Tag Archives: Marvel Legends

#3384: Spider-Punk

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

SPIDER-PUNK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Hobie Brown is the British punk Spider-Man better known as Spider-Punk.”

One of the more dynamic creations to come out of the original “Spider-Verse” story was Spider-Punk.  He began as a rejected design done by Oliver Copiel for the character that became Spider-UK, but writer Dan Slott liked it enough to spin it into its own full fledged character.  Though he started as a relatively minor player in the original storyline, he’s subsequently become one of the more enduring alternate Spider-Men, which has unsurprisingly translated to inclusion in Across the Spider-Verse, and subsequently led to a little bit more toy coverage than just the one single Legends release he had previously.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Punk is the final figure in the seven figure Across the Spider-Verse tie-in series of Marvel Legends.   This marks Spider-Punk’s second time gracing Legends, though he of course gets his updated film design this time around.  While the original Spider-Punk design stuck pretty closely to the classic Spidey design, and just added a few extra elements atop that, Spider-Punk’s look from Across is much more of a ground-up rework.  He keeps the comics version’s spiked mohawk and vest, but puts them over a design that even more thoroughly embraces “punk”….which in this case seems to mean he borrows more elements from Scarlet Spider than he does Spider-Man.  I’m not gonna knock it.  I dug the original design, and I also dig this one.  The figure stands just shy of 7 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Spider-Punk’s articulation scheme is interesting, as it’s technically a bit outdated in its layout and methods, but ultimately it ends up working out very well with the design and layout of the sculpt, making it feel like it’s still very much on par with the other  more recent offerings.   Spider-Punk gets an all-new sculpt, courtesy of Arlen Pelletier, and…it’s just really good, you guys.  There’s just so much personality and style running through this sculpt.  I love the uneven lacing on the boots, and all the varieties of studs and spikes littered throughout his clothing.  And it’s all just got this very dynamic flow to it that just really feels true to the character.  Likewise, the paint work on Spider-Punk is some of the most involved in the whole assortment.  There’s just a lot of detailing, not just base work like we saw on the others.  He’s got the little spots of sporadic webbing, the running paint on the eyes, and all of the smaller buttons on details on his vest, which makes for a very rich look.  In terms of accessories, Spider-Punk gets his guitar (the same mold as the original), as well as an extra left hand with a thwipping pose.  While he’s still only got the two extras, the guitar is at least a more sizable accessory, and, as with the main figure, the painted detailing on it is really impressive.  The only thing I’d have liked to see here is maybe an extra right hand without the guitar pick in it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited for the comics Spider-Punk when he was released, and I was likewise quite enthusiastic about the character’s inclusion in the movie.  My expectations were pretty high for this figure, and still he blew them totally away.  This guy just oozes fun, and he’s far and away my favorite figure in this line-up.  Like, it’s not even close.  And he was up against that Spot figure, which I also really loved.  So, you know, that’s really saying something.

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.

#3382: Jessica Drew

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

JESSICA DREW

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Jessica Drew is a modern Spider-Woman who fights crime with an arachnid’s ease.”

