Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Action Figure Review: Mantis from Marvel Legends Series: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by Hasbro

 


   Over the weekend I was at Target and found most of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Marvel Legends figures on clearance. They only had Drax, Rocket, and Mantis, and since I'm pretty happy with my comic versions of the first two characters I only picked up Mantis. It's possible that we'll someday get a comic inspired Mantis but until then (or in case we don't) the MCU version will fill a gap on my shelf. I never completed the Vol. 2 Build-a-Figure and I sold off the pieces long ago, so this was the best option to get a Mantis figure. Add in the fact that she was on clearance and I couldn't pass her up. Ready to see how the GOTG Vol. 3 Mantis turned out? Then join me after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

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

Accessories: BAF Cosmo's rear right leg.

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars








The Positives:

* While the Guardians don't wear their matching suits until near the end of the film, Hasbro went with the matching look for the action figures which does give them a cool, uniform look. Mantis looks fantastic in her outfit and it's quite nicely detailed with lots of different textures and decorative elements.  The blue and red color scheme is really nice and stands out from a lot of other Legends figures. Though not the figures from this series as they're all sporting the blue outfits. She actually shares a body with Nebula from this series, just FYI.



* Mantis headsculpt might be a reuse of the Build-a Figure version from GOTG Vol. 2 but with that updated face printing it looks so much better. She's pretty gorgeous, really. There are even tiny freckles on her cheeks. I'm also digging the greenish tint of her hair. This is an excellent portrait overall. 



* Since this is a new body it has smooth articulation with all of the joints you'd expect. Mantis is a heck of a fighter, so you'll be glad to know you can pose her and move her around pretty freely. She's got one hand in an open palm gesture and the other in a two-finger touch so she can put her enemies to sleep. 









* Mantis only comes with one accessory: The Build-a-Figure piece for Cosmo. She comes with Cosmo's rear right leg. If you're building Cosmo, you'll be pleased. I'm not, even though I love the character, so it's for sale if you're interested. Hit me up!

   Mantis is by no means a bad figure, but it's pretty shocking that this is what $25 bucks get you here. She looks great but the fact that she has a shared body, a reused (though improved) portrait, and no accessories just seems like a real miss. Honestly, including something like Blurp, an alternate more expressive head, or even a few extra hands would have been very welcome. As it is, it was pretty wild to open Mantis box and find how empty it was. She gets an Eh and a 1/2 from me. Pick her up on clearance and you'll be a lot happier, but she's definitely not worth retail price.



This is the first figure of Mantis I've reviewed on the site. For more Marvel Legends Series figures from Hasbro check out the following:
Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro (2016)

Marvel Legends Series: Avengers by Hasbro
Taskmaster
Yelena Belova

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
Yondu

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: Spider-Man by Hasbro
King in Black: Knull and Venom

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
Gorr
Ragnarok

Marvel Legends Series: Thor: Love and Thunder by Hasbro (2022)
Mighty Thor

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)



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5 comments:

  1. GIJigsawJune 28, 2023 at 9:21 PM

    I wasn't going to buy these either but also saw them on clearance so snagged a few.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17July 3, 2023 at 11:15 AM

      Clearance is the right call on most of these.

      Delete
  2. Barbecue17July 3, 2023 at 11:15 AM

    They looked really cool at the climax of the film but for the figures it robs them of their uniqueness. If they'd planned two series, like with GoTG2, and peppered them in, that would have probably been best. And, yeah, the lack of accessories is just crazy here. Extra expressive hands were a must.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 5, 2023 at 6:27 AM

    Adam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17July 12, 2023 at 10:34 PM

      Black Adam? Prince Adam? Adam Warlock? Which one?!

      Delete

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