Review of Deadpool, Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine action figures

Introduction

Over the last couple years, the 3 3/4" to 4" scale has really boomed, with new lines coming out to rival the Joes and Star Wars figures that have been on the pegs for decades.

Last year we saw a lot of activity in this scale around movie properties, including Indy, Prince Caspian, and even Hellboy. But this year, the traditional Superhero market is getting flooded.

The DC Infinite Heroes have been out for awhile now, and last month I covered a whole passel of Marvel Universe figures. Since then, we've gotten the animated X-men and Wolverine figures, as well as the movie based figures X-men Origins: Wolverine.

Tonight I'm looking at two of the XMO:W figures - Wolverine (of course) and Deadpool. This first wave also has Sabretooth, several other Wolverine variants, Gambit and Maverick to round it out with more to come.

I picked this guy up at Toys R Us, again for the $8 price tag we've been forced to deal with this year. Whether or not this scale can handle that kind of price for an extended period of time is yet to be seen.

The odd thing about Hasbro producing these figures is that the articulation and style is completely inconsistent across the lines, and in some cases (especially MU), not even consistent in the same series. Different articulation, different styles of sculpting, inconsistent paint ops - for a company that has worked in this scale successfully for so many years, this weird shotgun approach seems odd to me. So where do the XMO:W figures fit in with the rest? Let's take a look...

Packaging - **1/2
The card backs are designed to sell the movie, not really the figures. All of them show the artist version of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, even though the Deadpool and Wolverine I picked up are part of the 'comic series', and therefore based more on the comic book look than the film look.

Sculpting - ***1/2
From what I've seen so far, I like the overall sculpting of the XMO:W line the best of the three new Marvel small scale series. But that's in general - it is pretty apparent that if you want to display a true universe of cool Marvel characters in this scale on your shelf, you'll have to pick and choose between this series and the MU series to get the best of both worlds.

I think Deadpool is the overall winner in this first wave, but he does have one huge, glaring problem. I love the sculpt of the body, and it works fairly well with the designed articulation. He stands great on his own, and comes in at about 4 inches tall. Both hands are sculpted to hold his various accessories (although the smaller hilts on the two swords aren't going to work with the left hand sculpt), and his internal proportions are good.

What's the glaring problem? Oh, c'mon, you can't miss it - it's the clunky, goofy looking scabbards on his back, designed to hold the two swords. The swords fit within just fine, but the square designs don't just lack detail - they look rough and unfinished. Their large size makes them too obvious, they stick out from the body quite a ways, and the biggest problem - you can't get rid of them. Well, at least not without cutting them or the harness off his body. But if you use a razor and cut the harness free of the belt, you'll have a great looking Deadpool.

I'd leave the belt on if I cut off the harness, but I do have to admit that the sculpt on the belt and pouches is a little soft. Rack that up to the very small scale.

Wolverine's sculpt is also great, done in a very comic book based style. Unlike the version we got with the first MU wave (which is pictured in one of the comparison photos), this version is more old school, shorter and squatter in build than the rest of the line. He stands about just under 4 inches tall, which is reasonable difference from characters like Deadpool and Iron Man.

He also stands well on his own, although I did have more trouble getting the sculpt to work well with the designed articulation. His one hand is sculpted to hold his included sword, while the other is in a simple fist.

Rather than try to sculpt his claws as three separate tiny blades, they went with a single 'claw' sculpted and painted to appear like three. This makes them much sturdier and straighter, and was a great idea considering the scale.

Paint - Deadpool **1/2; Wolverine **
Neither of these figures has an outstanding paint job, although some of what you see in the photos is not visible by the nekkid eye.

However, there was plenty of slop, stray marks and poor cut lines that you CAN see in person. This was worse on Wolverine, and the slightly thick paint also softened the face sculpt too much. This same situation is visible on Deadpool's belt, where the thick paint obscures whatever detail there might have been in the pouches and doodads.

Articulation - Deadpool ***; Wolverine **1/2
If there was anything here that disappointed me, it was the articulation. The reason is simple: in the package, it looks like these guys should kick ass. Out of the package, the result is not quite said ass kicking.

