Review of Cosmic Ghost Rider - Marvel Legends
Action Figure

Introduction

Hasbro has produced some pretty nifty small vehicles for their Marvel Legends line, most of them hitting in the last couple years. From Captain America to Deadpool to Squirrel Girl, they've given some pretty cool two wheeled conveyances to their 6" action figures.

The latest to hit around my neck of the woods is the Cosmic Ghost Rider and his funky space bike. I found it at Target, but you should be able to pick it up at most online retailers for around $40.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box is quite collector friendly, with just a few pieces of tape getting in the way. It does show off the figure and bike, but you'll need to figure out how to assemble it. There's no instructions, and while it's not particularly complicated, if you are attempting to put it together while an impatient 6 year old wants to do it themselves, you'll realize a simple set of instructions would have been handy.

Sculpting - ****
The work on Ghost Rider himself is pretty impressive. Under the (removable) helmet is a flaming, contorted skull, with a piece of removable flames flowing up around the neck.  From the neck down, there's a ton of texture and detail in the space age armor. There are design elements of this costume that I just love, like the blue 'wristlets' that are so 70's sci-fi, and are carried over to the fork of the bike.

It also does a terrific job of incorporating the symbol into the chest and abs, and they have done a terrific job translating this uber cool costume design into a 3D figure. Yes, you might recognize that symbol - Cosmic Ghost Rider is actually the Punisher.

The bike isn't quite as detailed in terms of texture and small bits, but there are some very cool features. The swirling cosmic energy feature in the smokey blue ball look great, although I do wish the could have come up with a way to make the seam just a little less obvious. Yea, it's just a $40 toy, but still...

The bike stays floating thanks to a translucent base, and attaches with a ball joint. The two guns he comes with are actually different designs, and there are two holsters on either side of the seat, each designed to hold a specific gun!

The design also allows for the Rider to sit properly on the bike, something not always true with releases like this. Ghost Rider is about 6 1/2" tall, and the bike is about 13" long.

Paint - ****
The paint work can appear fairly basic, with most of the pieces being done in cast colors. That's until you start really looking at the detail work, like the small blue details on the arms and abs, and the translucent red colors - especially in the head and fiery blasts. The swirling orange and red colors mimic flames extremely well, and the sculpted designs look great.

The armor has a hammered metal look, a combination of the sculpt and paint. I'm particularly impressed with the eyes on the chest, and how they reflect and capture light. Considering the price point, it's quite nicely done.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is a Marvel Legends figure - that means all the terrific articulation you've come to love.

The neck isn't as useful as normal, however. As you might expect, the helmet and ring of flames around the joint reduce the tilt and lean to almost zero. However, you can pop off the helmet and turn the face in an appropriate direction for most poses.

The shoulders are a bit restricted by the large, spiked armor pieces, but not as much as you might expect. The double jointed elbows, rotating hinge wrists, ball hips, double jointed knees, and rotating hinge ankles (with decent rocker movement) all work great, and he can take natural short stances and dynamic deep poses.

The crunch torso works nicely as well, and can both crunch and turn, allowing you to break up straight lines.

The bike has less articulation than most, since it lacks wheels. The ball on front doesn't move, and the handle bars are static as well. However, the bike attaches to the base with a ball joint, so you can lean and tilt it to your heart's desire.

Accessories - ****
I'm counting the bike as an accessory to the figure - that shoots this score way up. If you're counting this more like a two pack, you'll probably have a lower score here.

And yes, the bike kicks all kinds of ass. I've already mentioned its various features, but suffice to say it makes for a great vehicle.

But it's not the only extra. He also has his two guns, each a different design and each with a flame effect that can be attached to the barrel.

There's also a flaming chain/whip of course, and this can be held in either hand easily.

Fun Factor - ****
Great looking vehicle, great looking figure, tons of useful articulation - this is a figure that kids and collectors alike can have a ton of fun with. Posing and re-posing, on and off the bike, there's a limitless number of possibilities.

Value - **1/2
At $40, he's about the normal price for a 1/12 figure of this style and quality, considering the inclusion of the bike. He gets an average value rating from me, which means it won't affect his Overall score either up or down.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. He's sturdy and well made, as is the bike. It might take a minute or two for you to figure out assembling the blue ball on the front spokes, but hand it to your 6 year old kid and they'll have it done in no time.

Overall - ****
If you had asked me "Michael, do you need an action figure of Cosmic Ghost Rider?" I would have said "uh, no dude".  And yet, this is one of the coolest Marvel Legends I've picked up in ages. Now that I have him, and I see the exceptional translation from paper artwork into plastic icon, I can't imagine passing him up.

I'm also very happy that Hasbro has been doing so many of these characters with their vehicles, especially at a price point I can still afford.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Target is the first spot I've seen these, where they run $40. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $40.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Marvel Legends include the Fantastic Four wave with Human Torch, The Thing, Super Skrull, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, She-Hulk and Doctor Doom. And if you like your Marvel Legends on bikes, check out Deadpool Corps, or the regular Ghost Rider.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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