Marvel Legends 20th Anniversary Captain America & Baron Zemo review

Another Marvel Legends Captain America review in 2023?! Am I unable to stick with one and move on with my life?! Anyways, this is a case where I wanted to explore what options are out there for a Captain America I'd actually want for my collection, as the Retro-carded version was more or less something I wasn't keen on keeping as the main version of the character. By contrast, Ultimate Cap is a figure I am happy to keep, especially since I wanted a bit of rep for the Ultimate Marvel universe in a collection filled with Earth-616 characters. But while I make a belated celebration for Legends' 20th anniversary, it makes sense to give Cap an enemy of his worth pitting, and who else but Baron Zemo to join the spotlight?

Here we have Captain America in-hand, seen here using a modified version of the 80th anniversary version of the character. Instead of the Alex Ross-inspired look, Cap is now depicted in a more traditionally brighter shade of blue. This figure also possesses an interesting method of shading, applying darker red paint on the gloves, boots, and stripes on this guy. I will admit that this guy looks very good in contrast to most Caps we've had in the past, with only the 80th version and Ultimate versions being equal in terms of the high level of aesthetics. But when people say that he looks like he leaped out of the comics, I want to say yes but I also feel he isn't quite as proportionate to the comics. I mean, he does have the physique for the most part, but it isn't exactly 1:1 due to the shoulders being smaller and the torso not being V-shaped. On the bright side, I love the chainmail texture on this figure's suit, giving Cap a whole new sense of dimension on a traditionally flat suit.

His head sculpt look looks great like with a lot of Marvel Legends of late, and it is an improvement from the 2019 80th anniversary version of Cap thanks to the sharper detailing in the eyes. The A on his forehead is also crisp, as are the winglets above his ears. There are very small paint mishaps where the skin goes over the blue plastic, but it is nothing too severe. His articulation is standard for the line, so let's instead talk about the shield. The size of it is good, and while I'm fine with it being either tampographed or slightly raised in relief, I do wish it wasn't always stuck with these holes meant for the effect parts. I'd appreciate it if there was an optional shield without holes.

Instead, we come with a handful of alternate effect pieces meant to give this figure various display options. Firstly, you have a lightning effect that surrounds the surface area of the shield, allowing fans to depict his shield absorbing some sort of attack from a foe in his defense or using said attack against them. He also comes with three uniquely sculpted bullet ricochet pieces, which are the best display options fitting for a Captain America.

Captain America also includes a slash effect piece meant for him to strike his foes down, or his fellow Avengers in the case of Iron Man who's posed awkwardly because he's somewhat cringing at how mediocre the ending to the Civil War movie was compared to the comic. Captain America even comes with an unmasked head representing his likeness to Steve Rogers as well as straps meant for his shield to go over the shoulders (which sort of hide how undersized the shoulders are) and a folded-away mask that reminds fans that the mask of Captain America is not a helmet. The face used for Steve is magnificent, and it fits a more no-nonsense Captain America who wasn't a pure asshole like in the Ultimate Comics nor a goody-twoshoe asshole as Chris Evans portrayed him as since the first Avengers movie. And I hope my brief commentary on how Cap should act doesn't get seen in the same light as all those whiny Superman discussions.

His backdrop includes one of his oldest comic books, as it says on the top. This is Captain America (1968) #109 and not Captain America Comics (1941) #1 from the days of WWII. It's more fitting to represent when he joined the Avengers and when he received his round shield. It was an entirely different look back in 1941 after all. Alternatively, you can display him with a WWII-era background while he was still in battle, probably moments before he would get frozen in time. An overall good set with minor issues that should be fixed so as not to drive people mad. The shoulders and maybe the torso shouldn't feel undersized, and the shield should have an alternate version of itself without holes. This figure has been as hard to get in the aftermarket as the Alex Ross version from 2019, but at least it's good to have a Cap that is comparable to a more traditional comic look. Plus, the lighter blue always suited him more anyhow compared to Spider-Man and Superman looking much better with darker shades of blue.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And up next, we have Helmut Baron Zemo, the successor to the original Heinrich Himself. While many casuals would see Baron Zemo as just a guy who had a long-as-hell dance in 2021 that still pales to Bully Maguire's dance, this guy is a generally faithful interpretation of the identity associated with the succeeding Zemo; I do appreciate that apart from having reused parts, we do have a bit of new sculptwork for the collar region to maintain consistency with the subtle sculptwork of the mask. On top of that, the lines are painted in so as to add an extra layer of completion that Hasbro would usually skimp out on. We also have some pieces representing cheetah pattern fur on the shoulders and boots, though they might be leopard fur given how aristocratic a villain like him may be. He also has a big belt that's just missing a WWE tampograph as the new heavyweight champion.

