Tag Archives: Marvel

#3573: Cyclops

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

CYCLOPS

ONE:12 COLLECTIVE (MEZCO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0051:  I have reviewed a total of 43 Cyclops figures here on the site, going back to the very first week of reviews.

My love of Cyclops is, of course, no secret.  It’s honestly only grown over the years, and more and more, he’s becoming one of those characters that I just want to own as many versions of as possible.  This means, in part, going back and picking up certain Cyclops figures I opted to skip the first time around.  When Mezco released their two versions of the character, I was obviously in for the Jim Lee-inspired one, but there was a variant that I passed on…at the time.  But, this isn’t that time, so, well, here we are.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops was released in the fall of 2019, as part of Mezco’s One:12 Collective.  The standard version was the Jim Lee costume, which hit first, followed shortly by the PX-exclusive, which is the one I’m looking at today.  This one is based on Cyclops’ classic ’70s era costume.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has over 30 points of articulation.

Like the standard version, this Cyclops sported multiple heads.  He’s got the standard calm expression, as well as one with gritted teeth (which is more reserved than the outright scream that the standard release got), both of which are sporting the full cowl.  He’s also got a fully unmasked head, which is also on the calmer side.  They’re all consistent with the “likeness” seen on the standard release, which is a respectable enough look for Scott.  I’m still partial to the Legends heads, but these work.  All three of the heads work with the light-up feature in the neck, which is the same assembly as the regular.  It’s not super bright, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.

This figure is built on the same base body as the regular release.  It’s pretty standard fare, and still fits well for the character.  He’s using the same wrist bands and boots as the modern style figure, as well as a slightly darker, but otherwise unmodified version of the underlying bodysuit.  He’s also got a unique belt piece, and a pair of shorts over the bodysuit.  The wrist bands and boots aren’t accurate to the design they were going for, but the belt has at least been similarly modernized, so it feels more like a stylistic choice than an actual mess-up.  I really like the fact that they gave him back the shorts, as it was the one major thing missing from the other release.

Cyclops’ accessories set-up was pretty good.  He gets the two extra heads, plus five extra visors to swap out between the two masked ones, which includes two extra standards, two “smoking eye,” and two different extremes of blasts.  There’s a pair of sunglasses meant for the unmasked head as well.  He also gets three pairs of hands, in fists, open gesture, and a flat/visor operating pose combo, as well as a display stand that matches the other release.  He does *not* get the bomber jacket, which is fine, since this design shouldn’t have that anyway.  At least there’s the extra head.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I opted not to get this one new, in part because he was more expensive than the already rather expensive standard version.  I came to regret that choice later, but I didn’t pay it too much mind.  Well, All Time got in a collection of epic proportions last week, and it included a metric ton of 1/6 and 1/12 figures.  This guy didn’t appear to be amongst the Mezcos at first glance, but we dug him out during the second batch, and I just couldn’t say no.  Both Mezco Cyclopses exist in an odd space for me, because I don’t find myself enjoying them as much as the comparatively cheaper Legends versions of the same looks.  But, I do still like them, because they’re Cyclops figures, and I just have a tendency to like those.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  They’re still processing that epically proportioned collection this guy came from, and it will be hitting their their eBay storefront for the next few weeks at the very least, so definitely check that out.

#3571: Silver Surfer

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

SILVER SURFER

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

Fun FiQ Fact #0050:  Though first introduced all the way back in 1966, the Silver Surfer wouldn’t join the world of action figures until 1990, with the very figure I’m looking at today!

