Marvel Legends Retro Captain America/Falcon review

Captain America's obviously best known by MCU consoomers and fan girls for the portrayal of Chris Evans, though there was a time when Cap was pretty beefy and known to have as few exciting moments as his fellow Avengers. Falcon, on the other hand, is either best known for being a frequent ally of the cast in the past or just being Anthony Mackie. He has had a few comic-Legends appearances in the past, though Hasbro opted to make them a little more prominent thanks to his frequent appearances in the MCU and other media. Now let's see if these retro-carded figures are worth it, even if they may have better options. 

Let's get the star-spangled man with a plan into the spotlight with Cap himself. This guy is a repaint of the 2016 Red Onslaught wave version of the character, dubbed Wolf Cap thanks to the alternate werewolf head. This release has a brighter shade of blue and a textured pattern that was absent in the original version. I think these colors work well for him since they'd differentiate him from someone like Spider-Man. The figure is actually using the body mold first used in the 2015 Ultron BAF-wave Grim Reaper, which sucks in the context that an A-list Avenger like Cap is relegated to having to reuse a lesser-known villain's body mold without any remolding as he instead relies on paint applications for the costume detail. At the very least, the boots, gloves, and head are distinguishably Captain America.

Speaking of his head, the sculpt is the same as it was on the original Wolf Cap, with some finding it to be too wide on him and others finding it appropriate for his larger stature. It's not a bad look, though the Ultimate Cap figure from around 2013 did get its head reused in this mold's Secret Wars version on the 2016 Abomination wave...it looked pinheaded compared to the current head we have here. Cap's articulation is of the norm, with a ball-jointed head and a neck hinge, shoulders that move front and back very well yet hinge in and out with a bit of limitation, bicep swivels, double-jointed elbows, wrist swivels and hinges, ab crunch that clicks at 3 points, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, double bends at the knees, boot swivels, and feet that hinge up and down as well as pivot side to side. His iconic shield, which thankfully has some subtle sculpt work compared to the Wolf Cap release, can be clipped on either arm with its C-joint clip for a traditional look. 

Alternatively, his shield can either be placed on an alternate hand where he uses a whoosh effect for his iconic shield throw, on his open grip hands for a different method of holding it (maybe pre-sling?), or it can be pegged on his back for storage, which Cap commonly did when he's not in battle. The shield-throwing hand originally came with the Secret War version with the hand colored in blue, while the Wolf Cap release came with shield straps meant to go on his torso when the shield was on his back but they sucked at staying in.

Up next, we have Falcon! This guy isn't the 1:1 comic accurate design many fans would hope from the 70s, nor was he ever made as a pre-Legends ToyBiz figure, but he's still pretty good. This is a repaint of the Joe Fixit-wave version of the character, and it uses the Sunfire mold we last saw on this site in the form of the retro Fantastic Four wave Firelord. As a more recent Legends figure, Falcon aims to homage not the green and orange look (which is fine by me), nor does it aim to be like the same design as it was since Captain America #144. While the JF version is based on the look he had in Captain America & The Falcon: Disassembled, this look is based on his appearance from Captain America #170. Also, good luck looking up comic history because of the MCU dick-riding done by the internet this past decade. The suit details are represented as paint apps, though some are better applied than others, especially where the surface area of the musculature is concerned. One thing I should mention is that the arms are pinless to accommodate the new slits for the wings on the arms, though the legs still have the same pins. And he has a hole in his back to give him his flight stand.

His head sculpt is luckily better done than the suit's details, and I like the stoic look on this mask compared to, say, the way it looked on the 2015 Hawkeye figure from the AllFather BAF wave. He looks just as determined as Captain America, and with a smaller head that fits this leaner body frame. His articulation is the same as Cap's, though with slightly better range given said leaner body, and his arms have butterfly joints to help him pose with his wings better. Said wings come as slightly translucent in reference to the Wakandian upgrade he received along with his suit, which can slot into the arms and allow elbow articulation to remain unaffected. That being said, WHERE THE FUCK IS REDWING?!