Spider-Woman is a title that’s been passed around a lot in the Marvel universe, largely as an effort to avoid imitators of their most popular property, much like the Captain Marvel identity.  The title officially made its main universe debut with Jessica Drew in 1977, crafting a character with surprisingly little to tie her to Peter Parker.  What’s interesting, however, is that Jessica isn’t the first Spider-Woman in Marvel comics history.  Two years before her debut, Valerie the Librarian used a spare Spidey costume to briefly fight crime as Spider-Woman in the pages of Spidey Super Stories, Marvel’s tie-in with PBS’s The Electric Company.  Valerie is notable as not only the first instance of a Spider-Woman, but also Marvel’s first costumed African American heroine.  That’s pretty cool.  For Across the Spider-Verse, the more widely known Jessica Drew has been somewhat amalgamated with Valerie, which is honestly a pretty fun little throw-back.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Jessica Drew is the second to last figure in the Across the Spider-Verse tie-in series of Marvel Legends.  Jessica is sporting one of the most drastically different designs of any of the characters, making this figure almost entirely new territory.  She’s definitely using elements of Valerie’s look, in conjunction with her slightly more “real-world” costume design from her post-“Spider-Verse” solo book (including having her be pregnant), and then just a handful of just genuinely new costume elements.  The figure stands just shy of 7 inches tall and she has 28 points of articulation.  Jessica joins 2099 as one of the most restricted figures here in terms of posing.  Again, it’s nothing terrible, and at least in her case it’s less about poor implementation of articulation and more about her movie design being a bit more limiting.  Since she’s pregnant in the film, there’s less you can do with the waist, hips, and mid-torso.  And, given the size of the hair, the neck joint is also pretty limited.  There’s *some* posing to be had, but not a ton.  She’s also not incredibly stable on her feet, due to the weight distribution of the sculpt, so what posing you can do is further limited.  The sculpt here is an all-new one, which looks to do a respectable job of capturing the animation design.  The only real issue is with the glasses, which are just plainly the wrong shape for the movie. Otherwise, there’s a nice mix of textures, with quite a bit of detailing going into the hair sculpt, contrasting well with the smoother nature of the costume, especially the sharper lines of the jacket.  One thing I’m not super crazy about is how the hair hangs off the back of the head; there’s a notable section of the base of the head that’s just exposed, which doesn’t quite seem right.  Jessica’s color work is, as per usual at this point, pretty basic.  There’s a lot of molded plastic, with enough paint to sell the needed design elements.  The paint’s all generally pretty clean in application, and she’s using the face printing for the eyes, which works pretty well.  Jessica continues the trend of the figures in this set being light on the accessories, with just two sets of hands in fists and relaxed.  At the very least a few extra poses might have been nice.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This was definitely one of those figures that I was less sure about when the line-up got leaked.  It’s not that I don’t like the idea behind the character, but I just wasn’t quite as sold on the design, and I didn’t feel it was going to make for the most thrilling toy.  That said, I was buying the rest of them, and I didn’t want to only skip the one.  Ultimately, she’s the weakest of the set.  She’s not bad, but that design just doesn’t work as well in three dimensions, and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to a super-posable 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.

#3379: Spider-Man 2099

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

SPIDER-MAN 2099

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Trying to create a new superhero, Miguel O’Hara accidentally turned himself into the best Spider-Man in the multi-verse.”

Into the Spider-Verse ends with a teaser sequence that introduces Spider-Man 2099, as well as the concept of him pioneering safer cross-dimensional travel.  Across the Spider-Verse builds on that set-up, and installs Miguel as a main character for the film’s story.  Also, he’s Oscar Isaac.  So, that’s pretty cool.  And he’s 2099, which is also pretty cool by default.  We didn’t actually see 2099 in his regular form in Into, so we had to wait until the new movie for toy treatment.  But here we are now, and we’ve got his figure.  Dope.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Man 2099 is the fifth figure in the Across the Spider-Verse tie-in series of Marvel Legends.  Much like the Spot, 2099 is a design that’s largely unchanged from his comics counterpart, really just relying more on stylization to change things up.  Given how strong and distinctive 2099’s look, this is hardly a surprise.  The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  2099’s articulation is one of this assortment’s most restricted, which is admittedly odd, since it doesn’t really feel like there’s any clear reason for that.  He just winds up with a slightly more rudimentary articulation layout.  It’s not *bad*, mind you, just a little bit clunky, and therefore a little surprising to see.  He does at least still get a ball-jointed neck, as well as the pinless construction on the arms and legs.  2099 is sporting an all-new sculpt by sculptor Arlen Pelletier, and aside from issues with the articulation breaking it up a bit too much during posing, I really quite like it.  He’s notably bulkier and taller than the other Spiders, which I definitely dig, and which is also in line with his animation model.  The detailing is all nice and sharp, and it’s nice to see Miguel get full sculpted elements for his costume, after being relegated to largely just paint on his last few Legends.  2099’s paint work is overall pretty on the basic side.  He’s blue with red accents, and a lot of that’s molded.  The colors are rather bright, and they’re flat, straying away from his usual metallics.  It makes sense, of course, given the desire to stick with the animation look, which isn’t as shiny looking as the comics.  I feel like there should be some sort of darker accenting on the blue sections, and the sculpted textures on the red get a little lost with nothing to make them pop, but as far as the basics go, he’s alright.  Miguel is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture.  It’s too bad we didn’t also get an unmasked head like with the others, but it’s possible that model wasn’t finalized in time.  Still, he feels a tad light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

