Tag Archives: X-Men

#1270: Marvel’s Colossus

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

MARVEL’S COLOSSUS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Colossus transforms his body into armored steel to become a nearly indestructible force in combat.”

Does he really turn into steel?  That doesn’t seem right.  Sorry, critiquing the bio again.  Gotta stop with that; it only leads to madness. Today, I’ll be continuing my look at the latest X-Men-themed series of Marvel Legends, with a look at everyone’s favorite metal skinned Russian, Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Colossus is figure 1 in the Warlock Series of Marvel Legends.  This is Colossus’s third time as a Legends release, but the last one was an X3 figure, meaning there’s only one prior comic Colossus, who was released a whopping 14 years ago.  Needless to say, an update was long overdue.  Colossus is presented here in his costume from the Utopia era of X-Men, which is…well it’s hardly anyone’s first choice.  Hasbro’s released a handful of characters from this era (last series’ Kitty Pryde figure is one, technically), so it’s not like he won’t fit in, but it’s also not one of his more more memorable designs, and looks a tad more generic than some of the others.  The thing that really bugs me about it is the black chevron on the torso.  Why is it there?  As it stands, it really just looks like an arrow pointing to his crotch, which is just odd.  Without that, I think it’d be a lot better.  It’s worth noting that this is the design that got used for Avengers Alliance, which seems to be a major influence on Hasbro’s costume choices.  There’s also a good chance that we’re seeing something of a trial run with this figure, and that a more classic Colossus will show up in short order.  The figure stands just shy of 8 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  Colossus is debuting a new base body, which looks to be a replacement for the Wrecking Crew body in terms of scaling.  It’s about at the mid-point between Hyperion and Terrax.  It’s a pretty decent sculpt, with a nice, solid foundation.  It feels a little lightweight to me, but it’s certainly a step-up from the bodies on either side of it.  I look forward to seeing what else it might be used for.  Colossus gets character specific arms and boots, as well as an all-new head.  The arms are really nice, and I quite like the posing on the hands.  The bracers are separate pieces, so clearly Hasbro’s made it easy to swap them out should these arms be used for one of the other Colossus designs.  The boots are a decent enough recreation of the comic design, but for me the best part of them is how flat the bottoms are; this guy is really sturdy on his feet once you get them posed the right way.  The basic head is an okay piece on it’s own, but it sits a little high on the neck for my taste.  Some people have modded it so that the socket for the neck peg is a little further in, and it definitely improves the overall appearance, but it’s a slight bummer that he isn’t quite correct right out of the box.  Fortunately, there’s also a second head included.  This one is based on Piotr’s bearded look from Extraordinary X-Men, which is suitably unique.  The beard’s a good look for him, and the head sits a lot better on the neck.  This will definitely be my go-to for this figure.  The paint on Colossus is pretty solid overall. The best work is definitely on the metallic skin, which is not only clean, but also gets some great accent work.  The costume is a bit more prone to slop here and there, though nothing too bad.  It’s nice and bright, which is good.  In addition to the previously mentioned extra head, Colossus also includes not one, but two pieces of the Build-A-Figure Warlock.  One of them is his head, which means there are three heads in the packaging.  It doesn’t quite top the last Venom figure with his four heads in one package, but still.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I noted in my Polaris review, I called upon the help of my parents to track down the Warlock Series.  While I found a second Polaris, I’ve actually yet to see Piotr at retail, as he’s easily the set’s second most popular after Cyclops.  So, this guy got mailed to me (along with a few other awesome figures that’ll be showing up here in short order).  The Toy Biz Colossus was easily one of my favorite TB Legends, so this guy had a high bar to clear in that respect.  When the figure was first shown, I was a bit letdown by the costume choice, but I think that actually works in his favor.  With the new costume and the bearded head, this Colossus is suitably different from the last one, which means he not so much a replacement as he is just a brand new figure.  That’s sort of forced me to weigh him on his own merits.  He’s definitely a fun figure, and probably my second favorite single release in this series.  I look forward to the eventual classic version down the line, but am content with this one for as long as I need to be.

#1269: Marvel’s Cyclops

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

MARVEL’S CYCLOPS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Scott Summers wears a specially designed visor and shoots beams of energy from his eyes as the optically-gifted hero, Cyclops.”

Ooooooohhhhhh yeeeeaaaaaaahhhh!  It’s Cyclops!  And it’s not just any Cyclops.  No, no: it’s THE Cyclops.  This is the one.  From the ‘90s.  ‘90s Cyclops: tell your friends.

