Review of Polaris, Sunfire, Shatterstar action figures
Marvel Legends

Introduction

With two waves of Marvel Legends and one of Mutliverse figures hitting stores right now, there's lots of good reasons to hang out at the local Target. Not that I need one, but it's still nice to have one.

Tonight I'm looking at three more of the recent Warlock wave of Marvel Legends, including Shatterstar, Polaris, and Sunfire.  I've already covered Dazzler, Wolverine, and Colossus, and I'll finish up with Cyclops and the BAF figure of Warlock very soon.

A little about these three characters to start.  I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've seen Polaris in Marvel Legends format. She's the daughter of Magneto, and I know a lot of people have been looking forward to her finally joining the collection.

Shatterstar is wearing his white duds, and you can definitely see the Rob Liefeld influence. He's not a character that's high on my list, but if you gotta get 'em to get the Warlock, so be it.

Finally, there's Sunfire, also done in his classic costume. A cool design, although he's another one that I think only the hard core - and those that desire Warlock - will be picking up.

All of these are hitting retail, and Target seems to be getting theirs out first.  Expect to pay around $20 each.

Packaging - ****
It's the usual stuff - extremely collector friendly, with no trouble getting the figure and accessories out, no damage necessary. The back has a brief bit of character personalization, and it shows which BAF piece comes with which figure. As I mentioned before, I do wish they were a flatter rectangle, since storing them would be easier, but it's a minor nit.

Sculpting - Sunfire ***; Shatterstar, Polaris ***1/2
Of these three, Polaris is the easy winner for me. Her hair sculpt has plenty of detail and I love the style. She has a very attractive portrait, although she does look a tad...medicated. Still, it's a lovely face sculpt, and should please fans of the character.

Her one nit lies with the cape. There's not a lot of sculpting on the body, but they did add the gauntlets (which are separate pieces from the arms) and the cape.  The cape has a tough time staying on, and can be difficult to reattach, both issues caused by a soft rubbery post used to attach it to her back. I prefer her wearing it, but you can go without as well if you find it too annoying. She is the shortest of the three, but not by much, coming in around 6 3/8".

Shatterstar looks great as well, and as I mentioned earlier, you can certainly see the Liefeld art in this sculpt. The hair and face look terrific, and they've added lots of cool features to the basic body, including the detailed belt.  The added gloves and boots seem a bit oversized and clunky, but it's another very minor nit on an otherwise great looking figure. He stands right about 6 1/2" tall.

Sunfire falls in that same spot, right about 6 1/2" tall when you include his 'horns'. There's not a lot to this sculpt, particularly from the neck down. They added a belt to the base body, but that's it.  The portrait is nicely done however, with more detail actually sculpted into the mask (not just painted) than I expected.

Paint - Sunfire ***; Polaris, Shatterstar ***1/2
Sunfire draws the short straw again, but it's more in relation to his fellow current Marvel Legends figures than to the market overall.  Hasbro has really upped the quality on the paint operations with recent waves, and it shows with all three of these.

Sunfire does have a little slop though, and the white edges on his suit are more wavy and uneven than I'd like. The gold on the mask and suit is better, but can be tough to see in hand against the red background.

Shatterstar is pretty impressive, particularly with the small details on the costume, like the star on his chest or the belt buckle. The work on his left eye is nice as well, and the broader colors - like the white suit or the hair color - are consistent and clean.

They tried to go for a different look on the shoulder armor though, perhaps trying to get a more leathery or worn appearance. The inconsistency is clearly intentional, but on mine, it's not working particularly well. Instead of creating the desired effect, it looks like an error.

Polaris is super clean as well, particularly on the face.  The lips and eyes look terrific, although I do think the paint adds a bit to the drugged expression. The wash on the hair brings out the strands, and the general quality is well above average. The edges of the skin tone on her torso are a little sloppy though, and really the only nit that holds her back from a perfect score.

Articulation - ****
These are Marvel Legends figures, and the standard body - large male, small male, female, whatever - lead the industry in this category.

All have ball jointed necks, although only Sunfire gets much tilt or lean action. That's due to the long hair on Polaris and the pony tail on Shatterstar. Both Polaris and Shatterstar have the usual rotating hinge shoulders, and Shatterstar adds the cut bicep.  Sunfire has the more articulated shoulders, with the additional hinge joint inside the torso that allows the arms to come across the chest much further.

