Toy News and Reviews

Marvel Legends

Series 5 Figures

by The Toyman

Welcome back once again, toy fiends.

This week�s review covers Marvel Legends Series 5.� This continuation of the popular Marvel Legends line includes Blade; Sabretooth; Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Mr. Fantastic; Silver Surfer (with Howard the Duck); Colossus; and a chase figure of the Red Skull.

Again ToyBiz presents us with super-articulated, well-executed figures of everyone�s favorite Marvel characters.� Sure, ToyBiz has made some odd choices, but that is nothing new and nothing that is going to change anytime soon.� ToyBiz has a successful line and they show no sign of letting up.

This is nothing you don�t know, I�m sure.� (Otherwise you wouldn�t be here.)� So let's get on with the review ... .

Initial Thoughts

ToyBiz continues to give the fans what they want.� Superb articulation, adequate sculpts, and a few surprises every now and then.

Admittedly, I put off buying this series.� Why?� I�m not completely sure.� I hate chase figures.� (I understand why ToyBiz continues to produce them, but I don�t like them.)� When the series first appeared, Blade was absent, and that annoyed me.� And since I�d mostly picked at the previous assortments, I wasn�t sure I wanted to get completely involved.� I�m glad I did!� I found Red Skull and later Blade, and once I started I couldn�t stop.� These things are addictive.

If only ToyBiz wouldn�t reuse body parts from one figure to the next.� But after years of seeing poor product cranked out by ToyBiz, I�m just happy they�ve started producing toys that actually try to compete with the rest of the market.

Packaging�

More all-plastic clamshells have arrived.� I�m starting to worry about the future of easy-to-open figures on cardboard backer cards.� Well-packaged and sturdy, the packaging seems collector-friendly � but I have seen a lot hanging on the pegs with dents and creases on the corners.

The figures are all nicely-presented; the inserts are sturdy.� And, as with Series 1-4, you get a comic book featuring �legendary� appearance of the character.� The book choices are usually odd, and in this case the book that comes with Blade isn�t a comic but a poster book of stills from Blade 2.

The packaging isn�t perfect (as many MOCers will attest), and it�s awfully hard to open, but it still earns a respectable 4 stars.

Sculpts

There's no mistaking any of these characters.� All the sculpts are great, but as with any line, there are a few stand-outs and a few let-downs.

But I can�t be too hard on these.� ToyBiz has come a long way over the past few years, and if a little bit of the sculpt is sacrificed to enhance the articulation and the fun factor, then that�s all right.

Let�s start with Sabretooth.� Well-sculpted with only minor flaws, Sabretooth falls victim to the massive ball-jointed shoulders that ToyBiz insists on using.� At least on poor Sabretooth they aren�t as noticeable when compared to the rest of his body.� His mane is well-rendered, and his face is sculpted in the appropriate angry expression.� His massive musculature is well-defined, and he�s easily posed to take on the nearest X-Men.� Sabretooth gets 4 stars.�

Mr. Fantastic is next, and boy, is he the let-down of the group.� His shoulders are awful!� They make him look completely out of proportion.� His body is so scrawny, you almost expect his massive cranium to crush him.� And the prototype head sculpt was way better than this one.� At least it will be used on the next Reed in the Fantastic Four boxed set.� His alternate �elongated� hands are a let-down as well.� They don�t match up well when placed on his arms and just look wrong.� It was a great idea, but it could have been executed better.� The bendy rubber is so heavy he can�t support his own arms.� As much as I was looking forward to Mr. Fantastic, fantastic he is not � so he only gets 2 stars.�

Colossus!� Well-sculpted, well-represented, and just a big massive figure. Colossus was almost the one Marvel Legend I didn�t pick up.� I�ve never been a big X-Men fan, but I�m really glad I picked up Colossus.� His �skin� looks great, his expression is perfect, and ToyBiz actually tossed in some soft rubber accents on his shoulder pieces and his knees.� For being such a pleasant surprise, Colossus gets all 5 stars.�

Silver Surfer is another great surprise.� A simple sculpt is very well done, which is very important in this case, since his paint job doesn�t allow much room to hide imperfections in the sculpt.� The shoulders work for him.� Maybe because they match his head so perfectly.� His muscles look believable, and the poses of both his hands are great.� I almost believe he�s trying to tell me something.� (That, or he�s snapping his fingers to the cosmic drummer in his head.)� The Surfer gets the full 5 stars.�

