Tag Archives: marvel universe

Apr 22 2012

Avengers: “Sword Spike” Thor by Hasbro

[Sure, I’ve been taking Sundays off lately, but this week I decided to press on with my look at the three Avengers figures I picked up this week. They’re nothing special, so I didn’t want to drag it out. Today will be Thor and then I’ll wrap it up tomorrow with Cap. That will also push this week’s MASK edition of Vintage Vault back to Tuesday. -FF]

Our second forray into Hasbro’s new 3 3/4″ Avengers figures brings us to the Lord of Asgard himself, Thor. This is another one of those “Concept Series” figures, since they seem to be the only kind I can find, and I’m still not entirely sure what the “concept” angle is all about, since ALL the figures come with those ridiculous weapons. Anyway, enough preamble, let’s see what we’ve got…
There’s the package and looking at it I find myself getting a sense of deja vous because… wait… didn’t I… yes, I did… I looked at a figure called“Sword Spike” Thor back when the Thor movie figures were out. In fact, that one was the only movie Thor figure I wound up buying. Talk about double dipping… shame on you Hasbro! The packaging is pretty much identical to the one we saw with Iron Man. The big difference is an insert in the bubble with a shot of the figure, but no “Try Me” hole on this one.
This version of Thor is essentially the exact same figure as the movie “Sword Spike” Thor only with less articulation, a sculpted helmet, and a permanently attached cape. There are some very minor coloring differences, for example the cape is brighter, but for all intents and purposes it is the same sculpt from the neck down. That having been said, it is still a great looking figure. There’s a lot of cool detail sculpted into his chest armor and even the little scales in his chainmail. The headsculpt is quite a good resemblance and I do like finally having a helmeted movie version of Thor, since I passed on the ones that came out previously. I am rather glad that Hasbro permanently attached his cape this time, as my movie Thor figure’s cape does not want to stay on for love or money. Most of the paintwork on this figure is fine, but there is some really sloppy red paintwork on the legs.
Articulation is almost the same as we saw on “Heavy Artillery” Iron Man. You get a ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders and hips. Hinges in the elbows and knees. In case you missed it, the big difference is that Thor only has hinges in the knees, rather than ball joints.
So, let’s look at “Sword Spike” Thor’s big weapon. Obviously its a… hey, wait a minute. There isn’t a sword anywhere in this package. Nope, just as you would not expect from the name, “Sword Spike” Thor comes with a big battle axe. As far as big stupid weapons go, this one isn’t all bad. I do kind of dig the gold, engraved axe head. Too bad it looks like its attached to a harpoon gun. There is a missile that shoots out of the top, which the package calls a “Launching Battle Spike” so at least there’s a spike in there somewhere, even if there is no sword. This version of Thor also comes with Mjolnir, which is essentially the same sculpt used for the movie figures.
Once again, this figure looks great, displays well, and he’s fun to play around with. The hobbled articulation at least adds a certain stability to the figure, but most collectors aren’t going to find that a worthy trade off. But here’s the real problem: If you’re holding this figure in your hand at the store, chances are  you can walk a couple of feet and find the same figure with better articulation on clearance from the Thor movie. And even if they aren’t on clearance, you’d still be getting the same figure with better articulation at the same price. This is the very reason why I wish Hasbro had varied the initial wave more. I’m very afraid that these figures are going to choke up the pegs and prevent us from getting movie versions of Hawkeye, Black Widow and Nick Fury. And even with that worry, I can’t recommend anyone run out and buy this one.
Apr 17 2012

Avengers: Quinjet by Hasbro

If you’ve gone out your door to any retail establishment in the past month, surely you’ve noticed the onslaught of Avengers merchandise. The toy aisles are certainly getting taken over, and while you have to cull through a lot of gimmicky crap to get to it, there is a fairly cohesive 3 3/4″ action figure and toy line to be found. A big hurdle Hasbro will surely face with Avengers is that they’ve already put out a lot of these figures already in their 3 3/4″ Marvel Universe, Thor, and Iron Man 2 lines. And that’s a big reason why I’ve passed these figures up the last bunch of trips to the toy aisle. I’ll circle back and get them eventually, but until then I thought we’d start out by taking a look at the Avenger’s Quinjet.

