Tag Archives: Marvel

#2962: Druig

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

DRUIG

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Using cosmic energy to control the minds of others, Druig is aloof and powerful, but at times it’s hard to determine whether he is friend or foe.”

Introduced in the same issue of Eternals as Kingo, Druig is somewhat the black sheep of the Eternals family.  This is demonstrated ever so subtly by the fact that he dresses in all black.  You might have missed that if I hadn’t pointed it out to you, right?  In many ways, Druig owes a lot of his portrayal in the comics to common portrayals of Hades, as a sort of dark brooding figure who isn’t inherently the bad guy, but is often at odds with the more heroically inclined gods.  While the comics and the lead up to the movie all hinted at Druig being something of an antagonistic force in the film, the movie proper doesn’t really get into that at all, painting Druig as a generally well-meaning guy whose power set makes it harder for him to be as sociable as the others.  Honestly, going back to the Hades comparison, they crafted a decent parallel to Hades in the actual myths, where he’s generally not a bad guy, he just kind of wants to be left alone with his stuff.  It’s not a take you see get much proper due, so I generally liked it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Druig is figure 6 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s the final non-exclusive standard single release for the line-up.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme is the same as the other male Eternals, but notably the legs are quite restricted because of how long the skirt piece is.  There’s some fine tuning that can be had to keep him standing, but no deep posing with the legs.  They did at least give him full movement, though, so there’s some credit due there.  Additionally, while I wasn’t big on the range of neck movement for Ikaris or Kingo, Druig actually gets a really nice range, which is super useful.  Druig’s sculpt an all-new piece, and it’s honestly one of the nicest in the bunch.  The head sports a pretty spot on likeness of Barry Keoghan, which is honestly the best likeness of the bunch.  It’s incredibly lifelike, and this is one figure where the very neutral expression makes perfect sense for the character.  The body sculpt is pretty good, too.  Again, he’s got a slightly different build than the others, and the detailing on the armor is all pretty sleek.  Druig’s paint work is generally pretty good.  The head gets some really nice printing, which just adds more to the lifelike quality.  The body does alright, but it’s worth noting that the red detailing on his skirt for my figure is misaligned, so it doesn’t match the sculpt.  This is an ongoing issue with the whole set, so it’s far from surprising.  Druig is packed with two sets of hands (which appear to be the same ones included with Ikaris), as well as the head of Gilgamesh.  The lack of an alternate head demonstrating Druig’s pupil-less eyes from when he’s using his powers is really criminal here, since it wouldn’t even require a new sculpt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Again, Druig is a character I knew very little about going into this set.  I wasn’t sure I was going to like him, and I wasn’t sure about this figure.  The figure proved a surprise, and the character even more of one.  Druig wound up as one of my favorites in the movie, and the figure does him a lot of justice.

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.

#2961: Kingo

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

KINGO

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“An Eternal with the power to project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands, Kingo over the centuries became enamored with the idea of fame.”

Alright, we’re back with the Eternals reviews.  Let’s jump right in, shall we?  Today’s focus is one of the later additions to the group, though, unlike Phastos, Kingo is still a proper Jack Kirby character.  Introduced in Eternals #11, the Kingo of the comics had taken up as a Japanese film star, with an interest in samurais, which was signified by the fact that he looked like a samurai.  For the film, Kingo is portrayed by Kumail Ali Nanjiani, so his backstory is adjusted and he is now a Bollywood star, with the whole Samurai thing removed.  He’s loosely used as the film’s comic relief, but I emphasize loosely, since he’s also decidedly one of the team’s most capable fighters.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kingo is figure 5 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is pretty much the same as Ikaris’s, apart from the hips being ever so slightly more restricted, due to the longer skirt piece.  It’s generally a good set-up.  The mid-torso is still really restricted, but the neck movement is at least a little bit better on this one.  Kingo’s sculpt is all-new, and it’s similar to the others, while also having a slightly different build, as Kingo is notably a little slimmer than Ikaris and Phastos (though he’s certainly no less jacked, as Nanjiani had one hell of a fitness regiment during filming).  The head’s likeness of Nanjiani isn’t terrible.  It’s a little bit more caricature than some of the others in the set, but it’s at least quickly recognizable, and it certainly has more expressive face than, say, Phastos, which I do appreciate.  The paint work on Kingo is generally pretty solid.  The application is overall pretty clean, and is more on point than Ikaris.  There’s still a little bit of bleed over on a few spots, but it’s nothing too terrible.  The face is again more on the cartoony side in its detailing, with the eyes in particular looking rather goofy.  Again, given the choice between this and the general blandness of Phastos, I’ll take this for sure.  Kingo is packed with two sets of hands, one pair fists, the other in “finger gun” pose, complete with effects pieces.  I do wish the effects were removable from the gun hands, but other than that, it’s nice that at least one of them gets effects.  Kingo is also packed with left arm and hands of Gilgamesh.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kingo is another character I knew very little about going into these figures, but he did look nifty enough.  Ultimately, he was a character that the film did a lot to sway me on, so I was quite happy to have grabbed him after the fact.  The figure is defintiely one of the more cartoony offerings here, but that also means he gets a little bit more character than some of the others, which makes him a good bit more distinctive.  That plays out well for him.

