Tag Archives: Marvel

#0301: Marvel’s Death’s Head

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

MARVEL’S DEATH’S HEAD

AVENGERS INFINITE

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Would you believe me if I told you that I had definitive proof that Transformers and Doctor Who share the same universe with just about every Marvel Comics super hero? Because they do, thanks to a set of appearances by one character: Death’s Head. As you clearly see in the title, he’s Marvel’s Death’s Head (which has two possessives. If I want to talk about the clasp on his cape, I’m talking about Marvel’s Death’s Head’s cape’s clasp. Think about that for a while…). Death’s Head was created for a Transformers comic while Marvel held the license. Not wanting to potentially lose a unique character to Hasbro, they quickly created a short strip featuring the character that was published in several of the comics in their UK line. Marvel also happened to be publishing a Doctor Who comic at the time, which also saw an appearance from Death’s Head before he finally made his way to the main Marvel universe. Now, 27 years after his original appearance, he’s finally gotten his very own action figure made by…. Hasbro. How about that?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

DeathsHeadWilsonDeath’s Head was part of the second series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite, the line which serves as a replacement for Marvel Universe. He was long rumored to be an upcoming figure in the MU line, so following that line’s cancellation, the figure’s fate was uncertain. Fortunately, he found a home in AI, so everybody still has a chance to have a toy of their favorite tri-dimensional bounty hunter. He stands just over 4 inches in height and features 27 points of articulation. Death’s Head makes use of the MU Colossus body as a starting point, reusing the arms, upper and lower torso, and legs from the boot up. Given that both characters are larger in stature and both feature a similar banded metal patter, the choice of re-use is inspired. In addition to these pieces, the figure also has brand new pieces for his head, hands, shins, and feet, as well as add-ons for the cape/shoulder-pads and the belt/loincloth/waist armor. The new pieces are really great sculpts. The head sculpt looks to have been lifted directly from the character’s comic appearances, and the armor pieces have some really wonderful denting and weathering. My only complaint is how loose the cape add-on is, as it causes it to sit incorrectly if you aren’t careful. The paintwork on Death’s Head is nice and clean for the most part. There’s a bit of bleed over here and there, but nothing too distracting. The metallic blues in particular make the figure really pop. Death’s Head is armed with an axe, a mace, and a shield, all of which are new pieces that look pretty great and fit the figure’s hands well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Deathlok and Valkyrie, Death’s Head was picked up from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix. Like Valkyrie, Death’s Head is a figure that I’ve wanted since the initial rumors of his release started cropping up. I’m not entirely sure why I’m so interested in the figure. I’ve read maybe two or three of Death’s Head’s comic appearances. I guess something about the character’s design just resonates with me. Unsurprisingly for a character designed for a toyline-tie-in, Death’s Head translates really well to the action figure format and makes for a pretty neat toy.

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#0300: The Hulk

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

HULK

AVENGERS (HOT TOYS)

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I still have two more Avengers Infinite reviews to do, but I’ll be taking a break from them today. Why, you ask? Because, surprisingly enough, I’ve made it through 300 of these reviews.  I can honestly say I haven’t stuck with any of my projects for this long. I think the most surprising thing here is that you guys are still reading my reviews. Maybe I don’t suck after all! In honor of another milestone review, I’ll be doing another “Deluxe Review.”

This is another figure from Hot Toys, a company renowned for their high-end action figures. Their bread and butter in recent years has been super hero movies, and one of their most successful licenses was 2012’s The Avengers. I’ll be looking at the biggest (in more way than one) release of the line, the Incredible Hulk!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hulk is part of HT’s Movie Masterpiece Series, which is their primary line. Hulk is number 186, which places him right after the previously reviewed Iron Man Mark VII in the numerical sequence. Hulk is just about 18 inches tall in height, and he features 18 points of articulation. 20 if you count the individually moving eyes. He’s based on Hulk’s design in The Avengers, obviously, but more specifically Hulk’s look during the final battle, which can be determined by the darker color of the pants.