The Quinjet comes in a pretty big box with a little window showing the Iron Man figure that’s packed with it. While the packaging is nothing extraordinary, I have to say I really dig the overall presentation. The front panel shows an illustration of the jet along with profiles of The Avengers (well, the A-listers anyway. Hawkeye and Black Widow are nowhere to be found. Now you guys know how Antman and Wasp feel!) There’s a bit of a comic feel to the package with explosions declaring some of the features, like “Iron Man included!” and “2 modes!” Its nothing as gloriously obnoxious as the new Marvel Legends packaging, but it works. The back panel shows photos of the actual toy and some of its features, as well as some of the other toys and figures in the line. Let’s open her up, and slide out the cardboard tray…                                      
Wow, there’s a lot of empty space in there! The jet comes in four parts, so you’ll need to AVENGERS ASSEMBLE it! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Basically, you just have to attach the two wings and the tail section. You also get a simple instruction sheet and a small sheet of stickers. Yay, stickers! If you’re careful, you can actually get the tail section off again and store it in the box, which is a big plus for me, since I have zero shelf space to display this thing.
Let’s go ahead and get the Iron Man figure out of the way first. He’s a pack-in figure through and through, which means don’t expect to buy this and cross Iron Man off your list of Avengers figures to buy. He’s actually a pretty nice sculpt, but his paint apps are severely lacking. He’s cast in red plastic, so he doesn’t have that nice, glossy new car sheen that past Iron Man figures have had and he just has a bit of gold painted accents, most of which are rather sloppy. Mine has a random dab of gold on the side of his helmet! He also features the old school standard of five points of articulation. The head rotates, his arms rotate at the shoulders, and his legs rotate at the hips. All that having been said, I can’t help but feel a nostalgic charm eminating from this figure. He really does feel like an 80’s figure, and on some crazy level, I kind of dig it.
As for the Quinjet itself… keep in mind, I don’t recall actually having seen it in any clips from the film, so I’ll give Hasbro some credit and assume the design is pretty close to what we will see on screen. I do have to imagine that this toy is severely undersized, as it really only has room for two figures inside: One in the cockpit and one in the back, however there are pegs on the top, so you could conceivably crowd most of The Avengers on this thing. Its really more like a fighter than a transport. I get the diminished size thing, and it doesn’t bother me too much. Hasbro was obviously shooting for a certain price point here, so compromises had to be made.
While the design doesn’t really jive with what I tend to associate with the Quinjet from the comics, the toy is still pretty nice looking. There’s a lot of sculpted panel lines and tiny bolts, the deco is a pleasing charcoal, gold, and grey, and it has a pretty cool looking profile. I’m not crazy about the speckled yellow plastic used for the canopy, but its not a deal breaker.
The Quinjet has a few gimmicks and play features. Obviously, the canopy opens up so you can put a figure into the cockpit. The back also has a hatch that folds down to reveal a little area inside with a single chair. The three landing gear can be folded up or down, and there’s a little clear clip that pulls out of the side of the jet so that you can simulate a figure flying beside the jet, under its wing. The major action gimmick is the two-mode conversion. Slide the rear engines back and the cockpit drops down a bit, the wings reconfigure to show off the VTOL engines, and a missile launcher pops up out of the top and can rotate 360-degrees.

The Quinjet retails for $29.99 and that seems about right. There aren’t any electronics in it, and while you might expect to find them in a toy at this price point, I don’t miss them. Its size is a bit bigger than Hasbro’s Star Wars ships that retail for around $24.99. Its a fairly solid toy, except for wings, which feel a little flimsy.
There’s no doubt Hasbro struggled with this to keep costs down, but with cutbacks in articulation and entire figure lines being shit-canned, struggling seems to be a running theme with all toy companies in 2012. Nonetheless, the Quinjet is a pretty cool toy and if you don’t feel as though your Avengers have need of it, you can always repurpose it for your GI JOEs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hasbro does that at some point later down the line.
Apr 14 2012

Marvel Universe: Greatest Battles Comic Pack: Daredevil & Bullseye by Hasbro

I know… riiiight? You just made us suffer through an entire week of Marvel Legends and now its more Marvel? Sorry, folks, I post ’em as I get ’em and while I am genuinely trying to mix things up this week, I had to sneak this one in here. Besides, its been a while since I’ve looked at any of Hasbro’s Marvel Universe comic packs. In fact, I think the last time I did it was one of the initial Secret Wars assortment. Its not that I don’t love these things to death, but distribution of these in my area has been crap. Nonetheless, with my local Walmart once again stocking MU figures, This morning I was able to pick up one that I’ve been after for a while. Its a particularly great and unlikely release, since both Bullseye and Daredevil have been released as single carded versions. Bullseye was once ridiculously expensive, but then Hasbro included him in newer case revisions and he became more and more common. The single carded Daredevil continues to be pretty elusive and expensive, unless you want to settle for the peg-warming Shadowlands version. No, thank you, Hasbro. Not today.

