpin and Fixit gave us bulked up suit bodies, and he’s a welcome addition to the line.  The figure’s pretty fun.  I do kind of wish he had the blanked out eyes, or maybe they could have done two different heads, for extra options like on a few of the other recent BaFs.  Whatever the case, he’s still a solid offering as-is.

This assortment was a weird experience for me, due to the whole bit of not actually knowing much about it going in.  Hyde as the Build-A-Figure definitely helped to sell me on grabbing the whole set, which was ultimately for the best, because there are some nice figures included within.  It’s hard to say how the set’s going to do in the longer run, because the movie figures are still a bit of a mystery with only the one trailer to go on.  In terms of ranking, the non-movie ones did more for me at this junction.  Civil Warrior was definitely my personal favorite, with Tony and Hyde being close behind.  Xialing was my favorite of the movie figures, though Wenwu was pretty solid too.  Shang-Chi is okay, but that killer comic version from last year’s hard to top.  Death Dealer’s the only one in the set I didn’t really get much out of.  Perhaps the movie will change my opinion on that.

#2794: Tony Stark – A.I.

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

TONY STARK — A.I.

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“After a tragic battle, Tony Stark lives on in digital form as a hologram at the helm of a high-powered robotic suit of armor.”

It’s time to bring back Tony Stark to life!  …yuck, okay, sorry guys, I can’t let that grammatical monstrosity stand.  It’s just…wrong.  Sure is a good thing that it’s only here on my website, and no one’s spent serious money on placing it on a billboard or something.  That would be super embarrassing.  Moving on.  So, following his body going comatose, Tony Stark’s consciousness continued on as an A.I. for a bit, mostly serving as an assistant to Riri Williams’ Iron Heart, but occasionally “suiting up” on his own and occupying a more classic Iron Man armor.  One of things is more inherently toy-etic than the other, which is why we’re looking at an armored up A.I. Tony figure today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Tony Stark (A.I.) is figure 6 in the Mr. Hyde Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s the second non-Shang-Chi figure in the line-up, and the last single-packed figure in the set.  While Iron Man classically doesn’t have much to do with Shang-Chi, he *is* the Mandarin’s usual nemesis, so there’s at least a little bit of a tie there.  Certainly more of one than there was for Civil Warrior, and honestly, it’s more sensible than the other Iron Men we’ve gotten shoved into unrelated movie assortments.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  From a structural stand-point, this guy’s mostly a parts re-use from the 80th Iron Man, which is fairly sensible, given that the A.I. occupied a replica of Tony’s classic armor.  It’s honestly the best sculpt Hasbro’s produced for an Iron Man, and the definitive take on the classic armor, so it’s a solid choice.  Right out of the box, he’s not sporting the helmeted head, since they want to show off the hologram set-up.  So, he’s got an all-new unmasked head, designed to replicate the slightly more modern Tony that the A.I. was patterned after.  It’s a nice piece, and is quite distinctly different from other unmasked Tonys.  It’s not really my brand of Tony, personally, but it’s accurate to the source material.  He’s also got the standard classic helmeted head from the 80th figure, which was certainly the best head from that set.  The major change-up for this release is color scheme.  While the 80th figure was going for more of an Alex Ross-inspired, darker colored and metallic scheme, this one is done in flat colors.  It gives us a nice, more comic-styled red and yellow color scheme.  There’s a slightly more modernized aspect to it, with the blue for the eyes, mouth, and arc reactor, but otherwise, it feels very classic 70s.  I really like the new color scheme, and it does the sculpt a lot of justice.  In addition to having the two heads I mentioned previously, Tony also includes the two sets of hands from the 80th release, as well as a pair of repulser effects, done up in blue to match the holo head.  Also included is the right leg of the Mr. Hyde Build-A-Figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As much as I loved the three 80th Avengers (and believe me, I did love them), the one thing I did notice about all three was how subdued the colors were.  I’ve been hoping to see some slightly more classically colored repaints.  Iron Man’s a good proof of concept on that, without being a straight re-release.  The colors really pop on this figure, and add a new life to him.  I genuinely don’t know which of the two I prefer, and that’s kind of a dilemma for me…

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.