2099’s got a pretty sick visual, and getting Oscar Isaac to voice him in the teaser at the end of Into definitely had me hyped for this guy in the sequel.  I was rather looking forward to this figure.  Ultimately, he’s the tiniest bit of a let-down.  He’s not bad.  I can’t stress that enough.  He’s just kind of fine.  And in this assortment, that puts him a bit behind the rest of the pack.

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.

#3377: Peter B. Parker

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

PETER B. PARKER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Peter B. Parker must decide between protecting his old pal Miles and siding with his more experienced comrades.”

While Peter Parker was the main character of the comics version of “Spider-Verse,” for the Spider-Verse movies, the focus has been shifted to Miles Morales, with Peter, specifically the alternate universe Peter B. Parker, serving as a mentor to Miles.  It’s a change-up, but a decidedly fun one.  And there’s all sorts of goofy slacker Peter in costume looks that we got out of it.  So, let’s have a look at another Peter B. Parker!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Peter B. Parker is the fourth figure in the Across the Spider-Verse tie-in line-up of Marvel Legends.  Technically, he’s not actually an Across figure, and is in fact the line-up’s one Into the Spider-Verse figure, making him the first true repeat.  He does at least get a slightly changed-up look, though.  While the last figure was based on Peter B’s fully civilian look, this one takes the next step in his costume evolution, with his into action look…well, at least the one before he gets his full costume back.  Yay sweat pants!  The figure stands just shy of 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Last time around, Peter was the most limited of the Spider-Verse figures in terms of articulation, but this one ends up fairing just a little bit better, largely due to the lack of bulky over coat, but also thanks to some of thinner limb parts, most notably the ankles and the neck, being less wobbly when posing.  Peter marks the sets one tiny little bit of re-use; the sweat pants are the same ones used on the prior figure, which does make a degree of sense.  Everything else is all-new, and it’s generally pretty good.  It’s certainly very on-brand for the film’s styling, though if I have one complaint it’s that his lower torso is definitely too fit and defined.  Those are Peter A’s abs, not Peter B’s.  It’s interesting, because that’s an area where re-using the torso from the prior figure would have solved the issue, and yet they opted not to.  One almost has to wonder if there was a plan to do a full Peter A figure, but they opted for the budget friendlier sweat pants version of Peter B.  Or perhaps there was some sort of a mix-up on the models being used.  Whatever the case, it’s not the end of the world.  Peter’s paint work is quite on the basic side, but that’s not a terrible thing, and he’s at least pretty eye-catching, and what’s there is clean.  Peter is quite on the light side for accessories, getting two sets of hands, one in fists and one in thwipping pose.  They look to be re-used from the last one.  Since we’re getting re-use anyway, getting one or both of those alternate heads might have also been nice, if there wasn’t any chance of any new parts.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this guy.  He honestly perplexed me a bit, since it’s odd to get another Into Peter B. before getting his new look from Across, but perhaps there’s a good reason for holding off on that one.  I was also a bit surprised that we still didn’t get Peter’s full costume.  That being said, I think I’m honestly happier with him this way.  We’ve gotten plenty of basic Spider-Men over the years, and a Spider-Verse one is kind of inevitable, so doing this one first is at least a slightly more unique look, and he’s also just a rather fun figure at 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.

#3374: Spider-Gwen

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

SPIDER-GWEN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Spider-Gwen has grown up a lot over the past two years, keeping busy between band practice and protecting her city.”