Comparing these releases to the Red Onslaught-wave Cap and Joe Fixit-wave Falcon, the original version of Cap had slightly darker colors, a shield without raised details, alternate saluting and pointing hands, a werewolf head, no chest deco, the cape for Onslaught, and the useless chest straps. Falcon's design feels plain, with the white only being visible from the pecs up while the arms and the rest of the suit are almost all red, though the gauntlets are gold while the hands are red. Still, no Redwing, though he does have Joe's left arm.

Seeing Cap and Falcon together kind of showcases how far back I haven't seen the Retro line of figures for a good while apart from Spider-Man back in the late 2010s. Much like that Spidey, the accessories were limited, and the approach in being retro-accurate varied. Captain America seems more faithful than Spidey, though I know that the 80th Anniversary Cap (based on Alex Ross), as well as the Legends 20th Anniversary Cap (based on ToyBiz), are much better offerings than this version of Mr. USA. Falcon does have a few more benefits thanks to his wings and alternate hands, though I do wish he still had a Falcon that can perch on his shoulder if you gave it a clear part that pegged in the back. If you get them both at cheap prices (especially since the other Caps are harder to obtain in the aftermarket), then you'll be pretty content.

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

Marvel Legends King in Black (Knull/Venom) 2-pack review

Another Marvel Legends 2-pack to go over, this time covering a more recent event in the form of the King in Black story-arc. In it, various Marvel heroes go against Knull and his symbiotic army, with Venom being the centerpiece of the story with all of the Venomized characters being corrupted during the invasion. Obviously meant to tie-in with Let There Be Carnage before the release date was pushed back due to the COVID pandemic, that explains all of that Venomized merch in 2020 before we got the proper story as well as the movie. It was a mostly solid story that wasn't as bad as most of Marvel's other stories of late (New Warriors, anyone?), but how do the toys associated with the story fare?

Let's cover Venom first...and right off the bat, he looks vaguely familiar if you collected Legends figures in the past. This is a reuse of the Movie version of Venom made back in 2020 as the intended tie-in to the sequel as mentioned before, and while some would find the more detailed look of the character a little distracting, I think that the simplistic, blank nature of Venom's design makes it easier to justify, and the chest/back logo, as well as the paint for the hands and the new head, make for a good difference that makes sense compared to, say, those classic repaints of the DCEU trinity done by Beast Kingdom. What he still retains are the same feet from the Movie version, which is unusual to many fans who are used to the non-toed feet, but some artists give him toes anyhow. I'm debating on whether or not I should mod the feet. New to this guy are peg holes for the wings, which we'll get to. The back logo does have some paint-chipping, though...

Head sculpt is new for the guy as mentioned before, and is painted on generally well with a few nicks here and there, but it does look more like a modernized take on the classic look (duh), that goes well for Venom without him trying to copy the exact appearance from the movies. The teeth could look a little more defined, though. His articulation consists of two ball joints for the neck, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, double-jointed elbows, a diaphragm joint, an ab-crunch, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, and ankle hinges as well as side-to-side pivots. Replacing the head and fists are an alternate head with his tongue sticking out and open hands, perfect for more dynamic poses.

One of the highlights of this version of Venom is the inclusion of a pair of MASSIVE wings. Like they take up a shitton of space when they're added onto his back, but getting them on the back is not easy. Either the pegs are not made to be pegged in right, or the holes are not made properly. But I will at least say that when attached, they look badass...even if you can only hinge them back and forth rather than fold them away or have them hinge up and down because of the way they attach.

For a comparison, here he is between the Venom he is reused from as well as my Marvel Select Venom, which I got back in March 2018 on my birthday! I still like the Select Venom in spite of his limited articulation, as his sculpt is unique and better captures the McFarlane look that I like the most from Venom. The KiB version is better in terms of articulation and doesn't annoy me with the alternate head-swapping, but he could use a paint wash like the Select. The movie version has been reused for this specific version of Venom, though I feel like parts of him are also retooled or replaced with proportions to better fit the comic version, I can also notice how small the Movie head looks next to the comic version. I feel like that especially rings true for the torso, legs, and lower torso region.