Whether it be Star Wars, GI Joe, or Marvel, the packaging on these Hasbro comic packs is awesome. You take two figures and card them in front of a reprint comic book on a huge bubble and you have marketing genius. Its hard to believe these are done by the same company that pulled the comic reprints from Marvel Legends the moment they got a hold of the line.
The funnybook included in the package is Daredevil #132. I generally don’t read DD’s books, but I enjoy the character when he appears in events or crosses over into the other books that I do read. This ish is nothing special, but its an enjoyable read and a good choice for this pack as it has plenty of action between DD and Bullseye and you get some pretty good background info on what kind of guy Murdoch is if you aren’t all that familiar with the character. Its more or less one big fight between the two at a circus. Its definitely dated, and there are some really unintentionally funny lines because of it.
If you’re thinking that this Bullseye figure is a straight repack of the single carded version, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Generally speaking, I’ve found that the figures in these comic packs aren’t quite as good as the ones released single carded, but this one is a thousand times better than the carded release. Its a completely new figure, slightly bigger than the single carded one. The head sculpt is different, not necessarily better, just different. Both head sculpts are great so it just boils down to personal preference. What is certainly better, is this Bullseye has two working hands, rather than the playing cards molded into the left hand as with the solo release. This one comes with a gun and a dagger and he can hold them in either hand. If you really are keen on the playing cards, you can always swap the card hand on the other figure into this one and get the best of both worlds. The other really cool thing is the belt with functional holster and sheath for his weapons.
Another thing that is loads better about this comic pack Bullseye is the articulation, which is identical on both figures in this pack. You get ball jointed necks with that lovely extra hinge. The arms have ball joints in the shoulders, swivels in the arms and wrists, and double hinged elbows. The legs feature ball joints in the hips, swivels in the thighs,  and double hinges in the knees. The ankles are hinged and even have rocker joints! The torso’s swivel at the waist and are ball jointed at the chest. This is the kind of articulation that we should be getting in all the single carded figures, Hasbro. They are, afterall, more expensive per figure than these comic packs.
I don’t have quite as much to say about Daredevil, as I don’t own the single carded release to compare him to. And let’s face it, Daredevil isn’t the flashiest of costumed superheroes around. He’s mostly a guy in a maroon suit. I’m not usually a big fan of the paint wash that Hasbro uses on the MU figures, but in this case I think it turned out really well. It really adds definition to the sculpted muscles and allows the “DD” tampo on his chest to stand out a bit more. The headsculpt is excellent right down to his tiny little horn bumps. His belt is a separately sculpted piece and he has a pouch on his left leg to hold his batons, which can also be pegged together. As mentioned above, Daredevil has the same amazing articulation as Bullseye.
This pack cost $14.88 at Walmart, which is a pretty great deal. At $7.44 a figure and a free comic, you just can’t go wrong. These are without a doubt two of the better MU figures I’ve picked up in a while and they sport the best articulation I’ve seen in the line to date. These are the bucks that I wish Hasbro would use more often, particularly for the single-carded figures, which tend to cost more. Even having already owned the previous release of Bullseye, I am still thrilled to have picked up this set. Its fantastic.
Mar 28 2012

Marvel Universe: The Fantastic Four (Future Foundation Version) by Hasbro

Some time ago, I took a look at Hasbro’s Marvel Universe Fantastic Four set. This time we’re checking out the same set but with the variant paint jobs that place them in the Future Foundation costumes from the string of comics that immediately followed the much hyped death of Johnny Storm. Recently, I haven’t been much for double-dipping on variants and repaints, but given my undying and possibly unhealthy adoration for the Fantastic Four, this time I just couldn’t resist. Besides, I just really dig these uniforms! I’m going to go through this quick, so if you want a more detailed look at the original release of these figures, you can check out the original feature as linked above.