Spider-Gwen, an alternate universe Gwen Stacy imbued with the Spider powers instead of Peter Parker, was introduced in, and central to, the comics “Spider-Verse” storyline, and was likewise central to Into the Spider-Verse.  The comics kept Gwen as pretty central to all the follow-up “Spider-Verse” events, and Across the Spider-Verse has the movies following suit.  Gwen was part of the rather small Legends tie-in for Into, and she’s also part of the much larger tie-in set-up for the sequel.  Let’s see how this one measures up to the last one!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Gwen is the third figure in the Across the Spider-Verse tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  She’s one of three figures that are repeated characters from the movie, and arguably the least changed of the three in raw design terms.  It’s mostly just elements being shifted around a bit, just to give her a bit of a refresh.  The figure stands just shy of 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Gwen’s articulation scheme mimics the layout of Spot’s, which is again a slightly better set-up than we saw with Miles, as well as an improvement on the Gwen from the last movie.  Of note, she gets bicep swivels and double elbow joints.  Her arms are a bit on the thin side, so posing them is a slightly delicate affair, but it’s not as bad as I was expecting.  Gwen’s last animated figure was one of the two from the last round to make use of re-used parts, which slightly compromised her accuracy to the film.  This one, on the other hand, gets an all-new sculpt, which is more properly attuned to her look from the movie.  It’s a very basic and straight forward sculpt, but it does what it needs to, and it certainly looks the part.  I think I preferred the masked head on the last one, but the actual hood hangs more naturally here, and the build of the body is definitely more accurate this time around.  In terms of paint work, this Gwen, much like her predecessor, does suffer from just a bit of fuzziness in some spots, but for the most part it works out pretty well.  In particular, the detailing on the “webbed” parts of the costume turned out pretty nicely.  Gwen is packed with an alternate unmasked head, a corresponding pulled down hood piece, and two sets of hands.  As with others in the assortment, it’s perhaps a touch light, but at least it covers the basics.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I wasn’t initially sold on this Gwen figure.  I really liked the last one, and with her design being less changed than others, I just wasn’t sure I needed to double-dip on her.  Ultimately, I decided I wanted a full set, so she just sort of came along for the ride.  I’m glad that’s the choice I made, because she’s all-new, and honestly a much nicer figure than I was expecting.

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.

#3372: The Spot

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

THE SPOT

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“If The Spot can realize the power of his abilities, he could become a threat to the entire universe.”

The slightly quirkier tone of the Spider-Verse movies makes them great for deep dives into the Spider-Man mythos.  I largely comes in the form of lots of Spideys, but as the first film showcased, it’s also great for getting a focus on some slightly lower tier Spidey foes.  The first movie gave a particular focus to Prowler, and this one seems to be doing the same for the Spot, who looks to be the film’s main antagonist…maybe.  I’m writing this review pre-movie, so I can’t say for sure.  I’m just happy to be getting a Spot figure, honestly.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Spot is the second figure in the seven figure Across the Spider-Verse tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He’s notably the only non-Spider in the set, and also the very first Marvel Legends Spot.  While some of the designs for the film are radical changes from the comics, the Spot actually sticks pretty close to his comics roots, albeit with the expected stylizing.  The figure stands just shy of 6 3/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  Spot’s articulation is a slightly different set-up than we saw on Miles, and it’s better for it.  There’s still some slight issues with sticky joints on the limbs, and you have to be careful with moving the shoulders, lest they pop out at the biceps.  That said, I was especially impressed by the range of motion they managed to get into that mid-torso joint; it seems minimal at first, but once you get it working, it really does a lot.  The Spot’s sculpt is another all-new one, and it’s kind of the antithesis of Miles.  There’s very little actual detailing, making him largely a blank canvas, with the sculpting focus being placed on getting down his unique set of proportions.  It’s quite an effective set-up, with a quite distinctive silhouette, even without any extra key elements beyond the base body.  Despite the lankiness, the articulation is also worked in pretty cleanly as well, which is a definite plus.  Spot’s paint work is, like the sculpt, on the basic side.  It’s certainly effective, though.  It’s admittedly less spots than I’m used to, but that looks to be true to the film, so I’m hardly going to complain about that.  The Spot is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture, as well as two “spots”, one with Miles’ head sticking out, and the other with his hand.  There’s also a stand for clipping the spots onto, making for a pretty fun little set-up.  I would have liked to see some non-Miles-attached spots, but given the set-up for the rest of the figures, he still feels like he’s got enough to make it worthwhile.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Spot’s one of my favorite Spidey foes, going back to the ’90s cartoon, so I was actually pretty pumped when his inclusion in Across was announced, especially because I was pretty sure that would mean more toys…which it did.  Yay!  This guy was one of the first that images leaked for, and he’s definitely the one I was looking forward to the most.  My initial response after opening him was honestly just a touch let-down, but after getting to mess with him a little bit more, he’s grown on me, to about the point that I was expecting.  As it stands, he’s one of my top two for this set-up of figures.  I’d still love a comics version too, but this one’s a lot of fun on his own.

