Tag Archives: Marvel Legends

#0226: Mandroid

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

MANDROID

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Mandroid

I think I’ve probably said all I can about the awesomeness that is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If you still haven’t seen it or don’t agree, there’s probably no helping you at this point. You’re just doing it wrong. If you’ve been following the site, you know I just picked up Hasbro’s most recent set of Marvel Legends, meant to coincide with the film. I’ve been pretty happy with them so far, and I was definitely for the line’s Build-A-Figure, based on the Mandroid. Quick sum up on the Mandroid: it’s battle armor worn by certain SHIELD Agents in big battles with super-humans. It’s super cool. Let’s see how the figure fairs, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandroid was released as the Build-A-Figure for the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series line, with pieces packed with six (technically eight, with the swap figures) figures over the course of two series of the line. The figure stands about 7 inches tall and features 28 points of articulation (29 if you count the mounted gun). The Mandroid seems to be loosely based on the classic Mandroid design, with a movie-style flair added to it. It’s a strong enough design, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it in the more proper gold color scheme somewhere down the line. The figure makes use of the Iron Man 3 Marvel Legends Iron Monger Build-A-Figure’s legs and lower torso, as well as slightly tweaked versions of that figure’s arms, all coupled with a brand new head and upper torso. The re-use all works well for the design, and seems to fit pretty seamlessly with the new parts. The newer pieces look pretty spot on to the classic Mandroid design. As seems to be a running theme with this series, the figure’s sculpt is let down a bit by the paint application. The figure is mostly molded in the appropriate silver, so there are no issues with those parts, but the black paint shows a few areas of bleed over, and the yellow paint is just plain messy. The visor on the head has serious amounts of bleed over on the outlying areas. The left arm gets it the worst, with the yellow bits barely even lining up with the sculpted lines they’re meant to follow, plus a general inconsistent coating, and random blotches of yellow in incorrect places all over the arm to boot! Fortunately, the yellow is a rather minor part of the figure, and most of the offending areas aren’t oft seen, but the visor is utterly inexcusable. The sculpt of the figure is impressive enough that I’m willing to overlook the paint, but the figure could have been so much more impressive if they had been a bit more careful.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

If you’ve been following my previous reviews of the CA:TWSMLIS line, then you pretty much know how I acquired this figure. It’s not terribly exciting, but it did lead to me picking up some figures I wouldn’t have otherwise in order to get Mandroid pieces. So, was it worth it? Well, there are some serious issues with the figure’s paint, which really let me down, but overall, I’d have to say yes, the figure was worth the extra purchases. The Mandroid is a cool design, regardless of the issues the figure faces, and the excess figures were overall acceptable. Honestly, this is probably the happiest I’ve been with a full set of figures in a fair bit of time!

Cap&Mandroid

#0225: Captain America – Now!

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA – NOW!

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

CapNow!

In my Spider-Girl review, I discussed the different reasons for buying figures. My decision to purchase the figure of today’s review is firmly planted in the “completing a Build-A-Figure” camp. I wouldn’t want my poor Mandroid figure to forever be headless, now would I? Getting that piece also meant getting this figure. In all fairness, I’ve bought worse figures for sillier reasons. Anyway, the figure is the somewhat demanding sounding Captain America – Now! Let’s see how this one turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cap was released as part of the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series, and is also going to be seeing a re-release in the second set of revision cases for series two. Cap stands a bit over 6 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation. As the title indicates, Cap is based on his appearance from Marvel’s recent Marvel Now! initiative. I don’t think it has the lasting power of the classic design, but it’s not a bad design, and it is the character’s current look, so it’s nice to see it released. Cap features an all new sculpt, and it’s a pretty good one. He’s got some great texture work, and I quite like the hexagonal pattern on the torso and upper arms. For some reason, the sculpt on the face seems a bit off for Cap. I think that the chin might be a bit too short and the mouth might be a touch too big. The paint work is okay overall, but there are a few spots of noticeable slop, plus a fair bit of inconsistent application on the red stripes on his lower torso. It’s not too distracting, but it is quite noticeable with minor inspection.  Cap seems to be a bit light in the accessories department, especially compared to the rest of the line. He’s limited to his shield, which is reused from Ultimate Cap from the previous Marvel Legends line, and the Mandroid’s head, which happens to be the smallest of the Mandroid pieces as well. It leaves the figure feeling a bit light, but I suppose the figure itself does seem to have a bit more heft than the others.