These are variants, rather than a brand new set, so the package is identical to the original release. There’s no mention of the Future Foundation anywhere and the artwork shows the characters in their regular blue costumes, just as it did before. Normally, I would cry foul and argue that Hasbro should have created a new set with FF Spider-Man replacing HERBIE, but this was never intended to be anything other than repaints, not something new. And besides, Future Foundation Spider-Man is on his way to the Marvel Universe as a single carded release, so I’m perfectly fine with that.
I’m still extremely happy with these new sculpts of Sue and Richard. Richard, especially so, since I was never terribly satisfied with the Secret Wars comic pack version. The Thing, on the other hand, has been pretty good in all his releases and this one is no different. Now is this Thing comic accurate? Sort of, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Obviously, its the paintwork that makes this set special. The Future Foundation uniforms are a huge departure from what we’re used to seeing the Fantastic Four wearing. If you don’t like them, then this set is an easy pass for you. I think they’re… dare I say it? Fantastic. No, I wouldn’t want them to become the standard garb from now on, but as a limited run, I really dig them. Hasbro did a nice job recreating the costumes on the Sue and Richard figures, as the lines are all nice and sharp.
The only problem is The Thing, who really should be wearing a tank top with the hexagonal insignia on his chest. Obviously, it would have required new tooling for the figure, which Hasbro wasn’t willing to do for this set. Again, its just a variant set, not meant to be new figures. I don’t mind so much, because while I love the uniforms on Sue and Richard, I’m not a fan of The Thing’s tank top. And in fairness, he doesn’t wear it in all the issues, so you can still say this set is comic accurate… to a point.

And yes… HERBIE is a straight repack. There’s nothing different about his paint job.
This set ran me $22 at Walmart, which frankly surprised me, since I was able to get the regular one at Toys R Us for a couple bucks cheaper. Its usually the other way around. And yet, seeing as how this is the first time I’ve seen this version on the shelves anywhere, I wasn’t going to quibble over two dollars. I’m actually just so glad that the local Walmart is carrying Marvel Universe again and I want to do my part to make it worth their while.
Mar 27 2012

Marvel Universe: Yellowjacket and Ant Man by Hasbro

Ah, Hank Pym… He’s one of my favorite Marvel characters because he’s probably one of Marvel’s most flawed and ultimately human constructs. Genius, tragic figure, hero, anti-hero, and quite possibly schizophrenic. How deeply disappointed I was to find he wouldn’t be playing a part in the Avengers film, but I suppose that goes without saying. He’s worn his share of alter-identities in his time, but Yellowjacket is one of my favorites, because I love the costume and its the way he appeared in the epic Marvel Civil War, one of my favorite comic book events of all time. So, let’s check out his Marvel Universe figure…

A cursory glance at the package will tell you that this guy isn’t exactly new. He’s from the Dark Reign inspired waves of Marvel Universe when Norman Osborne swept aside SHIELD and usurped the packages with his HAMMER emblem. The character artwork is decent enough and this release came from a time when you actually got a personalized stand and the envelope with a little collectible stat card and letter.
Yellowjacket’s costume is a combination of paintwork on a standard body, with some unique sculpting to form the shoulder pieces, and naturally a new head sculpt. I really dig the design of this outfit. Its fairly simple and yet very distinctive. The paintwork is overall pretty good, although the tampo for the Yellowjacket emblem on his chest is rather smudged. I’m also wondering how the figure would have looked with more of a traditional yellow, rather than the yellow-gold that is used. Not saying it would look better, but I’d be interested to see it.
The articulation is in line with the older MU figures, meaning its ok, but not great. You get ball joints in the neck, shoulders, and hips. The elbows are hinged and there are swivels in the wrists and biceps. The knees are double hinged and the ankles have hinges and swivels. You also get a ball joint in the torso. I really miss the swivels in the waist and upper thighs, but what’s here is still pretty serviceable.
Included as an accessory is the tiny little version of one of Pym’s other alter egos: Antman. If you picked up the Secret Wars comic pack with Doctor Doom, then you’ll no doubt remember the tiny Wasp included in that packet, and this is something along the same lines. Antman is just a tiny little static figurine, but the detailing and paintwork for such a little piece is really well done. I would be thrilled if Hasbro gave this guy the full sized figure treatment one day, as I think the sculpt would look fantastic.
I’ve been tempted many times to overspend and buy this guy online. Luckily I held out, because recently my Walmart started stocking MU figures again and he was one of the ones to hit the pegs first. I seriously think they must have had old cases of these figures sitting in the backroom the whole time. Either way, I’m not complaining because I was finally able to add him to my collection without paying a premium.
Mar 10 2012