Cyclops is no stranger to Marvel Legends.  He’s actually had six prior Legends figures (and that’s *just* the official Legends-branded releases).  The problem?  None of them were quite right.  Both of the Toy Biz attempts were far less than stellar, and while Hasbro’s attempts have been steadily getting better, they all had something off about them.  Be it the simple misfortune of being released while Hasbro was still learning (the first Astonishing Cyclops), poor design choices (the TRU First Appearance Cyclops), or just an incredibly limited release (the Puck and Jubilee Series figures), he just seemed unlucky.  My personal favorite was the Marvel Now version from the Jubilee Series, but in addition to his (and the rest of the series’s) scarce distribution, he was also sporting a far from standard Cyclops design.  The latest series of Marvel Legends has done its best to amend this.  Let’s see if they succeeded.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops is figure 5 in the Warlock Series of Marvel Legends.  Scott is one of the assortment’s two “headliners” with the other being Old Man Logan.  He’s based on Scott’s early ‘90s Jim Lee-designed costume, which is considered by a lot of people to be the definitive design for the character, thanks largely to its presence on the ‘90s X-Men cartoon.  It’s rife with ‘90s goofiness, with straps and pouches galore.  Nevertheless, there’s just something about this design that is really commanding.  The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Like the last three Cyclopes from Hasbro, this figure is built on the Bucky Cap body.  Lee’s Cyclops was generally a little bulkier, so I feel like something like the Spider-UK body wouldn’t have been out of place here.  Of course, the last three versions of this guy were all on the same body, so I can definitely see Hasbro’s desire to keep the character consistent, and it’s not like I dislike the Bucky Cap body.  The figure is constructed in much the same way as the Marvel Universe take on this design; all the straps and such are add-on bits.  This is the area where this figure is the weakest.  While the basic sculpts are okay, they don’t sit quite the way they should.  The wrist bits are perfectly fine, and the thigh straps are passable (they pop out of place, but not too often).  The bootstraps fall down a lot, but you can work them up the calf gradually so that they stay a bit better.  The biggest issue is definitely the belt/straps.  They’re too loose and the belt in particular sits at an odd angle.  In Hasbro’s defense, if they made the piece too tight, the torso articulation would be quite limited; apart from a dedicated torso sculpt, their options were limited.  Even with the issues, the right posing and futzing with the pieces gets the figure to the point where he looks pretty darn awesome.  Adding to the awesomeness is the head sculpt; I thought the MU sculpt for this design was pretty on point, and I was also a pretty big fan of Toy Biz’s take, but man does this sculpt blow them out of the water.  It’s clean, and every detail is really sharp.  From the shape of the visor to the flow of his hair, this is a pitch-perfect representation of Scott from the ‘90s.  Easily the strongest head sculpt Hasbro’s put out on a Legends figure.  The paint on Cyclops is really solid.  Not perfect, and he could still use some accent work here and there, but the colors are really vibrant, and this guy just pops.  It’s worth noting that the visor is done in gold, which sometimes annoys me on Cyclops figures, but they’ve matched the shade of the gold to the yellow on the rest of the figure, so it reads as the same basic color, just like it does in the comics.  Cyclops includes no accessories of his own, which is a slight letdown.  Given the prevalence of energy effects with recent Hasbro offerings, I was sort of hoping for an extra head with some sort of optic blast attachment, but alas, no luck.  On the plus side, he’s packed with the other leg of Build-A-Figure Warlock, which is one of the bigger pieces.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Oooooh boy, was this guy illusive.  As soon as the news broke that these figures were hitting Target, I started checking for them.  This guy was by far my most wanted of the singles in this set.  Of course, like with last year’s Rogue figure, I was far from alone in that respect.  For several weeks, I arrived just after someone else in the area, seeing every other figure but this guy.  Word broke that these guys were starting to hit Walgreens a little early, so on a whim, I stopped by one while I was out with Super Awesome Girlfriend.  I wasn’t expecting to find him, but before I even made it all the way down the aisle, I saw his colors, and there he was, right at the front of the shelf.  I may or may not have skipped out of the store after paying for him….

This is my favorite Legends figure to date, which is no small feat.  He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s everything I wanted from a Cyclops Legends figure.  This is the Cyclops I’ve been waiting for since 2002, and I couldn’t be more happy to have him.

#1268: Marvel’s Polaris

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

MARVEL’S POLARIS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Magnetic, electric, and gravitic fields are no match for Polaris, a super being with the ability to control and manipulate magnetism.”