CapNow!2CapNow!3

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This Cap was not amongst the figures I recently received from Big Bad Toystore. However, when I realized that I’d have all of the Mandroid pieces save the head, I figured I’d go ahead and pick him up. I ended up getting him from Amazon, at a slightly marked up price. Seems the figure’s become a bit more desirable since Series two was released. He’s not a bad figure, but he’s not my Cap. At best, he’s an amusing variant. Which isn’t the worst thing, truth be told. He’s a solid addition to a great line.

#0224: Winter Soldier

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

WINTER SOLDIER

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITY SERIES

WinterSoldier1

Let’s see, so far in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series reviews, I’ve discussed the quality of the film, the quality of the toys, the stupid decisions regarding the pack outs, oh yes, and Nazis, of course. This review ends up getting the short end of the stick, I’m afraid. Well, it’s a review of the film’s title bad guy. If you didn’t know by this point, he’s… SPOILERS

 

…actually Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes, saved from near death and brain washed to become the ultimate assassin. Fun times.  So, let’s take a look at his figure, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Winter Soldier is part of the second series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and he features 30 points of articulation. He is, of course, based on the character’s appearance in TWS, but is specifically from the middle-ish area of the movie, after he loses the coat he sports in early scenes and before he loses the mask and eye-liner. The figure gets a brand new sculpt, and it’s an impressive one at that. I thought the 3 ¾ inch version’s sculpt was pretty good, and this one just adds even more detail, and a fair bit of extra articulation. The wrist, ankle and abdominal articulation really gives the figure a whole new dimension. If I had one complaint, it would be that the robot arm doesn’t look quite as good with the smaller one, due to the double jointed elbow. However, the added movement is important, so I’m willing to let it slide. The paint work on WS is probably the cleanest I’ve seen on the line so far, which is a comforting thing to see. However, once again, I don’t like the robo-arm quite as much. They’ve given it a dark wash that makes it look rather scummy. It does bring out the details, but the Soldier’s arm was consistently clean and shiny in the movie, so it looks off. Not terrible, mind you, just slightly off. The downfall of this figure, is the accessories. They’re all fine in theory, just not really in execution. First off, there’s the Mandroid leg. That’s pretty straight forward, with no issues. I’ll be looking at that in two days, along with the rest of the Mandroid. Then, there’s the alternate head. Here’s where the trouble begins. Sculpturally, it’s not a bad depiction of Bucky, sans mask. The paint is what messes it up. First, the eye shadow goes waaay to far down his face. It pretty much covers the entirety of his face, for Pete’s sake! Then, they gave him these really thin, drawn on eyebrows, which are set way to high up. He looks very surprised, I must say. With a proper paint job, this head would actually be pretty good. I’ve included a quick photoshop job to demonstrate this. As it is, it’s just…eughhh. Lastly, and leastly, there’s the gun. Well, I say gun. It’s more of a strange red fish thing that happens to have a handle. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be, but it’s certainly not anything he carried in the movie. Is there a reason he can’t have a real gun? Zemo and Red Skull have real guns. Why must Bucky be stuck with this monstrosity? He can’t even hold it like a real gun! I suppose it’s not as bad as Widow’s total lack of guns, but I don’t think it’s much better.

WinterSoldier2(unmasked) WinterSoldier5 WinterSoldier4(accessory) WinterSoldier2(unmaskedCompare)

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Bucky is the last piece of my series two set I received from Big Bad Toystore. I knew even before I saw the movie I was going to want this guy, so I’m happy to finally have him. The wonky gun thing is a bit of a bummer, but I swapped in the larger rifle from one of my Star Wars: The Black Series Stormtroopers, and that seems to work a bit better. Sure, it’s still not right, but at least it’s based on a real gun, and it’s not a bright color. The alt head is also a bit of a disappointment, but I always intended to display the masked one anyway, so I’m not really bugged by that. Truth be told, Winter Soldier is probably my favorite figure from this line up. He’s a heck of a lot of fun!

WinterSoldier3(Comparison)wbubble

#0223: Red Skull – Agents of Hydra

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

RED SKULL – AGENTS OF HYDRA

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

RedSkull

Nazis. I hate these guys.

