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Review of Ant-man Marvel Legends action figures
Giant Man, Bulldozer, Grim Reaper

Hasbro
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Introduction

The next release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is right around the corner - Ant-Man! And much like during the weeks leading up to last summer's Guardians of the Galaxy, fans are holding their breathe. They're worried - can Marvel do a live action movie about such a seemingly silly character and maintain their streak? The worries are not fully justified, since they've already proven they can do it - both Rocket and Groot are pretty silly characters, and yet, they were the hit of the 2014 season. But Rocket is a little different - give him the right dialog and some big guns, and you can make just about any animal badass. But an ant? With the slightest slip, they could end up with a Batman & Robin on their hands.

I'm giving Marvel and Disney the benefit of the doubt. I like the casting, I like what I've seen in the previews, and I believe in their track record. I'll be pre-ordering my Hot Toys Ant-Man the minute he's available, and I'll be seeing the movie opening weekend in just a couple weeks. I'm all in.

Hasbro has been piggy-backing on the Marvel movies with their Marvel Legends action figures, releasing a wave of comic based characters that tie-in with the movie based theme. The latest wave is all about Ant-Man, although the Build A Figure that comes with it is actually Ultron. The full wave consists of Ant-Man, Wasp, Tigershark, Bulldozer, Giant Man, and Grim Reaper. I'll be reviewing the latter three tonight, with a review very soon of the final three, as well as the BAF. In fact, I swear I'll review this Ultron with the other three BAF's already out this year in one big review.

These figures retail for around $20 each, and should be showing up at Toys R Us, Target and other stores very soon.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Packaging - ****
I have to hand it to Hasbro - not many companies are doing collector friendly packaging for a mass market toy. Funko was with their boxes (that look just like Hasbro's Star Wars Black boxes), but have since added in several annoying twist ties.  Thankfully, Hasbro continues to give us packages with the ML series that require no real damage to free the figure and accessories.

It also helps that there's some nice character personalization, and the rest of the series is highlighted on the back, including which BAF piece comes with which figure.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Sculpting - ***1/2
All three sport terrific head sculpts, with plenty of cool details considering the scale.

I just recently re-watched Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, making the similarity between Bulldozer's helmeted appearance and Blaster all the more obvious. They've done a marvelous job sculpting the proper texture and damage to give the helmet and other costume pieces the perfect iron appearance. While the helmet is not removable, there is a well done portrait behind the mask.

Giant Man is a bit dull, at least in terms of this category, since his body is just a standard buck with some interesting paint work. But I love the antenna on the head, as well as the stern yet appropriate expression.

My favorite of the bunch is the crazed Grim Reaper, with his scythe for a right hand, and his funky headdress. The work on the teeth and gums is of particular note, and the flowing cape is dynamic, yet doesn't cause posing issues or weight distribution problems.

This is generally considered a 6" scale line, with Giant Man just under 6 1/2", Grim Reaper just over, and the bulky Bulldozer hitting 7 1/2".

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Paint - Grim Reaper ***; Giant Man, Bulldozer ***1/2
From the neck down, the paint work on all three of these is excellent. While neither Grim Reaper or Bulldozer have particularly complex costume colors or details, the work is still quite clean and neat, with no slop or bleed.

I'm particularly impressed with the work on the iron mask and costume pieces for Bulldozer. They've created a realistic effect between the sculpt and paint that looks terrific. The printed black areas on Giant Man are also well done, with even edges and consistent coverage.

From the neck up, both Bulldozer and Giant Man continue the high quality work.  Eyes are neat and straight, there's almost no bleed or sloppy cut lines, and considering the scale, the detail work is quite impressive.

However, Grim Reaper takes a bit of a hit here. Sure, the dude is crazy, but the wonky eyes are a little over the top. I get what they are going for, but think it went a tad too far. The work on the teeth is actually quite good, and while the edge of the mask is a little sloppy, he would have fared much better in this category had those eyes been better.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Articulation - ***1/2
These are fairly standard Marvel Legends bodies, so there's no real surprises here. Ball jointed neck with forward and backward movement, ball shoulders and hips, double pin elbows and knees, cut biceps, waist, calves, and thighs, hinge wrists, hinge and rocker ankles, ab-crunch...it's all here and I'm probably forgetting some.

The larger body of Bulldozer only has the single pin elbows, but otherwise the three are pretty consistent. The best joint, perhaps because its regular inclusion is a fairly new thing, is the rocker ankle. I've mentioned it before, but this allows for the figure to keep its feet flat on the ground in even deep stances, making them much more stable and realistic in appearance.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Accessories - Bulldozer, Giant Man **1/2; Grim Reaper ***
Here's the one area where they are all a little weak. Regular readers know that if a BAF series figure comes with just the BAF part, that's an automatic **1/2 for me.  I always want the BAF though, and for collectors that don't care, it's really a big Bupkis.

The only figure out of these three to have another extra - and that's debatable - is the Grim Reaper. You can remove his cape, and he looks fine, if a little nekkid, without it, so I'm counting it as one additional extra for him.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
Marvel Legends have always been a fun line. With great articulation, paint and sculpting, and a really great selection of unique and unusual characters, kids can build out a vast army of good and bad superheroes to do battle in the back yard.  The quality is sufficient to survive many Saturday afternoons facing off against each other, but the price can be a bit tough for parents to swallow.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Value - **
These are running the usual $18 - $20 at most retailers.  While that's a pretty average price on the current market, and therefore would normally get a **1/2 here, these are lacking in the Accessories department. With only the BAF piece, it's a bit of a tougher sell on Value.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.  There are times when the joints can be painted shut, and the soft pegs or posts can tear if you put too much pressure on them. I didn't see any of that this time around.

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Overall - ***1/2
All three of these are above average releases - high marks on sculpt, paint and articulation. They're a little light in the Accessories department, but I'm cutting them a bit of slack this time around.

Of course, Grim Reaper has those funky eyes, but I have to admit that he's my favorite of the three. It's harder to notice just how badly the eyes are painted in hand, and the insane expression and cool outfit sets him apart in the crowd.

I'll check out the other three very soon...and I know I keep promising a big BAF review, but it will be coming!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - Grim Reaper ***; Bulldozer, Giant Man ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - Bulldozer, Giant Man **1/2; Grim Reaper ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has the set of 6 for $140, or the singles for $18.

- usually carries Marvel Legends for around $18 - $20 each.

- Entertainment Earth has a set of eight (extra Ant-Man and Wasp) for $160.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered dozens and dozens of Marvel Legends figures over the years, so I'll just mention the most recent here.  Up last was the Avengers (Thanos) wave, in part 1 and part 2. Before that is the 'Hobgoblin' series which I've started with part 1 here, and the 'Allfather' wave, including Captain Marvel, Sentry and Thor and Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Machine Man and Iron Fist. I also checked out the Toys R Us exclusive three pack of Coulson, Fury and Maria Hill from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, since there are many, many more Marvel Legends reviews before these, and there will be many more after this one is published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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Marvel Legends Bulldozer, Grim Reaper, Giant Man action figures by Hasbro

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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