Aside from a pair of tattered pants, the Hulk relies mostly on sculpting for his look. This is different from a lot of HT’s figures, but makes sense with the Hulk’s design. Hulk has a fairly unique body type, which means he got an all new sculpt to reflect that. The design is undoubtedly based on the 3D model designed for the movie, but it was sculpted by hand, so there’s a few areas that are a little off. Let’s start with what is on model. The head sculpt is virtually indistinguishable from the Hulk in the movie. You can definitely see some of Mark Ruffalo’s likeness shining through. It’s truly a magnificent head sculpt. The arms and legs are pretty similarly accurate. They have superb detailing, that makes this figure look possibly more lifelike than the CGI version in the film. The knee joints are a bit distraction, but they aren’t too had to hide with some careful positioning of the edges of the pants. This big issue is the torso. It’s just too… defined. One of the nice things about Hulk in The Avengers was that he looked like a real person. He had a certain degree of, for lack of a better word, flab. This figure doesn’t have that, and it diminishes the overall look ever so slightly. It doesn’t ruin the figure by any means, but it is a bit disappointing.

Paint work is one of HT’s strongest suits, and this figure is no exception. Every surface has amazing detail. There are beads of sweat on his face for Pete’s sake! That’s a serious commitment to detail. The teeth look like real teeth, minor yellowing and all. His skin is a bit uneven, his veins are a slightly different color from the rest of his skin. Everything looks absolutely spot on.

Perhaps the figures one downfall is accessories. Given the immense size, it’s forgivable, but it’s a bit of a bummer compared to other HT releases. As it stands, Hulk’s only accessories are a pair of alternate hands with poseable fingers. They aren’t a bad addition, but it would have been nice to at least get a stand with his name on it, just so he could fit in with the rest of the Avengers. Oh well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As is the case with most of the HT figures I own, Hulk was obtained via a pre-order on Sideshow Toys’ website. Like Iron Man and Captain America before him, Hulk was a figure I wasn’t quite sure I was going to get. But as pictures started to come in of the prototype, I got more and more impressed. I eventually folded, but not before the figure had sold out through Sideshow. Fortunately, they have a very helpful Wait List tool, which allowed me to get on the list in case someone else cancelled. Sure enough, someone did and I was able to get the jade giant for my collection. He’s the most I’ve ever paid for a single figure, but I don’t doubt for a minute that he was worth it. He’s definitely a stand out piece, and he makes The Avengers display work.

#0299: Marvel’s Valkyrie

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

MARVEL’S VALKYRIE

AVENGERS INFINITE

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While Deathlok has just been granted a new lease on life by Agents of SHIELD, Valkyrie (or should I say “Marvel’s Valkyrie”) has not quite lucked out just yet. There’s certainly hope, I mean who though the Guardians of the Galaxy would be the next hit? So, here’s to Valkyrie getting her due! In the mean time, she was fortunate enough to get a figure in the most recent series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite. Perhaps her prospects are moving up!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ValkyreWilsonValkyrie was released in Series Three of Avengers Infinite. She was originally meant to be released in a three-pack with the Executioner and a Thor variant, which would have been one of the final releases in the Marvel Universe line. When the set fell through, Hasbro moved Valkyrie over to the new line. The figure stands about 4 inches tall and sports 29 points of articulation. She’s based on the most recent Valkyrie design, which she wore towards the tail end of the first volume of Secret Avengers. It’s not too different from her classic design. She just traded in the cape for some pants, which seems like a fair move on her part. For most of her sculpt, Valkyrie makes use of the larger female buck from the Marvel Universe line, which first saw use on She-Hulk. It’s a pretty good body, with fairly normal proportions and some pretty great articulation, so its use here is acceptable. Valkyrie gets a newly sculpted head and hands. The hands are fairly basic gripping hands. Nothing really new there. The head is the star piece here, and it’s a pretty great sculpt. It captures Valkyrie pretty well, and doesn’t look too spaced out, a definite step up from quite a few female face sculpts. Valkyrie is molded in appropriate colors where possible, with some painted details for the silver areas, as well as detail work on the face and hair. For the most part, the paint is applied cleanly, although there are a few instances of fuzzy lines and slop. Nothing too distracting, though. Valkyrie includes a sword accessory, which is quite well sculpted and fits in Valkyrie’s hands pretty well. The plastic used is a bit on the soft side, but it’s workable.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Valkyrie was picked up from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, along with yesterday’s Deathlok and a couple others a few weeks ago. Valkyrie is a figure I had wanted since she was initially announced in the MU three-pack, so I was pretty eager to get her. Valkyrie is a character that’s only seen a few figures, which makes it even more important for her figures to be decent. Fortunately, this one is a pretty great interpretation of the character and an all-around great toy!