Today, It’s another figure from Hasbro’s most recent round of Marvel Legends. This one once again draws from the comics side of things, presenting us with another take on Captain America’s #1 foe, the Red Skull. Let’s get to the review!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Red Skull, or “Agents of Hydra” as he is officially called, was released in the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Like Zemo, he was released again in the second series. He is shares the “Agents of Hydra” title with an actual Hydra Agent. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and features 31 points of articulation. He seems to be based on the Skull’s appearance from the Mid-90s, during Mark Waid’s run in the Heroes Return era. He’s based on Hasbro’s Trench-coat buck. This is my first run in with the body, and I have to say I’m not impressed, especially when it’s compared to the other body’s used in this series. From a sculpt stand point, it’s not the worst. It has some decent textures, and it looks okay just standing there. However, the articulation is awkward at best, especially the legs and shoulders, which seem impossible to get into a natural position. The trench coat is an add-on piece, and they’ve also stuck a shoulder holster under it. I think the figure actually looks a bit better without the holster piece on. One thing I do really like is his head, which is a really great sculpt, with lots of character. The paint work is actually pretty clean on this figure, though that might be due to his more simplistic paint scheme. The Skull includes a red pistol, some strange laser gun thing, a Cosmic Cube, and the left arm of the Mandroid. The pistol can fit snuggly in either of the Skull’s holsters, with the laser thing can fit in neither, leaving him with an empty one. The Cube is really cool, even if it is just a clear blue plastic cube. It’s the little things, you know?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Red Skull was amongst the Series Two set I received from Big Bad Toystore. Like Zemo, I had initially planned on getting his swap figure, the Hydra Agent, instead of him. But, he was in the set, so here he is. My opinion hasn’t drastically changed for the Skull like it did with Zemo, but he’s an alright figure. I don’t regret owning him. If you get him into an okay standing pose, he looks fairly intimidating, and he is the best available version of Cap’s arch enemy.

#0222: Black Widow

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

BLACK WIDOW

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

BlackWidow2(Long)

Toy companies have long insisted that female action figures don’t sell as well as male action figures. So, their response to fan demand is usually one of two things: they shortpack the figure, making it impossible to find, or they put no effort into the figure, making it a monstrosity nobody wants. Or they do both (case in point: Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch. Eughhh…). These actions lead to female figures not selling as well, which leads to companies saying they don’t sell well, which leads to shortpacking and poor figures. Which leads to, you guessed it, bad sales. It’s one of those self-fulfilling prophecy things.

Anyway, this mentality lead to Black Widow being the only team member absent from Hasbro’s 6-inch scale Avengers line, meant to tie-in with the 2012 movie. It was really annoying, but Hasbro said they’d make it up to us. When the Captain America: The Winter Soldier figures were announced, they informed us that Widow would be including two heads, so she could be displayed from either movie. How could it go wrong? Well, Hasbro decided to pack Widow one per-case. For a ratio, there are eight figures in a case, and three of them are Captain America. To make matters worse, Widow included the most essential piece to the line’s Mandroid Build-A-Figure. Fortunately, Hasbro seems to be learning, and has announced that they will be sending out revision cases with Cap, Widow, and Winter Soldier all evenly packed. Maybe their starting to get it…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Widow was released in the second series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and has 24 points of articulation. She’s actually a bit too tall, which is the reverse of the problem that most female figures suffer from. It doesn’t ruin the figure, but she’s almost as tall as Cap, and there’s a difference of almost a foot between Scarlet Johansen and Chris Evans in real life. The figure appears to have a brand new sculpt, and it’s a very nice sculpt at that. I’m not sure if I like the body sculpt quite as much as Hasbro’s Spider-Girl sculpt, but it’s a very close second. Like that figure, she has very nice, mostly realistic proportions. Her stance is perhaps a bit too wide, but other than that, everything looks pretty good. The basic TWS head is a great sculpt, and it looks pretty much spot on to what Ms. Johansen looked like in the movie. The long hair is a little bit restricting to the neck articulation, but that’s understandable given the style. It certainly isn’t as bad as it could have been. In the paint department, Black Widow lucks out compared to the previous two figures I’ve looked at. There’s still a bit of bleed over in a few spots, but she seems to have less of the fuzzy lines and slop of the other two. She includes an extra Avengers-styled head, an extra set of trigger finger hands, and the Mandroid torso. The head is a nice touch, given Widow’s absence from the 6-inch Avengers line and the closeness of the costumes. It looks like the same face with new hair, and it looks pretty good, though the hair might be sitting a smidge too high on her forehead.Widow also includes two pistols…sculpted into their holsters. Remember how I said she had trigger fingers? Yeah, she has nothing to hold in them. It’s seriously disappointing and mars an otherwise great figure.

