Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Action Figure Review: Kitty Pryde from Marvel Legends: X-Men by Hasbro

  Today I'm looking at Kitty Pryde, the first figure I picked up from the most recent series of Marvel Legends figures that focuses on the X-Men. While Marvel Legends has really been on a roll over the past couple of years it seems that they're absolutely on fire now! People seem to be going nuts over this current series of X-Men figures and, whether that's because they've been starved for X-Men figures or because every figure in this set is a pretty popular and recognizable character, they're flying off shelves! I've been picking these up as I can find them and Kitty Pryde was the first one I tracked down. While Kitty Pryde has been made into a Marvel Legends figure before, it was 10 years ago by Toy Biz in the 2006 Giant Man series. Now Hasbro gets a crack at her! Kitty Pryde has had a pretty eventful past year or two with her involvement with Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy so she's an excellent addition to the series. Ready for a closer look? Then join me after the break...



 The Facts:

Heights: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball-jointed hips, ball-jointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, ball-jointed head.

Accessories: Lockheed, build-a-figure Juggernaut's right arm, and Magneto's head for the Onslaught build-a-figure from the previous Captain America series.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 The Positives:

* I definitely think that Hasbro's Marvel Legends currently has the best female articulation of any mass-market toyline. Heck, I'm not sure I can think of any higher any 1/12th scale toylines that top them. Maybe DC Comics Icons but the price different isn't that much. The joints looks and feel quite natural and work great! I'm loving how many excellent poses these figures can take and how high the quality is!

 * Kitty Pryde has a gorgeous headsculpt. She's really quite pretty even though there's nothing insanely remarkable about her (you know, no crazy hairstyle, heavy makeup, etc.). I think that's a credit to the sculpt, though, as it seems fitting for the figure. Her torso is also unique with the raised flares on her yellow top. It has an almost vest-like appearance and looks really good.

 * While Kitty Pryde has a pretty standard X-Men outfit, there are some cool additions to the outfit such as the flared gloves and her "X" logo belt. It's a free-floating piece that rests over her hips. The paint is also quite clean, something that's always a feat when black and yellow are involved.

 * Kitty comes with Lockheed, her alien dragon. Lockheed is molded in a rubbery purple plastic that's very shiny and vibrant. The sculpt is rather sharp for a small minifigure, actually. His tail is able to wrap around Kitty's neck so he can rest on her shoulder or wrap around her forearm/ elbow to sit on her arm. He's a fun, and necessary, little inclusion.
 * Who is the person this arm belongs to?

Ahh, OK. That's settled, then. Yup, this is the Juggernaut's right arm. It's pretty large and features the iron bands which Juggernaut wears. I'm excited to build this guy and, if I do build him, he will be the first build-a-figure I've built from a series where I bought every figure (not trading or buying BAF parts separately) since Darkseid from DC Universe Classics Series 12.

 * What is another cool inclusion is this Magneto head. Unusually, it's not for the Juggernaut build-a-figure in this series: It's an additional piece for the Onslaught build-a-figure from the first Captain America series. It looks cool and makes an interesting prop even if you don't have the previous build-a-figure (which I don't).
 The Negatives:

* My only negative with Kitty Pryde is that she's just kind of a duller figure compared to everyone else in the line. Maybe it's due to the fact that she has a mutant power that's difficult to convey in action figure form but she just isn't as exciting as you might expect. She's still a really, really good figure, but perhaps a bit underwhelming compared to a figure like Rogue, Cable, or Deadpool. Maybe an alternate head with her hair not in a ponytail or a hooded classic "Sprite" head would have been a cool inclusion.

 Hasbro is making some excellent figures in their Marvel Legends range and, while I'm a bigger DC fan, I can definitely say that they're schooling Mattel's efforts with that license. Things seem to be looking up for fans of 6 inch superheroes across the board, though, as both companies seem to be working to up their game. Kitty Pryde, AKA Shadowcat, Ariel, and Sprite, is a Great and a 1/2 figure and another strong Marvel Legend. She might be the least exciting figure in the series but considering who is in this series, that's not much of a negative. She's awesome!

I haven't reviewed any other figures of Kitty Pryde yet but I have reviewed plenty of other Marvel Legends figures, including:

Marvel Legends: Captain America by Hasbro (2016)
Nuke

Marvel Legends Infinite Series by Hasbro
Captain Marvel (Maidens of Might)
Daredevil 
Doctor Strange (Marvel Heroes)
Guardians of the Galaxy 5-Pack
Hellcat (Fierce Fighters)
Ms. Marvel, Captain America, & Radioactive Man 3-Pack
Scarlet Witch (Maidens of Might)
Spider-Woman (Fierce Fighters)
White Tiger

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Ant-Man by Hasbro (2015)
Ant-Man
Wasp

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Avengers by Hasbro
Thor

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Avengers: Age of Ultron by Hasbro (2015)
Hulk 

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Hasbro
Baron Zemo
Hydra Agent
Red Skull

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Guardians of the Galaxy by Hasbro
Drax
Star-Lord

Marvel Legends Infinite Series: Spider-Man by Hasbro
Jack O'Lantern (Villains of the Night)
Spider-Girl (Warriors of the Web)

Marvel Legends: Iron Man 3 by Hasbro
Classic Iron Man
Heroic Age Iron Man
Iron Monger Build-a-figure
Iron Patriot
Ultron

6 comments:

  1. I liked this one- a little plain, but classic. This series didn't stick around on the pegs long...

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    1. Still the only things I see at store are Havok and the occasional Iceman, Phoenix, and Kitty Pryde. I'm still trying to hunt down Deadpool to complete the set but he continues to elude me.

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  2. She looks decent enough - love the inclusion of Lockheed.

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    1. Yeah, I really like her portrait. It's quite lovely and has a very realistic appearance too it. It seems very lifelike rather than a portrait based on a comic character.

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  3. Glad I was able to at least get her and Iceman, so far! Mostly her for the Onslaught head (gotta get my 90's ridiculous villain fix). She's a great freakin' figure, though! Nice to finally have the females get a focus on sculpts and articulation (though we still need some super articulated bodies for the Spider ladies).

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    1. Agreed. I'd love to see them do a bit more modification to the female base bodies they use. I didn't own any of the Onslaught wave so my extra head is just sitting around.

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