Marvel Legends Dump -August 2023

 I didn't get all of these figures in August, but most of them I did, so I felt it was a good time to dump a bunch of them onto the blog!

Spider-Man 2 (Gamerverse)

I was disappointed in missing out on the first Gamerverse Spider-Man at GameStop a couple years ago, so getting this upgraded model was sweet. He came with several web accessories and has all the articulation you'd want in a Spider-Man figure, including a toe joint.

Above: Spider-Man Vs. The Lizard   Below: Spider-Man with my Gamerverse Velocity Suit Spider-Man and Spider Armor Mark III form the Marvel Legends Demogoblin Wave...

Quantumania Ultron

I'm not sure why Ultron was in this wave, but collectors who missed out on the Classic Ultron we got in 2021 with the Ursa Major BAF Wave will be glad to see him. His head sculpt is slightly different, and he is sculpted in that swirly metallic plastic instead of painted silver. Below, Quantumania Ultron pictured with Disney + What-If... Ulton BAF and my Classic Ultron...

Guardians of the Galaxy Yondu

I hate exclusives as much as the next collector, but I didn't have any problem preordering this Target Exclusive Yondu. What a presentation- live the color on this figure! He pairs nicely with the Walmart Exclusive Star-Lord we just got!

Moon Knight (Modern)

I've been a fan of Moon Knight since reading about him in Spectacular Spider-Man back in the '70s, and this modern interpretation hits all the right notes. I'm unsure what I'm supposed to do with the extra-small crescent accessories he came with, but he was packed with other useful weapons.

Below, Modern Comics Moon Knight flanked by Disney+ Moon Knight and Mr. Knight:

Heroes Return Iron Man/Model 01 Iron Man

How many Iron Man figures does a Marvel Legends collector need? Apparently two more!

Above: Model 01 Iron Man Vs. my ToyBiz 1st Appearance Hulk

Below: Heroes Return Iron Man with Iron Spider

Below, Heroes Return Iron Man and Model 01 Iron Man with some of the other Marvel Legends Iron Men I've collected in the last 3 years: Iron Man 2020   80th Anniversary Classic Iron Man   Modular Iron Man   Model 70 Iron Man   War Machine   Silver Centurion   Stealth Iron Man ...

Avengers: Beyond Earth's Mightiest Heroes Captain Marvel Vs. Doctor Doom 2pk

I read Secret Wars back in the '80s and was particularly fixated on this version of Doctor Doom that looks like the Mattel Secret Wars figure I had then. I was thrilled to see this set solicited a few months ago, and it did not disappoint!

Below: Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel with Mar-Vell Captain Marvel

Hasbro went all the way with Doom, including a Victor Von Doom head sculpt, collapsed hoodie accessory, and mask so we can relive issue #11 of Secret Wars "The Face of Doom" like it's 1985! So good ...!

Below, Secret Wars Doom with my Marvel Legends Classic Doctor Doom

Avengers: Beyond Earth's Mightiest Heroes Black Widow

And finally, a figure I picked up while shooting the rest of these, the newest Marvel Legends Black Widow. I passed on this figure in a local Target a couple weeks ago, but circled back to scoop her up- with three head sculpts, pinless joints (double hinged elbows as well), and all her other weapons/accessories, she is the Black Widow to have in your collection.

The 2018 Marvel Legends Black Widow also had an alternate head with a '60s/retro hairdo ...

Below, Beyond Earth's Mightiest Heroes Black Widow with my 2020 Walmart Exclusive Black Widow, Deadly Origin Black Widow and 2018 Black Widow w/Cycle. 

I'd have a difficult time choosing a favorite out of this bunch, but it might be the Secret Wars Doom Vs. Captain Marvel 2-pk. I'd love to have a 12" version of that Doom! Honorable mentions to the Model 01 Iron Man, Yondu, and Black Widow, but they are all pretty fantastic. Marvel Legends have become more expensive, but they often rival import-quality figures in the last few years. 

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Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Hasbro 10.5" Groot

A Walmart exclusive, this 10.5" Groot's size appealed to me, as well as the fact that he had no electronics to replace batteries for. Just a regular action figure, even if with limited articulation. It was somewhat of an impulse purchase, only having passed on him once. Check out the video:

Groot has a swivel head and wrists and hinge swivel shoulders- that's it. His Ravager flight suit has nice sculpted detail, and an acceptable amount of paint apps. Though scaled more like his actual size in the movie fits in pretty well with my Hasbro Marvel Legends, like the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Star-Lord, for whom he makes a great companion piece! 

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Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Drax & Star-Lord

Recently selling a chunk of my Marvel Legends action figures on my eBay store reignited my interest on some newer figures I'd put off buying, including this Drax & Star-Lord from the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Series. I've also only recently seen the movie, pushing me further into it's merchandising campaign. The deco and sculpts on the Marvel Legends have come a long way, particularly in these movie series figures, Drax and Star-Lord both great examples of the line's improvement. While I have my nitpicks with them, they are beautifully sculpted and have great articulation. 