Elbows are double pin on both Sunfire and Shatterstar, but Polaris has the rotating hinge style to make up for the lack of a cut bicep. All three have rotating hinge wrists.

While Shatterstar and Sunfire have the usual ab-crunch and cut waist, Polaris has the rocker torso. This is the same as the other standard female figures, of course.

Leg articulation includes rotating hinge hips, cut thighs, pin ankles, and double pin knees all around. Sunfire adds a cut calf joint to the mix.

Overall, the joints work well, and the stronger plastic means less chance of breakage and less trouble maintaining poses. Their could be better rocker movement in the feet, but it's a minor issue.

Accessories - ***
All three of these come with a BAF part for Warlock, making all three necessary if you plan on completing him. They get a **1/2 star score right out of the gate for these body parts.

Each comes with a couple other basic 'weapons'. Shatterstar has his swords, one with a double blade. Both are pretty clunky, over sized sculpts, and the paint couldn't be more basic.

Polaris re-uses the energy swirls for the umpteenth time.  These fit on her wrists, and are in an appropriate translucent color. While they are a re-use, they are at least sensible to the character. You could also count her cape if you're feeling generous, since it is removable.

Another re-use is the fireballs for Sunfire's fists. I love the translucent fiery colors, and they fit nicely on his hands. Again, it's a re-use, but it makes sense.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
As Spider-man says, with great articulation comes great fun, or something like that. These are sturdy, well made action figures, and Hasbro has certainly improved the quality across the board. While this is often considered a collector's line, kids are going to love them just as much, and it's a terrific way to introduce them to some of these lesser known comic characters.

Value - ***
These remain a terrific value at the local store.  While you might still pay $20 each - and that's not a bad price, considering the overall rise in quality - odds are pretty good that you'll find them on sale or for a couple bucks cheaper.  There's some serious re-use with these three, but that doesn't damage the overall value too much.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I'm betting the look of the paint on the shoulder armor with Shatterstar is going to vary, so you'll want to look for the best version you can. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - Sunfire ***; Shatterstar, Polaris ***1/2
While none of these characters are high on my personal list, Hasbro still did a terrific job with their Marvel Legends representations. The quality of the paint, plastic, and sculpting is top notch, and the useful articulation and reasonable accessories make them fun for collectors and kids alike.

Polaris is my favorite out of these three, and it's a combination of her overall quality and it being her first true ML representation. She's the only one I *might* buy even without Warlock. Shatterstar and Sunfire? Yea, they're nice, and fans of the characters will be happy, but it's the Warlock parts I wanted.

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

Where to Buy 
These are hitting mass retailers right now (Target seems to be getting them first), and will run you around $20, or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just covered Dazzler, Wolverine, and Colossus last week. On the Guardians of the Galaxy side, I looked at the new Star-Lord, Drax, and Yondu. Prior to that was the three BAF's, Space Venom, Dormammu, and Juggernaut. Prior to that, I covered the two halves of the Dormammu wave, including movie Strange, Mordo, Nico, and Iron Fist, and Astral Strange, Brother Voodoo, comic Doctor Strange, and Enchantress. Before that was the back half of the Space Venom wave, including Miles Morales, Silk, and Electro. The first half of that wave included Hobgoblin, Peter Parker Spider-Man, and Spider-Girl. Before that I had the Juggernaut wave with one review of Cable, Havoc, Kitty Pryde and Phoenix here, and the other half with Rogue, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Iceman here. Before that I ad the back half of the Giant Man wave (with Giant Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and Nuke), but in between I've looked at one of the 12" figures under the banner - Spider-Man - as well as the new full scale prop replica Captain America's Shield.

I covered the first half of the Giant Man wave as well, including Red Guardian, Black Panther, and Nick Fury. Just before that I covered Red Skull (BAF), Taskmaster, Sharon Carter, and Demolition Man. The other half of that wave included Captain America, Mockingbird, Whirlwind, and Cottonmouth.

There are a TON of additional Marvel Legends reviews before that, so you should hit the Search Reviews page to find those, and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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