Friday, September 2, 2022

Action Figure Review: Silk and Doc Ock from Marvel Legends Series: Silk by Hasbro


 

   Last weekend I received my Amazon exclusive Silk and Doc Ock 2-pack from Hasbro's Marvel Legends Series and I quickly got around to taking some pictures and working on this review. Neither of the characters in this set are new to Marvel Legends, but both are rather desired figures still. Doctor Octopus has had multiple figures in the line but was last released in 2018 in the SP/DR build-a-figure series while Silk has had two previous figures: One in 2016 and another in 2020 as a Fan Vote exclusive. Spider-Verse themed stuff seems to always do well, though, and with the recent surge of popularity from Doctor Octopus' appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, this set hit at the right time. It's also the first of Hasbro's releases I've picked up with the plastic free packaging which is interesting in and of itself. I'm going to talk about that in this review as well as I feel that, while this was an online, the new packaging failed me in two ways. Let's take a look at Silk and Doc Ock after the break...








The Facts: Silk

Height: 6 1/8ths inches tall

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

Accessories: 6 interchangeable hands, 1 web effect hand, 2 portraits, and a mask.










The Facts: Doc Ock

Height: 6 inches

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

Accessories: 4 interchangeable hands, 4 tentacle arms, and 2 interchangeable portraits

Non-Scalper Price: $56 dollars






The Packaging:

* Here it is: The windowless, plastic free packaging. Considering that action figures have at least a 50 year history of using a window or bubble to show the toy, this is a big departure. I'm probably going to write a whole post at some point about the new packaging but, honestly, I hope it goes away. I love having less plastic in the packaging, but not being able to see the figures before you open the set is crazy to me. The colors on Doc Ock's tentacles don't match what is shown on the packaging and my Silk was missing one of her hands. Not a strong first showing and I really can't see myself being attracted to a figure I didn't already want if I stumbled upon something in this box in the store. It just has no charisma or shelf appeal to me. 




The Positives:


* Silk looks fantastic. I've hear this character's name before but I know next to nothing about her. Her name is Cindy Moon, she's Korean American, and she was bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker. She also shoots webbing out of her fingertips. Her costume is really cool, though; kind of like Spider-Man's black symbiote suit but with red highlights and a larger, more stylized spider. The paint is neat and clean, even on the tiny red webs on her chest. She's sharp for sure.

* I really like the portrait here, which is great because you get two of them. The first shows Silk/ Cindy Moon wearing her red face mask. Her eyes are impressive and I love the blue shading on her hairstyle. The mask really looks like a separate piece here and not just something painted on. It's quite nice. 





* The second portrait is unmasked and it's really, really nicely. Silk is gorgeous and there's a lot of character in the sculpt, especially in the little smirk she's sporting. 







* There's an alternate facemask piece that you can put over her neck to show off her mask hanging loose. It's a cool extra and adds another option for displaying Silk on your shelf. 




* The articulation is really smooth. Silky, smooth, actually. She's a really solid, well made figure. I believe she's using the same body as Shriek, a figure I don't own, so if you liked that body you should be happy with the motion on this one. 



* Silk comes with six standard interchangeable hands: 2 fists, 2 gesturing hands, and 2 standard gripping hands. They swap out easily and I like the red fingertips on her gloves. Hey, isn't there a hand missing in that photo? Yeah, more on that in a  moment...







* Silk's seventh hand is a specialized right hand that showcases her power to shoot webbing. It's pretty cool looking and has clear webbing strands extending from her fingertips and wrapping around her arm. It's very dynamic and quite fun!




* Let's move on to Doctor Octopus, AKA Doc Ock (that's what the packaging calls him), AKA Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius, AKA Master Planner, AKA Big Daddy Long Legs. As far as I'm aware, this is largely a repaint of the 2018 figure with two new portraits. The body looks good, still, and captures Doc Ock's classic, portly appearance quite well. Details like the gloves, belt, and the collar are actual pieces are sculpted elements and not just painted on, and everything is bright and colorful. The 2018 figure really jumped in price so other than adding in the new headsculpts, Hasbro didn't really change much with this guy. 

* Doctor Octopus comes with two new portraits, both much improved over the headsculpt from the previous release. They're very "classic" looking and should suit most collectors looking for a definitive Doc Ock for their shelves. The glasses are really cool and funky, the hair cut is absurd, but suits the character, and the sour look of disappointment on Otto's face definitely makes it seem like Spider-Man just foiled another of his plans. 




* This face has some great personality, doesn't it? Look at those teeth! This is Doc Ock in full on battle mode. He's mad as heck and he's not going to take it!



* Doctor Octopus' tentacles are separate pieces that plug into four ports on his back. They're molded in a bluish gray plastic, though they look silver on the box, and they're all pre-posed with non-functioning clamps on the ends. 




* Doc Ock also has four interchangeable hands: A pair with fists and a pair with open palms for gesturing wickedly. Muahahaha!



* For being a husky guy, Otto Octavius moves pretty well and has an excellent range of motion. He also has a good center of gravity, making it easy to keep him standing when you're utilizing his tentacles.