Iron Man 2: (Comic Series) Iron Man Mark I and War Machine Figures by Hasbro

Marvel and Hasbro continue to blitz the toy aisles with their Iron Man 2 toys. I was really impressed with the first two figures I picked up, so I was eager to grab a few more while out shopping this week. Walmart had these things stuffed all over one of their action figure aisles and it took me an eternity to sort through the same three figures over and over again before I found the ones I was looking for, War Machine (#23) and the original Iron Man (#22). These are both from the Comic Series, although I would have been happy finding either these or the Movie Series versions. They also had Iron Monger, which looked nice, but I passed on him because he’s not in scale with the other figures.


Yep, once again, I love the packaging on these figures.

Let’s start with the original Iron Man. Hasbro really nailed the retro, primitive look of the original armor that Tony Stark cobbled together from spare parts. The sculpt obviously isn’t as detailed as the other figures in the line, but that just adds to this figure’s backwards charm as well as the fact that this design is from the comics and not the film. A lot of his rivets are sculpted into the mold, but apart from that and a few panel lines, most of the detail from this figure comes from the excellent paint apps. The figure is molded in matte gray and its scattered with silver and rust colored scratches giving the armor a nice worn and weathered look.

Despite the intentionally clunky sculpt, Hasbro worked most of the normal articulation into this figure. He has a ball jointed neck, as well as ball joints in his shoulders, elbows, upper legs, ankles and upper torso. He also has double hinged knees and his wrists swivel.

This version of Iron Man comes with a sculpted clear orange repulsor beam effect that fits over his closed fist. I’m not a big fan of these simulated fire accessories, but so long as it can be tossed aside, they don’t really bother me. He also comes with the three armor cards and a stand with a peg for the figure and a slot for the three armor cards.

Next up is War Machine, and this is definitely my favorite figure in the line so far. The sculpt is absolutely fantastic. This figure is part of the Comic Series, so the figure is a lot less angular than the film version of the suit with the upper arms and legs retaining a more muscular organic look. Besides a ton of detail in the sculpt, this figure has some nifty features like flip up shoulder plates to free up his arm articulation and two shoulder mounted weapons (a gatling gun and a rocket launcher) that swing up from his back into firing positions. He also has a pair of guns molded into his right forearm. The coloring on this figure is also pretty sweet. He’s a mix of matte silver and dark gray with some blue wash that gives his heavily plated parts a gunmetal blued finish.

War Machine’s articulation is the same as the other figurs in the line, featuring a ball jointed neck, as well as ball joints in his shoulders, elbows, upper legs, ankles and upper torso. He also has double hinged knees and his wrists swivel. While his flip up shoulders give him greater arm movement, some of his other sculpting inhibits articulation a bit, but not enough to spoil the figure.

War Machine comes with the three armor cards and the same exact stand as Iron Man. He also comes with two clip on pieces for his shoulder weapons to make them look like they are firing. I’ve already mentioned that I’m not a big fan of these, but I have to admit the one with the tiny rockets molded into it looks pretty cool.

Unfortunately, my fears over the assortments on this line is playing out, but I probably shouldn’t complain since I was able to find the exact two figures I set out to get. I just don’t know how many less determined people are going to flip through dozens of the same couple of figures before finding what they want. And even then, there is going to be a derth of the same figures hanging on the pegs once the less common stuff has been mined out. That having been said, this overall line continues to impress me.

 

Feb 24 2012

Marvel Universe: Storm by Hasbro

When I first saw the breakdown of this newest wave of Marvel Universe figures, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the roster. Psylocke was a good pick, Iron Fist and Shadowlands Daredevil were easy passes, and Marvel’s Patriot didn’t get me too excited. There was, however, one shining star in the batch and that was Storm. Sure, she’s basically the same figure that was released in that TRU exclusive X-Men set, but I wasn’t about to buy the whole set for just two figures in the set that I needed (Storm and Nightcrawler). Let’s check her out!