I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge of how *exactly* I encountered a number of classic Marvel characters for the first time, and Silver Surfer is part of that.  I feel like something to do with the FF would be how I knew him, but I don’t recall seeing any of his appearances on the ’90s cartoon until after the fact, which means that, like last week’s Daredevil, I’m leaning more on comics appearances, I guess?  Exactly which ones, I don’t know, but there certainly had to be something.  I mean, obviously, there were figures, too, right?  Right.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Silver Surfer was released in the first series of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes line in 1990.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  He’s rather typical of the earliest figures in the line, in terms of articulation and design.  There’s a slightly tweaked version of this figure from Series 3, which I looked at a few years back.  That one was vac-metalized, a process that also removed the neck joint from the figure.  The vac-metalizing removed a ton of the sculpt’s sharpness (and it’s not an exceptionally sharp sculpt in the first place), so this one does wind up looking a little bit better.  He’s still a little odd looking on the proportions front, and I don’t care for the face, but it’s not *awful*.  In contrast to the chromed finish of the Series 3 release, this one gets a flat silver finish.  It’s not as immediately stunning, but it works fine.  He also gets paint for the eyes on this one, which is a minor change-up, but enough to be somewhat notable.  Surfer is packed with his board, which for this release is really thick and bulky, and also more of a skateboard than a surfboard.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

My first Silver Surfer was actually the 10-inch release, followed closely by the CD-Rom pack-in 5-inch figure.  The Super Heroes ones wouldn’t cross my radar for quite some time.  I got the chrome version back in 2016, when I snagged a bunch of loose Toy Biz figures at a con.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was able to track down the standard version, when one came into All Time.  I expected to like the chrome one more, but honestly, the sculpt works better this way.  He’s nothing to write home about, but he’s okay in context of the rest of the line.

#3567: Daredevil

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

DAREDEVIL

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

Fun FiQ Fact #0046: Daredevil’s first action figure was in Mattel’s Secret Wars line, despite the character’s absence from the comic event the series was tying into.

I can’t tell you exactly where my love of Daredevil came from. It had to be comics related, because his cartoon presence in the ’90s was pretty scarce and I don’t recall seeing any of his appearances in first run. I certainly recall one of his early team-ups with Spider-Man from the first essential collection, and I think I had a small stash of Daredevil back issues. Whatever the case, I was invested from a pretty early age. Obviously, my first figure was from ToyBiz, but, curiously, it was neither of the two figures I’m looking at today. Weird, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Daredevil was released in the first series of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes in 1990. He then received a repainted release in 1994’s Series 5. The figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation. At this point, Toy Biz was very much working through the left over stylings of their DC line, which had aped a lot of Kenner’s Super Powers, albeit in a more rudimentary fashion. The sculpts on the first Marvel Super Heroes have a lot in common with Toy Biz’s in-house sculpts from the second series of their DC line. They’re up-scaled about half an inch, but they keep the articulation scheme and ever so slight preposing. DD’s sculpt was technically unique, but it was also very similar to other Series 1 figures, just with some DD-specific elements added. The head’s the main selling point, of course. It’s a little on the soft side, and the horns in particular are rather nubby. But, given the era, it’s not terrible. The body features sculpted elements for his belt, holster, gloves, and boots, which is more than a lot of DD sculpts have offered. The Series 1 release is in his classic all red, which is largely just molded plastic, with minor paint work for his face and logo. The Series 5 release upgrades him to his then-current armored look, which changes up his paint tremendously. It also means that the paint doesn’t remotely line up with the sculpted costume elements, but, honestly, given the softness of the sculpted details, it’s not the end of the world. The plant is particularly fuzzy on the second release, and it doesn’t hold up particularly well to wear on either one. Both releases included an “exploding grapple hook”, which is a missile launcher. It’s black on the Series 1 release and silver on the Series 5.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

My original Daredevil figure was from the Spider-Man Animated line, but the repaint of this guy came pretty quickly after. I recall that it was featured in a story in a Spider-Man magazine I had growing up, and this guy was at Cosmic Comix, so my dad bought him for me. His sculpted details jumped out as wrong, and that’s when I learned about the magical world of repaints! I only added the original release to my collection a few years ago, when one got traded into All Time. They’re both definitely dated, but I still dig them.

#3565: Daredevil, Elektra, & Bullseye

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

DAREDEVIL, ELEKTRA, & BULLSEYE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0044: The first Legends-branded comic Daredevil figure was released in the “Urban Legends” boxed set, which featured, amongst other things, a white costumed Elektra.  20 years later, an updated comic Daredevil found himself released in a boxed set alongside a white costumed Daredevil.

