Review of Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Mordo, Nico Minoru
Marvel Legends Action Figures

Introduction

Hasbro is cranking out the Marvel Legends in 2016, with lots and lots to choose from.  The good news is that they seem to be selling pretty well, with most previous figures moving well enough to make room on the pegs for the newer waves. It also helps that stores are stocking up and settling in for the holiday buying season, storing up on figures like squirrels store nuts.

With the Doctor Strange movie hitting screens in just 2 1/2 weeks, getting the related wave on the pegs was probably a priority for Hasbro and their retailers.  I've seen this wave - which includes a movie based Doctor Strange, movie based Karl Mordo, comic based Iron Fist, comic based Nico Minoru, comic based Brother Voodoo, comic based Doctor Strange, comic based Enchantress, and a nifty 'astral' Doctor Strange - on the shelves at most major retailers. I'm covering the first four tonight - I'll be hitting up the final four next week.

Of course there's a Build-A-Figure, and this time it's Dormammu. I'll be covering him with a couple other recent BAF's as one review in a couple weeks as well.

These guys are hitting Toys R Us, Meijer, and Target pretty heavy right now, and will cost you around $20 each.

Packaging - ****
No complaints from me.  Attractive, sturdy, relatively easy to store (an actual square would be easier, but that's a minor nit), easy to see the figure and accessories, useful and personalized information on the front and back, and completely collector friendly. There aren't even any twisties, bands, or tape holding the figure or accessories. You can't ask for much more than that, although I know some people (including retailers) find the ease of removing and returning the figure to the package annoying, thanks to the lowlife losers that use this feature to steal.

Sculpting - ****
Doctor Strange is one of the best movie based figures we've seen in the Marvel Legends series. Remember, this figure is only about 6 3/8" tall, AND he only costs $20.  And yet, the Strange/Cumberbatch likeness is extremely good. There's some great detail work in the hair, and the face is instantly recognizable.  The work on the body and costume is nice as well, with various layers and textures.

If I had one nit, it would be that the cape could be a softer material, particularly around the collar. But this is a seriously minor complaint with an otherwise excellent movie base ML release.

The other movie release in the series is Karl Mordo, played by the talented Chiwetel Ejiofor. The likeness isn't quite as strong, but it's solid work, and the costume has the same movie accurate look and feel. The colors aren't quite as perfect, and they made some minor sculpt changes around the waist and belts to allow for the articulation, but it's still instantly recognizable. Whether this figure will be in demand or not remains to be seen - Mordo will have to play a pretty critical role in the film for fans to respond. Mordo, like Strange, is just about 6 1/2" tall.

Iron Fist is a figure and character that we've seen before. I loved him last time, even in the white outfit, and I think this version improves on that release. I like this head sculpt slightly better, and the color change improves the entire situation. With the Netflix series right around the corner, this is the perfect time to introduce young fans to the comic origin. Using a standard ML body, Iron Fist is just shy of 6 1/2".

Finally, we have Nico Minoru. I'm not sure I'd correctly guess she was of Japanese heritage just by looking at this figure, but it is a pretty female portrait. The hair is a little less detailed than Strange's, but the body and costume does have more detail work than the traditional Marvel Legends figure. She's the smallest of this set of course, coming in at 5 3/4" tall.

Paint - ***1/2
Once again, I'm very impressed by the production paint work on these figures. Hasbro has really stepped up their game with the overall line, improving the quality across the board. All of the paint work is clean and crisp, with very few issues and none of them major.

Iron Fist might be the best of the bunch, and he almost pulled that extra half star. The face paint is particularly good, and the tampo symbol on his chest is even and straight. There is a little dirt in some spots on the costume, and the edges of the boots are a little fuzzy. I'm loving the translucent hands though, and the overall impression is of great quality.

Nico is less basic than Iron Fist, but every bit as good. Her only issue is really around the eyes, where there's a smidge of slop and they are a little thick and heavy. The more complex costume has crisp lines though, and I'm loving the two tone stockings and 'lace' sleeve edges.

Both Strange and Mordo have complex paint work, thanks to the realistic costumes. The colors are more subdued and subtle, but there's a large number of them, and edges are clean and neat. Both faces are particularly well done, although I will complain about the shininess of Mordo's skin. His eyes aren't quite as clean either, but it's not a major issue. Strange has a very sharp paint job on the face, but some of the smaller costume details - like the gold on the cape - show some slop around the edges.

Each figure has a minor issue here and there, but certainly nothing major, and the number of minor issues are quite small.

Articulation - Strange, Mordo, Nico ***1/2; Iron Fist ****
The closest to standard articulation for these four is Iron Fist, thanks to the common body with little customization for the character.  He has the usual: ball neck; double pin elbows and knees; rotating hinge wrists and hips; cut thighs, biceps, and waist; ab-crunch; and hinge ankles with the rocker joint.  The shoulders sport the extra special double joints that allow for a much greater range of movement across the chest.  All the joints work well, and they are all sturdy and solid, with good pins and plates.

