Tag Archives: Build-a-figure

August 27, 2017

Warlock Wave (X-Men) – Marvel Legends

Once again I have amassed another wave of Marvel Legends. This time around we are building Warlock. The wave is another lovefest for the X-Men. We have some mainstays from the team, as well as some outliers. I have already looked at Colossus back a bit. Now I have the rest of the team and I am bringing the whole line to you right here, right now!

Old Man Logan:

Wolverine in the future. He is the only figure not to come with a build a figure part for Warlock. And really, that is no problem. Either you want this guy, or you don’t. And in most Legends collectors, this is a guy you want. I am sure Hasbro bet on that, since they did not give him a BAF part. The other could have been the Jim Lee designed Cyclops, That one would have sold too.

We once again get a figure that is in normal street clothes. And that is a GREAT thing. These figures looks fantastic in regular clothes. Logan is sporting a bomber jacket that is unlike what anyone else has so far. He also comes with the newer Wolverine fists that have the removable claws. Best innovation of the last year for the Legends line.

Dazzler:

Dazzler is an interesting choice of figures and subject for the Marvel Legends line. There is no doubt that this lady that looks to be pulled right out of the 70s is going to stand out among the other Legends on the shelf. She is actually a product of 1980. I don’t think disco was quite dead yet, but it was on it’s way out. Dazzler can create light using sound and vibrations. This seems to be a power akin to Jubilee. Not the strongest ability, but useful in different settings.

She is also quite a good athlete. She is a martial arts expert as well as a good rollerskater. Speaking of rollerskates, I never thought we would get a figure in rollerskates. This has to be a one off feet design. I can’t imagine that there are other rollerskating superheroes out there. A very nice touch.

She comes with a microphone, since she is a good singer, and she can use the sound of her voice, only after it has gone through a speaker. She also comes with the very common wrist power. This time showing up in a rainbow design.

Shatterstar:

Shatterstar was created in the (surprise) 1991, by (surprise) Rob Liefeld. Okay, no surprises here. Everything about this guy SCREAMS 1990s comics. From the face and hair, to the shoulder pauldron, to the high boots and long gauntlet gloves. Not only two swords, but a double sword. He has it all. He is a bit of a stretch to make the X-Men team. He has been in X-Factor, and X-Force, but I don’t think he was ever a full-fledged X-Men.

Sunfire:

A good guy, a bad guy, a Horseman of the Apocalypse, an X-Men, and a member of Big Hero 6. Shiro Yoshida has done it all. Now he is immortalized in Marvel Legends glory. It didn’t take much to make a standard buck into Sunfire. They made a new head (well detailed), a belt, and gave him flame hands. This seems more like they looked at the parts they had on hand and tried to figure out who they could make with minimum effort. That is okay with me. Let’s get some crazy figures we would have never thought would get made. Less Captain Americas and Iron Men, and more of this kind of figure.

Cyclops:

Not only is this Cyclops, but this is probably the most recognizable suit Scott Summers have ever worn. The bright blue and yellow, with the straps around the chest. Jim Lee hit it big time when he created this suit. It was even the suit used in the cartoon on TV. This may be the quintessential Cyclops for all time. We are definitely well on our way to building a full team of 90s X-Men.

Polaris:

Polaris has the powers of Magneto. He used that to his advantage to pretend to be her real dad. Turned out not to be the case, until 2012, when it was revealed that Polaris’ mom had an affair with Magneto. Yup, Magneto had three kids, and only one of them got his powers. Can’t explain the other two. So it is no big surprise that Lorna Dane dresses similarly to her half-sister Scarlet Witch.

Her backstory is a lot more interesting than the figure. Very basic in design, using the female buck, and adding a new head, cape, wrist gauntlets, and effects. Even her face tells us she knows she is boring. Come to think of it, with the exception of Logan and Warlock, nobody has an expression. Strange.

Warlock:

There is no surprise that this strange unit was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz back in 1984. Computer technology was new and exciting, and to think that there could be life on other planets that had techo-organic beings was all the rage. It wasn’t long after that Transformers came out, with a whole civilization that is also techno-organic.

This figure is large and imposing. One of the biggest BAFs we have had in a long while. He stands over a head taller than Colossus, and even he is a head taller than the rest of the figures. He is so big, his waist is at shoulder height of the rest of the men.

He has a great face, good articulation (for a big man), one fist and one open hand, and a nice sturdy base of big feet. The colors are well done with a metallic gold wash over black.

This is an interesting team. There is a wide range of X-people from all over the time line from the 80s to now. This set allows you to fill in some gaps in teams, from everything with an X in the title. Logan and Cyclops are the standouts of the wave, with Colossus looking good, and Warlock being a lot of fun. I can’t help but think that Sunfire and Polaris were easy filler figures to just throw in there among the new parts heavy Dazzler and Shatterstar.

