Here we have The Juggernaut in hand, being a much bulkier figure than prior Legends versions of the characters; in fact, he's almost as chunky as the Marvel Select figure we got a few years back. Some will complain that Juggernaut still isn't chunky enough to match the art style of the games this specific look is based on, but it could be argued that Hasbro wanted to take some liberties to make him work as a regular comic version of the character. You know they'll want to reuse this figure somehow, and it's not like it's as bad an idea as when they used the chunky comic Kingpin body for the less exaggerated Gamerverse version we saw in the Insomniac Spider-Man series. I guess the torso could be a bit broader, so he wouldn't look as weird with the size of those arms. I still find that Hasbro did a much better job in capturing that larger-than-life design for the character, something that should always be done for a giant force to be reckoned with, rather than the Spider-Man Classics version, which made him much skinnier than he has any right to be. I also appreciate that while there isn't much paint, there are at least some sculpted ridges to separate the midriff from the legs and the upper body. We have a slight wash in the musculature as well as the veins to add some definition, though I know the linework for the muscles will vary between the quality control of each copy. Maybe he could use some added texture work to separate the texturing of the midriff from the rest of his costume, but overall, he is still a great, if somewhat not 100% game-accurate, version of Juggernaut to beat any prior Legends versions.
The head sculpt is mostly covered by the helmet, but I'm happy to see that the gap is much smaller while we get an appropriately uncanny snarl for the face. Most of the time, I don't like it when Marvel Legends have non-neutral expressions that end up looking off or poor unless it's a teeth-gritting Batman or Wolverine, and for masked characters or someone with exaggerated proportions like Juggernaut, this figure does the job properly. I even like seeing the gums being picked out. His articulation is on a ball and disk hinge combo for the neck, shoulders rotate front and back as well as move in and out, the butterfly joints move in and out (though a chunky figure like him makes me wish the torso was broader if we sacrificed these joints as AnthonysCustoms pointed out), the biceps rotate, the elbows bend nearly 90 degrees, and the wrists rotate as well as hinge in and out (the open hands including paint apps to represent proper fingernails). He has a diaphragm joint, yet while he can crunch back and forth as well as tilt, rotation is outright impossible to work with because it always springs back forward. Combined with the weight of the upper body, he's almost like one of those spring-loaded action figures with a punching gimmick, though with how much he costs, the possible fragility, and the overall heft of the toy, I would NOT advise making him flail his arms around. He's so hefty, he could possibly bash someone's skull open if someone's not careful! Back to the articulation, his hips are on the usual ball joints, thighs rotate, knees hinge on single joints while the lower legs rotate below them, and the feet can hinge as well as pivot. Toe articulation is included with this figure, and for a giant beefcake like Juggernaut, it's about time we see something Hasbro usually reserves for their Spider-Men.
Funny enough, his bicep, forearm, and knuckle armor could slide off given they weren't glued in place. The knuckle dusters are harder to remove given how the fingers are both bent and firm, but it is possible to make his arms bare. Not sure why you'd want to do that look, but you are supposed to unclip one of the fists' knuckle dusters with the effect piece inspired by how he charged into his enemies in the old Capcom crossover games. As someone who loved stuff like that with the Jada Street Fighter line, this is always a great treat for an already big dude who needs very little for display options.
For a size comparison, here we have him towering over the already tall BAF version we got as a repaint for the 80 Years 2-pack with Colossus. Proportions are generally comparable, though the Gamerverse version is slightly beefier and has a slight addition of a textured surface area. Articulation is almost the same, though the new version adds butterfly joints, uses a diaphragm joint instead of an ab crunch and waist swivel, and the toe articulation is a nice touch. The best part of the new version has to be the helmet not being as gappy as the BAF, resulting in better engineering than what we previously got. Even with the slight flaws the new version has, I appreciate that Hasbro made a new mold without making him too similar to the previous version.
Overall, this version of Juggernaut is one I recommend fans to get, but he is not perfect. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but hear me out: even with the proportions being chunkier than the previous Hasbro versions, some will not be entirely satisfied until he is EXACTLY like the sprites or artwork of the MvC series, down to the very last pixel. More genuine criticisms include the limited deco and texture work on parts of the figure, the butterfly joints somewhat ruining the width of the torso, and the worst offender being the diaphragm joint refusing to work properly and simply spring back in place. Still, posing him and putting him against other Marvel Legends makes him even more enjoyable than the BAF version. While we wait for a new Colossus (or you can get the Marvel Select version if you don't want to get the 2-pack reissue), I recommend you get this figure, but just don't pay full price for him if you're someone who's unsure of getting him thanks to the flaws I and many others brought up.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment