Monday, October 3, 2022

Action Figure Review: Madame Hydra from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro

 


   A week or so ago I received the three figures I preordered from the newest series of Marvel Legends but with so much new stuff showing up on my doorstep at once, it's taken me some time to get to them. This series features a Build-a-Figure of the Controller and is kind of a general mix of characters rather than a themed series. It also seem to be the last non-retro series of Marvel Legends figures with the open display window, so from here on out you're at Hasbro's mercy as to what actually comes in the package. This series may have been delayed or something as it still seems to be retailing for last year's price of $22.99, though with my Amazon preorder I ended up getting these for $17 dollars each due to the lowest pricing guarantee. Today I'm looking at Madame Hydra, a villain I'm familiar enough with to recognize but not familiar enough with to tell a whole lot about on her own. It's been a full decade since Madame Hydra was last released in the Arnim Zola series of Hasbro's "The Return of Marvel Legends" line and she was one of the weird variant figures where the figure was given a generic name ("Marvel's Madames") with one figure being Madame Hydra and the the other being Madame Masque. This one is definitely improved over that release, though she oddly still feels a bit antiquated. Let's take a look at Madame Hydra after the break...







The Facts:

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/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: 4 interchangeable hands, 2 pistols, and the right leg of the Controller BAF.

Non-Scalper Price: $23 dollars






The Positives:


* Madame Hydra is a figure whose outfit is almost solely rendered through paint. There is a sculpted ridge at the bicep for her super long gloves, but otherwise she's just painted green. That being said, her colors really do pop. I love the mixture of green here, particularly how the dark green of her skin tight suit really makes the bright green of her boots and holsters pop. She really stands out in a group of villains, something that's tough to accomplish with all of the colorful villains we have in the Legends line. 








* The new portrait is an improvement over the previous one and I'm really liking the green hair. Madame Hydra sometimes has black hair and sometimes has green hair, but the green hair seems far more unique. Her makeup is green, too, and gives her a very severe appearance. I was on a short vacation over the weekend and we had a hostess at a restaurant we ate at who had green hair and all green makeup. She totally looked like this figure. I guess she could save the money on the Hasbro Selfie Series figures, huh?


* This series of Legends does feel like it uses a lot of older bodies and such so while the articulation isn't as smooth as on most modern figures, it still works pretty well. The articulation is exactly what you'd expect from a Marvel Legends Series female figure from the past five years or so: Lots of joints, a decent range of motion, and a fairly durable build. 




* Madame Hydra comes with two swappable pairs of hands. You've got a pair of pistol grips and a pair of fists. They swap in and out easily, so no worries there. 


* Madame Hydra also comes with these two really nicely painted pistols. We've seen them with many other figures and they look very elegant and sleek. I don't always like them but they work with Madame Hydra's vibe. Plus, she has the handgrips coated in snakeskin. That's a pretty cool detail and the paint effect is excellent. Cobra Commander is eying these jealously....





* Another really cool detail is that Madame Hydra's holsters each have the Hydra emblem on them. It's quite neat and clean and the pistols fit in perfectly. It's a really nice look. 



* Madame Hydra comes with the right leg of the Controller, the Build-a-Figure for this series. I'm not sure if I'm going to build the Controller so if you're interested in this piece hit me up. 

The Negatives:

*Since Madame Hydra's costume is literally painted on, the paint details are really important. Unfortunately, the paint is a bit messy on the edges where it meets her skin, the insides of her elbows are unpainted, which looks weird, and her top has a weird texture to it that breaks up the look of the outfit on her bust and seems kind of rough and unfinished. She's not as sleek and slick looking as most modern Marvel Legends figures. 





* Madame Hydra's legs are an older model and they just don't look or feel like they gel with the body. They're kind of weird and wobbly looking and they seem like they just don't fit her well. Again, there's something about this figure that feels like she was released 5 years ago instead of this year. 

   Madame Hydra isn't a bad figure, but just a perfectly average one. I'd give her a Good. She still functions and seems like an improvement on the release from 10 years ago, but other than her cool pistol grips and holsters, there's really nothing about her that wows me. If you need a Madame Hydra, she fills that gap, but she's not indicative of the quality we've seem from most modern Marvel Legends figures lately. Most of this series fills to me like kind of a filler series of concepts left over from a year or two back. We'll see how the other figures I picked up are. I'll probably get around to them in the next week or two. 



This is the first figure of Madam Hydra I've reviewed. For more Marvel Legend Series reviews 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: Silk by Hasbro
Silk and Doc Ock

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








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