Leave a comment | tags: 90's Cyclops, Alison Blaire, Big Hero 6, Bill Sienkiewicz, Build-a-figure, Chris Claremont, Colossus, Cyclops, Dazzler, disco, Excalibor, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Gaveedra Seven, Jim lee, Jim Lee's Cyclops, Logan, Lorna Dane, Marvel, Marvel Legends, Marvel's Sunfire, microphone, Old Man Logan, Polaris, Rob Liefeld, Scott Summer, Shatterstar, Shiro Yoshida, Sunfire, Toy photography, toy review, Warlock, Warlock Wave, Wolverine, X-Factor, X-Force, X-Men | posted in Action Figures, Comic Books, Comics, Marvel, Toys

January 8, 2017

Iron Fist and Dormammu – Dormammu Wave – Marvel Legends

By Carnitas Fever

Tonight we are finishing up the Dormammu Wave of figures from the Doctor Strange Series. We have one last figure and then the Build-a-Figure of Dormammu,

First up, let’s take a look at Iron Fist. It hasn’t been that long since we received the white outfit version (First wave of 2015). You can see him in my review back then: http://wp.me/pRvoW-uh

This version is similar, using the same body, if not one that is very similar. It is the thin Spider-Man body with really good dynamic articulation. If you can’t make the pose with this body, the body wasn’t meant to bend that way. The white version had more of a realistic head, while this green version has more of a comic head.

The white version came with a huge assortment of hands that pop on and off at the wrist. This version has a unique variation. The wrist and forearm are together in one part. Iron Fist comes with energy fists attached. They have a really cool look of being clear yellow, but you can see something inside, like his skin is glowing but not the bones underneath. In this version, there is no wrist movement, which is what you would want in a punch anyway.

The other set of hands are wrapped, from the attachment point on the forearm to the fingers. This is more of a classic look for him.

He also comes with flames for his fists, which the white version did not receive. That gives a lot of different pose potential.

Building Dormammu. He has a lot of parts that come with the different figures. There are the standard parts, 2 arms, 2 legs, torso, waist, and head. He also comes with football player type shoulder pads, as well as a set of flaming skulls.

The building of Dormammu is pretty straight forward. I did have some trouble getting the legs attached. I found that if I removed his skirt, I could get the legs onto the pegs, and then put the skirt back on. The rest went together really well.

The paint is beautiful. The purple is bright and dark at the same time. It has a shimmer to it, even though it is a matte color. The red parts are gloss, while the black parts are mixed gloss and flat. His muscle tone is so well done. Being a figure that is a head and a half taller than the other figures, he has to be done well, since you can see all of his musculature so much better. From the front to the back, everything is so well detailed.

Now for the flaming skulls. They were so hard to photograph, since they are bright green and blue. On the box the art shows Dormammu holding the two skulls. If you were to look at the bottom of them, they have a rounded post hole that looks like it could fit…

That’s right, on the neck post of a figure. It works pretty well. They are a little high on the neck, but it gives the desired effect, and would definitely leave the Marvel Universe worrying if Dormammu was able to control other characters.

This is a pretty good wave overall. There are a few I would have skipped if I didn’t want to build Dormammu, but I did get them for a good price on Amazon, so I am not terribly distraught about getting those figures. There is a lot of magic going on in this wave, and now we can have some good magic wars.

Leave a comment | tags: BAF, Build-a-figure, Dormammu, Dormammu Series, Dormammu Wave, flaming skulls, Green outfit, Hasbro, Iron Fist, Marvel, Marvel Legends, Toy photography, toy review | posted in Action Figures, Comic Books, Comics, Marvel, Movies, Toys

July 29, 2016

Blue Wind Ranger – Power Rangers 6.5 inch Build a Figure Series – Ninja Storm

By Carnitas Fever

I am so excited about this find. This morning I had to go into my classroom to check on the fish and the plant. There are only a week left of summer before I head back to teaching. On my way from school, i headed off to a close Target. They generally are hit and miss with stuff I want. This time they had something totally different.

This is the new Power Rangers 6.5 inch figure line. It was not supposed to be released for another few days, but there she was, the Blue Wind Ranger, sitting there all by herself in the shelf. I don’t know where she came from, but I am glad I found her. I am pumped for this line. It is going to be so cool.

The main features of this line is a figure in a new larger scale. The figure comes with weapons, and Build A Figure parts for a Zord. The first wave is based on Ninja Storm. This is a great starting off place. They can put out the three main characters from Ninja Storm, and throw in a couple of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, and really get people excited for this line.