BlackWidow3(Long)  BlackWidow1(Short) BlackWidow(Short)

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Widow was part of my set of Series Two figures from Big Bad Toystore. She is the primary reason I bought the set, as I wasn’t going to fork over almost $60 for just her. She definitely lives up to the hype she’s gotten. It’s a great representation of Widow. She’s a great action figure in general. This is the second Hasbro female I’ve given that assessment is the last week. They’re definitely on to something here! However, the figure is hurt by the lack of firearms. I ended up finding a suitable handgun in my spare parts bin, but not everyone has a spare parts bin.

CapTrio

#0221: Baron Zemo – Soldier of A.I.M.

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

BARON ZEMO – SOLDIERS OF A.I.M.

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

ZemoII

If you’d told me a few years ago that two of my favorite lines of toys (Star Wars: The Black Series and Marvel Legends Infinite Series) would be coming from Hasbro, I’d have laughed in your face. I’ve never hated Hasbro or anything, and I’ve been pretty happy with their work on Marvel Universe, but they’ve never been known for anything downright outstanding. In the past year, they’ve really stepped it up in terms of sculpts, articulation, accessories, and general quality of figures. Sure, they’ve had a few missteps (re-packing Han in the third series of SWB instead of an extra Stormtrooper; making Black Widow, the Hydra Agent, and the A.I.M. Soldier one per case), but they do seem to be learning, and they actually are trying to make up for some of their failures. That’s down right admirable, especially after years of dealing with Mattel…

Today, I’ll be reviewing Baron Zemo from their recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Unlike yesterday’s Cap, he’s based on a comic design, and if you’d like to know more about him, head over to the Backstories section!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Baron Zemo, or “Soldiers of A.I.M.” as he’s officially named, is part of the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series and is also in the first revision case featuring series two. He is a swap figure with the A.I.M. Soldier, hence the name. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. He’s based on Zemo’s more recent appearances. It’s honestly not far off from his classic design, sans the fur-lined boots and shoulders. The figure is built on Hasbro’s medium male buck, with flared boots and gloves. He also gets a new head and add-ons for his shoulder holsters and his belt/loincloth. The head is a perfect representation of Zemo’s look in the comics, and the body and add-ons look great too. I quite like the “Z”s embroidered on his holsters. They’re a nice touch. Like STRIKE Suit Captain America, the figure’s sculpt is let down a bit by some rocky paint apps. The forearms have been molded in yellow and painted purple, and not only did they miss some of the spots closer to the gloves, the paint also seems to be a bit too thin, allowing the yellow plastic to bleed through. The edge of the mask also has some pretty fuzzy lines, the whites of the eyes aren’t quite in line with the sculpt, and his crown piece isn’t totally painted. None of these are major issues, but they are annoying, and they detract from an otherwise great figure. Zemo includes a pistol, a sword, and the right arm of the Mandroid. I’ll be taking a look at the Mandroid after everyone else is reviewed, which leaves the gun and sword. The sword sadly suffers from similar bleed through issues to the forearms, but it fits well in his hand, and can also be slipped through the loop on his belt. The pistol is a nice piece, which has some great painted details. Sadly, he’ll be forced to always hold it, because both of his holsters have permanently sculpted guns. Drat it!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Zemo was part of the set of Series two figures I received from Big Bad Toystore. I wasn’t sure I was going to get him at first, as I wanted the A.I.M. Soldier a bit more. However, he was in the set, and I figured why not? I’m glad that was my attitude on the figure. Paint issues aside, he’s a great figure, and a very welcome addition to anyone’s Captain America shelf.

