Ok, I'm back.

Marvel Legends Wave 1:

Hulk:

Character: One of Kirby's top five creations. A classic of the medium--5.

Execution: This is a real mixed bag. The size and paintjob are great. The head sculpt, though by no means classic, is effective (sort of Sterankoish). Then there's the hideous monkey arms and, unbelievably, two open hands. A Hulk without fists is just plain wrong. The articulation is still fairly primitive, too. Almost a 3, but not quite--2.

Captain America:

Character: See preceding entry. 5.

Execution: A fantastic sculpt. The face is perfect (much better than the overrated Face-Off Cap's surly mug). Paint aps, too. The lower legs are a bit effed up, but not enough to be a major problem. The only other issue is size. At the time, Cap's height wasn't a problem, but after the release of subsequent waves, he ends up a little undersized. 4.

Iron Man:

Character: A decent character, though definitely inferior to most of Marvel's other big guns. 3.

Execution: About as good as an Iron Man figure can be. One of the best MLs ever--5.

Toad:

Character: Just quirky enough to avoid a zero. Not one of Kirby's finest hours for sure--1.

Execution: A mess. Size is all wrong and the articulation is sub-par. He is appropriately fugly, though. 2.

Recap: Hulk 7, Cap 9, Iron Man 8, and Toad 3.

Like DCUC Wave 1, this was a pretty good start. The choice of Toad as the first villain done for a new line is mystifying, but two of these figs are among the best ML ever produced.

It's also worth noting that if you consider the 10 figures that comprise the first waves for each of the big two comic companies, it turns out that 5 of them were created by one person--and his initials are the King.

Oh, I totally agree the Iron Man is ultra-popular right now. And the movie was surprisingly good.

But as a character, he's a B-lister at best.

The early Colan issues are decent, and the Romita, Jr. / Layton stuff was pretty good, but other than that--yawn.

I don't think it's a good sign when you say two of the best ML figures ever made were in wave 1. Theoretically, a line should get better with time, not peak at the start.

I dislike the ball jointed hips on ML so much that they all get a giant FAIL from me. Also that wave 1 Iron Man has monkey arms, also your Marvel Legends reviews should be in a different forum.

vc9k

The Marvel Legends reviews are in this forum to compare each wave Mattel vs Toybiz/Hasbro.

Cool idea for a thread.

I don't feel too strongly about your grades so far, it all sounds pretty good...except for Iron Man. I think you are way off in both categories.

I think he's a clear cut 5 as a character, and I think he's a 1, at most a 2, in execution. They've made lots of Iron Man figs since then, and I prefer nearly all of them over that one. The recent Iron Man in the Hasbro 2-pack blows that first release away. It was cool then, but there have been so many better ones since.

I submit the following images into evidence as support for my personal opinions (from ActionFigurePics.com):
Review: http://www.actionfigurepics.com/2009/08 ... d-iron-man

Agreed.

I always found ML to be somewhat hit or miss.

The best and worst figures were sprinkled throughout the entire Toybiz run, and I certainly didn't see any gradual improvement in the overall line as time went by.

Of course, I would say DCUC is in the same boat, as they've been fairly consistent (though at a higher level) through the first 10 waves.

I agree there have been quite a few excellent Iron Man figures made, but I don't think that takes anything away from the first one.

Yes, the arms are a bit too long, but they're not bad enough to qualify as monkey arms--like the Hulk (or worse, Wave 6 Juggernaut).

As for the recent Hasbro 2 packer--it's a beautiful likeness, but it does have some problems of its own.

First off, it is way too small. It looks good on its own, but displayed next to any other MLs (except for a handful of similarly pint-sized Hasbro releases) he looks ludicrous.

Also, he's got a tiny head--even after taking his overall size into account. I really hate pinheads. (Figures, not people.)

ML 2:

Thing:

Character: A top ten comic character and an easy 5.

Execution: A fantastic figure. The rocky texture, the size, and, in particular, the head sculpt are perfect. The two complaints are the lack of fists and the paint aps went a little wrong. I still love looking at it. 5.

Torch:

Character: Not as interesting or original as the Thing, but still a member of the world's second most famous quartet--4.