Tori comes with her Ninja Sword, as well as a sheathed version that can peg into her back. She also comes with the Dolphin Zord arm, and one of the legs.

The figure has a great range of motion. More depth of movement than many of the Marvel Legends figures. These figures have the big ball jointed wrists we saw in the larger 7 inch Armored Power Rangers line. They are not the prettiest, but they are very functional.

Since this is the female figure of the wave, there is a skirt, which does hinder the leg movement in the hips, but there are slits on the sides of the skirt to allow more movement than the ladies of the 5 inch line. In addition to great movement in the legs, including double jointed knees, there is also great movement in the arms, waist and upper torso. She even has neck movement, swivel as well as pivot.

This series is 6.5 inches, and it looks like they are all going to be the same height. In the initial release, Blue, Red, and Yellow are all the same height. In the 5 inch series, the female body was about half a head shorter.

This is a good thing as I compare Tori to Captain America. She is slightly taller than Cap, which is not a bad thing. We have a lot of Marvel Legends women coming out that are substantial in size. I was hoping that the male figures were not going to be half a head taller again, as they would be too big to fit in with the Marvel Legends. At this rate, they are close enough to play together.

Compared with a slightly taller Iron Man, she is a touch smaller. I am happy overall with the size. They fit in well enough that this is going to be lots of fun for toy photographers. And the style is well done too.

In the 5 inch series, the figures are rather plastic. Very shiny. Some of that shine is taken away, and there is more of a matte finish to the outfit, while keeping a shiny helmet.

I love the direction this line is going. I don’t know how great the Zords are going to be. Slightly taller than the figures, similar to Marvel Legends BAF. It seems like it would have been better to build a special character, rather than a Zord. It seems like Bandai is going through the line-up of Zords and giving us the big ones anyway, so it seems redundant to give us one that is about 8 inches tall.

I am really looking forward to the rest of this wave, including the other two Ninja Storm Rangers as well as the Red and Green MMPR.

Leave a comment | tags: 6.5 inch, 6.5 inch series, Blue Ranger, Blue Wind Ranger, Build-a-figure, Captain America, Iron Man, Legacy Collection, Marvel Legends, Ninja Storm, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Tori Hanson | posted in Action Figures, Power Rangers, Toys

October 1, 2015

Marvel Legends – Rhino Series – Rhino Build a Figure

By Carnitas Fever

With Scarlet Spider reviewed last night, we are finally up to the head of the Build a Figure. And we get two to choose from. A more stoic looking head, and a crazy face. I like them both for different reasons, but suffice it to say, if you are a fan of taking posed shots of your figures, you will have a lot of fun with the two heads. Your world of possibilities opens up so much.

If you piss off the Rhino, you have to face the consequences.

Rhino is a general large scale figure. He has really good articulation that we know and love in the Marvel Legends line. He is a bit short on articulation in the elbow and knees, but generally the big guys are a bit short there anyway. He does have great ankle articulation. The texture on his body is really great. He has folds and bumps all over, just like real rhino skin should.

The stoic head, or a s some like to call it, the “I just smelled something bad” head. I really like this face. He has a great comic quality to him.

Then there is the crazy head. I love this one too. His eyes are bulging out of his head. His eyes are a bit wonky, but that seems to fit in with the totally crazy look. Seeing Misty Knight from the same wave, also with kooky eyes, I can’t say this was done on purpose, but I like the overall effect. He has great wrinkles around his face that really sell the anger.

This is a great cast of characters. They are all so different, and they really bring a lot of fun to a Spider-Man wave that we have had many, many times before. I will probably end up getting Misty Knight at some point, but she is a bit of a peg warmer right now, so I will probably be able to get her for a good deal in the future. Now, on to the Hulkbuster wave of figures. They are a bit slow to come out, and that is okay by me. We have had quite a long summer of Marvel being thrown at us, and it will be good to slow down for a while. But with figures this good, and a whole slew of new Marvel movies coming out, I hope it is not too long of a while.

Leave a comment | tags: BAF, Build-a-figure, Hasbro, Marvel, Marvel Legends, Rhino, Rhino Series, Spider-Man | posted in Action Figures, Comic Books, Toys

June 27, 2015

Marvel Legends – Allfather Wave

By Carnitas Fever

This was one of the biggest undertakings of my blogging career. Not long ago, my trusty Canon EOS up and died. More to the point, a sensor in the computer died, thus leaving a black line across every one of my pictures. Since it was 8 years old, there was no way of repairing it. So, I up and got myself a new one. More bells and whistles than ever before. A Canon EOS T6i. Can’t get much better than that without moving to a professional camera. And since this gig doesn’t pay anything, I am thinking the camera right below pro is good enough.