The Chris Pratt head is a good likeness, but the masked head put me over the edge regarding Star-Lord. His blasters have a spiffy paint job, but I'm not crazy about the pegs on the outside of his hips upon which they fasten. The jacket and fully painted shirt logo within pack in some admirable detail.

I'm on the fence about Drax's screaming head sculpt, but it is well done, and true to the nature of this volatile character. I love the boot sheathed daggers, but they are loose in his hands, particularly the right where his grip had been stretched after holding the bazooka. Speaking of which, this was not his weapon in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. These complaints aside, Drax is a great figure with some spectacular sculpting and great articulation.

I was pleased with these two action figures, an even better value at a 20% discount below retail at Amazon. I've picked up other Marvel Legends figures since getting these two- be sure to head over to my Super-DuperToyBox Instagram to see more action figure pictures while waiting for me to post on other Marvel Legends here!  Pictured below, Marvel Legends Star-Lord with the Jada Nano Metalfigs Series Star-Lord, and Drax with the 2017 Hot Wheels diecast Milano spaceship...

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Jada Nano Metalfigs Guardians of the Galaxy Gamora & Star-Lord

After picking up the Batman Nano Metalfig from my last post, I had to get a few more. I love simple toys and small figurines like this, and at $0.99, there's not much to lose! Check out the video:

Below, Gamora and Star-Lord with my Hot Wheels 2017 Milano...

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Marvel NOW! Guardians of the Galaxy

I'd already been into several Marvel NOW! titles, but when Guardians of the Galaxy came out, I was really jazzed. I loved the Guardians of the Galaxy: War of Kings (2009-2010) and Legacy (2008) books, and was surprised at my own enthusiasm for the cosmic stories of Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, and the rest of this eccentric team of space warriors.  In issue # 0.1 we are introduced to Star Lord as a young Peter Quill, the love child of his earthly mother and a stranded visitor from Spartax. When his ship is finally repaired, Meredith Quill is left alone to raise Peter, the visitor unwilling to expose her to the dangerous war going on with the Badoon. When they showed up to kill peter and his mother a decade later, Peter discovered his true lineage, the son of Spartax royalty! 

Iron Man joins the Guardian's ranks as their newest member in an effort to expand his knowledge on other threats to his home planet. I was surprised and delighted by this development to no end. Killer! I really liked those first six issues of Marvel NOW! Iron Man, and though I miss the black & gold armor deco he only recently received, I was happy to see Tony show up in the mix- great idea!

Issue #0.1 was a great start, with some excellent artwork by penciller Steve McNiven, inker John Dell, and colorist Justin Ponsor, who followed up spectacularly on #1. Perhaps it was the stellar setting, but it reminded me a little of Battle of the Planets, with the angular space helmets and intense highlights.

In issue #1, we are introduced to Peter's father, King of the Spartax, who forbids Peter to return to Earth, claiming he is only trying to protect it. But the rebellious young Star Lord doesn't want to hear his father's disapproval of the Guardians, Peter's "broken friends".

Intercepting a Badoon ship headed for Earth, Tony Stark laments not having left the Avengers and Stark Industries behind sooner to seek his next fortune. I wasn't one hundred percent sure about Tony's new space armor at first, now enhanced with artificial intelligence named P.E.P.P.E.R., but it's really grown on me.

The Guardians of the Galaxy, in defiance of Peter's king father, show up to head off the Badoon's course for Earth, and Iron Man is knocked unconscious during the battle. Quill gathers him and the rest of the team up and follows the enemy to Earth, where Gamora hypothesizes his father actually intended him to go, a ploy to damn his quarrelsome offspring and his home planet! Riveting! I picked up issue #2 tonight, and to say the least, I'm pretty excited about it...!

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My Fan Art: Guardian Kal

"Guardian Kal"

14 x 20"

acrylic on 140 lbs. watercolor paper

Here's something different for me- fan art with a cyber mate in hero mode, our own Cal from the Cave of Cool!  I've felt for awhile that Cal would be an interesting subject, and a month ago I got the idea from a pic on his far-out blog with the bearded one peeking through the band on his headphones. It looked as though he were wearing some kind of visor, somehow sparking the thought of our shared enthsiasm for the modern Guardians of the Galaxy. His beard, the whole Cave of Cool mystique, and the many renderings done of him by artists & fellow bloggers who read his frequent postings just lent itself well to my imagination. I spelled his name with a "k" like Kal-El/Superman, as he is sometimes adressed. I imagine Kal recruited by Peter Quill/Starlord to join the reunited team, using his cool wits and raygun (The Fridge) to help battle the dread Dormammu to the death at the North Pole! ...or Manitoba? Or where our new recruit was weaned by wolves in Northern Quebec? So much to work with here, People...

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Marvel Universe Guardians of The Galaxy 3 3/4" Boxed Set

This Marvel Universe Guardians of The Galaxy boxed set by Hasbro held little interest for me when I first saw it, having read nothing about the characters, but when I saw marked down from $20 to $9 on clearance, I went for it. I have a couple other Marvel Universe boxed sets, and consider them a solid value at $20 considering what the individually packaged 3 3/4" Hasbro figures go for now. Having just read the Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy hardback, this seemed like a great time to show this set off.