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.

#2958: Phastos

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

PHASTOS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Over the centuries, Phastos has helped nudge humanity forward technologically while always keeping his brilliance hidden in the shadows.”

While the bulk of the Eternals line-up in the movie are characters introduced in Jack Kirby in his original run on the title, one character who is a notable later addition is Phastos.  An inventor, creator, and pacifist, Phastos was clearly inspired by the likes of Hephaestus in terms of his placement amongst the other god-like characters.  He was introduced by Sal Buscema and Peter Gillis during the book’s second volume, and does feel like a fairly natural part of the group, even if he’s a bit underused in the comics proper.  In the film, he’s a pretty notable player, and perhaps one of the most fully characterized of the cast.  He’s also notable for being the first openly gay character in an MCU film, and accomplishment in itself.  And today, I’m taking a look at his action figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Phastos is figure 4 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  Phastos’s articulation scheme follows the set-up we saw on Ikaris, which generally makes sense.  As with Ikaris, it’s a bit restricted, even a little bit more so, in fact, due to the nature of the design.  The mid-torso joint doesn’t have the same range, and the hips are notably restricted by how the skirt piece works.  Of course, Phastos is a less active character in the film, so it’s not terribly limiting for the character.  His sculpt is another all-new offering, based on his fully geared up look in the movie.  The head sculpt isn’t one of the stronger ones in the set, to be honest.  I mean, it’s not awful, and there are definitely some traits of Brian Tyree Henry in the sculpt, but something about it just generally feels off.  I think a lot of it is to do with expression; he’s kind of devoid of any, which doesn’t really suit Phastos as he’s portrayed in the movie.  Here he kind of looks a bit bored.  It doesn’t help that the head definitely sits too high on the neck, nor does it help that he’s missing his earrings, which are a pretty constant fixture of his design in the movie.  On the flip side, the body sculpt is a bit better.  The detailing on the suit is nice and clean, and the proportions do an alright job of capturing Henry’s less conventionally super-heroic build.  It makes him nicely distinct from Ikaris in terms of build.  Phastos’s paint work is generally alright.  It’s probably the cleanest application so far on the outfit, as well as one of the more intricate paint schemes.  I do like how the purple and gold work together.  Phastos is packed with two sets of hands, one in fists, the other in more relaxed posing.  He also has the right leg for Gilgamesh.  I’ve brought up the lack of effects parts on the last two reviews, but it honestly bugs me even more here; I’d have loved to get some of his tech gimmick effects, since they’re pretty prominent to his role in the final act.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really didn’t know Phastos at all before the movie, since he’s a slightly later in the lore character.  I do like the concept, and Henry’s performance in the movie was definitely one of its most memorable ones.  The figure is ultimately one of the weaker ones in this set.  He’s better than Sprite, but I definitely wish the likeness was a bit better on that head.  Still he’s a decent enough figure, and certainly one with a more unique look.

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.

#2957: Sersi

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

SERSI

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“The Eternal with an affinity for humanity, Sersi has the ability to manipulate matter, changing the make-up of any non-sentient material she touches.”