#0220: Captain America – S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA – STRIKE SUIT

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITY SERIES

CapStrikeSuit1

It’s still early into the summer movie season, but I think it’s going to be hard to topple Captain America: The Winter Soldier from its spot at the top of my list. The movie really resonated with me, and unsurprisingly, I wanted all my favorite characters from it in action figure form. I already picked up and reviewed three of the smaller scale figures, and the Minimates are still a little ways out, but the ones I was really interested in getting were Hasbro’s 6-inch scale versions, released as part of their latest incarnation of Marvel Legends. I finally managed to get a set, and today I’ll be starting my reviews off with the main man himself, Captain America! Foes who oppose the shield, you’d best prepare to yield!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cap was released as part of the second series of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinity Series. Man, is that a long name! He’s presented here in his S.T.R.I.K.E Team suit from The Winter Soldier. That suit is in turn based on Cap’s Commander Rodgers from the time he was Director of SHIELD for a while in the comics. The figure stands a bit over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. The figure features an all new sculpt, and it’s a really good one at that. The body has excellent proportions, and the uniform has a great variety of textures, just the real thing. The main head sculpt (the helmeted one) is a very nice piece of work. The face isn’t spot on to Chris Evans, but it’s a decent attempt, and the helmet looks pretty much spot-on to the one featured in the movie. The figure also sports an add-on belt piece, which aids in giving the figure a bit more dimension. The paint work doesn’t quite live up to the sculpt. There are a few noticeable spots of bleed over, though there doesn’t seem to be any outright slop. There are still some nice touches, such as the American flag and “ROGERS” name tag on his left shoulder, and the SHIELD logo on his right shoulder. These could have easily been overlooked, but their inclusion really adds to the figure. Cap is quite well accessorized, with an extra unmasked head, saluting and pointing hands, his mighty shield, and the right leg to this line’s Build-A-Figure, the Mandroid. The extra head is nice, though it looks even less like Evans than the main sculpt. The extra hands add a bit of extra character, and I especially love the pointing finger. It’s got a lot of possible uses. I’ll be covering the Mandroid after the rest of the reviews are done, which just leaves the shield. It’s a well sculpted piece, but it does seem a bit large for Cap. Not too much, but still noticeable. Also, they’ve gone with the all blue look, which I suppose goes with the costume, but given that it’s only in one scene of the movie, it would have been nice to get a regularly colored version.

CapStrikeSuit2 CapStrikeSuit3 CapStrikeSuit4

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I received Cap and the rest of Series 2 from Big Bad Toystore just the other day. I’ve had the set pre-ordered for a while in order to insure I got all three of the movie related figures. Cap is a really good figure, and one of the best Captain America figures that Hasbro has produced. I’d love to see this level of detail applied to a more classic Cap design. Still, I loved this design in the movie, and I’m glad to have a top-notch figure of it in my collection.

#0214: Spider-Girl – Skyline Siren

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

SPIDER-GIRL – SKYLINE SIREN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Spider-Girl

Sometimes you buy a figure because it’s a character you love, or like, or at least decently interested in. Other times you buy a figure because it’s in a set with others you want or because it includes that final Build-A-Figure piece you’ve been looking for. On rare occasions, you buy a figure because it’s just that darn cool. Today’s figure is in the last category.

Don’t get me wrong, It’s not that I’m completely unaware of the most recent person to call herself Spider-Girl. In fact, I’ve even read a few of her comicbook appearances. She’s a perfectly entertaining character. Normally, I’d write a Backstory for a figure like this, but given my own lack of knowledge about the character, you might just be better googling her. Anyway, let’s take a look at why I bought the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Girl was released as part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series. She is labeled “Skyline Sirens” on the package, and appeared in the second wave of the series, as a replacement for the initial Black Cat figure. The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation. The body sculpt looks to be a 6-inch scaled version of the basic female body used for the Marvel Universe versions of Wasp and Scarlet Witch, but I’m not certain. I’m also not sure whether it’s been used on any previous figures. Regardless, it’s easily one of the best female body sculpts I’ve seen. The proportions aren’t 100% realistic, but they still look pretty good, and it doesn’t seem to have the short-armed problem present on the MU body. The figure is topped off with an awesome headsculpt, which is truly a beautiful piece of work. Female headsculpts tend to either look too man-ish or totally void of personality, but neither is an issue here. The paintwork is not quite as outstanding as the sculpt. She has some fuzzy lines in a few spots on her logo, and there are a few spots where the paint missed covering up some of the dark red plastic her head was molded in. It’s nothing too terrible, but I do wish it were a little cleaner. Spider-Girl’s only accessory is the torso of the Ultimate Green Goblin, this series’ Build-A-Figure. I’ve got no interest in completing this one, so I guess I’ll just have a spare torso laying around. Yay.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In an increasingly rare circumstance, I actually found Spider-Girl at my local Target, and marked down to $17.99 at that! The figure ended up being a spur of the moment purchase, which is something I don’t tend to do anymore. However, this figure exceeded my expectations, and presented me with an outstandingly fun figure. Generally, a good female figure is still only as good as an average male figure in terms of quality, but Spider-Girl is one of the most fun action figures I’ve gotten in quite some time!