Remember how much of a “finally” figure Sunfire was?  Yeah, he’s about to be topped.  Today’s focus is Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, who may or may not be the daughter of Magneto (they’ve gone back and forth on that a few times).  She’s had only three figures in the past and two of those three were nothing more than Rogue repaints.  And, on top of that, she’s never had a Marvel Legends figure, which has been rather frustrating to me, since she and Havok are two of my favorite X-Men.  But here she is!  Let’s get this figure reviewed!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Polaris—sorry, *Marvel’s* Polaris—is figure 4 in the Warlock Series of Marvel Legends.  Polaris has had a number of rather different looks over the years.  Like Dazzler, there are some dueling opinions about which look deserved to get a figure first.  Hasbro’s opted to go with a more classic incarnation of the character, specifically the more modern take on her original design, from the period when she and Havok were galavanting around in space with the Star Jammers.  It’s a decent choice, since it can work in both modern and classic set-ups pretty well.  I do wish we had a Havok that matched up with her (I’ve become increasingly bummed that the Juggernaut Series Havok didn’t at least include an extra headband-wearing head), but she doesn’t look horribly out of place with the last one.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Polaris is built on the Phoenix body (albeit with a slightly modified upper torso to add a peg hole for the cape), which is a pretty good starting point.  She’s got a brand new head…I think.  A few people have claimed she shares her face with Scarlet Witch.  The facial structure on the two is certainly similar, but I’m not sure it’s identical.  At the very least, the head would have needed some sizable retooling, as the two hairpieces affix differently.  Regardless, the head sculpt is pretty decently handled.  It’s not my go-to look for Polaris, but she matches up pretty well with the depictions of her when she had this costume.  Lorna also gets add-on pieces for her cape and wrist bands.  The cape looks to be new.  I’m not super crazy about how it sits on the shoulders, but it’s a decent piece overall. Certainly one of Hasbro’s better capes. The bands are taken from the ‘90s Jean Grey from the Rocket Raccoon Series, and while they aren’t a 100% match for the comics design, they’re close enough to work.  As far as paint goes, Polaris is about what we’ve come to expect from the recent Legends figures.  The work is all nice and clean, and the colors are pretty vibrant.  my figure’s got a small spot of green in the middle of her left hand, which is slightly annoying, but the placement is such that it’s not super noticeable.  On the plus side, the face in particular is a lot cleaner than some of the prior Legends, and I like the accent work on the hair.  I do wish the hair was a bit brighter, just to stand out a bit more, but the shade of Lorna’s hair has shifted a lot in the comics, and this one is certainly still an accurate choice.  Polaris is packed with a pair of energy effects pieces.  These are the same ones used for both Havok and Wonder Man, and they’re starting to get a little worn, if I’m honest.  I mean, they work alright for Lorna’s power set, and the green is cool, but they feel slightly redundant here.  Maybe if the same pieces weren’t used for Havok, a character she’s pretty much guaranteed to spend all of her time with on the shelf, I’d be slightly more forgiving.  Isolated from the re-use, they’re still pretty cool, so I guess it’s fair.  Lorna also includes the right leg of the Build-A-Figure Warlock.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Technically, this is the second of this figure that I got.  When the Warlock Series first started hitting stores, I enlisted the help of my parents to try and track them down.  They ended up finding Polaris and Colossus for me at a Target nearer to them.  Of course, they live about 10 hours away, which means any figure they get for me has to be shipped down, so there was a bit of a wait involved.  In the mean time, I was looking for the other figures and came across a second Polaris, and since she was the one figure in the set that my Dad also wanted, I picked up the second and let him keep the one he grabbed for me.  Yay?  Anyway, I’m glad to have this figure.  I like Lorna a lot, and getting a Legends version of her, especially in essentially her classic costume, is really great.  Of course, I wouldn’t say no to X-Factor versions of her and Havok, if Hasbro’s feeling generous…

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

#1267: Shatterstar

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

SHATTERSTAR

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Armed with superhuman physical and mental abilities, Shatterstar conquers his enemies with strength and certainty.”