The Negatives:

* So, my first negative is with Silk. Well, it's really with the left gripping fist that is missing from my package. It's not there. Considering neither myself nor anyone else could see this was missing before I opened the package, that's a bit frustrating. The hands and portraits were also all just stuff in a paper bag that wasn't sealed or anything. the figures were securely packaged in the new packaging but the packaging for the accessories is a joke. 





* On the packaging (which I believe just shows a render of the figure and not an actual photo, though I could be incorrect) Doc Ock's tentacles are silver. Inside, what you get are bluish-grey. It's not as striking and looks weak compared with what is shown on the packaging and in the pre-sale images. The tentacles also are all cramped inside the box and seem to be posed less dramatically than what's on the packaging, too. They just aren't as dynamic looking. 




* The tentacles also fall out kind of easily when you're posing them. There really isn't a lot to give the peg resistance, meaning turning them to pose them causes them to fall out.







 While I really purchased this set for Doc Ock, I think I actually like Silk a bit more. My Marvel Legends collection is mainly comprised of X-Men from the 1960s to the mid 1990s and comic versions of characters who have appeared in the MCU, so that's where these two fit in. Doc Ock is a major Spidey villain and has now graced us with his presence. At first I didn't realize it but Cindy Moon actually showed up in Homecoming and Infinity Ear. Crazy, right? She wasn't Silk there, however. This set gets a Good and a 1/2 from me. These are both solid figures but I'm not thrilled with Doc Ock's tentacles nor am I happy that Silk is missing a hand. If this represents the quality control and last minute changes from pre-sale images we should expect from Hasbro's plastic free packaging releases at this point, especially with the recent price jumps, I can definitely say that I'm far less likely to take a gamble on figures I'm not 100% dead set on. 

These are the first figures of Silk and Doctor Octopus I've reviewed on the site. For more Marvel Legends Series figures check out the following:
Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro (2016)

Marvel Legends Series: Avengers by Hasbro
Taskmaster

Marvel Legends Series: Black Panther by Hasbro (2017)
Black Panther 

Marvel Legends Series: Black Widow by Hasbro (2020)
Black Widow: Deadly Origin
 
Marvel Legends Series: Captain America by Hasbro (2016)
Black Panther
Demolition Man (Mercenaries of Mayhem)
Nick Fury 
Nuke 

Marvel Legends Series: Captain Marvel by Hasbro (2019)
Captain Marvel

Marvel Legends Series: Deadpool by Hasbro (2018)
Cable
Deadpool (Boxers)
Deadpool (X-Force)
Deathlok
Domino
Lady Deadpool 
X-23 (X-Force)
 
Marvel Legends Series: Doctor Strange

Marvel Legends Series: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 
 
Marvel Legends Series: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Baron Zemo

Marvel Legends Series: Fantastic Four (2017)
Mr. Fantastic
Thing  
 
Marvel Legends Series: Gamerverse
Civil Warrior

Marvel Legends Series: Guardians of the Galaxy by Hasbro (2017)
Angela
Groot Evolution

Marvel Legends Series: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 by Hasbro (2017)
Drax
Gamora (Daughters of Thanos)
Nebula (Daughters of Thanos)
Rocket Raccoon & Groot
Star-Lord 
Yondu 
 
Marvel Legends Series: The Infinity Gauntlet by Hasbro (2021)
 
Marvel Legends Series: The Infninity Saga by Hasbro
Captain Marvel & Rescue Armor

Marvel Legends Series: Inhumans by Hasbro (2017)
 
Marvel Legends Series: Ironheart by Hasbro (2021)
 
Marvel Legends Series: Iron Man by Hasbro  
Vault Guardsman

Marvel Legends Series: The Punisher by Hasbro (2019)
The Punisher (Walgreens Exclusive)
 
Marvel Legends Series: She-Hulk by Hasbro
She-Hulk 

Marvel Legends Series: Silver Surfer by Hasbro (2018)
Silver Surfer

Marvel Legends Series: Super Villains by Hasbro (2021)
Xemnu

Marvel Legends Series: The Unbelievable Gwenpool by Hasbro (2018)
Gwenpool

Marvel Legends Series: Thor by Hasbro
Ragnarok

Marvel Legends Series: Typhoid Mary by Hasbro (2018)
Typhoid Mary

Marvel Legends Series: Venom by Hasbro (2018)
Carnage  
 
Marvel Legends Series: WandaVision by Hasbro (2021)
 
Marvel Legends Series: What If? by Hasbro (2021)

Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro (2016)
Cable
Cyclops
Havok
Iceman
Juggernaut
Kitty Pryde
Legion
Magik


4 comments:

  1. Silk looks amazing, and original design Doc Ock can't be beat.

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    1. Yes, the look of both figures in this set is fantastic. Silk really is a very lovely figure and got me excited about a character I wasn't at all familiar with. And, yes, classic Doc Ock is fantastic. He looks amazing with all of the other colorful Marvel Legends villains in their classic looks.

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  2. Silk looks great. I'm very tempted to pick her up. The retro Doc Ock looks good too. And yes windowless packaging seems like a bad idea. I get it saves on plastic but there has to be a better answer. Great photos and review. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Silk is a really solid figure. This definitely was quite a good set. I've now had three items that were plastic free packaging and this is the only one I've had a problem with. I'm not sure how this will fare at retail, though, and that's where I'm really worried about this.

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