Though the film has quite a large cast of characters, all of whom play prominent roles in the whole of the film, Eternals‘ definitive main character is Sersi.  It’s not a huge surprise, given that Sersi has by far been the most successful member of the team over the years, being the only one of them to actually see any real traction in the Marvel universe outside of the main Eternals book.  Heck, she was even an Avenger for a while, to say nothing of her history with Black Knight, who I have it on good authority is a pretty cool dude.  Definitely up and coming.  Boy, wouldn’t it be cool to see him in a movie or something?  No, sorry, I’m getting distracted.  This is a review about Sersi, not Black Knight.  Even though he’s totally the best character in the movie.  But that’s not the point.  What’s the point?  Umm, Sersi, I guess.  Right, Sersi, is the main character of the movie, portrayed in the film by Gemma Chan, who has actually been in the MCU before as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel.  So, hey, now Gemma’s got two Legends.  Good for her!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sersi is figure 3 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  Though she may be the most prominent of the Eternals, this is still her first figure, just like the rest of the cast.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Sersi’s articulation scheme is fairly similar to the other two female Eternals I’ve looked at, so it’s generally pretty good in terms of movement.  The hips are definitely a bit more restricted here, though, due to the design of her skirt.  It’s still not as bad as it could be, and ultimately she’s still capable of a great many poses.  Her sculpt is all-new, and is based on her design from the film.  Sersi’s classic comics design isn’t the most involved thing; it’s pretty much just a green bathing suit.  This takes the general vibe of her earlier designs, and also cements it into something that’s more in line with the overall cohesive aesthetic of the Eternals in the film.  I generally do rather like it.  The sculpt does a nice job of translating it into toy form.  The head sports a pretty spot-on likeness of Gemma Chan, certainly more on point than her Captain Marvel figure, and rivaled only by Makkari for the figures I’ve looked at so far from this set.  I do also like the slightly dynamic blowing of her hair, although it’s slightly amusing that the skirt piece isn’t really sculpted with any similar movement.  Sersi’s paint work is pretty solid for what it is.  The costume is basic, but it’s at least cleaner in application than Ikaris, and the printing for the face is actually really good on this figure.  Probably the best of the set, really.  Sersi is packed with two sets of hands, one set relaxed gesture, and the other a fist/two finger point combo.  She also gets the left leg to Gilgamesh.  I again feel like some effects pieces would have been cool, but I guess they might be a little trickier with her power set.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Sersi is the only of the Eternals I had any attachment to going in, almost entirely because of the Black Knight connection.  I sure do love me some Black Knight.  Sersi herself isn’t a bad character, and I was glad that she was well and truly the central character of the story, because I think she worked well in that role.  She’s perhaps not as flashy as some of the others, but I liked her story, and I liked her.  And, I also do quite like this figure.  Now, can I please get an MCU Dane Whitman of some sort?

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.

#2956: Sprite

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

SPRITE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Sprite has the ability to cast lifelike illusions and is an Eternal much stronger and cleverer than she appears.”

Ah, yes, Sprite.  That refreshing lemon lime taste.  You know, for when they don’t have, like any of the drinks that you actually wanted.  Or maybe they didn’t have Sprite either.  Is Sierra Mist okay?  …Did you guys like that?  Did you like my beverage-related joke?  You see, it’s funny, because….ahem…her…uhh…her name is the same as a, uh, beverage.  I am the peak of humor and whit.  Laugh at me, damn you.  Or, with me, rather.  Not at me.  That would be cruel.  Maybe instead of laughing at me, you could just read my review.  That would work alright for me.  Is Sprite okay?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sprite is figure 2 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  The figure stands just shy of 5 1/2 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Sprite’s definitely the smallest figure in the bunch, not surprising, what with her childlike appearance and all.  That said, at 5 1/2 inches tall, she’s about a 1/2 inch too tall to be properly in scale with the rest of the set.  This will come up a bit more as we get into the actual sculpt proper.  Sprite’s articulation is rather standard for a female Legend, but like with Makkari, there’s a slightly better range of motion here.  Not quite to the same level as Makkari, but still better than some of Hasbro’s earlier offerings.  Her sculpt is all-new, and it’s…well, it’s not terrible, but it’s also not the strongest.  It’s certainly the weakest of the Eternals sculpts as a whole. The head’s likeness of actress Lia McHugh is far more caricaturized than others.  There are some elements that match up okay, and the general picture isn’t terrible, but it’s also not particularly realistic looking.  The facial expression is definitely going for some sort of a smirk, but it doesn’t quite land it, so she kind of looks a little gassy.  She’s also got one heck of a lantern jaw, which is weird looking at this scale.  Additionally, the fact that she’s too large translates to an issue here, because her head is just…big.  Too big.  It looks almost alien when compared to the others.  The body sculpt is at least a pretty decent piece.  It recreates her costume from the movie pretty well, and there’s even a nice dynamic flow to her cape and skirt pieces.  It’s still a bit too large scale-wise, but it’s less an issue here than with the head.  Sprite’s paint work is alright overall.  The outfit is cleaner than Ikaris’s, which is a plus, and the face is at least rather lifelike.  Sure, the underlying sculpt is still a little wonky, but the paint does its best to make it work.  Sprite is packed with two sets of hands, in open gesture and in fists, as well as the torso for the Gilgamesh Build-A-Figure.  She could definitely use some effects pieces of some sort, but she does at least get the largest piece of the BaF.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew only a little more about Sprite than I did Makkari going into the film, and it was mostly that he was generally a rather annoying impish sort of character.  I didn’t really know how much I was going to like the character in the movie when I bought the figure, but I was already in for the whole set.  Ultimately, Sprite’s not my favorite character in the movie, but I can kind of see what they were trying with the character.  The figure….less so.  She’s definitely the weakest of this bunch.  She’s not *awful* but she’s not great either.  I guess it kind of fits with the character.