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#0298: Deathlok

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

DEATHLOK

AVENGERS INFINITE

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Ah, Deathlok. There’s a character I’m sure no one was expecting to see turn up as a recurring character on a prime-time show on ABC. I know some people were a bit disappointed by how he turned out in the show, but I enjoyed J August Richards’s performance as the character. As an added plus, it’s brought the character some more notoriety, which has translated to an action figure. And, umm, well, I like action figures…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

DeathlockWilsonDeathlok is part of the third series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite line, which serves as the replacement for Hasbro’s previous Marvel Universe line. He stands about 4 inches tall and features 26 points of articulation. He’s based on the classic Deathlok look, which was sported by the first two Deathloks. It’s built using one of the larger male bucks as a base, with a metal right arm and metal legs. It’s possible these pieces were used elsewhere, but I don’t know off-hand. The head is definitely new, and it’s a pretty great representation of everyone’s favorite half killing machine/half pacifist government controlled warrior. It’s perhaps a bit on the smooth side, but I’m willing to be slightly more forgiving at this scale. Deathlok also features sculpted add-ons for his belt (with holster) and his back pack, both of which do a pretty good job interpreting the design. The back pack is easily removable, but the belt and holster would take some creative thinking to remove. Deathlok is mostly molded in the appropriate colors. The torso and left arm are red plastic, the legs and right arm are silver, and the head is a brownish-orange. The rest is paint, and it all looks pretty good. All of the line work is sharp and clean, and there’s no real occurrence of bleed over or slop. Deathlok includes two guns: one smaller, one larger. As far as I can tell, both are new pieces. They both fit nicely in Deathlok’s hands, and the smaller gun can also be placed in his belt holster.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Deathlok from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, along with a few other figures from the Avengers Infinite line. I had planned on getting a few of the figures in the series when they were initially announced, but they had actually slipped my mind. So, I was actually caught a bit by surprise. Deathlok is a character I might have passed over in previous years (I only have the Marvel Legends version because he included a piece of Galactus), but the character’s recent turn on Agents of SHIELD has sparked my interest enough to pick up this guy. He’s a pretty decent figure, and one I’m sure fans of the character will be happy with.

#0297: Groot, Rocket Raccoon & Nova Corps Officer

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

GROOT, ROCKET RACCOON & NOVA CORPS OFFICER

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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Guardians of the Galaxy was a truly awesome movie. I haven’t had a chance to mention that here, so there it is. If you haven’t seen Guardians do yourself a favor and do so as soon as possible. It’s one of those rare films that truly has something for everyone. Captain America may still be my favorite movie of the year, but Guardians is the most fun.

Hasbro’s offering the film’s cast in a few different scales. I’ve already taken a look at the 6 inch scale figures, which offer the most detailed takes on the characters. Sadly, that line is just the main Guardians. If you want to get a larger selection, you need to turn to the 2 ½ inch line. I made my first venture into the line with Groot, Rocket, and a Nova Corps Officer. Let’s see how they turned out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This trio was released as part of the first, and so far only, series of 2 ½ inch figures. Most of the sets are two packs, but this one is a three-pack due to Rocket’s smaller stature.

GROOT

GrootRocket&NovaWilson1He is Groot. Oh boy is he. Groot is the tallest of the set, at almost 3 inches in height. He also sports 5 points of articulation, which is basic, though not surprising at this scale. There are actually two Groots in this line, with the difference being paint. I think this one’s the less “default” one, for reasons I’ll get to shortly. The sculpt of the figure is pretty good. It’s certainly not as detailed as the larger Marvel Legends Groot, but it does an admirable job with the scale. Groot’s design, being a bit more alien probably lends itself a bit more to the smaller scale. The paint work on Groot is my only real issue with the figure. For the most part, there isn’t much paint. He’s molded in the appropriate brown, with some paint for his eyes. My issue is the thing that makes him a less than standard Groot. For some reason, they’ve thrown some green paint on his right arm, the upper right section of his torso, and the right half of his face. I think it’s meant to represent when he gets a bit more plant-like at certain pints of the movie, but it ends up just looking like lots of green paint.

