It's about time I finally complete the quadrilogy of Marvel Legends 20th Anniversary-styled figures after god knows how long I held off with them. For anyone not in the know, Toad was the guy who completed the quartet, which may come off as a shock since three of the other characters in the wave are Avengers, but they were among the first four choices Toy Biz made in 2002 when they were the ones who made Marvel action figures. Not only that, but we are looking at Cable from the most recent wave of Marvel Legends, consisting of parts meant for the Zabu Build-A-Figure wave. Let's see how well these two turned out, with one being judged for the higher price tag and the other for being one of the fact that it's a bigger name amongst the X-Men cast.
Here we have Toad in-hand. This figure appears to be fairly new in tooling and is an appropriate choice for a new buck to make given how the Avenger trio was reused from their 2019 80th anniversary figures. This results in him getting the proportions that fit him as seen in the later comic runs of the 20th century; see, most of his earlier appearances in the Silver Age depicted him as being somewhat tubby, but this matches his later 80s/early 90s appearances given the skinnier build. The collar piece reminds me a bit of Kermit the Frog, but they're also present on the ankles and knees with his lavender gloves and shoes. I think some would look at this costume design and see him as being quite jester-like, even if he does live in a swamp (look at his belt). That being said, I wish he had some of the dry-brushing that made him look as murky as the old Toy Biz version.
His head sculpt reinforces his 90s redesign, making him look much more maniacal and animalistic, especially with the grin's teeth almost having a bit of an unclean appearance. It may be due to how the paint apps for the teeth aren't as refined. His articulation is comparable to the average Spider-Man buck, with a ball joint for the top of the neck, a hinge below it, shoulder rotation, inward and outward movement on hinges, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, wrist hinges for moving in and out, a diaphragm joint, an ab crunch joint, ball-jointed hips, thigh rotation, double-jointed knees, ankle hinges, and rocker joints. His alternate head lets him whip out a tongue so long it was inspired by his appearance in the first X-Men movie, while his alternate splayed-open hands allow him to take advantage of any amphibious poses when needed. Speaking of amphibians, he comes with two differently colored toads, which look adorable as hell! I remember when I worked at a Home Depot, I would sometimes find frogs or toads near the garden center, which was always surprising.
The backdrops he comes with feature his comic debut, which is X-Men #4. This is done to somewhat reference how the old Legends used to come with a comic book synonymous with the character. Alternatively, you can pose him next to the alternate backdrop depicting the almost bleak swampland he would normally hustle through. So while not the choice many would go for with the 20th anniversary line, it still makes for a marked improvement over the original Toy Biz Legends version clearly made for a 2-pack with the movie Toad. The price is still too high, but the figure is appreciative to give fans the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next, here we have Cable. This guy is the perfect contrast to the skinny Toad, as he is appropriately buffed out. Granted, he could use bigger shoulders and a wider torso as AnthonysCustoms would say, but that doesn't make him a bad figure as he is. I love the new tooling to give the harness and belt buckle, combined with said harness ensuring its straps are separate from the bottom part closest to the belt to give it the illusion of it being a single piece without interfering with articulation. The yellow cufflinks and thigh straps with the added pouches are thankfully glued in place like with the ones on X-Men 97 and VHS Cyclops, which make them feel less clunky and unlikely to slide off like on the Bucky Cap Cyclops. The left arm appears to have a bit of a wash to make its segmented panel-lines feel more in-depth than they normally would be on a figure without said wash, and it looks great despite the rest of the figure not having a wash.The only issue I have aesthetically would be how the boots are completed with yellow paint, rather than modifying the lower legs. I believe he reuses the Hercules buck or something comparable since his right arm has the pinned joints and veiny musculature that contrasts the more fabric-based torso sculpt work. The left arm is all new, yet it and the legs are pinless while the right arm is not. That's very odd, could have made it consistent, Hasbro.
His head sculpt is marvelously done, even if his hair has no shading. The grizzled look to the face, combined with the scar on the right eye and the spark on his left eye undoubtedly screams Cable, even if the hair has no drybrushing. His articulation is mostly the same as Toad's but he has a waist joint and ab crunch combo for the torso. His alternate hands come ready to hold his two guns, and those two can be pegged with the wrists pointing downwards if needed. The guns are of the futuristic variety, but they look pretty decent with the paint apps and the sculpted details they have; the metallic plastic makes them a bit see-through, though.
He comes with the BAF piece of Zabu, though I feel he could have instead come with more accessories instead of the hind left leg given the possibilities of firepower and possible melee weapons to display Cable with. To complete Zabu, you need to get Black Winter, Ikaris, Wolfsbane, Ka-Zar, and Red Widow. Superior Iron Man has no BAF part, but he could have went with one while Cable gets to have more fun with added accessories to boot.
Here he is with his parents from the past, with Cyclops and Jean Gray (or Madelyne Pryor) showcasing how far the X-Men lineage can go from the present to the future. Overall, Cable is a very solid release. While not exactly his debut appearance that some would prefer, this look is synonymous with MvC2, a game that many do like if they're not as invested in comic lore despite mentioning them from searching up a pic on Google for the obligatory comparison with the MCU. But yeah, Cable is pretty successful as a Marvel Legends figure in my eyes.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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