Yesterday, we saw the subtle changes made to this wave’s Marvel Universe packaging with Psylocke. Storm also comes with one of those ridiculous little “Collectible Comic Shot.” I’m much happier with Storm’s character art than I was with Psylocke’s questionable portrait. The back of the card features the usual little bio-blurb and our new friend Deadpool with a unique quote for this cardback: “Fetch me a churro.” Oh, Deadpool, don’t ever stop being you!
Out of the package, we find that Storm uses the same basic body as yesterday’s figure, Psylocke, and uses only paintwork to make up her costume and skintones. She does, however, have a newly sculpted cape, which goes a long way to make her costume more unique. Storm’s headsculpt really is fantastic, and I have to say one of the better ones Hasbro has churned out in this line, particularly from the female side. They really captured Ororo’s characteristic beauty, her long mane of white hair, and her trademark headdress. Storm is definitely one of those figures that gets away with heavy reuse and yet still manages to pull it off without me giving it a second thought.
Articulation? Dejas Vous! Storm shares the same body as Psylocke so articulation is identical. You get ball jointed neck, shoulders, and hips. You get hinges in the elbows, knees, and ankles, and you get a ball joint in the torso.

Storm comes with two soft plastic lighting pieces that clip onto her wrists and make for a pretty decent effect. I don’t usually display my MU figures with these energy pieces, but Storms look good enough for me to make an exception.
Storm set me back $15 shipped. Again, its pretty damn steep for a 3 3/4″ figure that reuses a standard body, but considering how many figures in this wave I’m passing on, I’m still coming out ahead of the game. Psylocke was an ok figure, but Storm is pretty fantastic. She’s a great addition to my MU X-Men shelf and I’m so happy that I didn’t have to buy the TRU exclusive set to get her. I’m also pretty plesed to finally be able to take that terrible Secret Wars Storm off my table as a placeholder in my collection.
Feb 23 2012

Marvel Universe: Psylocke by Hasbro

I had other plans for today but seeing as how I’m gearing up for a very special Marvel Legends Week (starting next week… spoilers!) I wanted to get these two Marvel Universe figures out of the way sooner rather than later so that y’all aren’t all too marveled out. I’m opting not to pick up this wave in its entirety. In fact, the only figures I am picking up are the two ladies in the assortment: Psylocke and Storm. We’ll check out Psylocke today and Storm tomorrow.

Looks like the standard Marvel Universe packaging. But wait! We’ve got some new design elements here. The front of the package now boasts a “Collectible Comic Shot” where the SHIELD logo used to be, but more on that in a minute. My favorite change to the package features Deadpool on the cardback making a random wise-ass comment for each figure in the wave. In this case: “What am I? Leftovers?” No doubt referring to the fact that he hasn’t seen a single carded release since the Wolverine Origins line. I love it. Sorry, but to me Deadpool is like bacon, in that he makes everything better. Ok, except for Wolverine: Origins. Moving on… Psylocke’s character art on the front of the card is downright terrible. Not sure what happened here, but I’m just not digging it.
The “Collectible Comic Shot” has to be one of the most worthless ideas ever because all it is is a tiny little cardboard insert with some miniscule character art on it. WTF Hasbro? Is this supposed to make up for the fact that you aren’t including figure stands in the packages anymore? I seriously don’t care about the lack of stands because I prefer to use generic clear stands, but to call attention to these cards as if they’re some kind of cool collectible is ridiculous.
Moving on to the figure, Psylocke is basically one big kitbash and while part of me thinks the character deserves better, ultimately I think the final result works pretty well. You get the same generic female MU body that was used for Ms. Marvel, so Psylocke doesn’t benefit from any of the newer points of articulation. And speaking of Ms Marvel, you also get a straight reuse of the modern Ms Marvel’s red sash. The only thing new here is the head, which at first I thought was going to be a resculpt of Jean Gray, but happily that’s not the case. The paintwork is overall good on my figure. There’s not much slop or bleeding as is sometimes the case with the MU line. However, the paint used for her lower legs doesn’t look the same as the rest of her costume. Close, but not quite.
Psylocke comes with a couple of translucent purple accessories. First you get a web of psychic energy that clips nicely onto her wrists. The effect is pretty good, and let’s be honest, its a huge plus that we just didn’t get that stupid energy funnel that comes with every other Iron Man and Spider-Man figure in the Marvel Universe. She also comes with an energy katana construct, which she can hold nicely in her left hand.
Articulation includes a ball jointed neck, ball joints in the shoulders and hips, hinges in the elbows, knees, and ankle, and a ball joint in the torso. She has serviceable poseability, but I really wish Hasbro would get more consistant in using the extra articulation that they’ve been adding to the line every now and again.
Psylocke seems to be one of the harder figures in this wave to find. I wound up picking her up online for about $15 with shipping. Its kind of steep for what she is, but considering I’m only picking up two figures in this assortment, I was willing to splurge rather than worry about missing out on her. She’s not going to blow anyone away, and you diehard Psylocke fans would probably be justified in complaining about the reuse of parts, but in the end I’m happy with how she turned out.
Feb 3 2012

