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Review of Ant-Man, Wasp, Tiger Shark
Ant-Man Marvel Legends action figures

  Hasbro
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Introduction

I was right - best superhero movie of 2015 was the goofy one again: Ant-Man. Don't get me wrong...I enjoyed Age of Ultron. But for sheer re-watchability, fun dialog, and interesting new characters, Ant-Man takes the prize.

Sadly, there aren't a ton of toys based on this film. It doesn't make a lot of sense, since the ants alone make this a great kid's flick, but there are a few figures and sets floating around.  Hasbro's Marvel Legends series has an 'Ant-Man' specific wave hitting pegs as well, but these are comic based characters, not movie based. The BAF included - Ultron - is movie based, although from a different movie.

I already covered the first half of this wave, including Grim Reaper, Bulldozer and Giant Man. Tonight I'm finishing up with Ant-Man, Tiger Shark, and the lovely Wasp. These will run you around $18 - $20 each, depending on the retailer, and they are shipping to Target, Wal-mart, Toys R Us and other mass market stores right now.

And I swear I'm going to get to one giant BAF review soon, since I now have the Allfather, Ultron, Green Goblin, and Thanos to review!

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Packaging - ****
I give Hasbro plenty of kudos for these hanger packs, because they are not just attractive - they are collector friendly, and that's not something you see a lot in a mass market toy.

You can easily slide the tray out one side, pop the figure and accessories out (no twistie ties or rubber bands either), and pop everything back in later for storage or sale. Each package also sports a ton of character personalization, including a short bio on back and which BAF piece comes with which figure.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Sculpting - ***1/2
All three of these have great head sculpts - really impressive stuff.

Ant-Man has had a pretty wide variety of helmet designs, and while I really, really like the new version (enough that I'm considering a 1:1 replica from eFX), this style with the unmasked lower face works great as well. And yes, there are antenna - they are folded back.

His body has plenty of sculpt details as well, especially around the belt and shoulders. Add in some varied textures, and you have an ML that stands out on the shelf.  Remember, these are a 6" scale, and he comes in at 6 1/4 inches tall.

Then there's Tiger Shark, a villain without much to tie him to Ant-Man.  I think they crossed paths back in the 80's, but everyone in the Marvel Universe has crossed paths with everyone else at some point.

His wide, evil grin is enhanced by the sculpted razor shark teeth, and the predatory expression continues into the wrinkles around his eyes and the arch of his brows. The head sculpt is the big selling point here, since the body itself is just another re-use with very little additional sculpt detail, but the grasping claw-like hands go a long way to creating the overall menacing look. The tall fin on his head can be pretty warped in the package, but with a hot water/cold water treatment you should be able to straighten it.  Personally, I like the slight wave to it - it reminds me of a fish even more. He's a big boy, coming in at 7 1/2 inches tall, including the fin.

And then there's the lovely Wasp, with one of the prettiest ML female head sculpts we've seen.  I suspect it has to do with the detailed short hair, a cute style that gives her a ton of personality without getting in the way of the articulation or overwhelming the other details.  It also makes sense - wearing a helmet would be tough with long locks.

Sadly, she's saddled with the usual ML female body, with too skinny arms and way too skinny knees.  The weird proportions don't detract quite as much here because of the suit design, but it's still not an ideal frame. She comes in at just over 6 inches tall.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Paint - Wasp, Tiger Shark ***; Ant-Man ***1/2
The paint work with most ML figures is pretty hit and miss, as is the case with most mass market toys.  Still, when it's a hit, it's really a hit, and that's the case with Ant-Man.

The helmet has wear and tear on the silver, added intentionally. It works for me, especially in hand, and adds a little more realism to an otherwise normal action figure.  The detailing on the silver sections of the suit is also surprisingly clean and consistent, since silver can be a tough color to work with. The red and black are even in color and coverage, and the bright eyes have decent edges and coverage.  There's a minor blip here and there, but overall this is an impressive paint job.

Tiger Shark has a few more issues, most notable around the eyes where the edges are sloppy and there's some bleed of the blue into the white. The body paint pattern is decent, and the coverage is fairly clean, but even with the more basic operations, he's not quite as perfect as Anty.