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.

#3369: Miles Morales

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

MILES MORALES

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Miles Morales faces a new villain with abilities that will take more than one Spider-Man to defeat.”

When Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was released in 2018, it hit with only minimal tie-in offerings, with the major push for tie-in stuff hitting about 2 1/2 years later.  Since it’s very clear what kind of a marketing success the first film was, the sequel is coming out of the gate strong for its theatrical release this week.  The basic figures have actually been out for the while, and there’s an entire dedicated assortment of Legends hitting right out of the gate, which snuck in real quietly right before the movie’s release.  I’ve got my whole set, because why the heck not.  I’m kicking off with a look at Miles today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Miles Morales is the first figure in the 7 figure Across the Spider-Verse tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  After getting the half-step “What’s Up Danger” look for the first film, this time around we get a fully-costumed Miles, sporting his brand new costume from the movie.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme this time around isn’t quite as impressive as what the Into Miles got; sure, he gets double elbows now, but he also loses the ball-jointed waist and neck, which really added to the prior figure’s posability.  This one can still pull off a good deal of poses, but the joints can get a little sticky, and it’s a little awkward to move him.  On the plus side, he’s still got the pinless construction, which works pretty well for the aesthetics.  Miles is sporting an all-new sculpt (courtesy of sculptor Dennis Chan), and it’s a good looking one.  It matches up nicely with what we’ve seen so far of the animation models, showcasing a Miles that’s a bit more grown up than the last time we saw him.  The texturing on the outfit is truly impressive, and there’s a nice flow to the overall sculpt.  Mile’s paint is more complex than it looks at first glance; obviously he gets the red accents on the black base, which looks nice and slick, but there’s also some subtle dark blue work.  It’s easy to miss, but it adds a little extra pop to the figure’s visual.  Miles is packed with an extra unmasked head and two sets of hands (thwipping and fists).  The last unmasked head didn’t *quite* land the film design, especially the hair, but this one really gets it down.  Also, they don’t have the weird ball joint for each head, so that’s a plus.  Of course, it’s still a smaller socket size than the standard, so swapping isn’t going to really be a thing, but it’s progress.  As with the last Miles, I do wish we’d gotten another set of hands with open gesture, but I’ll just have to continue to be disappointed with every Spider-Man that cuts those, I guess.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really enjoyed the Into tie-in Legends, and I’d been hoping for more since that one small release.  One of the things that excited me the most about the sequel was getting more figures.  Miles was a figure that I wasn’t quite as jazzed for on the outset, I think just because he seemed rather basic, at least from the in-hand leaks we saw.  Having him in hand, there are some smaller issues that I’m a little let-down by, but he’s overall a figure that I wound up liking a lot more than I’d expected to.

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.

#3358: Avalanche

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

AVALANCHE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Brotherhood of Mutants veteran Avalanche can generate powerful seismic waves from his hands.”