Execution: Umm...horrible. The head sculpt is terrible. The size is off. The arms are laughable. It has just enough going for it to make it a 1.

Dr. Doom:

Character: One of the three greatest comic villains of all time (Joker and Darkseid, in case you were wondering). 5.

Execution: Another near-perfect figure. The head, the paint, the cape--it's all there. This does not look like a piece of plastic--it looks like a 6 inch dude in a metal suit. Again, a few minor quibbles. I don't like the right hand, and the articulation is somewhat limited. Still, a 5.

Namor:

Character: A classic that just never seems to be utilized to his full potential. As depicted by Kirby, though, he does rock--4.

Execution: A mixed bag. First off, why on earth is he in the short-lived black wetsuit? The head sculpt is perfect, but the scrawny arms don't match the rest of the figure. 3.

Recap: Thing 10, Torch 5, Dr. Doom 10, and Namor 7.

Another pair of top-notch figures, a pretty good one, and a real stinker.

Your analyses to this point have been spot on. Especially on the Human Torch. He's one figure that did not need to be stylized or depicted comic book accurate as the original Kirby rendition. It just came off horribly. The lines on the figure look like... what do you call those test sheets on multiple choice tests back in the day, scantron? Uggh.

ML 3:

Wolverine:

Character: It's difficult to remember after all the bad stories, the countless rip-offs, and the overexposure just how fresh, original, and interesting Wolverine really was. But it's true--5.

Execution: A pretty good figure. The snarling head sculp is excellent. The lack of any ab articulation is a small negative, as is the pathetic attempt at giving him hairy arms. A bigger problem is the size--he's too tall. 3.

Thor:

Character: Another major player, though not as innovative or interesting as Kirby's best. 4.

Execution: There's a lot wrong with this figure. Unless the sculpter thought he was doing Conan. The face is plain ugly. The body isn't much better, and the figure has trouble standing--probably due to the 20 lb. cape. Nice hammer, though. 1.

Ghost Rider:

Character: Marvel's answer to Kirby's Demon. Cool back story and visually interesting--3.

Execution: A decent figure, though I would have prefered his classic costume. And the flaming hair is kind of weak. 2.

Daredevil:

Character: Well, I love DD, but this isn't really him, is it? I have zero interest in movie figs. They always end up weird looking. Ben Affleck is a good looking guy, but I don't want an action figure version of him. 1.

Execution: And the kicker is, this is a POS of a figure. It looks 10 years behind the rest of the line--just absolutely terrible--1.

Magneto:

Character: One of the most complex and interesting villains of all time. And the Kirby design is top notch--5.

Execution: A decent figure. The sculpt is solid, albeit too big. I'm not a fan of removeable helmets, but this is one of the more successful attempts. 3.

Recap: Wolverine 8, Thor 5, Ghost Rider 5, Daredevil 2, and Magneto 8.

ML Wave 4:

Beast:

Character: Always loved the Beast--especially during the Perez/Byrne issues of Avengers. A solid 4.

Execution: Well, the figure is way too big, but the articulation is phenomenal. And it's a great sculpt, too. 4.

Elektra:

Character: A cool concept and a great plot device as used by Miller, but the character has been debased ever since. 2.

Execution: Not good. Ugly head sculpt and those funky legs--the way the upper leg meets the lower torso is just wrong somehow. 2.

Punisher:

Character: Over-exposed and over-hyped, but the original design and character still stand the test of time. 3.

Execution: Decent. Nothing terrible, nothing outstanding. 3.

Gambit:

Character: Thoroughly uninteresting. Lame look and powers. Came in at a time when the X-Men became unreadable. 1.

Execution: Same as Punisher. 3.

Goliath/Giant-Man:

Character: Well, I actually dig ol' Hank Pym. I think he's always been a nice contrast to the more successful Avengers. 3.

Execution: A repaint of a pre-ML figure in a costume that never existed. Dreadful. 1.

Recap: Beast 8, Elektra 4, Punisher 6, Gambit 4, Goliath 4.

A sucky wave. Mostly B and C list characters, and only one really good sculpt--next!