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.

#2955: Makkari

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

MAKKARI

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Makkari uses her cosmically powered super-speed to scout planets, and as the only deaf Eternal, she is not affected by the sonic boom that accompanies her cosmic running.”

The Eternals as created by Jack Kirby are not the most inherently complex selection of characters.  Not that they really needed to be, of course, but it does leave them a little more room for growth and change, a direction that the film version of the characters took.  The comics version of Makkari, patterned on the Roman god Mercury, is a male speedster.  In the film, Makkari played by actress Lauren Ridloff, and gains a gender swap as result.  The character also became deaf, much like Ridloff, adding another slightly more unique trait to the character.  It took a character that could have honestly wound up as little more than just a Flash pastiche, and granted her a far more memorable selection of interactions with the other characters around her.  In general, she was just a very likable and nicely rounded character, and certainly one of my favorites from the film.  In honor of that, how about a look at her action figure?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Makkari is figure 1 in the Gilgamesh Series of Marvel Legends.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  Makkari’s articulation scheme is generally pretty standard for female Legends, at least in terms of layout.  It’s worth noting that the actual range of motion on the joints is a little bit better than average.  She’s capable of a good assortment of deeper running poses.  Only the neck is sort of restricted, and even then, it’s not as bad as you might expect with the hair as it is.  The joints also nicely worked into the sculpt, with pinless construction on the knees, as well as joints that don’t require the sculpt to look wonky and broken up when posed.  Makkari’s sculpt is all-new to her, and it’s a pretty solid one at that.  The build is nicely balanced and a good match for how she looks in the film, and the Ridloff likeness is probably one of the best in this assortment.  Unlike Ikaris, it’s clear who she’s supposed to be even without outside context.  That being said, while she does look spot on to Ridloff, the hair style isn’t quite right for Makkari’s in the final film; her pony tail had a much tighter braid in the movie than what we see here.  Presumably, this is based on earlier design work than the finished film.  It’s not largely different, though, and ultimately it still works okay for the character.  Makkari’s paint work is generally pretty decent.  The printing on the face works well, and the application on the suit is across the board better than how it was on Ikaris.  Makkari is packed with two sets of hands, on pair in fists, the other with an open gesture left hand, and a right hand making the “I love you” sign, which is a cool touch.  Yeah, it’s really just a Spider-Gwen hand, but it’s a good repurposing, and I like that they made sure to include at least one signing hand to showcase that side of the character.  Also included is the right arm and hands for the Gilgamesh Build-A-Figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Makkari is a character I only sort of knew going in, and I didn’t really have a particularly large attachment to the character.  Going into the movie, I had no real expectations, but I was buying the whole set, because why not?  Ultimately, I really liked her a lot in the film, and I’m glad I have the figure.  It helps that she’s just generally a very nice figure, especially given how well the articulation scheme works on this particular release.

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.

#2954: Ikaris

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

IKARIS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Moral, kind, and charismatic, Ikaris boasts incredible strength, flight, and the ability to project cosmic energy beams from his eyes.”