ROCKET RACCOON

GrootRocket&NovaWilson2Rocket’s kind of an accessory to Groot, I think. He’s the shortest figure (though not quite as short as he should be) at a little over 2 inches and he features no articulation.  Like Groot, there are actually two versions of Rocket in the line. However, the two Rocket figures provide two unique sculpts. This Rocket is the “relaxed” Rocket sculpt. He’s in a neutral standing position, and he features no weapon. He does have an open hand, so I guess he could hold one if you so desired. His sculpt is pretty good for a solid chunk of plastic. He’s got a fair bit of character too him, and he looks overall accurate to the source material. The paint work on Rocket is more intricate than that of Groot. They’ve also avoided taking any strange liberties with the paint, so that’s good, I suppose.

NOVA CORPS OFFICER

GrootRocket&NovaWilson3The army builder of the set is the Nova Corps Officer here. He’s also the first of the figures I’ve looked at so far to be unique to the smaller scale line, and hence, the reason I picked up the set. He’s average height at roughly 2 ½ inches and he features 5 points f articulation. His waist is a separate piece from his torso, but there’s no movement there. NCO (his full name’s hard to type) features an all new sculpt, which is actually quite detailed for the scale. The small area of face that’s visible seems a bit blank, but aside from that, he’s got some amazing sculpted work. NCO is molded in a basic blue, with paint for all the other colors. The torso has some nice work, and the arms aren’t too bad. Sadly, the head has some pretty obvious bleed over around the exposed area of skin, which is a bit distracting. Still, given the scale, it’s forgivable. One thing that is less forgivable is the total lack of any sort of paint on the legs. He clearly has sculpted parts meant to be painted a different color, but they’ve just been left the basic blue.

I should point out that this set included a giant missile launcher (hey, it’s Hasbro’s trademark. They can’t leave it out.) and an accessory-tree of random parts. I’m pretty sure these are all meant to go with NCO, but I can’t tell for sure. Heck, I can’t even totally identify what some of them are…

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While walking through Toys R Us on my birthday, I came across a rather large Guardians display, and the 2 ½ inch figures were among them. I did NOT buy this set there, because TRU is charging a full $4 more per set than everyone else. Instead, I went to the Target across the street. They only had this one set, but it was actually the one I wanted the most anyway. I like Rocket and Groot, and I definitely wanted a Nova guy, who is so far only available in this line (the minimate is out sometime next month). This set was definitely a trial set for the line, and I must say I’m impressed. For $6 you get three pretty nifty figures in a fun little scale. If you’re willing to splurge a bit, you can even get a few of the vehicles, which seem to be the line’s main purpose.

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#0279: Groot

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

GROOT

MARVEL LEGENDS

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All good things must come to an end. Also, mediocre things and bad things have to come to an end too. Essentially, what I’m saying is that wherever you stand on the quality of the “Groot Week” reviews, today marks the end of said week. Yes, it’s Groot Week Part 7, featuring the main man himself, Groot!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

GrootWilsonGroot was released as the Build-A-Figure for the Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series, who could be assembled by acquiring all of the figures in the series. The figure stands about 8 ½ inches tall and features 28 points of articulation. The figure is based on Groot’s appearance in the movie, though it could easily pass for one of the comicbook interpretations of the character. The sculpt is brand new, which is not a shock with a unique looking character such as Groot. I’m honestly impressed at the level of work put into the new pieces, considering none of them have the potential for re-use. Still, the sculpt looks spot on to the look from the movie, and it’s got some really great detail work. In particular, Groot’s face just looks perfect for the character. It would be easy to write the paint work on Groot off as simple, but the more appropriate word would be “subtle.” While the work isn’t immediately obvious, Groot has quite a bit of detail work that helps make him look like a tree-man instead of a hunk of brown plastic. Groot, like many Build-A-Figures before him, is sans-accessories, essentially being an accessory himself. It’s easy to forgive, given his larger stature and impressive detail work.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Groot, being the Build-A-Figure for the series, was purchased piece-by-piece from Amazon. While the rest of the series has been pretty darn good, Groot was my main reason for buying the set. There was a fair bit of pressure for him to be a good figure, and I have to say, he really delivers on that front. Groot has proved to be my favorite figure in the series by far, and completing him makes up for some of the short comings of a few of the others in the series!