Marvel Universe: Masterwork Galactus Figure by Hasbro

It’s taken me a long time to finally get my hands on this figure. I shyed away from ordering it online because it was so friggin expensive to ship. I had it in my hands at Toys R Us a whole bunch of times, but I always opted to pick up four or five figures that I needed over this one, single beauty. And then, naturally, when I was finally ready to buy him, he was gone. I hunted him at three TRUs and he had already been replaced by The Sentinal figures and he was starting to go for a premium online. Thankfully, an online retailer that I’ve done business with a bunch of times was able to set me up with one at the original retail price and didn’t beat me up on shipping too badly either.

So the other day the postman dropped him off outside my door and when I went to retrieve him I was pretty taken back by the sheer weight of the package. Yeah, like I said, I had him in my hands at the store a couple of times and still every time I pick him up I’m impressed by the heft on this figure. He was shipped to me in the original Hasbro casepack, which holds two, which means it must have required super strength just to get it from the stockroom to the shelves. Yeah, I’m exaggerating a bit, but it is a weighty figure. In a perfect world, dealers selling this toy would have to mail you the Silver Surfer figure a few days ahead of time so that he could herald the coming of Galactus to your home. But, alas, no.
The packaging is a thing of beauty. It’s a massive slab of a box littered with gorgeous Marvel artwork. Lift up the flap and you can see Galactus and the tiny, by comparison, Silver Surfer in all their splendor. Naturally, there’s a “Try Me” hole so you can hear the mighty Galactus threaten and taunt you without even having to take him out of the package. Honestly, the speakers are mostly located on the back of the toy, so he does sound rather muffled when he’s still boxed up, so let’s get this sum’bitch out and witness him in all his glory. The box is very collector friendly and you can slide the whole tray right out of the package. A bunch of twisty-tie untying later and I had a figure that is not big enough to devour worlds, but big enough to send FigureFeline running for his goddamn life. Seriously, he was terrified of this thing for a while and then was just content to nest in the tray that I discarded on the floor.
Let’s get the Silver Surfer out of the way first. He’s a great figure, but let’s face it, by definition there isn’t much to him. He features a pretty standard and early version of the MU buck painted with a nice, shiny silver. There are some black paint apps around his eyes, but that’s about it. I actually picked up this figure carded a while back but opted to leave him in package because I knew one day I would have a loose one when I bought his oversized cosmic master. The surfboard isn’t the same shade of silver, but rather more like a matte grey. It has two pegs for Norrin to stand on, which brings us to Surfer’s articulation…
Norrin sports the older degree of articulation from the MU line. He has ball joints in the neck, shoulders and hips, double hinges in the knees, hinges in the elbows and ankles, and swivels in the biceps and forearms. He also sports that ball joint in the torso. The problem is that his lack of swivels in the legs and rocker hinges in the ankles makes it a little tough to get him to peg onto the board with both feet. Peg one foot in and the other one wants to pop out. You can still get him on some nice poses with the board, but he always seems just a bit too precariously balanced.
As for Galactus… holy shit. To place him in proper scale, your average MU figure comes up just to the top of his boot. But besides being a whopping 19-inches tall and weighing a ton, he features a really amazing sculpt, particularly in his bucket of a head. The helmet is magnificent with translucent bits that show off the light up features nicely. The small portion of his exposed face is also beautifully sculpted with an appropriately smug impression. I particularly love the detail work on all the bits coming off his helmet around his chin and the sides of his face. Stunning! The rest of the body is packed with little striping or interlacing bands that give the figure a lot of depth, and the chestpiece and skirt are both sculpted separately in softer plastic. All the details on the figure are sculpted in, rather than rely solely on the paintwork as Hasbro often does with the regular MU figures.
Of course, Galactus is an electronic figure. Press the central disc on his chest and his eys light up, as do all the clear bits on his helmet, and he speaks one of his 10 phrases, which include….
  • You serve me now!
  • Who is so ignorant as to confront Galactus?
  • You will witness the end, for I am power incarnate!
  • Behold! The world eating machine!
  • I hunger!
  • Know me mortal. Know me and know fear!
  • So speaks Galactus!
  • Who dares defy Galactus?
  • I am the devourer of worlds!
  • Tremble at the might of The Power Cosmic!
Sometimes electronic features can hinder a figure, but I don’t think that’s the case here. Galactus speaks a nice smattering of phrases and the voicework is particularly well done. Bravo, Hasbro!
Ah, but Galactus may be a brick in size and weight, but not in articulation. In fact, he actually has better articulation than Silver Surfer and many of the older MU figures. You get ball joints in the neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips, double hinges in the elbows and knees, hinged ankles, and swivels in the biceps and forearms. What’s more the joints are all nice and strong to support his bulk and allow him to retain the poses you put him in.
It takes balls to put out a toy at mass retail and refer to it as a “Masterwork Figure.” You’re setting expectations pretty high, and yet I really think Hasbro stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park with this one. I’m sure few Marvel collectors ever expected a better Galactus figure than the Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Hasbro delivered it here. The sculpt, the coloring, and the sheer size do this magnificently terrifying character justice. Now granted, he set me back $70 when you factor in shipping, and I still think he was well worth it, but if you happened to not hesitate like me and got him at retail at more like $50-60 than I think you really got a deal. Galactus is an awesome figure and a great centerpiece to any Marvel Universe collection.
Feb 2 2012

