Saturday, November 11, 2023

Action Figure Review: Storm from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men '97 by Hasbro

 



   Wow! It's been.... 24 hours since I last reviewed a Storm action figure! Time for another one! Today I'm checking out Storm from Hasbro new Marvel Legends X-Men '97 series based on the upcoming revival of the classic animated series that I am really looking forward to. X-Men '97 is now scheduled to air on Disney+ early next year after being rescheduled from this fall due to the writers' strike and so many of the Marvel film and television projects being shuffled around. I'm quite excited for X-Men '97 as the original animated series was definitely one of my favorite cartoons when I was in grade school and a big part of the earliest days of my X-Men fandom. I was looking forward to the action figures for the show but I'm kind of holding off on buying most of them for the time being due to the current prices on them. I did have to get Storm, though, as I've really wanted a white costume Storm for quite some time and I missed the previous one that Hasbro released. Alison Sealy Smith is returning to voice Ororo Munroe which is really exciting. Her voice is absolutely the voice I hear when I read any comics with Storm in them. Let's take a look at Storm after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

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

Accessories: 4 swappable hands.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars








The Packaging:



* While the X-Men '97 figures come on eye-catching blister cards with fantastic art, they're not marketed as part of the Marvel Legends Retro Collection but just as standard Marvel Legends Series releases. Personally, I think Hasbro has done this because they didn't include a Build-a-Figure with this series, though the packaging is very attractive, so maybe they're hoping it's more likely to entice nostalgic fans of the original animated series to jump into this line. 

The Positives:

* Like the What If? figures, the X-Men '97 figures have a look that is slightly animated, but not so much so that these can't blend in seamlessly with your shelf shelves of Marvel Legends X-Men figures. It's clear that Hasbro did design some new and unique bodies for these figures, though, as Storm is far more than just a repainted, reused base body; her torso and arms are new with sculpted elements like the belt and strap on her right side and visible billowing on her sleeves. The white of her outfit is really nice and I'm absolutely loving the look of her shoulder pads with the red and black X-logos. They are actually separate pieces pegged into her chest just below the shoulders. The X-logos are the pins and they peg through the shoulder pad and a piece of plastic that the cape is attached to. 

* I really like this headsculpt for Storm! She's sporting some fantastic new hair that's really funky and she has a beautiful face. I also actually like that she has visible pupils. Usually action figures of Ororo have her eyes all whited out like she's in battle or controlling the weather, but this one is a more neutral look for her. She looks just a bit amused. She's also sporting those fantastic lightning bolt shaped earrings. Maybe she's a Harry Potter fan. Hey, this is X-Men '97 and the first Harry Potter book came out in June of 1997. She could be a Potterhead!




* Not only is she sporting a very fierce mohawk styled haircut but she's also rocking a bit of a ponytail. It's a cool look and I love how it flows down her back. She has some incredible hair!
She looks ready to appear in this advertisement for an all white GameBoy in the GameBoy: Play It Loud! series. Hey, Japan did get an all white GameBoy.






* Kind of like Banshee, Storm's uniform has a wing-like cape. They're attached over her wrists via a loop made of string and they attach to the shoulder pads and X-logo pegs. The yellow and white material looks really sharp and it moves nicely with Storms arms. There doesn't seem to be any inhibiting of her articulation. It's also nice looking from the front and back, unlike the ribbons on Banshee and Siryn. 




* Storm has a new pinless body and all of her articulation moves just fine. She's quite fun to poise and since the cape doesn't interfere with articulation she definitely feels quite free flowing and dynamic.










* Storm comes with the pretty standard pair of hands. She's got some fists for punching Sentinels and some gesturing hands for when she's controlling the weather.







The Negatives:

* I love the design of the cape but I'm still not a fan of this weird, almost plastic like material Hasbro uses on the Marvel Legends figures. It just feels fragile and... off. It's similar to what Banshee and Siryn have had recently. Why not just use fabric? Even a thinner fabric would have been so much nicer than this material that feels cheap and flimsy. 

   Most of the X-Men '97 series figures look wonderful, but thus far Storm is the only one that I've jumped in and purchased at full price due to just not having this outfit in my collection. The figure itself and the portrait are excellent and it's clear Hasbro did some nice work on the unique torso for Storm. Her cape looks great but I just don't love the odd material they chose. She also feels a bit light in the accessories department. Some of the lightning bolts like the Retro Collection Storm came with would have been really nice, or even a second portrait with more windswept hair and whited eyes. She's a Good and a 1/2 figure and a great animated Storm, but a few additions and tweaks could have made her a figure that X-Men fans couldn't stand to miss. 

   Looking for more of Storm/Ororo Munroe? I've also reviewed the Strike Team 3-pack of Forge, Jubilee, and Storm.
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2 comments:

  1. GIJigsawNovember 11, 2023 at 10:09 AM

    The style of these X-Men 97 figures are really cool. I don't think I'll be getting them because I have multiple versions of these characters, but maybe Rogue, and Bishop, and..... :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17November 15, 2023 at 8:53 AM

      I do want Wolverine because he just looks incredible. Bishop looks different enough that I'd grab him if I found him on sale. Rogue, well, I just love Rogue and I like the portrait. I haven't seen her in person yet, but I think I'd have a hard time turning her down. Gambit and Magneto are figures I don't feel the need to pick up except maybe at deep, deep discount (like finding them at a bin store discount).

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