His head sculpt is the strongest aspect of a figure like him. While the body may be reused parts, the mask itself is marvelously done, even if the gold headband's paint doesn't match the bare gold plastic. The eyes are thankfully applied on properly, too. Articulation is the same as before, so we'll discuss how he comes with a pretty fancy sword, also appropriate for a character with this much wealth in him. But the sad thing it the sword, on top of not being as mighty as a pen to some, is the only thing he comes with. No guns, no alternate unmasked, however...

...I am going to take some points away for including two alternate hands that are meant to hold accessories yet are we get a set of them, complete with fingernails! Why???

Overall, Baron Zemo is a generally good figure to own as a means of expanding your Marvel villain shelf, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not 100% as it is. Obviously, no figure in this line is perfect, yet decisions like the way the hands were handled in place of proper accessories makes me wonder how budget-friendly Hasbro was trying to be. If we had two fisted hands instead of just the one, and no hands come with fingernails, then that'd be fine as it is. But certain decisions are not easy to understand with Hasbro Marvel Legends teams. There are slight proportion oddities, and then there are gloved hands with fingernails.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Generations Selects Super Megatron review

The Return of Convoy line was well-known for Japan's take on hyping up the return of Optimus Prime; rather than make him a Powermaster like in the Marvel Comics (because Ginrai took that Transtector intended for the Autobot Leader), he instead took the mantle of Star Convoy, who was sadly left without a Megatron to fight against in terms of toy form. The aforementioned Decepticon Leader was depicted in RoC rising from his icy grave, becoming Super Megatron after his Galvatron identity was killed in The Headmasters. His more stylized G1 design had not been replicated into a toy for the longest time, and it's about time someone took the mantle for once! Let's see how well it stacks up as a figure!

Here we have Super Megatron in his tank mode, which looks particularly unimpressive when it comes to the front section. While some tanks have had fairly big gaps, none are as big as on the mode we have here. Not helping is the fact that Megatron's crotch is widely visible here, resulting in some possible pain for him to experience when he gets into robot mode. The top section looks cool, what with the triple barrel cannon on a decently articulated turret, but it still looks piss poor. It's more like a blob of vaguely a tank more than the ROTF design, because that one was deliberately meant to be an alien overall. I'm also pretty sure that the Battlestars manga had him as a turret, but that's not possible. Also, there are no wheels in the tank treads, but that's expected given how the figure works; I cannot forgive the toy for having no tabs for the treads to peg into while in tank or jet mode.

For a comparison with the Earth tank mode he's used in, well, Earthrise, which is still a better-designed vehicle mode by comparison. Even the original Siege one looks cooler than the Super Megatron alt mode.

Transforming him into his jet mode is not too difficult to pull off, though you will have to make sure enough clearance is present for the waist swivel. I like how the fusion cannon now has the triple-barrel gun inside it while also serving as the nosecone of the jet mode this time around. The legs and arms point to the back of the altmode, but this new jet mode is still way better than the weird excuse of a tank mode we just looked at. The wings have a decent length to them, especially considering they have to be accompanied with the smaller wings AND the long nose cone/fusion cannon. The cockpit is absolutely tiny in contrast to how huge the rest of the altmode is, but I'm sure people will fold away the wings and make jokes about the tip looming phallic. Especially knowing how thirsty certain TF fans can be when they go "AyO hEaR mE oUt"

For another size comparison, I have Starscream from the same line the previously mentioned Megs was from, and as you can see, their sizes don't seem to.particularly match each other quite well. Not a terrible thing perse but I don't expect them to be in a similar size in-fiction.

