Howard the Duck and SP//dr

Howard the Duck and SP//dr

Funko Pop and Hasbro

I'm not typing that weird Spider-bot's name again.  I wouldn't even have bothered with him if I had not liked "Into the Spider-verse" so much.  I certainly didn't bother with the Marvel Legends build-a-figure version...at least this version is cute!  And he comes with a tiny Peni Parker figure!  I decided to pair them with another tiny dude in a big robot.  Wait...Howard the Duck has a robot suit now?!

Yup!  At least in some sort of fighting video game.  Funko made a deluxe Pop with Howard bobblehead.  Gross...but had some custom potential for my old Toy Biz Howard.  TB Howard was feeling a bit shafted after Hasbro gave his pack-in buddy, the Silver Surfer, an upgrade.  After ripping the bobblehead out, some pretty heavy dremeling, some smoke, and some melted plastic, Howard can finally stand toe-to-toe with the other Marvel heroes and villains.  

The mech suit is a pretty solid hunk of plastic.  I might chop off the arms and add some sort of swivel joint, but for now, I'm glad Howard fits decently in the cockpit.  I guess he made a background appearance in Endgame...he should have had this awesome mech suit.

I wish I were able to hollow out a place for Peni Parker to actually fit inside the Spider-mech, but the plastic is hollow and might shatter or chip with cutting.  Oh well, she looks fine riding on top of him in a crouched, ape-like stance.  They are meant for the "kiddie/non-Marvel Legends" line so you don't get much articulation (swivels at shoulders, mid-arm, wrist, upper legs), but you do get a web-missile action feature! Peni has a ball jointed head and swivel arms. 

It's a decent enough figure, again, if you liked Spider-verse.  I got mine on clearance from Hasbro on Ebay for $11 shipped...not too shabby!  The deluxe Howard the Duck Pop was about $12, and worth that even if all I could mod was ripping a bobble-head out of it's seat for a display piece.  Rock!

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers:  Endgame

Hasbro Marvel Legends

So, is anyone else going to admit that they are going to Endgame out of obligation?  For seeing something you’ve invested hours, years into for better or worse?  Is the sum of the whole truly greater than the parts?  MEH.  I just saw a “live-action” Mr. Mind...get the @$%& out of the way, Thanos!  And take ScarJo and lamewad Hawkeye with you!  Maybe the fact that this wave is a more balanced mix of comic book and MCU variations means that it’s all cooling down and even Hasbro is looking to wrap things up?

Let’s get the MCU figures out of the way...starting with Ebony Maw.  He’s a great figure which,
thankfully isn't too far of an interpretation from his comic look.  You get a completely new and unique sculpt with this guy.   His articulation is pretty good...able to move his tall, lanky frame into lots of poses.  He’s way more detailed and solid feeling than Proxima Midnight from the Infinity War wave. They are keepers solely because Thanos needs some minions.  Sadly, the Black Order ends with those two on my shelf.  The Infinity War wave 2 had too many MCU characters for me to care about assembling Cull Obsidian, and they’ve making you buy another movie Loki to get Corvus Glaive.  Lame.

The next MCU figure is Ronin...ugh Hawkeye.  I can’t believe I bought a movie Hawkeye figure.  Luckily, I got to these fast enough to be able to put him on EBay and get some money back on the Thanos part investment!  So long, sucker!

Finally we come to Quantum Suit Captain America.  He didn’t come with a BAF part, so I left him at the store.  Psych!  

Now let’s get to the comic goodness!  Nighthawk is one that I’m not all that familiar with.  Sorry, I don’t think he even had a Marvel Universe trading card.  I know that he’s a reformed bad guy and that he later becomes a Defenders mainstay, so that’s gotta count for something (double to discredit that Netflix garbage.)  I dig the costume, even if it makes him look a little more “DC.”  Must be the cape...and something about a “Hawk” making his debut a year earlier...hmm...

The Living Laser may not be in his classic costume (it is a little doofy, tbh), be we have another Mandarin Minion to beat on Iron Man!  His simple, translucent body works for his gimmick.  He comes with some white “electricity” effects that Hasbro is getting some mileage out of (Storm, Magneto, Laser so far.). Man, sorry for complaining about the overuse of the circular, bubbly magic/power effect that you pulled on us in every color of the rainbow!

Citizen V was the one I looked forward to the most here.  More Thunderbolts, please!  Good to see some more Baron Zemo love.  It’s too bad the MCU made him just “some mundane looking guy” and killed him off at the end of Civil War...guess the the Thunderbolts concept (bad guys masquerading as good) would take too much time to pull off anyway.  Ah, well...I wonder if his saber will be reused with a new Nightcrawler figure in the future?

Hercules is the surprise winner of the wave.  I was never a big fan of him in the comics (his inclusion in the world of modern superheroes was a little confusing to me), but I do have some issues of the short-lived “Champions” comics.  I’ve got Angel, Iceman, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, and now Herc...just need a Swarm figure, Hasbro, and I can die happy.  Herc has a unique sculp (I believe), two awesome weapons that can be sheathed on his back, and alternate punching hands.  The cheesy smile on the figures face fits its existence to a T.  It’s not his most classic look (some forum members are complaining too much about the pants), but the color shame is true.  Everything here works, and he sure is fun to pose and play with.