And just to confirm it, the KiB version of Venom only has the retooled peg holes, which were not present on the Movie version.

And now, we have Knull himself.. A wholly new sculpt, Knull being included with the more iconic Marvel anti-hero makes sense, as I doubt casuals would want to get him on his own, so including him with a more popular character would make for a somewhat pricey yet still great way of getting a good Venom toy and another character for fans to be introduced to. I don't think Knull would reach the same level of popularity in general that his packmate has, but I value that the sculpt is well-designed and has a few good paint apps to break up the drab coloring of the armor, from the bands fitting in with the arms to the blood red symbiote emblem with a unique tail to boot. He does feel like the antagonist of a JRPG or fantasy game, but he does at least have that logo to make himself somewhat familiar in the Marvel universe. And being a new mold means that unlike Venom, Knull has pinless joints.

Headsculpt looks appropriately old and alien, almost reminding me of a Star Wars villain serving the Separatists. The piercing red eyes stand out from the ashy gray of the face and hair; he could use a bit of a wash to make the facial details pop a little more, but it does the job nonetheless. His articulation is about the same as Venom's, though his right-hand hinges up and down rather than in and out because it is meant for his sword. Said sword is ironically named "All-Black", which is false-advertising because of the red symbiote tendrils wrapped around it. Some of them should also be painted red, though, since it had a lot redder than it currently has. He has no alternate hands, but he does have an alternate head that has him flashing his teeth.

Overall, this is another good 2-pack that may not be as popular as the Renew Your Vows set, but I feel does a similar job in getting fans a fairly definitive version of the main character (though Venom might not be as definitive as Spidey is) while also including a lesser-known but still cool packmate. Knull is awesome and deserves some love, even if you're not getting the set for him. I know people would want to get the 3-pack that features a different Venom as well as Riot and Agony, but this one will still do nonetheless.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends Renew Your Vows Spider-Man/Spinneret review

You already know about Spider-Man by this point. You probably know that he has been frequently reviewed on my site. And you probably know of a little series called Renew Your Vows, which depicts Spider-Man raising a family of fellow superheroes in the form of Mary Jane, AKA Spinneret, and Annie Parker, aka Spiderling. I honestly grew tired of hearing how DC fans kept wanting Superman and Batman to be these himbo dad characters just now after they whined over things like some of their 2010s-era comics, the Injustice games, or complain about Nolan and Snyder. RYV, while not the best comic mini-series in terms of writing quality, had a good vision in mind in an admittedly messy web of 2015-2018 Marvel comics. That being said, the Parker trio was a strong idea that fit well for Spider-Man more than SuperBat and their respective sons if I'm being honest, especially with both Spider-Man feeling more suited for family-like stories like RYV and the fact that Spider-Fans are more chill than Superbat fans for the most part. Anyways enough getting off-topic LET'S REVIEW THIS OVERDUE SET!!!!

Let's have Spider-Man as the focus right away. Now don't be alarmed, this is neither the 2020 Retro Spider-Man in the 90s-style card that's trying to be like the animated series but isn't nor is it the 2015 Pizza Spidey mold despite the similar details and mask. This guy is made from the ground up as far as I know with the proportions being better fitting for a Spider-Man that is of adulthood while still maintaining that lean, youthful vibe that makes the character different from Captain America or Wolverine. Spider-Man in my eyes should be a balance of looking skinny and muscular at the same time, and this guy does a great job at capturing the physique I want. I like how the suit has the sculptwork of both the musculature and the creases of the fabric in order to convey that someone is wearing the suit inside rather than it just being flat and lifeless. And the articulation cuts are better integrated within the sculpt this time, while the paint apps are generally applied well with a few minor problems here and there.