Nico is close, although the ML female bodies are never as articulated as the males. Big differences are the rotating hinge elbows, and the collapsing of the waist/chest joints into a single rolling chest joint. Her rocker ankles work well, and while the skirt is a little restrictive, she can still take some decent stances.

Likewise, the longer robes of both Mordo and Strange reduce the mobility of the legs, and make deeper stances tough. You should still be able to get some decent battle poses though, and the overall level of articulation is well above average.

Accessories - Mordo ***; Iron Fist, Nico ***1/2; Strange ****
Every figure here comes with their BAF piece, grabbing themselves a **1/2 score right out of the gate. As I mentioned earlier, the BAF is Dormammu, and I'll be reviewing him shortly.

Mordo just has one additional item, his fighting staff.  He does have three smaller BAF pieces in total though, so you have to cut him a little slack.

Nico does quite a bit better. She has her magical staff, wrapped in magical cotton candy, er, smoke, and she has an extra entire left arm, with the hand and forearm sculpted in a translucent plastic. The arms swap easily enough and it's a great option.

Iron Fist certainly outdoes his predecessor in this category. This time we get his regular wrapped hands as an extra, and he comes wearing those nifty translucent jobs.  He also has a set of energy blasts that can fit over either set of fists.

But all that pales in comparison to the goodies that come with Strange. Along with his BAF piece, he has an extra set of cool magic hands, sculpted in magical poses. These, like the arm for Nico and the hands for Iron Fist, swap easily and cleanly.  He also has his removable cape, a removable necklace, and his very cool magical energy shield, complete with various runes and symbols. That's a gaggle of goodies, and all of them are useful and interesting.

Fun Factor - ****
It doesn't matter if you're a kid or a collector - these figures are fun. Thanks to the great articulation and posability, as well as the high quality sculpt and nice accessories, there's lots of poses and dioramas you can set up.  If your kids only know of the movie Marvel characters, now is the time to introduce them to some of the comic based heroes as well.

Value - ***1/2
These are the best action figures on the mass market pegs right now, and they are holding steady at that $20 price point.  Some stores have them closer to $18, and of course, there's always sales. Considering the improvements in paint and plastic quality, plus the boom in the quantity of accessories, I'd say that's a very solid value.

Things to Watch Out For -
You know to pick up the best paint you can when shopping at the store, but there's good news with the recent Marvel Legends waves. The risk of getting crappy paint seems to be far, far smaller these days. There's no other real issues here - hands swapped easily, joints were sturdy, plastic was solid.  It's all good!

Overall - Nico, Mordo ***1/2; Iron Fist, Strange ****
Hasbro continues to kick butt with the Marvel Legends. This has always been a great line of action figures, but with the last few waves, they've really upped their game.  I'm impressed all around with the level of quality, especially at this price point.

While the earlier Iron Fist was great, this one is superior.  Replace your previous version and feel good about it.

Nico is a bit of a odd duck, but the magic theme works well with her.  If you're going after the comic based Strange and Voodoo, she'll fit right in.

The new movie based Doctor Strange is the best of these four, and potentially the best of the wave. Okay, spoilers, he's the best of the wave.  With the film right around the corner, I suspect he'll be flying off the pegs.

Although he's also from the movie, I suspect the desire for Mordo will be lower, at least until we see how the character pans out on screen.  He could be very cool...or he could be the next Captain Phasma. Only time will tell, but I already have my IMAX tickets to find out - how about you?

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Strange, Mordo, Nico ***1/2; Iron Fist ****
Accessories - Mordo ***; Iron Fist, Nico ***1/2; Strange ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***1/2
Overall - Nico, Mordo ***1/2; Iron Fist, Strange ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the singles for $21, and the set of 8 for $160.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just covered the back half of the Space Venom wave last week, 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.

I also have my look at another ML Spider-Man wave, including Absorbing Man, Ben Reilly, Spider-Gwen, and Venom in one half, and Speed Demon, Beetle, Jack O'Lantern, and Morbius in the other. Prior reviews include the terrific Hulbuster  BAF, the Blizzard, Vision, Valkyrie, War Machine, Thundra, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man.

I let the BAF's build up for awhile last year, and covered a whole bunch at once in this review. Prior to that, I covered the Rhino wave, including Kraven, Chameleon, Misty Knight and Ghost Rider and Scarlet Spider, Superior Venom and White Tiger,  the Ant-Man wave in part 1 with Giant Man, Bull Dozer and Grim Reaper, and part 2 with Ant-man, Wasp, and Tiger Shark. and the Avengers (Thanos) wave, in part 1 with Hulk, Hellcat, and Iron Man MK43, and part 2 with Captain America, Batroc and Spider-Woman. 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.

There's a lot more Marvel Legends reviews than that, and you should also hit the Search Reviews page, to find them. Also, there's likely to be more applicable reviews done after this one was published.

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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