*Want a Spider-Girl figure of your own?  She’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check her out!

#0213: Quicksilver

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

QUICKSILVER

MARVEL LEGENDS

Quicksilver

ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends was seen by many fans as the definitive Marvel toyline (not by me, but that’s a whole other thing). So, many were dismayed to find out that at the end of 2006, the Marvel license would be moving to Hasbro. Hasbro quickly assured that they intended to continue production of Marvel Legends, in the same scale and style. People were definitely worried. Those first few waves were certainly rough, with a very mixed selection of figures. But, eventually, Hasbro started to get it, and has recently turned Marvel Legends into one of the greatest toylines on the market. Today, I’ll be looking at one of their earliest releases, Quicksilver. If you’d like more info on the character, check out his entry in the Backstories section. On to the figure…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Quicksilver was released as part of the second series of Marvel Legends under Hasbro. He is supposedly one of the prototypes already completed by ToyBiz before the property transferred over. He’s based on Quicksilver’s second costume, which seems to be the one most people associate with the character, given it prevalence in his action figure releases. There was also a variant of this figure in his original green costume, but I never got that one. The figure stands a little over 6 inches tall and features 40 points of articulation. He’s built on a body that originated on ToyBiz’s version of Bullseye from an earlier wave, with hands and feet that were previously used on the line’s version of Havok. Quicksilver gets a brand new head, which looks great. It’s really perfect for the character, and they even managed to make his hair not look silly, which is quite a feat, let me tell you. The paint is rather bland, I must say. He features minimal detailing. It’s cleanly applied and all, but it doesn’t do much to make the figure’s sculpt pop. I feel this sculpt could look downright amazing with a good paint job. Quicksilver included a piece of the series’ Build-A-Figure, the Blob.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Quicksilver was a gift from my always supportive Mom! I had wanted to finish up my Blob figure, and she very kindly went out and bought me the remaining figures I needed. I have to say, most of them weren’t very good (but I still appreciated them. A gift’s a gift, and they were an incredibly thoughtful one.), but Quicksilver was definitely an exception. Bland paint apps aside, he’s a really great figure. How is it that Quicksilver keeps getting good figures but most of Scarlet Witch’s figures end up looking like pond scum? That ain’t right…

#0206: Iceman

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

ICEMAN

MARVEL LEGENDS

IceMan

It’s not a line I have fond memories of in hindsight, but when it was brand new, I was all about ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends. It was THE line to collect in the early 2000s, and it offered “hyper-detailed” versions of classic characters. Looking back, there are a few gems from those early lines, but most of the figures just end up looking like an oddly shaped mess. A very well-articulated oddly shaped mess, but a mess nonetheless. Today’s figure comes from the latter group.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Iceman was released in the 8th series of ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends. He’s a little over 6 inches tall and features 44 points of articulation, which is a lot. However, like many of the ToyBiz era ML figures, a lot of this articulation cancels itself out. I think this was when ToyBiz was more interested in jamming in articulation just because they could. Iceman has a new head on a body re-used from the Black Costume version of Spider-Man in Toybiz’s Spider-Man line around the same time. The body worked okay for Spider-Man, but it just seems really strange looking for Iceman. The proportions are very strange, especially around the shoulders, where he has 6 joints on each side. It just doesn’t look right. The head sculpt is pretty good, but it seems weird seeing it on that odd body. The paint work is a bit uneven. They’ve gone with a blue airbrush technique, but it looks different from piece to piece. This gets rather distracting when the figure is completely assembled. Iceman came packaged with a display stand that looked like a damaged sentinel hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Believe it or not, I was actually pretty excited for Iceman at the time of his release. I was working on an X-Men set-up at the time, so I guess I was excited to get such a key player. If I remember correctly, Iceman was a gift from my parents, I think for Valentine’s Day. Yeah, my parents used to buy me toys for Valentine’s Day. There really was no escaping the collection, was there?