Then there's dear Wasp.  The work on her face and hair is quite clean, but she has slightly wonky eyes.  They aren't quite in the Marty Feldman ball park, but they don't quite line up, either.  The issues continue down on her suit, with more slop around the edges of the pattern with the black bleeding into the metallic paint. In hand it's not terrible, but a B average is about the best she's going to get.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Articulation - Wasp ***; Tiger Shark, Ant-Man ***1/2
Marvel Legends don't always have great paint...they don't always have a ton of accessories. But they do always have great articulation, and it's a centerpiece of the overall concept as far back as the Toybiz days.

Ant-Man is probably the best overall combination of sculpt and articulation, with lots of mobility in all the joints and a reasonable aesthetic. Let's review: ball jointed neck with forward and backward movement, ball (hinge style) shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, hinge/post wrists, ab-crunch, cut waist, ball hips, cut thighs, double pin knees, hinge/rocker ankles...and I'm probably forgetting something. The basic body works terrific, and can take some pretty natural poses considering the scale.

Tiger Shark is pretty much identical, although the fin does restrict the neck a little.  Still, I was able to get quite a bit of lean and tilt with the head, and plenty of personality in most poses.

Wasp has the same basic articulation (minus the cut waist and the jointed wings), but the soft plastic takes its toll.  All three of these are made from fairly soft plastic, and this can create issues with the posts, pins and discs used in the joints.  Both Ant-Man and Tiger Shark are big enough that it's not going to be a major issue, but the much smaller knees and elbows on Wasp are definitely problematic.  Breakage or tearing is possible, and the soft material also means the joints tend to wilt under the weight of the body and wings.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Accessories - Tiger Shark **1/2; Wasp ***; Ant-Man ***1/2
As regular readers know, if a Marvel Legend figure only comes with his (or her) appropriate BAF piece, they get **1/2 stars here.  That's the case with Tiger Shark.

Wasp adds in her removable wings, which are actually in four separate pieces.  They snap together on her back, and as I mentioned earlier, sport some decent articulation.  The slightly translucent look works well, and they are balanced nicely, allowing for various poses without tipping her over. She also has the largest BAF piece of any figure in the wave - the torso and pelvis of Ultron.

Ant-Man is one of the more accessorized ML's I've seen in awhile.  He has his BAF piece of course (the head), but also has a smaller version of himself, a small version of Yellowjacket, and a small flying ant.

The flying ant isn't in scale to the ML's however.  It's actually quite large - a couple inches long - but is in scale for the two smaller figures.  Mini Ant-Man can ride her, or he can sit on the shoulder of another ML (or even better, a 1/6th scale figure). Paint and sculpt isn't super detailed at this level, but it's adequate considering the price.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Fun Factor - ****
While the soft pegs and discs can cause some concern, these are generally well made, well articulated, fun action figures.  These are exactly the sort of thing I wish we got for every movie - actually based on the movie characters - rather than the cheesy, poorly articulated crap that tends to rule the aisle these days.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Value - Tiger Shark **; Wasp, Ant-Man **1/2
With only an Ultron limb, Tiger Shark is a tough sell at $20.  But both Wasp and Ant-Man add in enough extras to make them a clean value.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Things to Watch Out For -
Watch out for the soft pegs and discs, especially in the knees and elbows of Wasp where they are particularly small.

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Overall - Wasp ***; Tiger Shark, Ant-Man ***1/2
If you can only get one figure out of this entire wave, get Ant-Man. While he's not quite the movie design, he's still a terrific, fun action figure, designed for plenty of play.  Follow that up with Wasp, and you'll have a great pair of heroes for the shelf.

The rest of the line sports the usual ML quality, and getting unusual characters like Tiger Shark and Grim Reaper is a big plus.  And if you're going to get two or three, then you might as well go all out and finish off Ultron - you won't regret it.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - Wasp, Tiger Shark ***; Ant-Man ****
Articulation - Wasp ***; Tiger Shark, Ant-Man ***1/2
Accessories - Tiger Shark **1/2; Wasp ***; Ant-Man ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - Tiger Shark **; Wasp, Ant-Man **1/2
Overall - Wasp ***; Tiger Shark, Ant-Man ***1/2

Marvel Legends Ant-Man action figures by Hasbro

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

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

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

- 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.  There's the first half of this Ant-Man set of course, and before that 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, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published, and to find the dozens of other Marvel Legends reviews.

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 Ant-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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