A week and a half ago, after a year of waiting, the WORST MARVEL EVER was released.  Oh, wait, sorry, no, Captain America was ultimately released as a TV movie in 1992.  That wasn’t this year at all.  What came out a week and a half ago?  Oh, Eternals.  You guys confused me here, because that’s actually not the worst Marvel movie. Or even close to it.  Seriously, have you seen the Matt Salinger Captain America?  It’s bad, guys.  It’s really bad.  Eternals is, notably, not really bad.  It’s not perfect, but there have been far worse things.  I mean, just this year.  Remember Snake Eyes?  Because I do.  And I you don’t, could you share your trick for that with me?  That’d be great.  In the mean time, let’s focus on that not bad thing I was mentioning and do some Eternals reviews.  Let’s kick things off with their resident not-Superman, Ikaris!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ikaris is part of the main Eternals tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  While the rest of them all have parts for Gilgamesh, Ikaris is the non-BAF double packed figure.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  His movement is definitely a little bit restricted by the design here, especially with that skirt piece, but it’s not terrible, and he does get some okay range.  I wish the neck and mid torso were just a bit more mobile, but otherwise, it’s pretty workable.  He’s got the pinless construction on the elbows and knees, which help with the overall sleekness of the design.  Ikaris’s sculpt is an all-new one, based upon his updated design from the movie.  He keeps a lot of elements of the comics design, while adding a few more ornate pieces and turning it into more of an armored look.  It removes him a little more from his Kirby roots, but it also makes him feel a little bit more alien compared to the rest of the MCU, so I can get what they’re going for.  The sculpt does a decent job of capturing this look, and the detailing on the suit looks pretty good.  The head sculpt is okay, I guess.  It’s not the worst take on Richard Madden, but it’s also not really spot on.  Like, I can get who it is through context, but I don‘t think the head on its own really sells it.  It’s definitely the best of Hasbro’s attempts, though.  Ikaris’s color scheme for the film was slightly tweaked, removing his usual red, presumably to remove him a bit further from Superman.  The paint work isn’t bad, but it also doesn’t hold up so much to close scrutiny.  The face looks okay with the printed technique, but the lines on the forehead aren’t helping with the likeness.  The suit looks cool and sleek with the metallic finish, but the gold details on mine are misaligned in quite a few spots.  The overall design of the suit does mask this a little bit, but it’s still a bit frustrating.  Ikaris is packed with two sets of hands (fists and relaxed), as well as an alternate head with laser effects on the eyes.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I know just enough to get by about the comics Eternals, so the movie tie-ins had me going in a little bit blind.  They looked cool enough that I thought they’d make good toys, but I had no clue on the film.  Ultimately, I did like the film, but it changed how I felt about the figures a little bit.  Ikaris winds up suffering a little bit for me, not because he’s a bad figure, but more because the rest of the assortment kind of got elevated a bit in light of the movie.  He’s still a solid figure, even if he’s perhaps a slightly flawed 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.

#2951: The Hydra Stomper

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

THE HYDRA STOMPER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“In the universe you know, Steve Rogers was the first Avenger, Captain America. In this universe, Steve is injured and fights in ‘The Hydra Stomper,’ an Iron Man armor created by Howard Stark.”

