Marvel Legends Edge of Spider-Verse Spider-Gwen (2015)

On the heels of my last post on the Marvel Legends Edge of Spider-Verse Series Ben Reilly Spider-Man, I though I'd crack this Spider-Gwen I'd been holding onto the last three years. Packed with far less accessories than Ben Reilly, extra hands would have made this better, but I'm okay with the unmasked portrait. And as stated on ItsAllTrue.Net, the character was barely a year old when Hasbro pushed out an action figure due to her sudden upshot in popularity. Pretty impressive.

I won't go on about the action figure community's bemoaning of Marvel Legends female's underperformance in the articulation department, but a better abdominal joint could have made a world of difference for Spider-Gwen. That said, the design looks great, and the paint apps are pretty decent for a mass produced figure like this- the webbing on the inside of the hood and undersides of the arms are admirably executed.

Below, Spider-Gwen with Ben Reilly Spider-Man from the Edge of Spider-Verse Series:

Spider-Gwen spars with Shuri from the recent Black Panther Klaw/Shuri 2-pack...

And finally, Spider-Gwen with Ashley Barton Spider-Woman...

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Marvel Legends Edge of Spider-Verse Ben Reilly Spider-Man (2015)

I'd been sitting on this 2015 Marvel Legends Ben Reilly Spider-Man since February, bought from an eBay seller long after his retail debut. He shares the same buck as the All New Amazing Spider-Man, which I loved The arms for the Absorbing Man BAF are included, but more interesting are the Carnage hands and head accessories included that make this figure too much fun. The vibrant red against the dark blue, big eyes, and modern Hasbro sculpt make this a dynamic figure I've been looking forward to opening.

All the appropriate modern articulation is present here, including butterfly joints at the shoulders. Collectors have bemoaned the limited hip spread, considering the acrobatic character, but they are functional enough for me. Ben Reilly also comes with no less than three sets of regular hands in addition to the Carnage hands, making this an unusually loaded Marvel Legends release. I appreciated this outfit in it's time, and love it on this lanky buck- what a fun action figure!

As I said, the Carnage head and hands accessories are extra cool, a nod to fans referring to the Web of Carnage story, when Ben Reilly traps the Carnage symbiote inside himself ...becoming Spider-Carnage (1996). I never read the Clone Saga from 1994 to 1996, detailing the long and somewhat convoluted story of Peter Parker's passing of the Spider-Man mantle to clone Ben Reilly after realizing he was actually the clone of Ben  … then later discovering he was in fact the original? Ugh. Still, I love the idea of Spider-Carnage, and the accessories make this figure special.

Below, Ben Reilly with Hasbro's 2008 version from the Marvel Legends Ares Series. This older figure gets a lot of criticism, but I always liked the sculpt.  Ben Reilly certainly is an upgrade, but Hasbro was still struggling to find their own style for the line, only haven recently taking the line over from ToyBiz in 2006.

Below, some Marvel Legends Spider-Men in my collection: ToyBiz 1st Appearance Spider-Man, Hasbro Homecoming Spider-Man, Avengers Infinity War Spider-Man, All New Amazing Spider-Man, Ben Reilly Spider-Man, Superior Spider-Man, Spider-UK, and Amazing Spider-Man.

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12" Marvel Legends Black Panther

I'd been building up some points for a few months, and cashed in on this Amazon Warehouse deal, the 12" Marvel Legends Black Panther. At south of twenty-five bucks shipped, it was a solid deal. The package was damaged, but I was going to pluck him anyway. He may have been returned for his warped right arm, commonplace in this figure, which was easily fixed with a hairdryer and cold water bath.  I loved the 6" Marvel Legends Black Panther Wave, and Klaw/Shuri 2-pack, and this big Panther is the pride of them all. Check out the video:

The paint is good on the big Panther, but the sculpt is sublime, the minutiae of etched detail in the suit artfully rendered, The portrait of T'Challa/actor Chadwick Boseman is almost plain by comparison, but is effective enough- at least the skin tone improved from the 6" Panther. His shoulders don't allow for  complete vertical positioning against the torso, but the articulation is otherwise exceptional. There's no waist swivel, but the torso joint makes up for that, and the butterfly shoulder joints are great for a character like Black Panther- bonus points for the great toe joints! The extra hands, head, and spear round out this a fantastic figure! Recommended! 

The 12" and 6" Black Panthers make a fun BIG TOY/little toy scenario!

See more in the video above!

Black Panther with my Marvel Legends 12" Wolverine, Iron Man, Hulk, and Daredevil:

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Marvel Legends Infinity War Wave Thanos BAF

There was a fair enough amount to like this Infinity War Wave for a lot of Marvel Legends collectors, but I was mainly in for the Thanos BAF. I also liked the Iron Spider, and Songbird has a retro Marvel Comics appeal to her, but I'll likely sell most of these on the Super-DuperToyBox eBay store in the future. There was also a Bleeding Edge Iron Man, but I'm fully stocked on that character, and was pleased with the Black Panther Wave Invisible Iron Man, which included a Tony Stark head. Check out the video:

Below, Infinity War Thanos BAF with the recent Walmart exclusive Thanos, a repaint of the 2015 Thanos BAF. Be sure to follow the Super-DuperToyBox Instagram to see more photos of what I'm looking at!