Sir Nicholas Fury is next.� (It just sounds so right after reading 1602 that I can�t help but call him that.)� I expected more from Nick Fury.� Where�s his cigar, for crying out loud?� His mouth is sculpted to hold it, but it�s nowhere to be found.� And compared to the rest of the line, he seems a little plain.� Honestly, should Reed Richards be more built than Nick?� Fury gets only 3 stars.�

And the final regular figure is Blade.� Everyone�s been begging for a decent Blade since the original movie Blade came and went years ago.� While this is that Blade, he�s far from perfect.� He sort of looks like Wesley Snipes, and I�m sure he could kick a few plastic vampires butts, but he�s not the radical improvement I was hoping for.� The sculpt is hidden by his coat, and he looks better without it.� Blade gets only 4 stars.� He could be worse, but he�s not perfect, either.

Then there's the chase piece for this wave, the Red Skull.� Finally, someone to fight Cap!� And what do we get?� A modified movie Daredevil (easily one of the worst Marvel Legends figures) with a repainted Captain America base.� The head sculpt is new and looks great.� If only he could have been sculpted in his full uniform.� I give Red 3� stars.� For being so hard to find, he should be a better figure.� It�s pretty anticlimactic to hunt and hunt for a figure that�s not all that great.�

Articulation�

These are Marvel Legends figures; need I say any more?� They are some of the most articulated toys available � and for the most part, it�s actually useful articulation.� They all get 5 stars.

Paint�

The whole line is well painted.� This is a hit-or-miss topic with ToyBiz, and it usually helps to wait a little while before picking any up.� The first shipment or two is usually the worst, with subsequent cases getting better and better.

Sabretooth could use a little more detail.� I�ve heard complaints about paint scraping off the joints on the Surfer.� And Red Skull's jacket has some sloppy line work.

As a whole, the line receives 4 stars in the paint department.

Accessories�

Every figure in Marvel Legends Series 5 has at least one accessory, its base.

Sabretooth comes with another chunck of a destroyed Sentinel, this time a foot.� He looks great displayed on it, and it�s great to have another chunk of Sentinel.

Reed comes with part of the Fantasticar, which is well-detailed, has a folding seat, and looks just as it should � like a flying bathtub.

Colossus has the chest piece of a Sentinel, but it looks too small compared to all the other Sentinel pieces.� If you were hoping to piece together a complete Sentinel, you had better start looking elsewhere.

Fury comes with his jetpack and a trail of smoke that suspends him in mid-flight.� He looks much better that way.

Silver Surfer comes with his cosmic surfboard and attaches to it via magnets in his feet.� This means that, just like last year�s magnetic Spiderman, Surfer can hang out on your fridge!� And as a special bonus, Surfer comes with a figure of Howard the Duck.� What more do you want?� He�s a well-sculpted and painted representation of everybody�s favorite wise-cracking duck.

Blade has the most accessories.� His base is his motorcycle.� While not as impressive as Ghost Rider�s bike, it still serves its purpose.� Blade also has a faux leather coat, sword, gun, sunglasses, and a throwing weapon.

The Red Skull has a repainted base from the Series 1 Captain America but also comes with hand gun and his hat.

Marvel Legends Series 5 earns another perfect score for the accessories:� 5 stars out of 5.

Price�

With a suggested retail price between $8 and $10, Marvel Legends are a great buy.� You get a lot for your money, and compared to some other super-hero toys. they seem like a steal.

Overall Playability�

This is a line of super-hero toys you can actually play with.� They can pass any Articulation test you toss at them:� They can sit in chairs, lay on operating tables, do a split, and look great mid-stride.� If there was ever a line that took playing with your toys to a new level, it would be Marvel Legends.� The whole line deserves a high score, but due to a few inconsistencies here and there, they get a respectable 4� stars as a whole.

Now if you�ll excuse me, I have to break up a fight between Silver Surfer and Silent Bob!

And in this week's news:

DC Direct Solicitations have been announced for April, including Hush Series 2 (Superman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Riddler, and Catwoman) and a second Artist Signature Set (Kingdom Come Superman). For all the details, see this week's issue of Previews.

McFarlane Monsters Series 3 is finally and fully revealed at Spawn.com. And there will be a Collectors' Club piece for the line. Whether it will be an accessory set or another figure is still unknown.

Wizard World L.A. was a huge success as a new convention. Palisades showed a lot of new product, including new Muppets and Army of Darkness figures. Gentle Giant quickly sold out of their exclusive Clone Trooper bust.

Marvel Minimates Series 6 & 7 revealed: http://www.toymania.com/news/messages/4763.shtml

Until next week, toy fans, you know where to find me if you need me!

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