The colorful & odd band of characters within are Starlord, Rocket Racoon, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot. It would have been cool to have Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, Gamora, & Mantis (which I would gladly have paid another twenty for), but Hasbro was trying to hit a price point here, and let's face it: seeing any of this team in plastic form is really an anomaly.

I was disappointed when saw Drax initially, unfamiliar with his new rendering in the Marvel Universe- I already have Absorbing Man, who's got the same body. But I love the green skin and red tattoos, and he really does look like the new Drax. The longknives that sheath into the back of his belt also make him unique, and he hold them securely in his tiny hands.

Drax the Destroyer's bio in the Marvel Universe Book of The Dead & Inactive 1, 1982



Drax had a recurring role in the early Captain Marvel comic, the original incarnation I am most familiar with. Mentor and the Titan god Chronos captured Arthur Douglas' spirit and placed it in a powerful new body, rechristening him "Drax the Destroyer," his sole purpose to destroy Thanos, which he eventually did in the Annihilation story arc. From my understanding, Thanos returns the favor in The Thanos Imperative- few stay dead for long in the world of comics folks  :D

Originally, Drax's powers include super strength, tremendous resilience, flight, and the ability to project concussive blasts of cosmic energy from his hands. He could also travel at high speeds in outer space without air, food, or water. Drax also possessed the ability to sense the presence of Thanos across vast distances. After his resurrection Drax lost some of his strength, resilience, flight, and energy blasts. His intellect has returned to its original level (lost temporarily when daughter Moondragon mentally forced his life essence from his artificial body) and he has taken a liking to using knives in battle. (Wikipedia)

Starlord (Peter Quill) is the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and former NASA astronaut. An alien entity called the Master of the Sun visited the space station that Quill worked on, and offered the mantle of Star-Lord (an interplanetary policeman) to a worthy candidate. Quill volunteered, but was rejected in favor of a colleague he once treated badly. Quill is outraged, and NASA orders his return to Earth and discharge for his conduct. Instead, he steals a scoutship, returns to the space station, and takes his colleague's place as Star-Lord. (Wikipedia) Dubious beginnings for this "hero"!

Starlord has the same body used for the Marvel Universe Ghost Rider, but has a new belt & head that both look great. The head is on a ball joint that works surprisingly well, and is one of the most detailed, complex molds I've seen on such a tiny action figure- really amazing! He holds his submachine pistols securely, their bulky size looking powerful in his hands. He's a wild looking, stormtrooper type character that has a lot of eye appeal- very cool!

Inspired by the classic Beatles song "Rocky Raccoon", Rocket Racoon first appeared in the magazine-sized black-and-white showcase comic book Marvel Preview #7 in 1976. Rocket Raccoon acts as the "Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant", an area of outer space sealed off from the rest of the cosmos by the so-called Galacian Wall. Rocket is captain of the starship Rack 'n' Ruin, and he and his first mate Wal Russ (a talking walrus) come from the planet Halfworld, in the Keystone Quadrant, an abandoned colony for the mentally ill where the animal companions were genetically manipulated to grant them human level intelligence and bipedal body construction for many to become caretakers of the inmates. Rocket was Halfworld's chief law officer who protected the colony against various threats. (Wikipedia)

Rocket Raccoon returned in the Annihilation: Conquest, depicted as a gifted military tactician who is also fearless, loyal, and insightful- attributes that help him take charge of the Guardians of the Galaxy when Starlord is unavailable. It is also heavily implied that he has a case of obsessive compulsive disorder. Rocket's trademark rocket skates are absent. Rocket later joins the new Guardians of the Galaxy at the behest of his friend Starlord, suggesting that the team adopt that moniker after hearing it mentioned by Major Victory. (Wikipedia)

Rocket has an articulated tail, and an expressive ball-jointed head. He comes with an oversized gun that he doesn't hold particularly well, but he's such a fun little character in his Guardians outfit. This set includes his pal Groot, too, extraterrestrial plant Monarch of Planet X. The last remaining member of his race, Groot nearly died buying his team some time to escape in Annihilation: Conquest. However, he survived as a sprig offshoot kept by Rocket, and was nurtured back to health by Mantis in Guardians of The Galaxy: Legacy.

Hilariously, whenever Groot is saying his trademark "I am Groot!" he has actually been saying any number of things. The hardened nature of Groot's larynx that causes people oblivious to the subtle nuances of his speech to misinterpret him as merely repeating his name.

Groot's lineage, coming from an ancient and ennobled sap-line and being the scion of an elite royal house, Groot has received the finest education from the most gifted of tutors. He is highly intelligent and has a tremendous grasp of quasi-dimensional super-positional engineering. He returns to his full form later, accompanying the Guardians in battle against Thanos after after the mad Titan awoke from death. (Wikipedia)

I passed on this set many times for months, but after reading Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy, I'm glad I waited and got it at such a reduced price. With only two full sized figures in the set, it seemed light in comparison to the Fantastic Four boxed set, but I'm a little more familiar with the Guardians now, and it's certainly a unique set.

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