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Introduction
The most recent wave - at least 'round these parts - of the Marvel Legends series of action figures contains all the parts necessary to build a Molten Man BAF, and several of the figures are ripped right from the movie Spider-Man Far From Home. And like most waves, it also contains several comic themed characters, both hero and villain.
Tonight I'm looking at two more figures from the set: Hydro-Man and Spider-Woman. This will run you around $20 each, are necessary to build
the BAF, and should be on the shelves near you right now.
Packaging - ***
The same packaging we've seen for quite some time now, with decent background text, a graphic showing which figure has which BAF part, and a
collector friendly aspect. You can easily remove the figure and accessories and replace them without damaging the box, if that's your desire.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Both sculpts are quite attractive, particularly when you consider the scale. Remember, these are 1/12, with Spider-Woman coming in about 6" and
Hydro-Man at the larger 6 3/4".
Hydro-Man has a manly, rough look, and reminds me a lot of Thomas Haden Church in his role as Sandman in Spider-Man 3. The details are sharp, and the hair looks great. He has a smart ass grin too, a perfect expression. There's a few mold lines, particularly on the neck, and there's not a ton of detail in the costume, but the watery arms look terrific with their translucent blue waves. The waves around his feet are actually separate, removable pieces.
Spider-Woman is also quite attractive, with fine features and long flowing hair. Again, not much suit detail, but the musculature looks reasonable and the hands are well posed.
Paint - ***
The paint work is clean all around, particularly with the edges between the white and black on the Spider-Woman costume. Her face paint could be a
little cleaner, and I don't love the slight shine on her skin, but considering the price point, the quality is solid.
Same is true for Hydro-Man, although there's less paint detail here. The big blue chunks are translucent, and the shirt and pants are pretty much one color. But the eyes and eyebrows are well done, and the hair is reasonable.
Articulation - ***
These are Marvel Legends - that means plenty of joints.
But it doesn't always mean they work well. Take Spider-Woman's neck for example. Thanks to the long hair, the mobility is more restricted than usual. The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists work fine, but the double jointed elbows always work a bit better. The torso rolls, but there's no cut waist this time. The ball hips, cut thighs, double pins, and rotating hinge ankles with rocker movement work well. There could be a bit more rocker, but overall the legs are quite posable.
Hydro-Man has more issues in the arms. His neck rotates and leans, and the rotating hinge shoulders have the usual movement. But the elbows and wrists are heavily restricted by the big water arm sculpts. The ab-crunch is useful, and the leg articulation - ball hips, rotating hinge ankles with rocker, double pin knees, cut thigh - work great. Again, I'd like a little more rocker movement, but that's minor compared to the restrictions on the arms.
Accessories - ***
Both figures come with their BAF parts for the Molten Man figure. Spider-Woman has the torso bits, while Hydro-Man has the small head.
Spider-Woman adds in a second right hand, sculpted with a permanent web shooting from it. Hydro-Man includes the two water boots, which pop on and off the feet pretty easily.
Fun Factor - ***
The reduced articulation make these a little less fun than the best releases, but they are still Marvel Legends, and they are still well made heroes
and villains that kids will love.
Value - **1/2
Hasbro has maintained the $20 price point for years now, and as oil prices dropped, they've improved the overall quality of the plastic, sculpting,
and paint. I can't really argue with that.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall - ***
These two might not be my personal favorites of the wave, but both are still solid releases. And Hasbro knows you want that Molten Man, which
requires adding these to your collection.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has the singles for $22 and a case (eight figures) for $160 and free shipping!
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other
recent Marvel Legends reviews include the first part of this wave, Doppelganger Spider-Man and
Mysterio, Deadpool
Corp;
Captain
Marvel, Nick Fury, Kree Sentry, and Genis-Vell.
I've
covered quite a few Marvel Legends over the years, including figures from Infinity War;
Black Knight and Malekith;
Thor, Cull Obsidian, and Black Widow;
and Ant-man and the Wasp.
Use the Search Reviews page to find even more.
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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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
