A smattering of Marvel Universe figures

Warning: Actual "Toy Review" Content ahead.

Just some reviews of some Marvel Universe figures.

Some first thoughts: Is Marvel Universe the best line of the past 12 months? The line is roughly a year old, with 40 or so individual characters released, and multiple versions of certain characters. The sculpting and painting is top notch (with some notable exceptions; it took me 4 tries to find a Namor who didn't appear to have eczema), and while I wish certain design choices had been different, the reuse/repainting of bodies generally works. How many different body types do most superheroes have, anyway? So long as Rob Liefield isn't drawing them, anyway.

Anyway, we'll start with Vision, mostly because he's the first figure I grabbed.

I feel I need a Scarlet Witch figure to teach me of this human thing you call 'love.'

I have density and mass control you know. Theoretically I could be even more buff.

I can't believe it took Hasbro a year to get on the ball with providing stands for all the MU single pack figures, when it had been a part of the modern Joe line from the beginning. I'm glad they're finally doing it. I wish they'd offer, say, a pack of stands for all the previously released figures, or a pack of blank stands or something, though I understand that's really unlikely for a mass market line like this (i.e., it's the kind of thing only collectors would really care for, so it's not going to be worth Hasbro's while to produce).

Secondly, while I might have expected a more streamlined, less muscular body for this character, it works, and I think the paint has a lot to do with it. By using the smooth, metallic paint, it de-emphasizes the musculature of the body. And the face sculpt is just top notch. The 'solar gem' that sits at the top of his head could perhaps be a little more pronounced, but I think, as is, it is running up against the limitations of the 1:18th scale.

I also think the cape is a good compromise between "stiff plastic" and soft goods. Obviously it leans more toward the former than the latter, but it's very flexible and...this is important...it doesn't impinge flexibility and articulation. Too many of the hard plastic capes do just that. I mean, look, I don't need my figures to be able to sit down to tea parties (well, not yet...let's not set anything in stone) but when a cape or a skirt or some other piece of hard plastic haberdashery prevents me from achieving basic poses I get annoyed. Vision's cape doesn't do that. And it looks great.

All in all, a perfectly executed figure, honestly. It's not the best figure of the line, or the most thrilling...and a lack of accessories (aside from a stand) is a little hard to swallow in an $8 figure (but then, what accessories SHOULD Vision have?)...but I don't know how it could be made better. Excepting, of course, the supposed upcoming translucent "phasing" version.
LBAM Rating: 9/10. Perfectly executed though not...not quite thrilling. Translucent version gets a 10 if I ever find it (not that I believe it's out yet, I'm just anticipating difficulty finding a variant).


Next up: Contemporary Captain America

What says "America" more than "gun?"

Seriously, apparently it was a big deal for some when the new Captain America (Bucky Barnes, aka Winter Soldier) started carrying a gun. Who cares? It's the 21st Century. Superheroes have been carrying guns forever. Did the original Cap go through all of WWII without shooting some Nazis? Unlikely.

I think I like this Cap design better than the classic or ultimate versions. First of all, I'm a sucker for just about anything Alex Ross designs. Have been since I first saw the cover of Kingdom Come.

The pictures show all the great features of this figure, but none of the drawbacks. First, it is sometimes difficult to get his shield to hold a good position on the arm; I have found this to be the case on all 3 versions of Cap that I own (even though this uses a different mold than the others) but that is, I believe, a tendency of the plastic on the shield and not the figure. The legs are pretty thin and wobbly; it's hard to maintain a pose, even utilizing a stand. The belt can sometimes get in the way of posing and the hip joints don't want to move all that much anyway. The belt can be hitched up, but then it obscures part of the costume design. Ultimately, though, the drawbacks don't even come close to outweighing the positives. It's just dead on to the design, and that's what I love about this character. I replaced his revolver (which looks to me to be a mate to the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe Wild Bill/Crimson Guard .44 Colts) with a Marauder pistol; it fits in the holster but not necessarily all that snugly.

LBAM Rating: 8.7/10 A very sharp looking fig; design and paint overcome flaws.


Just two quick reviews I wrote well over a week ago. I have more pictures taken and hope to get to some more content soon.