Can you get more ‘90s than Shatterstar?  Created by Rob Liefeld?  Check.  Name made up of two unrelated “kewl” words?  Check.  Weird head gear?  Check.  A single eye tattoo?  Check.  A hairstyle that no human who ever lived has had?  Check.  Shoulder pads and pouches?  Check and check.  All this dude needs is a leather jacket, a giant gun, and a can of Surge, and he’ll check off the whole list.  As a paragon of all things ‘90s, he was a pretty popular guy back in the day, and got a whole three action figures from Toy Biz’s ‘90s X-Force line.  However, since then, he’s sort of fallen down (well, aside from a pair of Minimates).  With that being said, there’s been a slight resurgence of some of the ‘90s stuff, leading to Shatterstar being fortunate enough to get a figure courtesy of Hasbro’s latest set of Marvel Legends.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Shatterstar is figure 2 in the Warlock Series of Marvel Legends, taking the X-Force slot established by Stryfe and Cable in the last two series.  This is the first time he’s had a Legends figure, which actually seems a little surprising, given his popularity in the ‘90s.  In terms of design, he more or less goes back to the original Liefeld look.  I know there was a contingent that was hoping for his more recent X-Factor look (I myself was sort of pulling for that look), but if Shatterstar’s only going to get one Marvel Legend (which seems rather likely), you kind of *have* to do the ridiculous ‘90s monstrosity.  On the plus side, they really did make it suck a lot less than it could have.  I think that’s partly to do with them actually drawing the main influence from the Marvel: Avengers Alliance design for him, which is a nice, cleaned up version of his original design.  The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation.  He’s built on the Bucky Cap body, specifically the Doctor Strange variation of it, which works nicely to replicate his poofy shirt.  Also aiding in the poofy shirt bit are the new arms, which are built similarly to the normal ones, but with lots of wrinkles.  I do wish his arms could sit a bit closer to the arms, but that’s a minor complaint.  He’s also got the flared glove pieces, which are bulkier than the ones seen on Zemo and Boomerang.  The lower half is mostly the basic pieces, with add-ons for the belt and thigh pouches (which are kind of a necessity), and a pair of brand new boots (which Super Awesome Girlfriend has classified as “fabulous”).  He’s topped off with an all-new head and an add-on for his scarf/halfcape/shoulderpad.  The single shoulder pad has always perplexed me.  It would make sense if he favored one arm over the other in sword fighting, but he’s pretty much always dual wielded, so, what’s the deal?  To Hasbro’s credit, the shoulder pad sports some pretty sweet detailing, so good on them for that.  The head sculpt is commendable in its ability to faithful recreate Shatterstar’s goof hair and headgear without getting too laughably bad.  They’ve gone for a calmer facial expression than Liefeld would have given him, but it’s actually one that better fits the persona Shatterstar took on after Liefeld left the book.  Shatterstar’s paint work is really solid.  The basic color work is ask nice and clean, with only minor coverage issues on the legs.  The brown bits have all been given a bit of a wash to accent the details, which once again shows how nice a Hasbro sculpt can look with the tiniest bit of extra accent work.  It’s worth noting that Hasbro did tweak Shatterstar’s colors a little bit, making the gloves and scarf a light grey instead of the straight white they were in the comics.  It’s only a minor change, and honestly, it helps to break up the colors a bit more than they otherwise would be.  Shatterstar was packed with a pair of swords; since Liefeld could never make up his mind about whether Shatterstar’s swords were two bladed or just one single blade, Hasbro’s been nice enough to give us one of each.  Aside from possibly benefiting from a little bit of paint, the swords are pretty cool, and Shatterstar has an easy time holding them.  The figure also includes the right arm of Warlock, who is shaping up to be pretty cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I know I’m hyper-critical of the ‘90s, but I do have an appreciation for Shatterstar as a character.  When he was announced, I was actually pretty excited, especially after how well the Juggernaut Series Cable turned out.  Shatterstar was nearer the end of my discoveries of this set; I found him at the slightly further away Target near me, which had just put out a case, albeit one that was already missing Cyclops.  While I’d still like to see the X-Factor version at some point, this guy, like Cable before him, is a lot better than I’d expected.  Once again, the Rob Liefeld character is one of the stronger figures in the series.  How do they keep doing that?

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

#1266: Sunfire

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

SUNFIRE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A master of solar energy, Sunfire converts solar radiation into powerful plasma outputs, perfect for scorching his enemies.”