I keep doing this thing where I skip a Pulse-exclusive set, and then I manage to get it through other channels *just* before an improved version is announced.  It’s not annoying at all.  Why do you ask?  Yeah.  In this case, it’s all about that Daredevil.  Sure, there may be two other figures in play here, but is anyone really paying attention to them?

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye are a Hasbro Pulse-exclusive Marvel Legends three-pack, which started shipping on the earlier side of last year.

DAREDEVIL

Undoubtedly the star of the set is its upgraded Daredevil.  Unlike the last handful of DDs, this one his the classic red costume, not some form of derivative.  While the Hobgoblin Series release is still no slouch, there’s definitely been some progress on articulation schemes since then, and with Matt’s generally acrobatic nature, that’s pretty important.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  This new Daredevil is making use of the upgraded Spidey body that first turned up in the Renew Your Vows set, making this the first time since the second series of Spider-Man Classics that the two have shared a base body.  Typically, Matt’s depicted as a little bigger than Peter, but the Renew body is on the bulkier side for Spidey, so it winds up working out alright for Matt.  When I first reviewed the base, it was right on the heels of the Amazing Fantasy figure, which I very much loved, so I was a little biased.  I find myself liking it a bit more here, and I’m not sure if it’s just distance from the original release, or if I just like it more as Daredevil.  Sculptor Paul Harding provides a new head sculpt, and there are new add-ons for his belt and holster as well.  The new head is less dialed into a specific look than the Hobgoblin Series release (which was very much a Chris Samnee DD), going for a more all-encompassing “classic” look.  It sits very well on the base body, and just generally feels like a solid DD head sculpt.  His coloring is actually pretty subdued.  While other all red Daredevils have used multiple shades of red to differentiate the gloves and boots from the rest of the suit, this one makes almost everything the same shade of red, with only the eyes, logo, and belt buckle being differentiated.  What’s visible of the face also gets some printed detailing, which is quite lifelike.  DD is packed with two sets of hands (fists and gripping), his batons, and the dynamic zipline piece that clips between the two of them.

ELEKTRA

Elektra’s not been a stranger to Legends, but they do like to keep things rotating on designs.  The second Legends Elektra (from the Urban Legends set) was painted up in her white outfit, and this one duplicates this look, in order to distinguish her from the SP//dr Series release.  The figure stands just shy of 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Elektra’s constructed on the fancy pinless female base body.  She’s re-using the skirt piece from the last one, and she’s also got two new heads, courtesy of sculptor May Thamtarana.  One goes with her usual bandanna design, while the other gives her a headband that really lets her crazy wild hair hang free.  The headband one is definitely my preferred of the two; there’s just so much character there.  The bandanna one isn’t quite as strong; the expression is a little bland, and hair sits a little high relative to the face.  Her color work is alright.  Lot of white.  The application gets a little sloppy on the change-overs, but the printed faces look pretty nice.  Elektra has two sets of hands, a pair of sais, and a katanna.  The katana has black spot on blade, but other than that, the extras are pretty standard stuff.

