I'm pretty sure I only heard about the Mego Disney Store Avengers 4pk just a week or so before it dropped, mine arriving just five days after I ordered it online without incident. Some collectors reported receiving badly damaged boxes, but mine arrived unscathed. I think Mego adjusted their inventory numbers with the online giant after grossly miscalculating the initial Fantastic Four set, which left many fans without, present company included. In fact, you could still order last year's Spider-Man/Arch Enemies 4pk when I purchased the Avengers set (and still can as of writing this, though the Avengers set is sold out now). I hope we'll get another chance at the Fantastic Four set! Check out my YouTube Short:
I love the packaging and special edition gold coin, and while I've heard a lot of complaints about changes collectors wanted/didn't want, I'm actually thrilled with this set. Finding vintage figures of these characters in good condition can be a pricey endeavor, and I'd remind any of those '70s kids, they wouldn't have cared about any of that back in the day. They very much channel the spirit and aesthetic of '70s Mego!
I'm mostly sure I didn't have a Mego Captain America as a child in the '70s, in spite of the figure's long run from '73 to '82. I remember having Batman and Robin, Superman, Hulk, Spider-Man, Joker, and Penguin, but not Cap. I suspect this sample falls somewhere in the middle of his production run due to his Type 2 body construction, darker flesh tone and stitched belt. I bought a fabric star to replace the thin sticker the eBay seller had given him, and I suspect the sticker on the shield had also been replaced, but he's a good, clean sample.
Cap was a somewhat plain figure, bereft of the Mego "oven mitt" gloves and white bands around his biceps, but was a beloved figure. He also got standard issue Mego boots, like Superman, not the cuffed type he traditionally wore in the comics. Some later Mego characters were slightly more deluxe, but Cap stayed this more basic figure throughout his nine years or so of production.
This Target exclusive Sam Wilson Captain America is a re-release of a figure that came in a 3pk some years ago- that figure did not include wings, nor the large, handsome shield unique to this character. There were complaints about the cash-grab nature of this figure, but I never had the first release, so I was happy to see him.
I had not realized how many parts Sam shared with my Marvel NOW! Captain America from a decade ago- I'm still fond of that figure, and they make a great pair...
In spite of the collector community's misgivings regarding this release, I was glad to finally have a Sam Wilson Captain America with his wings. I have an MCU Sam Wilson/Steve Rogers Captain America 2pk Hasbro gave me that frustratingly does not include wings- an exclusion that made no sense and consequently sold poorly. For myself, this release feels like a wrong made right.
Though unfamiliar with the Disney+ show, Marvel What If...?, I knew I'd be getting this Marvel Legends wave upon first solicitation. I've since enjoyed the first season, but my initial enthusiasm for these unfamiliar Marvel character mash-ups was based solely on their fantastic designs. Check out the video:
Aside from some small nitpicks, I was not disappointed with any of these figures. Zombie Captain America may be the standout, but Captain Carter seems to also be a fan favorite among the action figure community. And Doctor Strange Supreme just makes a fine stand-in for Doctor Strange, in spite of the character's alternate reality in the What If ...? animated series. The same goes for Zombie Hunter Spider-Man- without the cloak, he's just a good, albeit grungy, Spider-Man. Below, some of the other Marvel Legends that make an appearance in the video: Far From Home Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Star-Lord, Doctor Strange, Infinity Gauntlet Thanos, and Ragnarok Thor...
Pictured below, The Watcher BAF with my Marvel Legends Fantastic Four, Obsidian Surfer, and my old ToyBiz Cosmic Power Galactus. You won't get a great deal of extreme poses with this BAF, but that's not typical of the character anyway. I didn't buy the recent HasLab oversized Sentinel or Galactus due to their prohibitive cost, and wish they would just release some simpler, large figures for a lower price to complement the Marvel Legends line.
This was truly a great Marvel Legends wave, largely full of characters I didn't know I wanted a figure of. I did enjoy What if ...?, Loki, and WandaVision recently on Disney+, however, but it helped that I'd watched most of the MCU films off the last ten years. And while this isn't a "classic" Watcher figure, the character has been rendered differently often enough in the comics that it works for me. There has been speculation the Hasbro will release a more vintage styled Watcher like Marvel Select has, but I like this modern update. Recommended!
I try to avoid buy entire waves of Marvel Legends because I have a ton of them, but this Shang-Chi wave looked good, and as a fan of classic horror characters, I loved the Mr. Hyde BAF. I got back into Marvel Legends in 2017, collecting way more of them than I had in years past while writing this blog. Around 2016, Hasbro really raised the bar on this line, the MCU figures really improving in both their sculpt detail and facial portraits. While the Shang-Chi portraits have somewhat blank expressions, the sculpts and paint are fantastic! Check out the video:
Below, the Mr. Hyde BAF built with parts included with the Marvel Legends Shang-Chi Wave, next to my Marvel Legends Joe Fixit BAF. I assembled Joe Fixit after purchasing his Marvel Legends wave in November of 2020, and while he's the Gamerverse version of the character, I'm quite fond of him. Mr. Hyde's coat doesn't have a cape like the classic version I grew up with, but he retains the comic book aesthetic by and large.
I have two other Iron Man figures built on this buck Hasbro produced for the 80th Anniversary Iron Man, but it sure looks good in the classic comic book colors. It looks good next to my 3.75" Marvel Legends Retro Series Iron Man, below. Both really take me back to the Mattel Secret Wars Iron Man I loved as a child! See more comparisons of the Shang-Chi Wave next to other figures in my collection in the video above!