Head sculpt may seem identical to that of the Pizza Spidey head from way back, but I think it's a new mold that is made to look similar to it while being proportioned differently in order to fit the bodyframe of this new mold. Luckily, the paint apps are applied on properly, whether it's the lenses, the outline for said lenses, or the web pattern. His articulation is about the same as the 2020 Spider-Man, with the neck having two points that are on ball joints rather than the ball and hinge, the arms moving front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, double elbows, wrist swivels and hinges, diaphragm joint, an ab crunch below it, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, and said hips can drop down for an added range of movement; thigh swivels, double knees, ankle hinges, and pivots are already included, but new to this guy is tow articulation that is very rare on Hasbro Legends but was common in the ToyBiz days. I'm happy with Spider-Man having toe articulation as him being a flagship character, on top of being a very poseable character, which makes the inclusion a simple yet effective change. He has alternate web-shooting hands...

...and splayed-open hands for him to either go wall-crawling, posing in evasive actions from an enemy or doing many hand gestures that befit Spidey. His unmasked Peter Parker head is my favorite one yet, as it captures the balance of him being older yet still having that youthful energy in him that makes him an inspiring character for everyone. That's why I dug 90s Spidey as well as Tobey Maguire's incarnations apart from Earth-616 for the version of the character they used. It appears to be a smaller version of the 12 inch head, which I think is a good choice since that head fit Peter Parker so well.

For a classic Spidey comparison, here he is in-between the Pizza Spidey in the form of the 2017 Retro carded version, the Amazing Fantasy 15 version from 2022, and the 2020 Retro version. I honestly thought that the Pizza Spidey version was the best one before seeing the 2020 version and thought that was the best one, but looking at the sculpts, RYV is clearly the star of the show. The sculpt and proportions work so much better this time around, the colors feel right for Spider-Man, and the head sculpt feels properly made this time around. I felt the 2015 head looked a little funny, but the shape of the lenses looks much stronger on the new version. I can happily make the RYV version my definitive comic Spider-Man (while AF15 represents the past). Maybe a fan-made McFarlane-lens headswap would make it even better since I love the 90s mask (on top of MvC being based), but he's still good. Some people would probably ask me if the Amazing Friends version that came with who else but Iceman and Firestar would be better, but he's literally the AF15 version with the blue replacing the black and a different logo. And what about the actual 90s animated version? Well, if they used the RYV version of the character, gave him the appropriate paint apps and made a better version of the mask than it currently has, then I'd go with that one. But this one is still the best. And pinless joints are included to both make the sculpt look better AND justify the increased price somewhat! (they're also better done than the Lightning Collection, oh we'll get to that).

Up next, it's Spinneret. All of the attention went to Spider-Man because he does whatever a spider-can and so on, but does that mean MJ gets left behind with a mediocre release? Actually, no she doesn't . Her suit design is simpler than Peter's in terms of the color palette, with the blue of the limbs and the black of the webbing replaced with white, making the red of her suit feel more reminiscent of a swim suit while the white represents the bare skin. It's a certainly different take on the concept that strays to be original without treading on the suit designs of characters like Spider-Woman or Spider-Gwen, and I think it works pretty well since she is supposed to be Parker's wife. Her body mold reuses the Madame Hydra mold while the arms come from Shriek. New to her are the cuffings around the ankles, which have been cut up to allow for the feet to hinge up. Some will say the palms of her hands should have paint, but I wish the holes on the back were filled in because if you're not giving her a flight stand, don't bother leaving the holes!

Her head sculpt is another strong aspect of the figure, once again doing a similar approach of Spider-Woman's mask by covering the eyes with lenses and leaving the lower area of the face exposed. The hair being done up for a hairdo in this form does make her more unique from the other female arachnid superhero, and that smile underneath the mask gives me odd Elastigirl vibes. Honestly, with her female body (especially her butt) and a similar use of red and facial design traits, she's just short of Mr. Fantastic's or Ms. Marvel's elastic powers to be Elastigirl, but she actually would need her suit to make those powers because the comic mentions how only her suit can copy Spidey's powers to aid her as someone never bitten by the spider. Anyways, her articulation is mostly the same as with Peter's, with the differences being a neck hinge instead of a lower ball joint, no butterfly joints, no ab-crunch, no drop-down hips, no boot swivels, and no toes. She, too, comes with her own set of web-thwipping hands and splayed-open hands.