The bonus, Build-a-Figure for this wave is armored Thanos.  Yes....the one we asked for since he was teased onscreen waaay back in phase one.  Only, it’s not that armored figure...instead of true blue and gold, we get a rather dull looking bronze and gold.  WTF?!  I definitely foresee a greedy Hasbro double-dipped re-release/exclusive of the one we wanted all along somewhere in the near future.  I gave him a dark blue paint wash to bring out some line detail and tarnish him up a bit.














He has also been criticized for some size discrepancies compared to his earlier, non-armored self.  He should at least be bulkier in the torso and shoulders if wearing another layer of clothes, not smaller.  Unless, of course, he used the Gauntlet to slim down a bit between movies.  He also lacks a waist swivel and upper arm swivel, which is pretty common on most Legends.  This, partnered with the color scheme, makes the whole figure look and feel a bit cheap unfortunately.

Ah well, I did pry the helmet part off the nogging so I could do a head swap/unmasked display option with the Infinity Wars figure.  Fun, even if the purple skins don't match! And it’s not all that bad considering this is Hasbro’s first baf within a baf.  Or should I say bav...Thanos Copter Build-a-Vehicle!  Yes, you get one set of copter blades with this figure.  Like most MCU adaptations, it looks like the vehicle will have a more realistic look to...wait a minute...you say that it’s NOT copter blades, but some sort of double-bladed weapon for Thanos?!  SINCE WHEN DOES THANOS NEED A WEAPON OTHER THAN THE INFINITY GAUNTLET?!?!    Especially after the filmmakers dismissed his need for armor the first time round because he had the god-power weapon?!  Gah...I am so ready for the MCU to close shop.  Wishful thinking?  If only...*SNAP!*

Corvus Glaive vs. Vision

Corvus Glaive vs. Vision

Hasbro Marvel Legends

The coolest looking member of the Black Order is here...held ransom as a store exclusive (Walmart) in a 2-pack with an MCU Loki no one needs!  Ugh...into the "junk" drawer!

At least he comes with the Cosmic Cube, right?  While it is geometrically correct to call it a "tesseract,"  I refuse to do so in relation to the MCU.  Just another example of how ashamed the writers and producers are of  the "goofy" comic book source material they adapt.  And, no...it does not have an Infinity Gem inside of it for plot convenience.

Anyway, Corvus looks great.  He has the most detail in his costume compared to his associates, which Hasbro has nailed.  Being a later release like Ebony Maw, he really hurts Proxima Midnight's execution.  Too late for a do-over at this point!  He comes with his double-bladed staff for maximum robot impaling.

This classic Vision is from the second series of vintage-carded figures.  A bit pricey without a build a figure part, but this was the only way to get him.  He does come with a re-used/repainted Ultron head, which is pretty cool, even if there has never really been a decent classic body for him.

This figure replaces one of the sore spots in my remaining Toy Biz figures.  He was so gangly and loose...nightmare shoulders!  Though some TB figures did have great headsculpts.  I think this one looks a bit like Cary Elwes.  I like the solid, sculpted line separating his face/cowl, and the shading around the eyes, cheeks, and mouth really set it apart from this new release.  I also dig the black eyes.  Enough to make me do a lil custom work with my dremel to have an alternate head on this new body.  While it lacks the metallic sheen, I do like the way the old head looks on the new buck.  He's a robot...he can change his head whenever he feels like it, right?

"Age of Ultron" sucks.

The Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet

Legends Series prop - Hasbro 

So, this came out close to a year ago for $100.  It's a full-scale prop that features an articulated finger system when you put it on, lights, and sounds.  Walmart had a shelf space for it cheaper than anywhere else at $88.  They either got a few that got snapped up and never restocked, or my areas never got them at all.  Flash forward to last week, and I see a shelf with six of them and a clearance tag of $66.  Woot!  Even better, when we got it to the registers...it rang up for $44!  What a steal!  Or is it...

Meh.  It's a great looking piece if you are into the movies and the original comic relic, but beyond that, I couldn't imagine paying $100 for it.  Glad I didn't find it at $88, because having it in hand, above $50 is pushing it.  I mean, you would think the articulated finger gimmick would be fun, but that "technology" has been around for so long and you can find the same kind of grabber toys in Wally's cheap-o toy section.  There isn't much light and sound variation, and to be honest, the clanky metal sound whenever you move the fingers gets annoying quick.  There's no "on/off" switch so you're stuck with the clanking unless you unscrew and unplug the batteries.

The thumb flange is a bit hard to operate, even as a large adult with full-sized hands, and lacks range to really pick anything up well.  You can point, web-shooter/devil hand, "call me", and flip the bird, but that's about it.

There is a lock switch that keeps the Gauntlet in a fist for display, and display is about all you will want to do with it anyway after the 5-minutes of fun wears off.  Again, this is only recommended for die-hard MCU or comic fans and prop collectors.  All others, resist temptation unless you can find it super cheap.