Review of Deadpool - Marvel Legends 12" Action Figure

Introduction

Hasbro has been producing a pretty diverse set of collectibles under their 'Marvel Legends' banner over the last year.  Of course, there's always been the terrific 1/12 scale action figures.  There's the equally sweet 4" series that doesn't quite have the same history, but has been cranking along for several years now. Last year they added prop replicas, like the Captain America shield, to that mix, as well as a wave of 12" figures. This isn't actually a new concept, but when they did it back in the day they called them "Marvel Legends Icons". The did quite a few back in the mid-aughts, but the reappearance of the concept in 2016 wasn't exactly a hit. You can still find those first three - Cap, Iron Man, and Spidey - available at most mass market retailers, usually on sale or clearance at this point.

Very few things are a hit right out of the gate, however, and a smart company applies a little patience. They've followed up that first wave with a very hot character - Deadpool - and I'm sure the thinking is that if he can't sell, nobody can.

I found this guy at Target, but he should be hitting other retailers, including most online stores, very soon. Expect to pay around $50, depending on the store and any sales.

Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging is attractive, appropriately sized, and shows off both the figure and the accessories clearly. It's also all collector friendly, with no need to damage anything when freeing the figure from its plastic prison.

Remember to take the swords out of their sheaths before attempting to remove the figure from the tray...

Sculpting - ***
There's not a ton of detail with these figures, and in essence, the are simply Marvel Legends in double size.  The same level of sculpt detail is present here that we see in the 1/12th series.

This particular figure isn't merely a two up of an existing figure, however.  At least, he's not one that I remember, and certainly not of the most recent smaller release. There's similarities of course, since they are both comic based versions, but it's a whole new sculpt.

The figure comes with two portraits, always a plus. The standard masked version has a nice texture, with sculpted details creating a specific expression. One eye is wide, one eye is squinted, with the proper wrinkles in the forehead. I always think of this as his 'one eyebrow raised' expression, a look that requires the eyes to emote when a mask is in place, covering the eyebrows. It fits the character, and it works with lots of poses.

The heads pop on and off easily enough, but stay in place with normal handling. The second head has a torn mask, exposing his ravaged skin and damaged ear.  He also has the slightly cocked big grin and wild exposed eye, adding to the crazed look. I'm not loving the work on the skin here - I think they did a more realistic job with the last 6" figure - but overall it just might be my favorite portrait of the two they supplied.

While this is a 12" figure, and thus qualifies as 'sixth scale', he is fully sculpted with no cloth costume. He's also slightly shorter than true sixth scale figures, coming in at about 11 1/2" tall.

The body, like many ML bodies, is quite lanky. I'm not loving it, but this is more of an aesthetic issue than one of quality. I'd like a little more bulk, particularly in the legs, which are almost cartoony in their design.

I'm also including the fit of the body harness in this category. This separate piece tends to ride up on the torso, especially when the upper body is leaning or the thighs elevated, and it can ruin the look of otherwise interesting poses. The material they used is quite stiff, and a softer rubber here would have gone a long way to boosting my score in this category.

There is plenty of detail on the harness and belt, and the sheaths in back work great with the swords.  My final nit - and perhaps the most annoying - is that the gold hand guns are a permanent part of the holsters. They look like they come out, but alas, they do not.

Paint - ***
The paint work is solid, but to be completely honest (and that's sort of the whole point), it's not at the same level of quality as their smaller releases. I'm betting the number of operations is about the same, but when you blow something up to twice the size, you have to also increase the number of operations or things look a tad sparse. That's the situation here, where areas like the belt, rigging, and costume are too plain.

What details are here are good, especially around the wash, the details on the belt buckle, and the work on the teeth of the secondary portrait. They can clearly do details well - they just need a few more of them if they plan on working in this scale.

Articulation - ***1/2
Like his smaller counterparts, this guy is extremely well articulated, and the joints are sturdy and solid.

The ball neck can lean forward and back, but there's almost no side to side tilt. That's really the only serious negative, and regular readers know how important a great ball jointed neck is to me.

The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists allow for plenty of good arm poses, especially when used in concert with the ab joint and cut waist.  The wrists are restricted by the cuffs though, which are loose and will come off when you swap hands.  These cuffs block most of the hinge movement since the hand is buried pretty deeply within.

The legs include ball hips, cut thighs, double pin knees, cut calf, and a hinge ankle with plenty of rocker movement for the foot. Natural, flowing stances are easy to create, and he can take just about any action pose.

Accessories - ****
My favorite aspect of this figure is the accessories - they loaded him up well.

There's an assortment of hands of course, and these swap pretty cleanly. He comes wearing fists, but there's also a set of regular grips, and a set of specific poses: the thumbs up left and the burrito clutching right.

They attempted to make just one set of gripping hands work for the swords, knives, and guns.  They work better with some and worse with others, and the overall compromise is less than perfect. Perhaps that's why they made the handguns permanent - they knew they'd be forced to also include another set of gripping hands if they did.

The burrito is a big one, and it looks like beef and cheese. It fits nicely in the proper hand, and makes for a fun character specific add.

He has four bladed weapons - two knives and two swords. They are made from a sturdy plastic, so no worries about wilting or damage. The sculpts and paint work are very basic, however. Of course there are two slots for the katanas on his back, but there's also two small sheaths for the knives on his belt and rig.

While the gold hand guns are unusable, he does have two red guns, one smaller, one larger. Again, the sculpts and paint work are extremely basic, but the scale is good and he can hold them in a variety of poses.

One of the big boosts to this score is the extra portrait, which I've already discussed in some detail in the sculpt and paint sections. There's a third head as well, this one of Headpool, an alternate universe version of Deadpool who is just a floating head. The jaw is articulated, the propeller spins, and he can be attached to an included white plastic stand to achieve the 'floating' effect.

Fun Factor - ****
He might not be perfect, but he is a ton of fun. If you have any kids that love the character - c'mon, you know they saw the movie - this is a terrific, cost effective version that makes for a really fun toy.

Value - **1/2
While some might feel $50 is steep, I have to say that it feels about right for what you're getting here in this scale. I wouldn't pay more than that, and if you can find a sale or coupon at your local Target, getting a few bucks off would be great (I used my RedCard!). But at $50, I'm calling this an average value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. He's sturdy, the heads and hands swap cleanly, and the accessories are not likely to break with normal handling...or even fairly tough play.

Overall - ***
This figure is a really fun toy, with a ton of articulation and some great accessories. Two portraits is always a big plus, and all that poseability makes for an even better buy.

That doesn't mean he'll be replacing your Sideshow, Hot Toys, or NECA version on the shelf. But that's not his purpose in life - he's a low cost alternate that even an 8 year old can drag around the back yard and not break the bank. And if you picked up the earlier three figures, this one will go great with them on the shelf.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $60.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I reviewed the Spider-Man from the first wave. We've seen lots of Deadpool releases recently as well, from the high end Hot Toys sixth scale movie Deadpool, to the huge NECA 1/4 scale Deadpool, to the Sideshow comic based 1/6th Deadpool, to the much smaller 1/12 Marvel Legends Deadpool.

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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