When the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was reformed under Mystique’s leadership in the ’80s, they got a roster of characters with well-established traits, personalities, and arcs…and they also got Avalanche.  You know, the guy who was only ever really compelling on X-Men: Evolution, where the approach was essentially rebuilding him entirely from the ground up.  The guy whose backstory before joining the Brotherhood could be best summed up as “wasn’t in the Brotherhood yet.”  Essentially, he’s really just a glorified accessory for Pyro, a Brotherhood member who actually does things of note and whom people actually care about.  Honestly, he largely only gets figures to accent Pyro figures, too.  We got an updated Legends Pyro in 2020, so I guess we might as well get a proper Legends Avalanche.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Avalanche is part of the latest retro-inspired X-Men series of Marvel Legends.  This is his first time getting an official Legends figure, though he was previously offered up in the scale in Toy Biz’s X-Men off-shoot line.  Like most of the assortment, he’s got a vintage 5-inch counterpart, with the caveat that Avalanche was in the X-Force line, not the main X-Men one.  The figure stands just shy of 7 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Avalanche uses the Reaper base body as a starting point.  It’s alright for the build, since he’s usually a little stockier, but the articulation’s rather stiff compared to more recent figures, and it’s still got the visible pins in the elbows and knees.  But, it’s just Avalanche we’re talking about here, so it’s not like it’s the end of the world.  Avalanche gets a new head, torso, forearms, and boots.  The head sculpt isn’t really doing it for me, honestly.  It’s a more recent take on his helmet design, with visible eyes, rather than the pupil-less look, and I just don’t think it works as well for the character.  Furthermore, the expression seems too neutral for what little characterization Avalanche has, which tends to see him as being rather brutish.  The body sculpt is alright.  I’ve seen complaints about how the shoulder pads stick out, but they don’t bug me.  The color work on the figure is almost entirely molded plastic, which works fine enough.  He gets a little bit of paint on the face, and I’m not crazy about the darker lips, but it’s other wise alright.  Avalanche is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture.  That seems rather light; it would have been nice to at least get an unmasked head, or possibly an alternate style of helmet.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I can’t say I was incredibly compelled to get Avalanche, but I did already have Pyro, and he could do with a guy to stand behind him and make him look cooler by comparison.  Also, we’re getting close to wrapping up this incarnation of the Brotherhood, so team building and all that.  This figure isn’t bad, but he’s not terribly exciting either.  I’m not big on the choices with the head sculpt, and he feels kind of bland.  But he’s alright, I guess.

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.

#3353: Multiple Man

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

MULTIPLE MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, possesses the unique ability to duplicate himself at will.”

My first Multiple Man review, back in 2018, started off with a James Franco joke.  Boy, has *that* not aged well.  That’s what I get for trying to be topical.  Nowadays, I just stick to more timeless and tried things.  How about this up and comer, Madrox the Multiple Man?  His appearance in Fantastic Four sure shows a lot of promise, doesn’t it?  It sure would be cool if he bounced around as a minor supporting player in the X-Books for a decade, and then got promoted to one of the actual teams.  And also if he got five action figures.  You know what?  Let’s actually make that six.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Multiple Man is the third figure from the latest retro-inspired X-Men assortment of Marvel Legends.  Multiple Man is unique in this assortment, as he’s the only figure whose design has no direct equivalent in the Toy Biz run, since his only 5-inch figure (which was a ToyFare exclusive) was in a variation of his X-Factor costume.  This one is based on Jaime’s original suit, which has, up until now, been without toy coverage.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  Multiple Man is built on the ANAD 2099 body, which is a slight change-up from his last figure, who was based on the Bucky Cap body. Interestingly, Havok did the same jump on his most recent figure.  This body is more posable and honestly a slightly better match in build, especially for a younger Jaime.  The figure gets two new head sculpts.  One has a more neutral expression, while the other is angry and teeth gritty.  They’re both internally consistent, and also consistent with the three heads included with the last figure, so they all look convincingly like the same guy.  Curiously, while the last figure used separate pieces for the cowl and faces, these ones are both solid construction.  It doesn’t really change up the look, but it’s different.  Jaime’s paint work is actually quite intricate, with all of the gold lines and circles.  They wrap all the way around the body, with nothing being cut for costs like on the last one, and the coverage is actually pretty consistent (always tricky with gold pain, especially when it’s going over a darker base color).  The work is also quite sharp, again improving on the fuzzy edges seen on the last figure.  Multiple Man does alright on the extras, with the previously mentioned second head, as well as two sets of hands in fists and relaxed posing.  It’s not anything fancy, but it allows for some mixing it up for the purposes of army building.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I quite like Multiple Man, so I’m always happy to get more figures.  I liked the X-Factor version that we got in 2018 a fair bit, but I’ve honestly been hoping to see the green costume in some form for a good long while.  This figure is simple, but very effective.  I never got to actually army build the last one, but I can see that being more likely this time around.