And finally, the transformation to robot mode is fairly simple for a Voyager, which appears to be commonplace with figures that were made from this era moreso than the WFC trilogy, especially when it comes to Siege. It's not difficult to follow despite how radical the robot mode may seem. This is the default orientation of Super Megatron, where the main wings are tucked away and the cannon remaining as it looked in jet mode. I really like the look of Super Megatron, especially given how striking it appeared while still not going into the extreme nature of Japanese G1 designs (or anything like Brave). While I don't hate those aesthetics, this is still Transformers we are talking about; even further reimaginings or appearances wouldn't be prominent until the Beast Era.

His head sculpt looks generally good, but the mouth does come off as soft compared to the ones on the WFC trilogy toys. His forehead has a unique tampograph likely connected to Dark Nova. The articulation is comparable to the standards of the WFC trilogy, with a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement (on plastic ratchets), bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, and slight curling at the wrists because of the transformation; the waist swivels, the hips move front and back as well as in and out, the thighs rotate, the knees bend, and the feet can hinge but there is no pivot due to their permanent stance. Sad.

The alternate Ultra Megatron mode has you rotating the forehead piece around as well as deploying the wings, switching the chest around, opening the fusion cannon, and removing the triple barrel cannon before attaching it on the shoulder. It's one of those "fudge the toy for a bit to get another mode" things where the legs are unchanged, but you can make him more interesting by switching the face around to give him a TLK-inspired battle mask. That face swap feature is similar to plenty of Movie Optimus Prime toys we've seen like the Takara AOE Leader retool, their exclusive BBM Legendary Leader Prime that works like the Evasion Mode Voyager, and both the MPM-04 and Ultimate Optimus Primal figures they share with Hasbro. Being a Voyager toy makes the face swap annoying, though.

IF you don't know by this point, this figure is a heavy retool of Titans Return Galvatron, which was a second stab at a CHUG version of the character after the extreme embarrassment that was the Universe 2008 Deluxe. While this figure was an improvement with the size and proportions, the cannon blocking any elbow articulation combined with the crappy integration of a play mask over the Titan Master held it back. I know some hated the triple changer idea, but it was a line-wide thing for all Voyagers. Kingdom Galvatron is still better than this figure, IDC about the complaints people had about the shoulders or paint apps.

For a size comparison, you can see he is taller than his WFC trilogy counterpart by a few centimeters, which is common when fans transitioned from the Prime Wars trilogy to the WFC trilogy, and this was no exception. Overall, I like Super Megatron in spite of his altmodes being either aright or shit. I love seeing how they were able to take an alright figure and make it more worthwhile with a design that hadn't been done in toy form, even with a couple of other flaws. Good luck getting him online, though!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends Professor X w/Hover Chair review

Charles Xavier, the head of the X-Men, and the father figure to many, represents numerous themes throughout the history of the Marvel Universe; from his belief in peace shared between mutant and non-mutant races as well as providing a welcoming shelter for younger mutants who were shunted by society, many would easily compare this man to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, as is the case with both nerd culture using this as a way to claim that life imitates art or just trying to combine two things together in an unusual way. I mean, there have been comparisons between Magneto and Malcolm X, though there is a reminder that Magneto is a whole lot more violent by comparison due to his pro-mutant anti-human bigotry. Anyways, when it comes to Marvel Legends, one would know how infrequent the man's appearances are; before this release, we did have the Toy Biz comic figure that basically used the first movie version's wheelchair yet has joints that aren't loose, and after this figure we'll cover in a moment came out, we got two movie versions based on Patrick Stewart's incarnation of the character (with the version coming with a movie Magneto also utilizing the James McAvoy head sculpt) as well as a fully black spandex suited iteration that was part of the Tri-Sentinel BAF wave. Let's see how this figure holds up, shall we?