BULLSEYE

Bullseye has a tendency to go some distance between Legends releases; his last one was in 2017, which isn’t the same distance as the 12 year gap before that, but it’s still notable.  Unlike the other two in this set, Bullseye’s not really designed to be drastically different from what came before.  In fact, sculpturally, he’s exactly the same as the last one, meaning he’s still about 6 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  The sculpt wasn’t bad the first time around, apart from the head seeming maybe a touch too large, and it’s generally held up okay.  The paint work was one of the weaker aspects of the last figure, so this one aims to change that up a bit.  They actually adapted a slightly different design this time around, going for his look from his 2017 solo series.  The only real change-up from the classic design is the blue torso section.  It’s different, but I don’t hate it.  The actual application is *a lot* cleaner this time, and it does head sculpt a lot of favors.  Bullseye is packed with four hands (right gripping, and left fist, finger gun, and knife throwing), an alternate unmasked head, and a knife.  They have notably removed the pistol from the prior release, which wouldn’t be a big deal if it weren’t for the empty holster that is attached to his belt.  Like…what are you supposed to do with that?  The stock photos stick the knife in there, but that just moves the problem, since then he’s got the empty sheath on the back of the belt.  Also, it’s clearly a gun holster, so the knife isn’t an ideal place holder.  I’m not entirely sure why they made the change, but given the replacement of the two trigger finger hands as well, it was clearly something more than simple cost-saving.  It results in the one downside to this figure relative to the earlier release.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I really only wanted the Daredevil out of this set, because I’m a sucker for a good Daredevil.  But, only wanting 1/3 of the set, I wasn’t looking to pay full price.  I was able to snag one second hand for a good deal, so that made life a little easier.  DD is undoubtedly the star, and he’s a definitive classic red DD.  I like the alternate head for Elektra, but she’s otherwise just kind of middling.  Bullseye wound up really surprising me.  I expected to get nothing from him, but the new paint just really sells the figure.  The missing gun’s just weird, but he’s still nice enough that he’s replaced the prior one as my default Legends Bullseye.

#3563: Six-Armed Spider-Man

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

SPIDER-MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0042:  Six-Armed Spider-Man was one of the earliest Spider-Man figures added to my collections….and I didn’t really want him.  I don’t know why I was so against it, but I’ve come around on it.

Way back at the beginning of 2019, I reviewed a Marvel Legends Six-Armed Spider-Man.  I was prepared to hate him, because of factors that I’d known about since his prototype had been shown off, but, despite it all, I actually kinda dug him.  That didn’t mean there wasn’t room for improvement.  And, so, that room for improvement has been…filled by improvement?  Or something like that.  Look, there’s a new version, okay?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Six Armed Spider-Man was released in a Walmart-exclusive Marvel Legends two-pack, alongside a re-release of the Absorbing Man Series Morbius.  While Morbius is largely unchanged from his original release, Spidey’s a little different.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 59 points of articulation.  That’s one whole extra point over the prior release.  And how does he manage this feat?  With a tweaked torso mold.  The original one was solid all the way through, but this new one, sculpted by Dennis Chan, gets a ball-joint at the mid-section.  It does a lot of loosen up the figure’s posablility, and it’s quite transformative, really.  Beyond that, he’s really just the same as the other one.  In terms of coloring, the paint’s a little bit tighter this time around, and the colors are toned down ever so slightly, but it’s all very minor.  He does make out slightly better on the accessories front, getting both the thwipping hands from the original, and a pair of fists to swap out.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, I wasn’t in much of a rush to get this one, honestly.  While I saw the areas the original could be improved, I didn’t *need* the improvements, and I certainly didn’t feel the need to re-buy a Morbius I already had to get them.  But, one came through All Time loose, and I decided to trade up.  It was a great call, honestly.  The new torso joint adds a lot to the figure.  Now, I just need to do the weblining like I did on the old one…

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.

#3560: Doc Ock

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

DOC OCK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0039: Doctor Octopus was originally slated to be a secondary antagonist for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, but was re-purposed as sole antagonist of Spider-Man 2 when it was decided to give more time to both him and Green Goblin.