Alright!  Sunfire, getting his action figure due!  Seriously, and Minimate and a Marvel Legend, both in less than a year?  That’s not bad for a guy who’s essentially the Pete Best of the All-New, All-Different X-Men. Believe it or not, this actually brings his total action figure count up to seven, which just goes to show that being an X-Man, even briefly, has its perks.  Let’s just look at the figure already!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sunfire is figure 6 in the Warlock Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s definitely one of the “it’s about time” figures in this set (there are quite a few of them this time around).  This is actually his second time getting the Legends treatment; Sunfire one the 2008 fan poll Hasbro ran, and was offered later that year as a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive.  However, that figure was based on the character’s look from the Age of Apocalypse cross-over.  Not a bad design, but hardly Sunfire’s go-to.  This figure instead offers him in his classic costume, which he’s worn off and on for 47 years.  It’s definitely an eye-catching design, and, in my opinion, the only real Sunfire design.  I’m glad Hasbro agreed.  There have actually been a number of slight variations on the design over the years (the character tends to go a bit of time between appearances, and rarely is drawn by the same artist twice in a row).  This version seems to be most closely modeled on Alan Davis’s rendition of the character from around the mid-90s.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and sports 34 points of articulation.  Sunfire is built on the new base body that was debuted on ANAD Spider-Man 2099…who I haven’t yet reviewed, so I guess it’s new here!  Sizing-wise, it’s between the Pizza Spidey and Bucky Cap bodies, leaning nearer to the Bucky Cap.  He’s a bit leaner overall, but with a more solid core.  It’s actually a pretty solid choice for Sunfire, who tends to be placed on bodies that are far too skinny for him.  This one lives up to the usually stockier depictions we’ve seen of him.  He gets a new head and belt piece.  The belt sits a little funny at times, but the head is one of Hasbro’s stronger sculpts.  They actually managed to make the mask not look completely ridiculous!  Like Nova, his lower face is a separate piece from the rest of the head, which prevents that whole area from getting to be ill-defined, as can often be the case with such designs.  If you want to get really technical, Sunfire should have also gotten new arms and legs to replicate the scaly texture his costume is supposed to have.  That being said, just how present that texture should be is one of those things that changes from artist to artist, and I can see why sculpting all those new parts just for Sunfire would be a bit excessive.  He really doesn’t look that bad with just the basic pieces, so I’m not really going to complain.  As far as the paintwork, Sunfire is largely pretty solid, with one little caveat: the white on the torso.  It looks fine, but the coverage is a little off, and I’ve noticed some chipping on my figure around the joints, which is worrying.  Aside from that, the paint’s all nice and sharp; the gold in particular is a nice shade, which stands out better from the red than a lot of golds would.  Sunfire is packed with a pair of fire effect pieces (the same ones included with the last Iron Fist figure), as well as the torso of Warlock.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After finding Dazzler, I saw none of these figures for another week or so.  The Target nearest me finally got in their case of figures, but by the time I got there, the only ones they had left were this guy and Old Man Logan.  Like Dazzler, I can’t say that Sunfire was at the top of my list for this set.  With that being said, having him in hand he’s a strong contender for my favorite individual figure in the series.  He’s just a nice classic design, executed really well.  I’m very happy to have this guy after all this time waiting, and I’m glad Hasbro really put the effort into making him so cool!

#1265: Dazzler

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

DAZZLER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Dazzler converts sounds into light and energy, preferring the rhythm of music as her primary source of sonic strength.”

Alright, are you guys ready to get pumped?  No?  Oh, okay.  Ummm, guess I’ll come back.

Ready now?  Good.  So, hey, you remember how I was spending all that time looking for those new X-Men Marvel Legends?  Well, I found them all, I’ve observed the proper trial period with them, and now, without further ado, I present Warlock Week!  We’re kicking off Warlock Week with Dazzler, the figure whose presence at SDCC ’16 first queued us in on the existence of this particular series.  She’s making her Marvel Legends debut here.  Let’s see how it turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dazzler is figure 3 in the third X-Men assortment of Marvel Legends, also known as the Warlock Series.  Dazzler’s an interesting character in that she’s had two main looks over the years.  They’re pretty divergent designs, and people tend to be a fan of one and not the other.  So, when the figure was revealed sporting her ‘70s disco-styled costume, there were more than a few disgruntled X-Men fans who wanted her Flashdance look from the ‘80s instead.  I can see Hasbro’s reasoning, really, since this design’s been getting the push in the last year or so, thanks to Dazzler wearing it during the first volume of A-Force, which sort of brought Allison back into the public eye. I’m one of those weird breed of people who would have been happy with either version of the character, so I’m pleased either way.  This figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall (thanks to the roller-skates) and has 27 points of articulation.  She’s built on the Phoenix body, which I think is probably Hasbro’s best female body they currently have on hand.  She gets an all-new head, upper torso, lower legs, and feet, as well as a cool little disco ball necklace add-on.  The new pieces mesh really well with the stock parts.  I think Dazzler might be the first time a figure has a credible excuse for baggy pants legs that go skintight at the thighs.  The head is a very nice piece; as has been the trend with Hasbro female figures as of late, she’s actually quite attractive.  Technically, the hair’s not quite the right style for Allison, but it’s a similar vintage, so it doesn’t look out of place (and I honestly like her a bit more this way).  It’s actually not far off from what Jean Grey was sporting as Phoenix, and conversely the recent Phoenix figure’s hair isn’t too far off from Dazzler’s classic ‘do, so perhaps a swap is in order.  The hair’s also been carefully sculpted to sit behind the popped collar of the torso, but in such a way that it doesn’t just have odd chunks missing from it or something.  The torso sculpt does a very nice job of adding her collar.  Some figures make the collar too thick, and while it’s obviously a little thicker here than it would be in real life, it’s not horribly off.  The feet give us a first for Legends: roller-skates!  They don’t actually roll (and I’m kind of glad; I can only imagine the nightmare of getting her to stand if that were the case), but they’re a fun addition nonetheless.  I do wish they’d made them removable, seeing as they weren’t always present with this costume, but I’d rather have them permanently attached than not at all.  In terms of paint, Dazzler is overall pretty solid, aside from a few small issues.  Really, I just sort of wish they’d used either silver or pearlescent white for the jumpsuit, since it was usually was drawn as if it were reflective.  The flat white’s not terrible, but I worry it will yellow over time, and it’s already suffering from some of the pieces not completely matching in shade.  Aside from that, her paint is really clean, and very vibrant, which is always appreciated.  Dazzler includes a microphone, an effects piece (the same one used for Scarlet Witch, but multicolored this time), and the left arm of Warlock.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After about a week of hitting up the two local Targets every other day, I ran across Dazzler all by herself, hiding behind the remnants of the Juggernaut Series.  It was a bitter sweet moment; it was cool to find Dazzler and all, but finding just her meant that I’d missed the first case of the rest of the series.  Admittedly, Dazzler wasn’t super high priority from this series (I mean, I was getting her no matter what, since my most anticipated figure in the set was the Build-A-Figure).  With that being said, getting her first, divorced from the rest of the set, allowed me to appreciate her on her own, and I have to say, she’s a really nice figure.  Here’s hoping they follow it up with the Flashdance version later down the line!