There is a big plus here over most of the Marvel Universe figures - ball jointed hips. No, not the clunky ball and socket ball joints that most of the MU figures have, but the pin and post style ball joints that Marvel Legends collectors are familiar with. Because there's a post on both sides of the ball, the legs can turn outward (and inward) from the hip far better than with the ball and socket joints. This is a big plus in my book, and I like these joints much more.

But instead of taking the best of the MU articulation and adding in these hips, they also take away some of the things we get with the MU's! Yes, the shoulders are pin and post ball joints too, but there's no pin on the bicep side. That means that this Wolverine can't turn the arm in relation to the ball, unlike the MU version I reviewed earlier. 

The elbows are similar to a single pin joint through a disk, although you don't actually see the pin. The disk is also on a post that inserts into the upper arm, so the lower are can turn. The ankles are a similar style. The sculpt of the elbows, especially on Wolverine, don't allow for much mobility. Even worse, the sculpted legs and feet turn the ankles into pretty much just cut joints.

There's cut wrists, a chest joint (no waist joint), the usual ball and socket neck joint, and double pin knees to round things out. As I said, looking at these guys in the package, I was expecting great things, but once out, they decent, but a bit disappointing in this category.

Accessories - Deadpool ***1/2; Wolverine **
Thankfully, they load up Deadpool with lots of great weapons. The plastic they are using is a bit soft, but this is a 4 and up toy.

He has two identical swords, which fit in those aforementioned damned scabbards on his back. He can hold one of these in his right hand, but the left hand sculpt is designed to work better with the guns or the larger hilt of the giant sai.

Yep, it's really a giant sai. It's almost as big as the swords, and he could certainly club somebody to death with this thing.

There is also a machine gun and a smaller pistol. The pistol can fit in a holster on his right hip, and he can hold either gun or both at the same time in either hand.

Wolverine includes a sword of his won, with a sculpted pattern on the blade. His is made from soft plastic as well, and fits in his sculpted right hand. You can see how excited I was about it though - I completely forgot to include it in the photos. If you were going to give Wolverine a weapon he really doesn't need, why not a gun? Kids might have gone more play action out of that - he already has his claws to carve up Deadpool with.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
These figures are great toys, first and foremost. Sure, collectors will pick them up as well, but they've been designed for kids, and as such, they've done a good job of hitting the mark. Reasonable play articulation, decent accessories, and an assortment that hits up both the movie and comic book all add to the fun.

Value - Deadpool **; Wolverine *1/2
Eight bucks isn't a bargain by any means for figures in this scale. Deadpool at least includes a bevy of accessories to help assuage some of that pain, but Wolverine only has his sword...which isn't exactly something he really even needs.

Things to Watch Out For -
If you're picking them off the shelf, I'm betting you'll be able to find better (and worse) paint jobs, so take your time selecting the best.

Overall - ***
If Deadpool did not have the clunky harness, he'd have scored another half star higher here, as his overall sculpt, articulation and accessories are great. Sure, his paint ops could be a little better, but he's the best of the XMO:W figures so far.

The Wolverine is decent, but not outstanding. The paint here bugged me more, with a lot of stray marks, poor cut lines, and sloppy work, and the articulation doesn't work as well as it should. At eight bucks, he's not going to do better than three stars overall with me.

These figures really need to be six bucks - at this higher price, it will be interesting to see if they can succeed. I suspect there won't be many completists, and instead collectors will cherry pick the better characters out of this line and the MU line to go together.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - Deadpool **1/2; Wolverine **
Articulation - Deadpool ***; Wolverine **1/2
Accessories - Deadpool ***1/2; Wolverine **
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - Deadpool **; Wolverine *1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
picked these guys up at Toys R Us, and other mass market retailers are carrying them as well. Other online options include these great sponsors:

- you can pick up a full wave (9 figures) for $100 at Entertainment Earth.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered quite a few of the new Marvel Universe figures as well, splitting the first wave into a review here and another one here.

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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