As a huge fan of the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man, I was, unsurprisingly, hyped about its first sequel.  And boy did I have good reason to be, because Spider-Man 2 is the unquestioned high point of the trilogy, and Alfred Molina’s turn as Otto Octavious is a key part of the film’s success.  I’d not been much of a Doc Ock fan prior to the movie, but I certainly was after.  Molina’s return to the role was one of the first confirmed elements of No Way Home‘s production, and I was hyped about that, too.  And what else could I possibly be hyped about?  Oh yeah, the toys!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Doc Ock is a deluxe price-point Marvel Legends release.  Like Goblin, he’s coinciding with the release of the retro-carded No Way Home assortment, though unlike Goblin, he’s not officially NWH-branded.  Instead, he’s using the Spider-Man 2 branding, and appears to be in a similar position to the Andrew Garfield figure, where it was some sort of weird licensing mix-up.  In the case of Ock, it’s a little strange, because he winds up as a bit of a mixed bag in terms of design, since he doesn’t seem to be clearly dialing into either film appearance exactly…but I’ll get to that.  The actual figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation, with the tentacles offering up an additional 10 points of movement (plus being able to bend) and also potentially giving him another 3 1/2 inches or so of height, depending on how you want to display him.  The core figure is pretty standard fare for the line in terms of movement.  He’s a little restricted by the overcoat, of course, but that’s expected.  It’s not like Molina was particularly mobile in the films, so it’s not terribly limiting.  The actual sculpting is actually pretty strong.  As I noted above, he’s a bit of an amalgam of the two film appearances, with the slightly shorter hair of 2, but the added turtleneck from NWH.  The hair’s such a negligible thing that I feel he may have been sculpted to just be a NWH figure, and there were minor adjustments made later.  The head, especially facially, has a strong likeness of Molina.  It’s a little harder to capture in photos, but in person, it’s very good.  The glasses are permanently attached, meaning this one is destined to loose them immediately the way the original SM2 ones were.  They look nice, and I appreciate the slight translucence.  The tentacles are permanently attached to the figure, which I suppose is fitting.  They have a wire running through them, with limited joints on the pincers.  The smaller ones are the more posable ones, though that unfortunately also leads to them falling apart a lot.  The larger ones have no movement past the swivel at the base of the arm, and rely on two different styles of swappable claws, so that you can either use them for standing or gripping.  Standing him on the lower two appendages can take a little bit of doing to hit the right sweet spot, but once you get him there, he’s surprisingly stable, which made me very happy.  In terms of color work, he’s pretty mild.  A lot of earthy tones, as you’d expect.  The face paint is quite nice, and there’s some smaller work on the jacket that adds some nice pop.  The tentacles are notably missing the extra gold detailing that they had in SM2, but it’s possible that’s linked to the material that was used for them, since it’s a softer plastic that might not hold paint as well.  Ock is admittedly light on extras, with just two sets of hands, one in fists, the other in open gesture, as well as the previously mentioned swappable lower claws.  Given the sheer sizing on the tentacles, however, this isn’t terribly surprising.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I kept waiting for this guy to get shown off *somewhere* with all the movie merch that was going around.  Certainly they had to do an update, right?  I mean, yeah, I’ve still got my original, and he holds up better than some of the others, but I can get an upgrade, right? Well, yes, as a matter of fact, that was right.  He’s the last of the whole batch I got my hands on, but he’s worth the wait.  I could rattle off a bunch of issues (and in fact I did up above), but none of that changes how much I genuinely love this figure, or the level of joy opening him up brought me.

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

#3558: Green Goblin

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

GREEN GOBLIN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0037: Green Goblin’s first 6-inch-scale figure was courtesy of the original Spider-Man movie tie-in line, which, as established in a prior Fun FiQ Fact, was delayed, leading to the creation of Spider-Man Classics and it’s successor Marvel Legends.