While I've seen none of the Disney channel Marvel shows, I'm definitely interested in the forthcoming Shang-Chi movie, as well as the next chapter of the MCU. This was a great looking group of figures, and a great way to pick up a classic Iron Man if you missed the initial 80th Anniversary Iron Man, nice translucent Tony Stark A.I. head included. Recommended!
Last year I preordered three of the Hasbro Pulse exclusive Marvel Legends Retro 3.75" figure 2-packs, which I still haven't opened! I love the card art so much that I'm kind of just enjoying them that way for now. Yes, I sold off most all of my 3.75" Marvel Universe collection to make room for other things, but the retro style of these simpler figures really appeal to me.
Below, 3.75" Spider-Man and Electro with Marvel Legends 6" Retro Series Spider-Man and Electro- I have that entire wave of 6" Spider-Man Retro Series figures I've not opened either...
There was another 2-pack available of Iron Man and Black Panther, with metallic deco in limited edition foil packaging, but I opted for the Iron Man/Cyclops and Black Panther/Capt. America 2-packs...
This past March I bumped into Daredevil and Elektra, two characters that seemed to be unconventional choices so early in the line, giving me hope as to who might be coming in future waves. I really appreciate the inclusion of accessories for these two great looking figures...
And finally, I found Magneto and Human Torch this past weekend, just a couple weeks after finding Carol Danvers in her Ms. Marvel outfit. There is an Iceman and Hulk out there as well, the latter of which I'm particularly interested in. I have no idea how far this line will go, but there are a lot more characters I'd like to have in this style.
I hadn't purchased the initial Monster Venom BAF wave from 2018, nor planned on picking up this second Marvel Legends Venom wave, but the Venompool BAF was so good that I couldn't resist. Check out the video:
See the video above more more comparison photos with other figures!
The Venomized concept is a good one, appealing to kids and adults who read comics from the '80s and '90s when this character, and the spinoff character Carnage, came onto the scene. There are some cool figures in this wave, notably the Carnage figure, an upgrade from the 2018 release with more detailed sculpt. The Venomized Captain America was a Walmart exclusive that I had to hunt down after buying the other figures in this wave, sub-branded under the Maximum Venom logo as the Miles Morales and Ghost-Spider figures are. My favorite, however, is the 2018 cinematic Venom; while I prefer venom with his spider chest insignia, I love the proportions of this tall figure, and the interchangeable heads look fantastic. I'm unsure if the creepy toes are screen-accurate, but I like them!
There have been questions regarding the need for some of these figures, but I did like them- their articulation was good, and they make a great group. The outstanding Venompool BAF is why you showed up, but there's some other fun stuff here. Reccomended!
Initially, my interest in this Marvel Legends Gamerverse Avengers Joe Fixit Wave was primarily confined to Jocasta and Kang, but I went back for the other four using some Amazon points I'd accumulated. I'm glad I did, because in spite of having to buy another Gamerverse Iron Man and Captain America, I thoroughly enjoyed this wave. Check out the video:
As I said, buying another Gamerverse Iron Man and Captain America wasn't high on my priority list, but I was impressed with them in person; the Tony Stark and Steve Rogers head sulpts included took them to another level, and I loved the new colorways. Pleasantly surprised by these two...
I have no emotional attachment to Thunderstrike, but there are some nice aspects to this figure; I'm usually more a fan of neutral face sculpts, but the screaming face on this is fantastic! Below, Thunderstrike with my Beta Ray Bill and Marvel 80th Anniversary Classic Thor...
There is a serious shortage of villains in my Marvel Legends collection, so I was thrilled to see a comic book based Kang in this wave. I loved my childhood Secret Wars Kang, and Hasbro did a knock-out job on this classic character- lots of new parts! Below, Kang with the magnificent Dr. Doom we got earlier this year...
Jocasta was one of the figures that interested me in this wave, due in large part to her head sculpt, and less with any attachment to the character. She pairs well with my Iron Man 3 Wave Ultron, her creator and captive love interest, created in 1977 by artist George Perez and writer Jim Shooter...
Falcon is a bedrock Avengers team mate, so I wasn't disappointed in finally having one in my Marvel Legends collection. I like the engineering od the wings, pegged securely into rectangular slots on the undersides of the arms, the same used recently on that Demogoblin Wave Classic Vulture...
This wasn't the comic book Joe Fixit that first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #326 (1986), nor was it a repaint of the recent Kingpin figure we've now seen twice; this is a unique and very cool Marvel Legends BAF. Well, the arms, legs, and shoes may be reuse of Kingpin's parts (?), but the rest is new. It's possible we will get a comic book based Joe Fixit from Hasbro in the future, but I hope it's in a tuxedo, packed with a Wolverine as Patch, just like in Wolverine #8 (1989)!
I didn't buy the recent Gray Hulk or Red Hulk, basically repaints of the Marvel 80th Anniversary Classic Hulk with a new head sculpt. I'm glad to have another Hulk that is unique; I'm kind of a Hulk collector, and have a modest grouping, varying in size and manufacture.
I did enjoy this Marvel Legends wave- I don't often an entire wave to get the BAF, and am glad Hasbro has started rereleasing larger BAFs as "deluxe" and Vintage Wave releases so we can have alternative ways to get figures we want. If they'd stop confounding us with retailer exclusive releases, that would be great.
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