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

#1259: Colossus

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

COLOSSUS

MARVEL BOOTLEGO

Hey, remember when I reviewed those knock-off Lego mini figures last week?  Well, how about one more?  Last week’s mini figures were based on Game of Thrones, which is a property that Lego doesn’t, and never plans to, hold the license for.  Today’s focus, is a slightly different story, hailing from the Marvel side of things.  Of course, it’s still a character that doesn’t yet have an official Lego figure, which is why I’m reviewing a less legitimate version.  Without further ado, here’s that merry metal mutant, Colossus!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

As noted in the intro, this guy’s an unofficial product.  As such, he’s not strictly part of any series or assortment.  Also, unlike the prior BootLegos, he’s not part of a larger set that I can find.  The figure’s about 3 inches tall and has 5 points of articulation (though, there’s not really much movement in the neck, thanks to the hair).  If the height didn’t already cue you in, he’s patterned on the “Big Fig” body that was first introduced for the Avengers mover version of the Hulk.  While Colossus is usually depicted a little slimmer than the Hulk, this is actually how the character was depicted in Lego Marvel Superheroes, which gives him an extra sense of officialness, since any legit Colossus seems likely to be built this way.  What I personally find interesting is the fact that this guy’s a wholly original sculpt.  Every other one of these I’ve picked up has uses stock Lego pieces, but this guy’s totally unique.  I’m honestly curious if there’s actually a Colossus in the works from Lego, since it just seems odd for this one figure to be all-new.  If he really is a unique sculpt, he’s a very good forgery.  The sculpt is pretty solidly done, with all of the proper details outlined.  The only real issue I have is the hair, which has actual texture, which just doesn’t seem right for Colossus; it really should just be smooth.  A closer look at the piece makes it look like it might be an upscaled basic spiky hair piece, modified to fit the body.  That would certainly explain the extra details.  As nice as the sculpt work is, the paint does seem to be a slight step down.  red seems a bit deep in shade, and the edges are all pretty sloppy.  There’s also a splotch of red on his right arm, which is super distracting.  Lego’s well-known for their high standards of quality control, so this guy’s lack of said QC kind of shatters the illusion.  I mean, he’s not terrible, but he could be better.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up this guy at the same time as the GoT mini figures.  The vendor had a special deal for three basic mini figures and one Big Fig, which is what I opted to go for.  Colossus is one of my favorite X-Men, so I was hardly going to turn down the chance to get a Lego version of him.  He’s not quite as good as the other three, but he’s still pretty fun!

