X-Men: Apocalypse may not have been the most-beloved superhero movie of all time, but it did bring to the big screen several characters fans had been wanting to see in live-action. Now, thanks to the additional name-recognition factor the movie brought some of them (and the lack of cooperation between Disney and Fox for now), they’re headlining a new wave of Marvel Legends figures in the comics style most of us came to love them as in the first place. Everyone wins.
(Collectors of Oscar Isaac toys, fortunately, have other options.)
There’s something a little off about the build-a-figure Apocalypse, and I don’t know if I just got an error or not–he appears to have two left thighs. Notice the way his right one doesn’t line up with the hip. But they don’t seem to be exactly the same, so maybe it’s just a really odd aesthetic choice. That aside, it’s a nicely big and shiny representation of En Sabah Nur.
Mohawk Storm is an oft-requested favorite; due to her being put in an action pose in package, her right leg is slightly bent in a way you may need to adjust with hot water or a hairdryer. The lightning effects are reused form bigger figures like Thor and Magneto, so they don’t easily hold around her forearms, and you’ll want to weave her fingers into the lightning a little more. Nonetheless, for the smallest figure in the wave, she packs a lot of detail.
Magneto comes in a more recent red-and-black outfit that might have been selected for similarity to his last movie look. The cape splays out a bit behind him, which is a nice effect. And he comes with the same lightning bolts, along with interchangeable hands (translucent purple and shiny black)…
…and an unhelmeted head, which suffers a little from “fried egg” eyes. But there is a cool solution in an unlikely place elsewhere in the wave.
Multiple Man, who also comes out of the package bow-legged like Storm, has three heads. One smiling, one scowling, and one that, under the right circumstances, bears more than a slight resemblance to a certain actor…
Enjoy it. This might be the closest to an official Michael Fassbender Mags you’ll ever have.
Gladiator is an unabashedly cheesy comic-booky design, which isn’t really my style, but might be yours. The thick plastic cape makes him a little back heavy, and he does come with Apocalypse’s head, which is essential, unless…
Naww. But maybe? Point is all the male heads are interchangeable.
Olivia Munn’s Psylocke was a highlight of the movie, and comic-accurate enough that this figure isn’t too different. The energy effects you can add to her face and sword, are cool, and unlike previous Psylocke figures she doesn’t look completely whitewashed. Be on the lookout for two different possible hair colors: purple and dark brown.
The real winners in the line, though, are the two fan-faves: arch-rivals Wolverine and Sabretooth, both the way they looked in the ’90s cartoon and comics. Sabes is just nice and big and bulky, while Logan is as short as he should be, but full of detail.
For example: his CLAWS are individually articulated, so you can splay them out or keep them tight. There’s no bonus unmasked head, but I’d expect that to happen eventually.
If you’re buying this figure for a kid, forewarn them: rough play will make the claws pop out, and potentially get easily lost on the playroom floor, to be swallowed by a pet or vacuum cleaner. He also comes with claws-in fists. That aside, he’s the chunky, constipated-looking Wolverine we all know and love.
Maybe it’s because we just came off of a truly outstanding Ant-Man and the Wasp wave, but I can’t help feeling that, like the Apocalypse movie, this didn’t give me quite what I’d hoped. Then again, the movie did have plenty of moments I did enjoy, and this wave gives us a great Wolverine and Sabretooth.
I’m not holding any grudges.
Images: Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson is Nerdist’s weekend editor and avid hunter of little plastic articulated mutants. Follow him on social media, or leave a comment below.