Casting in the Raimi Spider-Man films is easily one of the strongest suits of the films, and this was showcased exquisitely with the films’ antagonists.  Much like Tobey Maguire is *my* Spider-Man, his antagonists are also my definitive versions of those characters as well.  Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborne, aka the Green Goblin, questionable costume choices notwithstanding, wound up being such a defining turn in the role that he returned for cameo roles in all of the Raimi sequels, and was even tapped to reprise the role in the MCU proper when No Way Home came around.  And yay, new toy coverage!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Goblin is a deluxe price-point Marvel Legends release, designed to coincide with the retro-card No Way Home tie-in assortment.  The deluxe pricing seems to largely be there to cover the glider, with the main figure being more or less standard.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and has 30 points of articulation.  Articulation on the figure is a little restricted, especially on the legs, but it’s generally workable.  Goblin is sporting an all-new sculpt.  While other characters may re-use their looks from prior films, and Green Goblin actually does start out in his gear from the first Raimi film, by the time of No Way Home‘s big climactic battle, Norman’s received several updates to his initial design.  This figure is designed to cover his “final” look, which ditches the mask, and adds the tattered remains of the purple hoody he was sporting earlier in the film, amongst other things.  It manages to sort of thread the needle between keeping elements of his original film appearance and also injecting more of the spirit of his comics counterpart (which the first film look was really lacking).  The sculpt translates the new look pretty nicely.  Of note, the likeness on the head is a pretty strong take on Dafoe, especially his more crazed look as the Goblin.  There are separate overlays for his hood/shirt, as well as the straps and belt, which add a little more depth.  The hood can be removed by popping off the head, if you so choose.  You can also get the remnants of the shirt off with a little work, but the belt and strap are definitely not coming off.  The detailing on the underlying armor is a little on the softer side, but still works pretty well.  The color work on this guy is alright.  Nothing super fancy for the most part.  The face gets the printing, which looks pretty good.  Beyond that, there’s a lot of molded plastic coloring, which has mixed results.  The metallic green isn’t a bad shade, but it hides a lot of the sculpted details, and accenting is ultimately pretty minimal.  The actual paint work on the body is a little on the sloppier side, with several spots of notable bleed over.  Goblin is packed with his glider, which has a few moving parts, as well as its own display stand.  It’s a pretty decent piece in its own right.  He also gets a single pumpkin bomb, a pair of removable goggles, and an alternate helmeted head.  The alt head is a nice piece, but with the body being so clearly the updated look from later in the film (after Norman has smashed the mask), it’s uses are somewhat limited.  I would imagine this one has a degree of future planning involved.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been making do with the original movie Goblin since it first came out, but his design’s always been kind of weak, and sadly hindering to Dafoe’s performance.  I loved seeing his return and I really, really liked the new look.  The deluxe price point is a lot for this guy, but he’s got enough going on to feel worth it.

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.

#3555: Sandman

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

SANDMAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0034: Sandman was not allowed to appear in Spider-Man: The Animated Series due to his planned inclusion in James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man film, which would have seen him and Electro as the antagonists. The two would finally share the big screen in No Way Home.

I’ve been a solid supporter of Spider-Man 3 since it first came out, and I’ve continued to stick by it the whole time. The film’s best performance comes from Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, who injects some genuine pathos into Flint Marko. His return in No Way Home was certainly a pleasant surprise, as was the inevitable action figure coverage.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sandman is the final standard figure in the retro-card-packaged No Way Home tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends. He’s the only of the film’s “antagonists” in this assortment. The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. His articulation is a little rigid, especially with no waist or calf movement. Of course, it’s Sandman, so he’s not crazy flexible when he’s in humanoid form. Sandman is sporting a brand new sculpt, based on specifically his NWH look. Due to pandemic-related issues, Thomas Hayden Church was unable to be physically on set for filming. As such, Flint remains sandy, even when person shaped. This figure works with that, so he’s got a sandy texture over the whole thing. He’s still got a strong likeness of Haden Church, even under all the texture, and the body’s build matches well too. His color work is minor; he’s a lot of tan. There’s accenting to better make out the face, as well as a little bit of darker detailing throughout the body. Sandman is packed with two sets of normal sized hands (in fists and open), as well a set of enlarged hands, with matching pieces to bulk up the forearms.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Despite loving Spider-Man 3, I never got much into its tie-in toys, so I had no movie Sandman. That bugged me, so I was glad to have another shot. This guy is basic, but honestly pretty fun. He’s kind of this assortment’s underdog.

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.

#3553: Matt Murdock

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

MATT MURDOCK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

FiQ Fun Fact #0032: There have been plenty of Daredevil figures over the years, but the only prior civilian Matt Murdock was a Minimate, and he was just alternate parts to a vigilante Daredevil.