As you see out of the box, some assembly is required for the hover chair. Between the halves of the chair, the cushions for the seat and back, and the blanket to keep Charles's immobile legs warm. You also have optional effect parts meant for the chair to hover as well as the Cerebro helmet with an effect part representing his mind capabilities. 

What you might not see, however, is the head of Shadow King, which was intended to go with your Kingpin BAF (or the single-carded version that recently had a reissue announced). For a brief character backstory, the Shadow King is a fellow psychic who wanted Charles to join his side despite his criminal history; also known as Amahl Farouk, he would later corrupt Karma in New Mutants #34, FBI Agent Jacob Reisz in X-Factor #69, and even joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in Uncanny X-Force #10.

Here we have Charles Xavier in-hand, seen here standing up because it's easier to talk about the details of the figure in this case. The forest green suit is fitting for the character, as he is known to be a whole lot more pristine with his attire. This is one of the various business suit body molds used in Marvel Legends history, but this version should be noted for having the bottom of the jacket flare out a bit, while his tie touches the belt buckle, and the body frame is appropriately thin for a non-combat mutant like Prof. X. This is one of the pre-pinned joint releases, though the wrinkles and creases around the elbows and knees help them blend in alright.

The head sculpt represents one of the pre-refined face sculpts that adds a bit of realism to the likenesses of the comic Legends in ways reminiscent of the Toy Biz days. It's almost like it's halfway between the more life-like representations of the more recent Legends versus the ones we had in the mid-late 2010s. One of his eyebrows is arched upwards in a Spock-like fashion. The articulation is the same we've seen before on body molds like this, so I will cut to the chase and say that assembling the hover chair is actually not difficult in the slightest. There are even a few dedicated ports and crevices for the cushions to slide into. The flight stand isn't required for it to stand in place, though it is recommended for added stability.

Two panels within the arm rests can slide out to reveal a couple of controls, likely for access to some of the technology in his control room as well as communicating or moving the hover chair around. They're decently picked out in more than one color, so good job, Hasbro.

As for the helmet, Cerebro, it is a little annoying to put over the head (moreso from removing it), but at least it makes sense to have it work as a removable accessory since it was always meant to look a bit oversized compared to the helmets usually associated with characters like Iron Man or Ant-Man. It features an additional effect piece that is meant to represent him going "to me, my X-Men", but the effect part looks more like a pretty weird milk splatter (or something else that's white if you're being pervy). If we had the same effect part used from the Tri-Sentinel Prof. X, it would work a lot better.

Overall, this set is pretty good for what Hasbro is charging fans back in 2019. $40 for this compared to the added $10 we get nowadays for $50 Deluxe riders is pretty eye-opening (looking at you, 2023 Hawkeye). There's a pretty good deal we have going on for anyone who got this set back in the day, and I doubt that online listings via eBay or Mercari would be any easy to buy from considering the aftermarket prices shot up double, if not, triple the original MSRP. He's making me want to use the rest of the X-Men in a display inspired by the '90s, if only I had a bigger backdrop than my current one...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Robots in Disguise 2001 X-Brawn review

While most designs of Brawn have been pretty close to the G1 iteration, X-Brawn was practically a unique guy thanks to not just his cooler name, but also because of his entirely different design as well as a huge left arm that gives Thanos or Hellboy a run for their money. Amusingly, he looks like a Japanese robot yet turns into a German SUV and talks like a cowboy. He's the oldest Autobot Brother, and even after Hasbro stuck with the Geewun look for future Brawns, at least the Shattered Glass comics from Fun Pub depicted the evil version of the G1 character to later be reformatted as X-Brawn, and the One-Step Changer of AOE Rollbar (who looks like that Sonic RS that seemingly was going to be a Transformer) would unusually look like the character we got here. Anyways, let's see how well this guy holds up.

