Review of the Wasp
Ant-Man and the Wasp sixth scale action figure

Introduction

While the big money tent pole Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are always going to get the lion share of the figures from Hot Toys, they haven't ignored the more specific character films. They gave us an Ant-Man from his solo flick, and they followed that up with another Ant-Man from the next installment - Ant-Man and the Wasp.

But as the sharpest of you will note, there's another character right there in the title. Hot Toys figured that out too, and have released their Wasp figure. We haven't seen any sign of any other characters from either of these films, and I'd be pretty shocked if we did, but you never know. At least with both headliners, you have a nice team.

Wasp retails for around $250, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
Nice graphics, a sturdy shoe box style, and double plastic trays holding everything safe and sound - nothing unique, but the reliable packaging you expect. It's all collector friendly too, and there's some brief instructions designed to inform on the key issues.

Sculpting - ****
Capturing a recognizable pretty person can be tough. The reality is simple - they look a lot alike. Oh, I know your brain can tell the living ones apart, but capturing the subtle differences and the personality of a living, breathing, moving person in a static sculpt is made all the more difficult when they are attractive. Give them a scar or two, some wrinkles and age, and voila - it gets way easier.

Yet, Hot Toys did an excellent job. The nose, the eyes, the lips, the shape of the face and head - it's clearly Evangeline Lilly.  This portrait is technically the second head sculpt - the first is fully masked. And I'll be honest - the masked head will most likely the one I'll be using on the shelf. But this is such a good Lilly that I'm already thinking about the ways I can use it to do a civilian look.

The masked head is perfect, and because of the suit's design, you can see a lot more of her face than Ant-Man's. There's a mix of textures on the helmet itself, and swapping heads is simple. There's some sculpting to the costume as well, and in particular, the chest piece looks terrific, blending in perfectly with the rest.

She stands about 11 1/2" tall, fitting in pretty well with the rest of the line. She's going to look great teamed up with her insect counterpart on the shelf.

Paint - ****
If this wasn't a four star score, you'd wonder where Hot Toys had failed. Their production paint work is hard to beat, and they create a life-like, realistic appearance to everything thanks to their paint quality.

The suit and helmet look like industrial pieces, with a sharp, clean look to the surface. This is in contrast to the face underneath, where the subtle skin texture, eyes, and eyebrows look organic.

The full head is almost perfect as well, with clean work all around. My only nit would be the mouth line - you know the one, that black line between the lips used to create depth and shadow. It's a little too obvious for my tastes, but again, it's a really minor nit.

The hair line has a few strands slipping down onto her forehead, thanks to a very fine paint application. In hand, it adds a ton of realism to the portrait.

Articulation - ***
As you'd expect with this style suit, there's not a lot of mobility. It is stretchier than most however, at least from the waist down. The interior of the legs is a cloth, not covered with vinyl or plastic. It is much more likely to withstand deeper stances without damage over time.

It's still pretty tight though, and you aren't going to get super deep stances. The arms and torso allow for reasonable poses, and the big surprise is the neck. The helmeted head can bend backward more than I expected, allowing you to create some decent flying poses.

It's also worth noting that the pony tail is articulated with a cut joint at the head, so it can turn. This is useful when adjusting it around the retracted helmet piece on the back. And last but not least, the wings are also articulated, although they only move forward and back, and only slightly.

Accessories - ***
Unfortunately, she's pretty light in this department, especially considering the price point.

There is that second portrait though, and that's a big plus. The heads swap easily.

The hands swap easily as well. She comes wearing fists, and there's a set of wide splayed hands and a set of wide grips. There's one tight grip right, designed to hold the discs.  There's a couple extra wrist pegs too, just in case.

I mentioned this earlier, but there's a piece that slips into the backpack at the top, and sits around the collar. This is the retracted helmet, to be used when you have the bare head in place.  It doesn't fit down inside the pack quite as well as I'd like, but it's an important extra.

The Wasp has wings of course, and when they are retracted, the are inside said back pack. There's a cover for the pack that has just the tips sticking out. There's a second cover to be used when you've attached the wings.

The wings themselves look great, made from thin lightweight translucent plastic. They snap in place on the back, and the cover snaps over them. I suspect I'll be using them in the display, but they do mean she needs plenty of space on the shelf.

There are two small discs, re-used from Ant-Man. One of her hands is designed to hold one perfectly.

Recent Hot Toys Marvel figures have included a cardboard backdrop, and so does Wasp. It isn't particularly exciting however - I didn't even bother shooting it. I'm not a big fan, since these 'backdrops' tend to be too small to be useful.

Ant-Man came with a miniature version of himself, and so does the Wasp. The paint work is good considering the scale - we're talking an inch or so.

As always, there's a stand and support rod. This time, the support rod is tall, bendable metal, and includes a waist gripper with extra support. This is intended for flying and leaping poses, although I don't particularly like the design. If you're looking to do a flying pose, I'd recommend looking for something a bit better.

Light Feature - ***
The light feature is fairly simple, and the yellowish color shows up pretty well.

You pop the top of the helmet off to reach the battery compartment and switch. The compartment is deep, making inserting the three (included) batteries tricky, but it can be done with a little patience. It helps if you don't have sausage fingers.

The light is fairly bright, but you'll want a darkened room to really appreciate it.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit is impeccable - excellent tailoring, top notch materials, and high quality construction. It mixes multiple materials, yet it all blends seamlessly together.

The stretchy lycra like material on the inside of the legs allows for better posing, as do the two piece boots. The sculpted bits are realistic and clean, and the covers for the pack - either wings in or wings out - fit tightly and cleanly, with no gaps.

One of the things that allow this figure to be more posable even with the restrictive costume is the design at the shoulders. Rather than the costume being one piece, the arms are separate. This gives them more mobility, but you will have to watch when posing to ensure the material covers.

Fun Factor - ***
While she's not the most posable, you can get some good looks. Add in your Ant-Man, and you have the potential to change things up on the shelf at least once in awhile.

Value - **
At $250, she's at a top end price even for Hot Toys. While she does have two heads and a light up feature - both generally functions of their more expensive releases - she doesn't have much in the way of accessories. I'm going just slightly under an average value here.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I'd avoid squeezing the 'ears' on the helmet when swapping heads, and you want to take your time assembling and disassembling the wings. But there's nothing here that a little patience won't protect.

Overall - ***1/2
While I have a few nits with this figure, I really do love it. It's a beautiful sculpt, and the helmeted head is exquisite. She's going to look fantastic with the wings, standing next to a battle ready Ant-Man. These characters - the ones we will probably only get once from Hot Toys - are some of my personal favorites, and when they hit a home run with one of them, it's all the sweeter.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Obviously you need a Hot Toys Ant-Man to go with her - you have a choice of two: Original and the actual suit from this same film.

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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