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#0278: Nova

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

NOVA

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

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Groot Week is almost finished, but there’s still one more basic review and then the review of Groot himself left. Today’s figure is Nova, the second half of the two comic-themed figures in Hasbro’s Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series. The Nova Corps seems set to play a fairly important role in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, so the inclusion of a Nova figure here is certainly a sensible one. Let’s see how the figure turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

NovaWilsonNova is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series. The figure is about 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation (counting the moving shoulder pads). He’s based on the Nova Prime incarnation of the Richard Rider version of Nova, which is the look Richard’s been sporting for the last several years in the comics. It’s a sharp design (both metaphorically and literally), and it’s been fairly prominent in the comics, so it’s a good choice. Nova seems to have a mostly new sculpt.  He looks like he uses the basic male buck seen on figures such as Zemo and Boomerang as a reference point, and he may also use the upper arms, upper legs and feet from that body, but it’s hard to tell. The new pieces look really good, and everything seems accurate to the character’s design. Unfortunately, Nova uses softer plastic than the other figures in the series, so he ends up being rather shaky, and a bit difficult to keep standing. The paint work on Nova is all nice and cleanly applied, with no noticeable slop or bleed over, plus he’s got some pretty sweet shiny metallic coloring going for him. It’s nice to see him break from the pack paint-wise. Like iron Man, Nova’s sole accessory is his Groot piece, which is the right arm in this instance. It’s disappointing to see another figure lacking accessories, but once again, Nova doesn’t really have any accessories that jump to mind.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like all of his series compatriots, Nova was purchased from Amazon once the series became available. Initially, I hadn’t planned on picking up Nova, but once I decided to complete Groot, he became a necessity. I’m a moderate fan of Nova, but I tend to prefer his classic design. Still, this figure does an admirable job translating his newer design. I do wish they’d used a sturdier plastic for him, but it doesn’t ruin the figure, and his issues standing don’t even come close to the ones that plague Gamora. All in all, Nova’s a pretty good figure, and is potentially the figure in the series with the best chance of being a stand alone purchase.

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#0277: Iron Man

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

IRON MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

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Groot Week continues today with part five. Like the previous reviews, this figure comes from Hasbro’s most recent round of Marvel Legends Infinite Series, based on the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The series includes six regular figures and a Build-A-Figure. I’ve reviewed the four movie figures, and today I’ll do the first of the two comic-themed reviews. The first comic-themed figure is Iron Man, who is effectively the series’ heavy hitter.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

IronManSpaceWilsonIron Man is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series. He stands about 6 inches tall and features 32 points of articulation (counting the shoulder pads). The figure is based on Iron Man’s space-faring armor from the most recent Guardians of the Galaxy comics, also known as the “Phoenix Killer” armor. It’s certainly a unique design, and its prominent placement with the Guardians makes for a sensible inclusion in the series. The figure is predominantly re-use. He features a new head and shoulder pads on the body of the Bleeding Edge Iron Man from the first series Iron Man 3 Marvel Legends. The Bleeding Edge is one of Hasbro’s better Iron Man sculpts, so it’s a great starting point, and the head offers a different take on the Iron Man helmet. I’m not sure how I feel about the shoulder pads. They stick up pretty high, and almost seem like they’d seem better flipped the other direction. The biggest issue the figure faces, however, is his inability to put his arms all the way down, which is an issue native to the original base figure. It would have been nice if Hasbro had done some re-working to facilitate improved movement, but I can understand the need to save some money on tooling. The paint work is fairly basic. He’s molded in a metallic red and has some simple gold highlights, and a few yellow details painted on. For the most part, everything is applied cleanly with no noticeable slop or bleed over. There are one or two areas of some minor chipping, but they aren’t too noticeable, so it’s not bad. Iron Man is relatively light on the accessories, with only the right leg of Build-A-Figure Groot included. I can’t really think of any accessories that could have been included, so I can’t really fault Hasbro here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Iron Man was purchased via Amazon, like his series-mates before him. For the most part, I only got Iron Man for the Groot piece, but I have to say, after having him in hand, I like him a whole lot more than I thought I would. The bold colors and the use of one of Hasbro’s best Iron Man bodies make this a really solid figure, and the unique design means he really stands out from the pack. Iron Man is a pretty great that will sadly be overlooked by a lot of people due to being yet another Iron Man.