Well, the long time of no camera, as well as finishing school for the year (as a teacher, not a student), there is a pile of toys waiting to be shot… in a photo shoot. Among them were three waves of Marvel Legends. The three most recent waves, Allfather, Thanos, and Hobgoblin. I reviewed Iron Man Mark 43 a while back, which was only two shoots before the camera kicked the bucket.

In a grand scheme of a free weekend day I went for it. I shot all of the figures in one outing. Including the Build-a-Figures, that equals 22 figures. It took a long time, but it was a lot of fun, and I got a final shot of all 22 in one big picture.

So without any more delay, here we go with the Allfather Wave:

Iron Fist:
4 sets of hands for Iron Fist in total. I think this may be a first for Marvel Legends. Also has Oden’s leg.

He looks fantastic. He is was a minor character in the Marvel Universe. He is coming out at the right time as it was announced he will get getting his own series on Netflix along with the AMAZING Daredevil show that came out not too long ago. We will first see Jessica Jones, followed by Iron Fist, and then continuing with Luke Cage, before we ultimately get a Defenders series. If the rest of the shows are anywhere as good as Daredevil, the Avengers are going to have a run for their money from the TV/internet front. It is going to be awesome to see what comes of this guy.

Machine Man:

First, let’s look at the accessories. He comes with extended arms, as well as Oden’s arms. Now for the much bigger question:

Machine-who now?!?! Definitely outside of my realm of knowledge. Seemed like Hasbro was digging pretty deep for this one. He actually does have some history with Tony Stark, as well as Ms. Marvel who appears in this wave with him. I like the concept of Machine Man being the latest in a series of sentient robots who take up a life of a human. We have seen this idea before. The Red Tornado comes to mind.

Extending arms are just one of his many abilities. I can see this guy getting some major upgrades by some builders. I have seen a comic picture of him with a flight pack. Already the gears are turning in my head.

I don’t necessarily love the extending arms, but they are a nice touch. The punching hands on the end of the extension do switch out with his standard hands, so at the very least, he has a second set of hands… which we still don’t see a lot of. There is a lot of playability with a set of hands that grasp on the end of extensions.

Sentry:

Simple. Man of strength. No accessories necessary. He comes with Oden’s arms.

The is a big dude, just as he is in the comics. I remember when he came out in the comics at the time I was collecting. He has a great story, and a tremendous made-up backstory as if he had been around for years and years. I really like this big guy sculpt. He has muscles upon muscles. One grabbing hand and one punching hand. Hold on to the one you want to punch!

Hawkeye:

Hawkeye. Poor Avengers Hawkeye never gets a break. Once again, we get a comic version of a guy we should be getting a movie version of. He comes with Oden’s Torso.

Not a bad figure, but I really would have liked a movie figure to go with all of the other movie figures.

I couldn’t find anything that tells about Hawkeye’s metal arm. I mean, it belongs to Bucky with a purple paint job, and was in the comics for a moment, but not much out there on the arm.Thor with his hammer, sword, and his dad’s leg.

This is a MASSIVE figure. he is so over sized for the rest of the figures. He stands a head taller than the rest, and that just seems a little silly. His outfit overall is fantastic. The details on his hammer and sword are amazing. I kind of looks like he laid the smackdown on He-Man and stole his sword.

Ms. Marvel:

Ah yes, the beautiful Carol Danvers. I have been a fan of her’s for many years. She is one tough lady. She comes with her regular head and masked version with mohawk. She comes with King Thor”s head, cape and axe.

She looks great with her mussed hair. Fantastic look for her. Her current outfit is reminiscent of her original outfit, but with a lot less skin showing. I do love the New Avengers look of the black suit with gold lightning too, but this one suits Captain Marvel.

I didn’t know how much I would like the mohawk look, but it makes her look bad ass! Go get ’em girl!

Scarlet Witch:

Red beauty. She looks so much better than the earlier version of herself in the Legends line. She comes with her magic circles as well as Oden’s head, cape, and staff.

She has some tiny little feet and skinny legs. I wish they were a little more substantial. It makes her a bit hard to pose… especially with the heavy cape. At least the cape helps her stand.

She looks great using her powers. Easy to put on and off. They really stand out in that bright pink color.

Oden:

Something unique this time around is the decision where you can either make Oden, or King Thor. I went with Oden since he uses the tall staff, and his head sculpt is amazing. I love the helmet.

The team all together. This time around they are all good guys. Not so in the future waves. 6 guys and 2 women in the wave are pretty good stats. There are a lot more women coming up in future waves too.

This is the first 8 figures of the massive photo shoot come back next time as we take a look at the Hobgoblin Series. Good guys, bad guys, and pizza! Gotta love it!