Hey, we’re back with just a touch more What If…? before we jump down a different Marvel rabbit hole for just a bit.  In 2006, Marvel ran an alternate universe miniseries, Bullet Points, which explored a world where Dr. Abraham Erskine is killed prior to turning Steve Rogers into a super soldier.  In this alternate reality, instead of becoming Captain America, Steve is given a suit of armor, and becomes that universe’s Iron Man.  Elements of this story were re-used for the first episode of What If…?, where, after Peggy gets the Super Soldier serum instead of Steve, he still wants to help out in the battle.  Howard Stark uses the recently recovered Tesseract to power a suit of Iron Man-inspired armor, dubbed “The Hydra Stomper.”  He’s far too large to be a standard release, so Hasbro has instead released him as his own solo release, tying in with the main assortment.  Let’s have a look at him today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Hydra Stomper is, as noted, a larger-scale solo release for Marvel Legends.  He’s larger than the usual deluxe release, and is at the same price point as the Surtur figure from the Infinity Saga line.  By far, he is the largest of the What If…? associated figures at this time.  The figure stands just shy of 9 1/2 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  In many ways, this figure’s construction is similar to Iron Monger, although it’s worth noting that there are no parts at all shared between the two figures.  Just similar structures, likely because they’re both big Iron Man-inspired designs that were in development by the same team at roughly the same time.  The Hydra Stomper sports an all-new sculpt based on its design in the show.  For this alternate universe armor, the designers have clearly put a lot of effort into homaging Tony Stark’s original armor in the comics (which also served as the basis of the Mark I in the MCU proper), with its bulkier build, the slightly different layout of the faceplate on the helmet, and the presence of the antenna on the shoulder.  What was that antenna for, by the way?  Research says it was for extending his range for radio signal.  Well, I guess it was the ’60s, and that was a bigger thing then.  It makes even more sense when you move it back to the ’40s, even.  Whatever the case, the original design is a fine starting point, and Steve was even seen using essentially just that armor in the aforementioned Bullet Points story, so it tracks.  For the purposes of the show, they’ve done a bit to more clearly sell the WWII-era military branding of the design.  Effectively, it looks like a Jeep that walks.  Unsurprisingly, I am okay with this.  The figure’s sculpt does a nice job of recreating the design from the show, and turning it into a hefty, impressive looking toy.  The line work is all pretty sharp, and he looks properly machined for the role.  Range of motion is a little limited at a few spots, as is expected with a figure this chunky, but he’s generally not too bad.  The roughest bits are definitely in the legs, especially at the knees and hips.  He also does need a little bit of care when it comes to making sure he can stay balanced, especially when the rocket pack is in place.  Said rocket pack is removable, and features posable thrusters.  It’s a decent piece itself, though it does fall off just a touch easier than I’d like.  As it stands, it’s not really possible to get Captain Carter on his back like in the show, even with the handhold present on his back, which I was a little let down by.  Hydra Stomper’s paint work is pretty basic for the most part, but it does what it needs to.  The few printed sections on the armor look nice, as does the slight variation in the exact color of olive drab.  Hydra Stomper is packed with two sets of hands (open gesture and fists), plus two blast effects for the rockets.  It’s not a ton, but he’s also a rather sizable figure, so he doesn’t really feel lacking.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Hydra Stomper is something that almost feels tailored to me, really.  I mean, it’s Steve Rogers in a big, boxy suit of armor with lots of utilitarian design elements and just a hint of Jeep.  And he’s green, even?  What’s not for me to like.  Unsurprisingly, he was the What If…? figure I was looking forward to the most, so of course he was also the last one I was able to get ahold of.  That’s just how it goes, right?  The final product isn’t without its flaws.  I wish he was a little more stable, and I wish it was easier to replicate Carter riding on his back like in the show.  I also kind of wish that they had gone the Monger route and packed him with a pilot Steve figure, but I can see why that might have been seen as sales prohibitive this early in the game.  All those things don’t take away from the fact that I really, really like this figure, and I’m glad to have gotten both he and Captain Carter so quickly after the episode’s premiere.  He’s definitely very fun.

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.

#2950: Mobius

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

MOBIUS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Mobius M. Mobius is an Agent for the Time Variance Authority who specializes in the investigations of particularly dangerous time criminals.”

While prior MCU entries have had more direct stories to adapt, Loki was sort of a blender full of various ideas rattling around the Marvel Universe.  Among those ideas was the Time Variance Authority, a concept introduced into the comics by Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema, during Simonson’s run on Thor in 1986.  Initially, the staff of the TVA were all clones of real-world Marvel editor Mark Gruenwald, who had been instrumental at mapping out the Marvel multiverse, as well as cataloging its occupants via the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.  The TVA’s most prominent agent was Mobius M. Mobius, whose character was adapted as a major player in Loki, now played by Owen Wilson.  Wow.  And, despite just being another guy in a suit, he did get an action figure.  Double wow.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mobius is a Target-exclusive Marvel Legends offering.  He just started hitting Target shelves across the country in the last few weeks, and he’s already being called a peg warmer, so we’re on track with how these things go, I suppose.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  I was all ready to write this one off as just being a pretty straight re-use of the Coulson body, but as it turns out, it’s actually not.  The arms and legs are the same, but the torso has been replaced with an all-new one, this time with a ball-joint at the middle, rather than the ab-crunch like before.  I’m not entirely sure why they made this change, but it is a little more posable when taking the jacket into account.  Oddly, despite this new sculpt getting him the proper belt buckle, he still has a standard shirt collar, instead of the one that goes all the way to the shoulders, as was the style for all of the TVA suits.  It’s largely hidden by the jacket, but still.  He does at least get the proper jacket with the inverted collar, so that’s cool.  Also, he gets an all-new head sculpt, of course, which sports a pretty spot-on likeness of Wilson in the role.  Weird broken nose and all.  The figure’s paint work is fairly bland, as is appropriate.  The application on the face is up to the usual standards these days, and looks quite lifelike.  I also quite like the patterning on the tie; it’s a nice extra visual touch for the character.  Mobius is packed with his tablet and pruning wand, both of which are pretty key to the character, and also seem like good choices for potential re-use if we wind up getting more Loki-based figures.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The fact that Owen Wilson hasn’t gotten an action figure up to this point seems odd, if I’m honest, so the fact that we actually got one here was nifty.  I also really liked Mobius as a character, so I was down for the figure pretty much as soon as it was shown off.  I wasn’t really jamming on it as a Target-exclusive, but it seems this one isn’t going to be quite so impossible to get, which I consider a plus.  I myself was able to snag one through Target.com, so I didn’t even have to leave home to get it.  He’s not breaking the mold or anything, but he’s still a generally fun figure, and it’s nice to have him to go with Loki and Sylvie.