#0276: Drax

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

DRAX

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

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It’s time for part four of my look at Hasbro’s most recent round of Marvel Legends figures. This time around, the figures are based around the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. There are six main figures, four based on the movie and two based on the comics. Today, I’ll be looking at Guardians member Drax (formerly Drax the Destroyer), who is also the last single release figure based on the movie. Let’s jump on in!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Drax is part of Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series (man, Hasbro seriously needs to come up with a better naming scheme for the new Marvel Legends stuff…). Drax stands about 6 ½ inches tall and features 30 points of articulation. He’s based on Drax’s design in the movie, which is in turn influenced by Drax’s more modern design in the comics. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the character’s more recent looks (purple spandex and pirate boots for the win!), but the movie does add a decent spin on it I suppose. Like the rest of the main Guardians, Drax features a brand new sculpt, so as to properly replicate his movie design. Drax’s sculpt is truly an impressive piece of work. The figure has a nice bit of heft to him, and has a properly bulky build. On top of the build, he’s got some wonderful texture work on his uniform and tattoos. The tattoos are something that a lesser company might have just painted, but the sculpt really helps them pop. The paint work on Drax is actually pretty good. There’s a few areas of slop and bleed over, but nothing too major, and certainly nothing as bad as some of the others in this series. In fact, Drax has the best paint of the series so far! Drax comes armed twin knives, which fit nicely in his hands and the sheaths on his boots, and he also features the lower torso of Groot.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Drax was another figure acquired from Amazon after they got the Guardians figures in stock. Drax was a figure I had no real feelings about one way or the other, mostly due to my relative disinterest in the choice of costume design. While Drax still isn’t one of my favorites in the series, I do think he’s a very solid entry in the series, and he does help to make the team as a whole look a bit better.

#0275: Rocket Raccoon

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

ROCKET RACCOON

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

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Welcome to part three of my reviews of Hasbro’s Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series. So far, I’ve looked at Star Lord, who I was really impressed with, and Gamora, who ended up being better than I had expected. Today, I’ll be looking at the most up and coming member of the team, Rocket Raccoon. If you’re unfamiliar with Rocket, allow me to explain him. He’s a talking space raccoon with a big gun. It’s a real tough concept to grasp, I know.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Rocket Raccoon is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel Legends Infinite Series. He’s about 3 ½ inches tall and features 13 points of articulation. The figure’s small stature means that he’s left with a limited selection of movement, particularly in the legs, which are pretty much immobile. While it’s understandable that they wanted to make him a bit sturdier, it still sucks that he’s unable to do anything with his legs. Rocket features a brand new sculpt, which is decent, though nothing amazing. The head seems to lack any of Rocket’s character, and his neck is just a bit odd looking. It’s also almost impossible to get him to look anywhere but upward, which limits the figure’s display possibilities. The torso, arms and legs all look pretty decent, and seem to be accurate to Rocket’s design in the movie. Rocket’s tail seems the slightest bit stiff, but this is likely meant to aid the figure in standing. The figure’s paint is okay, but not great. Some of the detail, particularly on the face, looks pretty great, but the uniform shows some serious slop, and he’s even got some spots of paint missing entirely. It’s not terrible, but it’s certainly a lot worse than the rest of the figures in the series. Rocket includes a large gun, some sort of torso cannon, and the head and torso of Groot. The gun is a bit tricky to get Rocket to hold properly, but it looks good once it’s in position. The cannon is actually meant to go with Star Lord, and was presumably given to Rocket due to Star Lord already being overloaded with accessories. This, coupled with the largest and most key piece of Groot, seems to be an attempt to make up for Rocket’s smaller stature. It works fine if you’re buying the whole series, but I can’t see it being too intriguing to someone only interested in Rocket himself.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Rocket was purchased online via Amazon, same as Star Lord and Gamora. I was actually looking forward to this figure overall, being excited in general by the prospect of Rocket Raccoon being in a movie and getting a toy from said movie. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit let down by this figure. His small stature, lack of articulation and poor paint all adds up to a figure that doesn’t fill me with loads of joy. Still, he’s far from the worst figure I’ve ever bought, and he does still look pretty darn cool when placed with the rest of the team. If you’re only looking for a Rocket by himself, this one’s not the one for you. There’s a few other versions out there that would probably have more to offer. However, If you’re looking for a full set of the team, this guy’s essential.