I have a bunch of Marvel Legends to review to wrap up the year but since Toad is one of the extra special
Marvel Legends: 20th Anniversary Series figures, I'll start with him. Yes, the rumors are true: Toad was indeed one of the original four Marvel Legends figures released by Toy Biz back in 2002. He wasn't originally intended for Marvel Legends, and thus he looked and was articulated quite differently from the other three figures in the first series (Cap, Hulk, and Iron Man). Instead, he was supposed to be part of a 2 pack with a movie version of Toad from the X-Men film. Toy Biz definitely moved figures around and reused things a lot, so Toad added an already designed villain figure with a recent bit of gained popularity into the line. Now, 20 years later, Hasbro has gone back and finally introduced a well articulated Toad figure into the line. It's kind of weird that Toad came out a few months later rather than shipping with the other figures, but they didn't exactly all ship together, either. Over the past 8 or so years Hasbro has really been filling in the X-Men roster and Toad has definitely been overdue for a modern release. Ready to see if this one is worth picking up? Then join me for a look at Toad (with no "struck by lightning" jokes after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips w/ vertical hinges, abdominal hinge, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ lateral "butterfly" joints, bicep swivels, double/hinged elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.
Accessories: 2 interchangeable portraits, 4 interchangeable hands, 2 toads, display base, and background display.
Non-Scalper Price: $34 dollars
The Positives:
* Toad's a small, athletic little guy which definitely seems to fit his appearances from the 1990s. Take a look at the 1992 and 1993 Marvel cards and he's pretty close to those. He's not the portly little guy from the 1960s through 1980s nor is he based on the more modern takes. He's kind of a 90's toad with some different colors. It's a slightly unusual choice but it doesn't look bad at all. Just different. Toad does appear to be a completely unique sculpt and so he is shorter than most other Marvel Legends figures with an appropriate costume that is covered with wrinkles and folds in the material. The costume has some nice paint effects, too, really bringing out the detail in the sculpt. His jester collar and belt are separate pieces, though not removable, and give him the further rumpled look of someone wearing ill-fitting clothes who sleeps in a swamp.
* Toad comes with two portraits, the first one just showing off the gleefully deranged grin of Mortimer Toynbee. Yeah, he's a small guy, but he still looks like the kind of person you just don't want to mess around with. The headsculpt is so well done and yet also wildly unsettling with some strange proportions. He kind of looks like a human version of a Chucky doll.
* The second portrait shows off Toad in the middle of battle with his elongated, prehensile tongue stuck out. I think the tongue was added to the character for the 2000 X-Men film, but it's become a recognizable part of the character. That tongue is huge and Toad has his jaw wide open to let it out. he looks crazy!
* Seriously, look how long that tongue is? It's not flexible or anything but it is pliable and doesn't feel brittle or anything. I'm sure you'll have plenty of crazy reasons to use it. Maybe Toad wants to join KISS?
* The little collars on Toad's wrists and ankles are also separate pieces. The wrist collars are easily removable (just pop off the hands), though I'm not sure why you'd want to take them off. They do contribute to making what could have been a very basic feeling figure seem more visually interesting and more complex.
* Toad's articulation is excellent, even better than
Spider-Man's! Besides having all of the standard joints, Toad's joints are made from a nice, firm plastic that doesn't feel overly rubbery and he has a few unusual joints, including drop down hips. They're kind of like the hips on a G.I. Joe: Classified Series figure, but they have a greater range of motion and feel sturdier. I'd actually be OK if the Classified Series dropped these hips, but they work great for Toad with his acrobatics and crazy stances. This is a really well designed figure who is fun to mess around with and incredibly posable.
* Toad comes with four hands: A pair of open hangs with splayed fingers and a pair of fists. Nothing too crazy but they swap out easily and give you a few options for display.
* The original Marvel Legends Toad figure was sculpted with a toad in his hand. This toad doesn't have a permanently sculpted toad in his hands but he does come with two toads. They're small but nicely sculpted with realistic paint applications. They kind of look like something you'd find in a museum gift shop.
* The 20th Anniversary Marvel Legends figures al come with a flat display stand with the Marvel Legends logo on it. The stand is fairly nice and I'd love to see Hasbro start including them with every release (or at least a stand of some sort).
* Rather than getting a full comic book like the original Marvel Legends figures, Hasbro has included a cardboard backdrop piece. One side shows a swamp for Toad and his buddies to hang out in while the other has the image of X-Men #4, featuring the first appearance of Toad. It fits into the slit behind the stand for display.
Most of the Marvel Legends Series 20th Anniversary Series felt a bit overpriced, but I really wanted Toad so I picked him up when I found him on a good sale back in September. He's a really well done figure even if he doesn't quite look like I expected he would. The unique body and articulation elements are excellent, the portraits are really well done and quite creepy, and the toad companions are fun, if a bit light so far as accessories go. Toad definitely doesn't feel like a deluxe release but he's so well made it's tough to find much fault with him besides the price. He's a Great figure and one I can't see many collectors of X-Men figures wanting. I wanted Toad as a kid back when I was collecting the classic Toy Biz 5.5 inch X-Men and X-Force figures and, while he was never released, it's still really nice to finally be able to have him in the modern Marvel Legends line.
Cool looking figure. I wasn't thrilled about the yellow costume but your close up shots reveal it is a well made figure. Series 1 Toad is one that I never purchased but he's a must have to build the brotherhood.
ReplyDeleteYeah, as X-Men villains go Toad is pretty significant just for his connection to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants alone. It's definitely more of a yellowish-orange, more orange than yellow in hand.
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