In addition to that, she also comes with her own Mary Jane head, with the hair down and a different vibe that she presents in the suit. While Peper Parker comes off as him taking the mask off for a moment or two before getting back into the action, MJ instead comes off more like she's set to pose in all of the different kinds of fan art by comparison, which works given her appeal.

Overall, this is a very good set. Honestly, the latest few years of Hasbro Marvel Legends went up and down in terms of quality and value for money, so getting this set with both the definitive comic Spidey AND a surprisingly good Mary Jane figure in the form of Spinneret is a win in my book. I love seeing the Husband and Wife dynamic immortalized in plastic form, I love how complete Spidey feels, and I love how genuinely good Spinneret is as a figure. IF you can still get this set at a good deal like I did, GO FOR IT.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Star Wars The Black Series Princess Leia Organa (Archive Collection) & Darth Vader (Obi-Wan Kenobi) review

What do Princess Leia and Darth Vader have in common apart from being two regular characters in Star Wars as well as being in the same family? They both showed up in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is proof that half of the time, Disney likes to bait audiences with nostalgia so they can get us excited for some returning characters only to have them in a lesser-quality experience. I mean, the Leia figure in this review is from A New Hope rather than from said show, so she is from a better piece of media. Darth Vader is one of the few good things in the show, so there's that. Now let's review the daughter and father of Star Wars fame!

Here is Princess Leia in-hand. Now we know that Black Series figures occasionally give their characters cloth goods to make them feel more premium or whatever, and sometimes it works, like on the Jedi Knights and their robes. With Leia, Hasbro comes off as going overboard with her gown. Yes, it was not something practical for combat and does look rather soft compared to the harsher details on Luke or Han's outfits, but this makes her look like a barbie doll by comparison! It looks and feels too amateur. Of the upper body was replaced with a plastic torso and arms while the lower part of the gown would be a skirt, then I wouldn't mind. Also, the hood looks too oversized. I know Hasbro doesn't do alternate heads for Black Series like with Marvel Legends or Lightning Collection, but can we at least have a PVC hood that can flex over her head if the hooded head and folded-away hood options aren't acceptable?

Head sculpt does have a fairly good likeness to Carrie Fisher back in 1977, and we can also say her hairdo is spot-on as it is iconic, though it may turn out the eyes appear to be slightly misaligned. Don't you love it when that happens? Anyways, Leia can turn left and right as well as look up and down, while her shoulders move front and back and in and out, her biceps swivel, elbows bend at double joints instead of single elbows (a rarity for this line). Her wrists can swivel and her hands can hinge. The sleeves do make some of the points a little difficult to work with. She had a diaphragm joint, hips that move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thighs, bend at the knees, and hinge as well as pivot at the ankles. She comes with both her normal blaster and Stormtrooper blaster courtesy of Luke during the Death Star Escape. 

And here we have Darth Vader. This is yet another reuse of the figure as we've seen on numerous different occasions, from the original version with the removable helmet and big eyes to a version based on ROTJ with a clear helmet (that I painted black), and both 40th anniversary and ESB versions of the character. Darth Vader has had plenty of releases, but he should be frequent since he's one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. You can also tell that compared to the EW version, this new one uses the same ESB helmet mold as well as having a different cape, which is a smaller version of the ESB one. His right hand is articulated with an additional hinge since it can move in and out and is not removable, and the lightsaber can stay on the belt when not in use. I think I like the new guy more since he doesn't have any loose joints and can hold his lightsaber better. He still has single-jointed elbows, though. And apparently, the ESB version had butterfly joints? And while this new one has the green chest button like in Revenge of the Sith and not blue like on ESB and ROTJ, I don't mind since the suit looks fine if the button was either green or blue. Oh, and the lightsaber blade may be a richer red, though that could be the background it's in.

And here we have the father and daughter. Darth Vader is pretty cool as always, and you may be happy with this one even if you may run into the minor paint nicks like on my copy. I do at least value the helmet and the joints being better done this time around, and his cloth goods feel better integrated than with Princess Leia, who makes me want to replace her with a version that has better face paint apps and possibly give her an upper body that isn't cloth...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Princess Leia)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Darth Vader)