#1247: Rogue

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

ROGUE

X-MEN (TOY BIZ)

Another non-newest series of X-Men Marvel Legends X-Men figure?  Does this mean Ethan’s still looking for that freaking Cyclops figure?  No, actually.  Ethan found that freaking Cyclops figure yesterday afternoon.  He was very excited about that freaking Cyclops figure.  But, he also needs some time to properly appreciate those figures before jumping into the reviews.  Still, X-Men on the brain and all that, so let’s take a look at the back catalogue again.  We’re going even further back this time, and pulling out one of the old Toy Biz 5-inch figures.  Let’s look at Rogue!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Rogue was released in Series 6 of Toy Biz’s X-Men line, and was by far the most popular figure in the series.  She was actually quite rare for some time, but was eventually re-released as part of the KB Toys-exclusive Marvel Universe line.  The two figures are more or less identical.  I think mine may actually be the re-release, since the timelines line up best that way.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  The articulation count is a bit lower than other figures TB was producing at the time, mostly due to the upper cut action feature on her left arm, which removes the neck movement (to allow for the lever that activates the feature) and the left elbow movement.  It also limits the left shoulder a bit.  Not really sure why they opted to go for such an intrusive feature.  Rogue sported an all-new sculpt (which would later be re-used for Polaris).  It’s fairly standard for the time.  Nothing super amazing, but it’s a decent enough recreation of her Jim Lee look.  Her proportions are a bit weird; her hairs is really small, and her legs seem to make up a larger portion of her body than they should.  She’s also a bit on the boxy side.  But, like I said, fairly standard for the time, so I can’t judge it too harshly.  Missing from my figure is her add-on belt, which replicated her wacky asymmetrical thing from the comics.  Yay for asymmetry!  Rogue’s paint work is decent enough.  Everything is applied pretty cleanly and all of the important details are there.  I will say I’ve always found this figure’s color palette to be a bit washed out and dull.  I guess the cartoon and future figures just have made me expect this costume to be a bit warmer.  Rogue included no accessories, not even the weird ‘90s blaster thing that Toy Biz seemed to give to all of the other figures who they couldn’t think of anything better to give to.  Alas, I suppose she’ll just have to steal one from one of the other figures.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Rogue was one of the last “main X-Men” I got when I was growing up.  Most of the others had seen one or two re-releases, so getting them wasn’t too prohibitive.  I actually ended up getting the 10-inch version of her first.  Ultimately, I’m pretty sure I ended up with the Universe re-release when it hit.  I think she was a Christmas present from my parents if I’m not mistaken, likely from our first Christmas in the house I spent most of my childhood in.  She may not be the best Rogue figure I own, or even the first Rogue figure I owned, but I was really happy to get her when she was new.

#1242: Cyclops

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

CYCLOPS

X-MEN: CLASSICS (TOY BIZ)

I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks searching for the latest Marvel Legends Cyclops figure, with no luck so far (he’s the only one who illudes me.…).  Fortunately for me, I have an extensive backlog of figures I can pull from, allowing me to review a Cyclops just about any time I want to.  Heck, I can even review one that’s wearing the same costume!  In the same scale!  Isn’t that nifty?  I sure think it is!  So, without further ado, here’s a Cyclops figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops hails from the first (and sadly only) series of Toy Biz’s X-Men: Classics line.  Since they had launched Marvel Legends, Toy Biz had been using Spider-Man: Classics to release Spider-related characters in the same style, thereby clearing the way for Legends to release more obscure characters from elsewhere.  In 2004, they launched both X-Men: Classics and Hulk: Classics, in an attempt to do the same with those groups of characters.  Somehow, the X-Men got the short straw, and their line only lasted a single series before the team was rolled back into Marvel Legends (the line didn’t even last long enough for them to actually exit Legends, of course).  On the plus side of things, the line did manage to give us our first version of the X-Men’s stalwart field leader, Cyclops!  The figure stands a little over 6 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation.  Due to a light up feature, his neck movement is restricted to just a cut joint, and even then, it can only go so far in each direction.  It’s better than no movement at all, but frustrating that that this guy is hampered by the same issue that the 5-inch figures had finally moved past.  Cyclops had an all-new sculpt, based on his Jim Lee-era design.  Though every piece here is new, I’ve always thought he looked rather similar to the Legends Gambit in terms of aesthetics.  I have to wonder if they had a common starting point.  The sculpt is a bit of a mixed bag if I’m honest.  The head is definitely the strongest bit; it’s probably the best Cyclops sculpt that Toy Biz ever produced, and just encapsulates the character very well.  I wish the body lived up to it.  It’s not awful, but it’s very scrawny.  Sure, Scott’s long had the nickname “Slim,” but this seems a bit excessive.  It also doesn’t help that it’s the Jim Lee design, and Lee always depicted Scott as pretty solid.  The figure suffers from some rather obvious articulation as well (a common issue with TB figures of this era), which only makes the lankiness look worse.  The actual details of the costume are actually pretty nice, and the work on the boots in particular is really top-notch, so that’s a plus.    The paintwork on Scott is okay overall.  The work is mostly pretty clean, and there’s some pretty good accent work.  There’s the usual slight inconsistencies of accenting from piece to piece of the figure, and the head seemed particularly prone to chipping, but other than that it seems fine.  I think my biggest gripe is the shade of blue they used; it just seems too muted for Cyclops.  While Legends was all about the collector driven extras, the Classics lines went a little more toy-etic.  Cyclops included a stand that I believe is meant to replicate a portion of the Danger Room.  There’s a cannon hooked up to one side, and Scott can be hooked up to the pole on the other side.  There’s a box at the top of the pole with a plug that goes into Scott’s back, and a lever at the base of the stand.  When the lever is pulled, Scott spins 90 degrees and his eyes light up, and then the cannon “explodes” via a spring-loaded feature, simulating him hitting it with his optic blast.  It’s quite gimmicky, and never worked particularly well on my figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I first saw this figure, it was as part of Raving Toy Maniac’s coverage of one of the Toy Fairs.  He was there alongside Series 5 and 6 of the main Legends line, with no info as to where he would be showing up.  Eventually we found out.  Of course, 2004 was kind of when Legends was at its worst in terms of scarcity and scalpers, so I never actually saw this guy at retail.  That summer my family took a trip to the large KB Toys warehouse store located in Dover, which I had been to once before, and which housed a huge selection of figures going back almost a decade .  When we arrived at the store, it was cleared out and closed, which was more than a little bit of a bummer.  Feeling bad for me, my Dad tracked this guy down from an online vendor, and bought him for me (he likes to buy me Cyclops figures when I’m down.  It’s a thing).  He paid a whopping $15 with shipping, which is kind of laughable these days.  This figure’s not perfect, but he was one of my favorites for a good long while, and I still think of him quite fondly.

