[Trivial Psychic]

After some difficulty during shipment in these getting to me, they finally arrived today...





Here's a few thoughts...

Captain America: We'll get this one out of the way, as it's the easiest. You know the deal, straight up repaint, minus the extra hands (which I never used with the other figures, so no big deal.) The stealth suited version is still my favorite out of all the MCU ones thus far, but this one takes a very close second. The color scheme is about perfect. Also, I really wish they would use these style shields with the comic versions of Cap, as I love the sculpted two strap design so much more than the ones that clip on.

Black Panther: Next easiest...because it doesn't really matter what I say about him. I could tell you that he'll give you warts on your arse, and you'd still buy him. But seriously, other than having that gorilla stance and not being able to put his arms completely straight down to his side, I can find few complaints. Sculpt is terrific, and the little paint he has on him is subtle and makes him really pop. Early candidate for Legend of the year, and looks right in place with comic figures as well as MCU. If you see him, do not walk past him.

Nick Fury: This proves that the Bucky mold still is relevant even today, as it comes off good for Nick. I wish the facial expression was a little more grittier, but otherwise, it's a nice re-release if you happened to miss out on the two pack version all those years ago. And yes, the Sam Jackson Nick Fury head also fits on the body, although it is a bit tough to get on. You don't need to do it in order to get it to work, but I recommend using a dremel on the Sam Jackson head to give it a tiny adjustment, allowing it to go on easier. Also, molded pistols in holsters? I'll forgive you Hasbro, but only because it's a good figure and because you gave us the other heads, allowing for sweet custom options.

Red Guardian: It's red Captain America on the Reaper body. I'm not really sure what else to say about it. Mine had very clean paint apps, although I wish I had just a bit more shading on the rest of the body, similar to what we got with the Legends Toxin a while back. All in all...still a good figure, and I really dig the shield, even if it's of the clip-on variety that I hate.

Nuke: Very cool figure, although the pew pew space laser thing that he comes with sucks. Ditch that zero and get some proper assault rifles for this hero. With the newly sculpted legs, I fully expect eBay to be flooded with Crossbones customs in the next few weeks, as well as repaints of the flat topped head to make for custom Eddie Brock heads for the recent Legends Venom. One of the best figures in the wave though, despite the stupid ray gun. I should also mention though, that the ray gun looks right in place with the New Nick Fury, as the red, white, and blue motif looks good with the agents of Shield.

Iron Man: What to say about this one? This COULD have been the best Iron Man we have ever received, as the size finally feels right, the cool blast effects and the fact that he FINALLY has a proper ankle pivot. But...here's my gripe. The articulation still sucks, and he's also unfinished, as he is missing paint apps on several parts of his body, most noteably, the left leg on the upper thigh and hip, where there is no silver paint. No big deal though right...figures are unpainted all the time. Problem is...the figure IS painted on the right side, making one leg look COMPLETELY different than the other. I thought that this might just be my figure, but after looking at the recent Toyark gallery, as well as watching reviews from Glenn Webb, Shartimus Prime, and Anthony's Customs, it's something that's common on all of their figures as well, meaning that either this first batch of figures out of the factory are bad, or this was an oversight by the QC department at Hasbro. Also, whatever plastic they are using for this figure does not take well to paints, as I tried to apply some acrylic to fix it fresh out of the box after some prep. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get the paint to apply properly, and I gave up. I might try and find an auto paint pen and see if that does the trick, but for now, I have an Iron Man who's trying to make a fashion statement with one silver leg and one gold one.

Since I mentioned Anthony's Customs, those of you wanting more info on the upcoming War Machine from the two pack, he currently has a review of it on his youtube channel. Ugh....it's pretty awful.

Giant Man BAF: I know a lot of people bitched and moaned that this was simply going to be an "upscale of the earlier Ant-Man figure", well shame on you...you owe Hasbro an apology, because he's not. Nearly the entire figure is a new sculpt, and honestly, I think it's perfect. It's what I wanted out of a Giant Man figure truthfully. About the only thing I could have asked for was for some articulated fingers like the older giant character BAFs from ToyBiz, but even lacking that detail, I think he's cool looking, with some EXCELLENT articulation (especially at the hips.) I know a lot of you aren't happy about the size, feeling he should be bigger, but truthfully, this feels right to me, appropriate if you will, and if he's this size in the movie, I'll be happy. I've never been a huge fan of the Godzilla sized Giant Man to begin with, so my opinion might be a little biased though. Take that what you will.