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.

#3348: Spiral

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

SPIRAL

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Spiral, Mojo’s deadly enforcer, possesses additional cybernetic limbs, powerful mystic abilities, and a deep enmity for her former flame, Longshot.”

The residents of Mojo World have an interesting relationship with time travel, especially when it comes to recursiveness and stable time loops.  Obviously, the tip of that particular iceberg is certainly the Longshot/Shatterstar “I’m my own Grandpa” loop, but Spiral’s got her own crazy loop of events too, and one that’s especially intricate and involved for a character that’s as minor in the grand scheme of things as Spiral.  She sure looks cool, though.  Makes for a good toy as well.  Those are important factors around these parts.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spiral is another figure in the latest series of retro-inspired X-Men Marvel Legends.  Technically, while Spiral was included in the vintage ToyBiz line which the packaging is homaging, she was after the switch-over to the generic Wolverine header style card, so there’s not a direct equivalent in this set-up.  This is Spiral’s second time as a Legend, following up on the one from early in Hasbro’s run.  It’s been a good 15 years since that one, though, and that’s a lot of time for some progress.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and has a quite astounding 56 points of articulation.  Previous figures with additional arms, going as recent as the Six-Armed Spidey mold, have had some sort of trade-off on the movement to offset the extra appendages, but Spiral bucks that trend by getting all of the articulation that would be top of the line for a standard figure, and then getting four fully articulated arms on top of that.  And it’s all in a standard retail package.  So, clearly to offset all of this articulation, she’s got a lot of parts re-use, right?  In fact, she doesn’t appear to have any re-used parts at all.  And, she’s sporting a pretty darn good sculpt at that.  The last Legends Spiral struggled a bit with how to work in the two extra arms on each side, resulting in a rather notable hunch to her back.  This one still has the tiniest bit of that, but it’s far less pronounced, and the arms just fit much closer together.  The new head sculpt foregoes the last one’s removable helmet feature, which is honestly just a better choice.  She’s rarely seen helmetless in the comics, and this allows the helmet to be better scaled to the head, and it also prevents it from falling off all of the time, which was a common issue with the last one.  Spiral’s outfit is a pretty simple one in a broader sense, made more interesting here thanks to the smaller details; the seams running down the sides of the legs in particular stand out as a detail that helps to add a grounding feel to a design that’s otherwise a rather absurd concept.  A lot of Spiral’s color work relies on molded plastic, presumably to help offset the costs just a touch.  She does get a little bit of paint work, and apart from some slightly inconsistent coverage on her belt buckle, it’s all pretty cleanly handled.  Spiral makes out pretty well on the accessories front, which is another pleasant surprise.  She gets four of the Deadpool-style long katanas, plus Angela’s broadsword and axe-thingy.  She also gets two extra hands…which feels a bit silly, if I’m honest.  Like, I’m not knocking getting spares, since all six arms just get gripping hands.  That said, one is for her metal arm, which is on the left, and the other is a non-metal one…which is also a left.  I feel that at least doing one right and one left would be more sensible, or, quite frankly, leaving out the extra hands all together, since it’s hardly like she’s hurting for accessories or perceived value without them.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve always liked Spiral as a concept, but her figures have never really done anything to wow me.  This one was a different case from the start.  She just looked really cool, and was definitely high on my want list for this round.  Wow, is this an impressive figure.  Hasbro really pulled out all the stops, making unquestionably the definitive Spiral, as well as one of their best Legends in general.

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.