#1237: Black Queen Jean Grey

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

BLACK QUEEN JEAN GREY

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

I’ve spend the last week and a half hunting for the latest X-Men-themed series of Marvel Legends, which means I’m really in the mood to review some X-Men Legends.  Unfortunately, I haven’t exactly had much luck with finding those particular figures, so I’ll have to dig into my back catalogue to make up for it.  So, today I’ll be looking at one of Hasbro’s earlier X-Men figures, Black Queen Jean Grey!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Queen Jean Grey was released as a Toys R Us exclusive, in between the 2nd and 3rd series of Hasbro’s first run with Marvel Legends.  She was one of three such figures that year, and also one of the two of those three to be built on this particular body.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation.  This version of Jean was mostly created to get an extra use out of the Series 1 Emma Frost mold.  Without getting into it too much, the Emma Frost figure isn’t exactly popular with fans.  Were it not for the Legendary Riders Scarlet Witch, she’d easily be the most hideous Marvel Legends figure ever produced.  The body is oddly lanky in all the wrong places, has incredibly obvious joints and large hands, and just generally looks pretty fragile, not befitting the usual depictions of Emma in the comics.  So, the fact that this figure was built on that body was not particularly a point in its favor.  Also, it’s worth noting that, while Emma’s and Jean’s designs were originally pretty close, the Emma figure from Marvel Legends was based on her Astonishing X-Men design, which was a fair bit different from the design Jean was sporting as Black Queen.  The corset’s too short (and not actually a corset if you look closely), and she’s wearing pants, rather than the tights she had in the comics.  With that said, there are some new pieces that sort of help bridge the gap between designs.  The figure gets a new head sculpt, as well as a slightly tweaked clasp on the cape, to remove the original figure’s X-logo (of course, the one on the waist still remains, but whatever).  The head does a lot, and I mean A LOT, to carry this figure, despite the flaws of the body.  It’s definitely some top notch work, and easily the best work Hasbro put out in their first few years with the license.  It manages to capture the character of the Black Queen incarnation of Jean pretty much spot on, with that incredibly devious look she was sporting for most of her time in the identity.  It’s really good work.  The paint also does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of saving the figure from the body sculpt.  The over abundance of black helps to hide a number of the inaccurate details, as well as masking the joints and making the whole body flow just a bit better.  The paintwork is generally pretty cleanly handled, without too much bleed over or noticeable slop.  He palette is still flat, like a lot of the early Hasbro stuff, but it’s actually okay on this figure.  Jean was packed with a whip accessory, which I misplaced at some point over the years.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I found this figure when it was brand new, at a Toys R Us that no longer exists.  I can’t even say why I was there, truth be told, since TRU was going through a particularly depressing period where they stocked absolutely nothing anyone was interested in.  At the time, all of my Legends figures were coming from Cosmic Comix, KB Toys, or Walmart.  But, I was in a TRU, and they had this figure, so I got her.  After the Emma Frost and X3 Jean Grey figures, this was the first figure to make it clear that not *every* female figure from Hasbro was going to totally suck.  Despite her questionable origins, this figure is actually pretty great, and shows how much of a difference a simple palette swap can make.