Marvel Universe: Cable by Hasbro

Holy crap, I’ve been trying to track down Marvel Universe’s Cable figure for ages now without having to pay a premium online. In the end, I sort of caved and wound up getting him off of Amazon without getting beaten up too badly in my wallet. But, honestly, if I knew just how great this figure was going to be once I got him in hand, I would have been a lot more willing to pay a premium.

Standard Marvel Universe package with some really kick ass character art on the card. Between his sheer size and his embarrassment of accessories, Cable really fills out the bubble beautifully. As with the newer figures, you get a standard, personalized figure stand.
And there’s Cable, folks, and he is one awesome figure. In a line where we’re used to getting the same standard buck over and over again with a few tweaks to the tooling and a painted costume, Cable shines like a rare gemstone. Starting with the head sculpt, as far as I’m concerned it is one of the best Hasbro has put out in this line to date. Cable’s grim, chisled look translated to this figure perfectly. His chest harness, shoulder armor, belt, and holster are all sculpted in separate pieces. Yes, you’ll note my figure is sans Baby Hope, and I’m perfectly fine with that. The holster holds his pistol perfectly and there’s a peg on the back of his harness to clip his rifle onto. When you look at all the beautiful work that went into this figure, it really puts a lot of the other figures in this line to shame.
Accessories aren’t usually the MU’s strong point either, but once again Cable flies in the face of convention by coming packed out with his own little arsenal. You get his pistol, assault rifle and spear. The weapons are really nicely sculpted and as mentioned you can store both of his firearms on his person.
Cable features the more modern level of MU articulation. You get the ball jointed neck, with an additional hinge so he can look up and down better. He has ball joints in his shoulders and hips, swivel cuts in his biceps, wrists and upper thighs, double hinges in his knees and hinges in his elbows and ankles. Cable also swivels at the waist and features the ball joint in the torso. Nice!
Yes, I gave a lot of the other MU figures a lot of shit over how great a figure Cable is, and I realize that’s not entirely fair. A lot of Marvel’s characters are little more than people in colored costumes and there simply isn’t a lot of unique sculpting needed. On the other hand, Cable has a really detailed and unique outfit that demanded a lot of new sculpting and Hasbro stepped up to the plate to deliver. All that having been said, Cable really stands out on my MU display shelf. He just looks so damn good that its almost like he’s a figure from a completely different line.