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Marvel Legends Thor Ragnarok Valkyrie

Target had marked down the Thor/Valkyrie 2 pack, but I already had the single carded Thor, which had that cool Ragnarok helmet, so I picked this Valkyrie up loose on eBay. I loved the character portrayed in the movie by actress Tessa Thompson, who shared a warm relationship with Hulk, but had to work past her painful defeat in the past by Hela to assist Thor in defeating her once and for all. The sculpt and paint on this figure is commendable, but falls short in the accessories. I like the sword, but it's hand is woefully too small for Valkyrie to get a grip on. We are given a sheath to house the slender blade, but no peg to stow it. We also have two irremovable daggers molded onto the outer thighs- I'm not a fan of this on my modern action figures, and I feel we should be getting more extras with these 2-packs.

Still, if you can get her for south of ten bucks, and are a fan of Thor Ragnarok, she does make a good companion for your Thor or Gladiator Hulk. The metallic finish on her armor and ponytail are great, and the facial print/sculpt captures the actress' likeness well . I felt Ragnarok was one of the best Marvel movies, and really conveyed the zany, magic/cosmic side of Marvel I've enjoyed reading.

Below, Valkyrie with Black Panther Wave Okoye and Nakia...

Valkyrie will make a great companion figure for my Ragnarok Thor and Gladiator Hulk...

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Marvel Legends 1st Appearance Deadpool

I must say, I'm delighted with this Marvel Legends 1st Appearance Deadpool- I got him a couple bucks under retail price, shipped from Kokomo Toys in Indiana. My initial impression from Hasbro's solicitation of this figure was surprise- I'd only just secured the coveted X-Men/Juggernaut BAF Wave Deadpool, which comes armed to the teeth with an alternate Wade Wilson head and taco. For all the complaints I heard about this version's lack of extra weapons, I still really love this action figure. He's not exactly 100%  original Deadpool appearance, but rather an amalgamation inspired by the Rob Liefeld creation.

A topic of some debate regarding Deadpool is his trigger fingers... with no guns included. It's been argued that perhaps he was known less for his marksmanship in the early days, but his 1st appearance in New Mutants #98 shows him on the cover brandishing a firearm, so that's not really true. I say find a gun or two and arm him!

The buck on this figure is excellent, with all the articulation I could ever want, notably the butterfly joints at the shoulders. I've heard complaints about his overly slender build compared to the previous X-Men Deadpool, but he looks buff enough to me.

Deadpool's katana stay in his grip and in the sheaths on his back securely, no matter his pose, which is key. I've heard complaints about the short length of the blades, but that doesn't bother me. It may be that this is a sort of "bonus" Deadpool, having seen at least four renditions of the character from Hasbro in the last couple years, but I like the variety. If you see this Deadpool, pick him up!

Below, Deadpool with a couple of the X-Men,

Marvel Legends Colossus and Retro Series Wolverine:

Below, Deadpool with the recent modern Black Widow I just posted on:

And finally, Deadpool with the 2018 Walmart Exclusive Thanos:

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Marvel Legends Black Widow & Motorcycle

I may have had a harder time shelling out the retail price for this new Marvel Legends Black Widow & Motorcycle set, but after an Amazon Warehouse Deal discount and points earned on my Amazon card cut the price to under $18.00 shipped, I was in. Check out the video:

This newest Marvel Legends Black Widow was released on the heels of the very recent Legends Retro Series Black Widow, which reused the Mary Jane head from the Amazing Spider-Man 2pk. With this new motorcycle pack, we get a great traditional Black Widow head with longer hair, as well as a portrait straight out of the 2016 Black Widow comic, the first issue's cover also featuring the bike included. I just read this run of Black Widow on Marvel Unlimited, and thoroughly enjoyed it- recommended! Complaints regarding the painted belt haven't bothered myself as much as some collectors, but additional sculpting in this area could have made her seem less plain. The seam running down the neck into the chest bothers me more, but it's not obvious standing on a shelf from a distance. The face and eyes are tidily painted, so that's good.

Hasbro hasn't been putting many extras in these special box sets lately, continuing the trend by giving Natasha trigger fingers but no guns, so I armed her myself with a couple .45s I had. The cycle is nice, with easily rolling, rubber tires and rear suspension, Black Widow symbol emblazoned on the sides. The Ghost Rider and Motorcycle set  seems to be favored among the Marvel Legends community, and is probably a better value for the price,but I do admire the styling of the Widow cycle.

Below, Black Widow versus Scourge, a great Marvel Legends figure

with plentiful accessories that got me back into Legends last year...

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Marvel Legends 10.5" Wolverine

I almost couldn't believe what a cool figure Hasbro was dropping when I saw the announcements for this 10.5" Marvel Legends Series Wolverine. I'd been impressed with most of the previous 1:6 scale figures from this series, but this one really tapped so deeply into my '80s/'90s nostalgia that I preordered him on Big Bad Toy Store's site. Wolverine did not disappoint, check out the video:

The accessories really made this Wolverine worth the full retail price of fifty bucks, particularly the unmasked head and empty mask accessory that hangs over the figure's back from around the neck, a feature I loved about the recent Retro Series Wolverine. The berserker head is also really well painted and sculpted, with battle-distressed shoulder pads included to complement. Ferocious! I'd have preferred gripping hands and a katana to the alternate fists with claws retracted, since his claws can be individually removed anyway. And the articulation on this Wolverine is outstanding, the butterfly joints at the shoulders adding the kind of posing dynamics required of a character like Wolverine. 

Below, Wolverine with my other Marvel Legends 1:6 scale figures:

the SDCC Exclusive Daredevil, the massive 14.5" Hulk, and Iron Man...

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