Here we have X-Brawn in his vehicle mode, which is a Mercedes-Benz ML320 SUV. Coated in silver paint with clear windows, chrome hubcaps, brushguard, and grille, and an Autobot insignia among other paint apps added throughout the toy, making it look somewhat like a die-cast toy car. You can see the head inside, but that is apparently show-accurate in the first episode where he saved Koji from harm. The main difference betweem.this and the Takara version is the Autobot insignia on the hood, which I feel compliments him though the Japanese variant can work as a generic toy car without it, on top of having the proper headlights remaining visible than how they are here. 

The doors open like on a die cast car, but the interior instead has X-Brawn's head waiting to pick you up for a ride. This is even show-accurate to the cartoon when Koji was a brief passenger in the first episode. Also like die-cast cars, his hood can open to reveal his chrome engine, predating numerous Alternator toys and Energon Hot Shot by 3-4 years!

For one more look at the Autobot Bros as a set, here we have him on the right next to Prowl and Side Burn. The alt mode of choice he has isn't anywhere near as sporty as the younger siblings, but it still fits him nonetheless on top of being a heavier character. This altmode could be seen as loosely reminiscent of Ironhide and Trailbreaker as far as being a midsized vehicle is concerned.

Transforming X-Brawn is pretty easy, with the torso being one of the more intricate steps of the transformation. The left arm has more going on with the transformation due to the way his design works, as you reveal a hand while hinging the wheel back, and the doors overlap each other somewhat. The robot mode's asymmetry is not just showcased with the arms, but we also see a bit of this on the upper torso, where the tech details are different from one another (on top of the coloring they're given). There are rumors that X-Brawn was going to be named as Strongarm because, well, look at his left arm, but that name wouldn't be used until Energon. The only issues I have with the bot mode would be how the two doors get in the way with each other, as well as the lower legs having nowhere to tab in place. The back panel could be handled better so as to not look like it's barely integrated.

The head sculpt is done pretty accurately, especially with the chrome eyes that are common in the RID 2001 line. It's great to see this figure not have anything removed in terms of paint apps beyond the headlights being changed for licensing issues while the Autobot insignia is added on the hood. Seen here with his weird weapon in one hand, another on his back, and a knuckle guard on the left hand, the articulation consists of ball joints at the neck, the right shoulder, the right elbow, the left hand, and the hips, while the left shoulder swivels front and back as well as hinge in and out somewhat like the knees do. His thumb is also poseable.

As far as reuses are concerned, this is Super X-Brawn in a redeco similar to the Toyota Rally cars you might have seen in something like Gran Turismo 3. The bright white with red, blue, and green decals make it stand out along with the CYBERTRON WILD markings (along with the number 24) to remind fans of his Japanese name, Wildride. The altered headlights and added Autobot insignia are the same with the Hasbro version.

Here we have the clear version of X-Brawn, which at least fits well with his opaque counterpart already being white compared to the added blue of Prowl and the red color swap off Side Burn that this set exclude.

While the younger Autobot Brothers got plenty of repaints in the Universe line (along with the convention exclusives), we only got one repaint for this mold to represent a separate character in the form of Universe 2003's Ratchet, exclusive in a 2-pack that also featured Prowl-repaint Inferno. The tools and siren are all tampographs, and the Emergency font looks pretty generic on him. The choice seems so bizarre to go with, as Trailbreaker would have been selected to go with the Sideswipe and Sunstreaker repaints of Prowl in the convention comics. However, the name was unavailable for Hasbro to use. Some of his weapons are no longer chromed, though.

For a bot mode size comparison, here we have him next to another X-Brawn but without the X-, just to showcase how wildly altered the character was when going from this barrel-chested robot to a gut with a huge left arm and a real car. I bet X-Brawn could survive the 86 movie with said left arm.

And one more group of the Autobot Brothers together, just as we close out the reviews of the Autobot Brothers. X-Brawn is a very funky design overall, but I can't ignore how cool it looks in plenty of ways, especially with how he doesn't feel too similar to the other bros. I think you can get this guy at a good price with no problem, but be sure to have the wheels facing forward on the shins because I didn't realize that was supposed to be done.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