Daredevil was the second attempt at building a TV component to the MCU, and prior to the Disney+ contingent, it was certainly the most successful.  I myself was skeptical when the first trailers dropped (I was still a little scarred from the 2003 movie), but fell in love with the show with the very first episode.  In particular, I loved Charlie Cox’s take on the title character, and I was beyond thrilled when No Way Home brought him into the MCU proper, small scene or not.  And, for his first proper MCU Legends figure, we get not Daredevil, but Matt Murdock.  That’s a switch.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Matt Murdock is another figure from the retro-carded No Way Home tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He’s based on his look in his one scene in the movie, which certainly makes sense; not like there’s really any other options there.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  Matt is built on what appears to be an upgraded version of the Coulson suit body.  It’s got pinless joints on the arms and legs, as well as additional swivels at the ankles.  It still has some wonky proportions in a few spots, but it’s generally a marked improvement.  It’s a suit and tie, so it’s pretty basic.  What’s really got to sell the figure is the head sculpt.  It’s…well, it’s not Hasbro’s best output.  The elements of a good Charlie Cox likeness are all there, but they don’t quite congeal into proper full product.  The glasses are definitely a bit odd looking, and the exact shaping of his face and hair aren’t quite there.  It’s not the worst likeness, but it’s also not as immediately obvious as Matt as it could be.  Matt’s paint work is a generally basic set-up, with a lot of molded coloring.  He’s got face printing, which seems a little on the dark side, but it’s not bad.  Matt is packed with a cane and the brick he catches in May and Peter’s apartment with “Mysterio was right” written it.  The cane’s not quite right in its exact shaping, but close enough.  The brick is super cool, and a fantastic scene-specific part.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been looking for good toy coverage for the live action Daredevil since the show started.  Unfortunately, he seems to be rather tricky to get down.  This one continues that trend.  The likeness is definitely on the weaker side, and he’s limited in his applications by being a purely civilian guise, but he’s better than nothing, and there have certainly been worse Legends.

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.

#3550: MJ

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

MJ

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0029: This marks the first time since the the tie-in assortment for Spider-Man 3 that an MJ figure has been released on her own and not as part of some sort of multi-pack.

Now that most of the uproar regarding Zendaya’s casting in the role of MJ for Homecoming has pretty much disappeared, we can sit back and recognized that she actually did a pretty good job in the role.  Her MJ was certainly different from the comics one in terms of general characterization, but honestly, so was Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane in the Raimi films.  Changing up MJ is just something the movies like to do.  With her even further expanded role in No Way Home, MJ’s gotten her second Legends figure for the MCU, and I’m looking at that today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

MJ is part of the retro-card-sporting No Way Home tie-in assortment for Marvel Legends.  She’s specifically based on her appearance in the third film, narrowing in on the attire she wears for most of the movie, but most specifically, it’s the outfit she has in the big final battle.  It’s a little more in line with her character, I feel, than the jacketed look we got on the two-pack release.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Articulation is rather restricted here, especially on the torso, but given MJ’s generally more non-action set-up, it’s not as limiting for her.  She’s using the same legs as her last figure, but everything else is new.  The sculpt’s a pretty good one.  I definitely feel that they’ve gotten a better likeness for Zendaya this time around (not that the last two were *bad*) and I like that the sweater look manages to be the right amount of loose, without winding up looking too bulky.  The color work here is a nice set-up.  There’s printing for the face, which looks fairly realistic, and is an improvement on the last figure.  I also quite like the striping on the sweater, and its general color is just a bit more exciting than the more muted palette of the last figure.  MJ is packed with two sets of hands (in fists and relaxed), as well as the box containing Strange’s original spell.  In a rather amusing turn of events, after the two-pack figure had a gripping hand and nothing to hold, this one has something to hold and no actual gripping hand.  You can fudge it with one of the relaxed hands, but it’s not quite there.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

The last MJ figure served me fine for my collection, but she looked a little out of place once we got the updated Peter and Ned last year.  Now I feel like I have an MJ that fits in better, and she’s wearing a slightly more in-character outfit as well.  She’s a basic figure of a rather average look, but she does most of what she needs to well.

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.