#2949: The Watcher

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

THE WATCHER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Time.  Space.  Reality.  It’s more than a linear path.  It’s a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.  I am the Watcher.  I am your guide through these vast new realities.  Follow me and ponder the question…What If?”

First introduced during Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s second year on Fantastic Four, the Watchers have remained a consistent fixture in the background of the Marvel Universe.  Our central Watcher, named Uatu in the main universe, at least, participated in numerous prominent events, most notably the Galactus Trilogy, where he was forced to break his vow of non-interference to help save the planet from destruction.  Uatu became a fixture of Marvel’s What If…? title with its launch in 1977, serving as a host for the stories featured, much like Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone.  For the MCU’s animated adaptation of the concept, the Watcher is back in his central role as host, now voiced by Jeffery Wright.  And, in a rather fitting fashion, he’s also the central piece of the tie-in toy assortment as well.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Watcher is the eponymous Build-A-Figure for the Watcher Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s a perfect choice for the spot, since he’s got ties to (almost) all of the figures in the set.  This is the first time the Watcher has been included in Legends, and only his second time as a figure, following his Marvel Select figure from several years back.  He’s of course based on his show design, but the nature of that design does also give him the ability to work in a multi-faceted sense.  The figure stands 8 3/4 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  The mobility on the figure is a little bit restricted by the design, of course.  He’s got full articulation on the legs, for instance, but the rubber skirt piece pretty much means you’re not ever going to do much with them.  The arms at least have a little more room for range, though the right arm has been tweaked so that its articulation won’t break up the sculpt of the sleeve too much.  The sculpt is an all-new offering, clearly based on his main animation design.  I don’t know that there’s a ton of re-use potential here, but I suppose some of it could be repurposed if they wanted to do an Armored Watcher…that’d actually be pretty cool.  The sculpt is a pretty decent one.  He captures the character’s on-screen design pretty well, while still fitting in pretty nicely with the line as a whole in terms of styling.  In particular, I think the head has turned out very nicely.  He’s got a neutral expression that doesn’t seem like it’s doing too much, but has some subtleties to it when you look at it more closely, much like a proper Watcher sculpt should have.  The Watcher’s paint work is overall pretty basic.  Mostly, it’s just molded colors, like the rest of the assortment, but there’s some nice work on the head again, which gives him a fair bit of character.  The Watcher is without any extras or accessories, but I’m not sure what there would be to give him, and he’s honestly an accessory himself, so it’s not a big deal.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Watcher is one of those important characters from a story perspective that doesn’t really make for the easiest toy translation, since he, by design, doesn’t really do much action oriented stuff.  The Marvel Select kind of fulfilled what need there was for him, but that one got very hard to find, and he started to look a little out of place with some of the newer stuff.  An update’s not a bad thing, and I was actually pretty happy to see him turn up here.  The end product isn’t amazingly playable or exciting, but he’s a solid piece, and he looks very nice with the rest of the set.

I like this set quite a bit overall.  Captain Carter is definitely the star piece for me, with Zombie Cap not too far behind.  Strange and Sylvie are both solid figures that are only held back by a few small things.  Heist Nebula is a fun, if not essential piece.  Zombie Hunter Spider-Man is at least an okay basic Spider-Man under it all, if nothing else.  T’Challa’s really the only weak link, and it’s not even that he’s a bad figure, just sort of a messy one with limited applications.  And The Watcher’s really one of the best choices for a Build-A-Figure in a while.