Action Figure Review: Sentinel from Marvel Legends Retro Series

 

   Having grown up with the 1992 Konami X-Men arcade game as a staple of arcades and rodent themed pizzerias, I was always down with the sentinels coming in different sizes and colors and having them attack in waves. While I wish that I did have the massive HasLab Sentinel from a few years back, that guy is so massive that I'm not sure where I'd display him. I'm not really sure why I never owned the 1994 Toy Biz Sentinel as a kid, though. Maybe I was just phasing out of the Biz X-Men lines at the time? Anyways, once I saw some pictures of this Marvel Legends Retro Series Sentinel, I knew I had to have him. He's the perfect Sentinel for my collection. For those unfamiliar with the Marvel Legends Retro Series (not to be confused with the Marvel Legends Retro Collection), these are typically 1/18th scaled figures done in a more basic style, kind of like Hasbro's Kenner styled Star Wars figures or Super7's ReAction line. The line is temporarily on an indefinite hiatus, so who knows if it will reappear? The Sentinel was one of the last releases and makes a nice treat for 1/12th scale X-Men collectors, too. Ready to check this one out? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 8 inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, Swivel shoulders, swivel forearms, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: 2 swappable heads, capture cord, and energy blast

Non-Scalper Price: $25

The Positives:

* At 8 inches, the Sentinel works well for both the 1/18th scale Retro Series it's part of (I don't own any, so here's the ReAction Invisible Man) and the standard 1/12th scale Marvel Legends figures. He's imposing for any of these guys and matches the size of the arcade game Sentinels nicely. Heck, if you have a Toy Biz collection of the 5 inch figures this guy would work, too. 

* The Sentinel look excellent and very classic. Since it's a robot, it doesn't matter that it's less detailed than the Marvel Legends figures. It just looks artificial, which it is. To me this looks like one of Sebastian Shaw's Mark IV Sentinels due to the colors, the shape of the head, no details on the stomach, the belt piece, and the circular design on the chest. The colors are excellent and while most stuff is just molded in the appropriate colors, the details on the and belt are neatly painted.

* The headsculpt captures the look of the Sentinel perfectly: Vaguely humanoid with almost no expression and funky purple helmet.

* Guess what the standard head has? Light piped eyes! Yes, just play with the Sentinel in bright light or shine a light above his head and his eyes glow an eerie, mutant killing red. Better drop those chili cheese fries and run, Jubilee!

* A second head is included that shows the Sentinel after a meeting with the X-Men. The face is opened up and there's a hole in the top of the head, exposing the innards.

* There's a hole on the right palm which this energy blast effect can fit right into. That's a neat feature!

* The right palm can also hold a cable designed to ensnare the X-Men or other hapless mutants. Just plug it in and snare away!

* Since the Sentinel is part of the Retro Series, the articulation is not far off from the Kenner five, though the head is on a balljoint and there are forearm swivels. That's a nice little extra for a retro figure that seems like a nice feature for a deluxe toy.

The Negatives:

* The Sentinel does feel a bit light, though. Most of the body and the limbs feel hollow, which is weird for a figure of this sort. I expected him to feel a bit more solid. 

  Personally, the Sentinel turned out about exactly how I hoped it would and it fits my needs perfectly. I would never turn some fully articulated Sentinels in the Legends line, perhaps in some packs based on the arcade game, but this figure looks great and does have a few cool features that do make it feel kind of special. It definitely feels like it would have made a neat deluxe figure in some nonexistent 1980s line (or maybe the very early days of the Toy Biz X-Men line?). It's a Great figure and definitely one of my favorites among the many X-Men releases from Hasbro this year.




 If you're looking for more Sentinels I did review the Marvel Legends Series Omega Sentinel, though she is a named character (Karima Shapandar) and not a generic robot.