Marvel Legends BAF: Jubilee

Wolverine, Magneto, Storm, Cyclops, Stryfe

The X-Men wave that has Jubilee as the BAF. My this thing had a lot of controversy for being such an above mediocre set. SDCC 2013 announced that Jubilee would be a BAF but with very different people to make up her set way back when; though it does make a lot of sense that she would be with the X-Men related characters. So with that said, how does this wave turn out?

Well as a female figure, it's a pretty good figure I must say. Hasbro has been on a role with their good looking female figures as of late that Jubilee didn't fall short of that compliment! Right off the get go one can tell that it's Jubilee. Whether you know her through comic books, the animated series, or the current line, the face is no doubt Jubilation Lee. Speaking of animated series, the missing blue daisy dukes is what makes this figure particularly hard to please the norm. The Vampire Jubilee doesn't stick to a lot of people and Hasbro choosing her fang bearer form is quite a daring and bold move. Not entirely sure if it paid off though.

One can truly tell that this is the Spider-Girl mold. A good choice if Hasbro is to use one for teenage female characters. Aside from the bright yellow trench coat, everything else with Jubilee is plain black! If I was to have a gripe about them using the Vampire version of Jubilee and not her 90's it's because they took the lazy route. Literally it's still Spider-Girl body without the spider arachne designs; an easy way out! I mean she doesn't have that much more details in the comic book, but at least do some shading. Oh well. I do like this outfit and this figure, just feel like it was an easy route for them to make.

And of course she's not going to be towering any BAF aside from Rocket Raccoon. Though there was some rumor that this is going to be Hasbro's last small BAF. Hopefully.

The one thing I have been complaining about this set is the lack of special affects on fire power themed characters like Storm and Magneto... well this Jubilee gets them. Not even sure if that makes sense since she is a vampire but whatever, right? Sadly, the fire power isn't that impressive since it's a recycled plastic from an older Hasbro legend. Again, lazy.

Articulation isn't something to gawk at since it is Spider-Girl's mold with a trench coat. Sadly the coat still hinders some movements despite it being a pliable material. Still a pretty standard articulation so not a big loss. Still a great figure to pose if one just gets creative with it.

Now all in all this figure has a lot to offer but even more to make up. I just felt like Jubilee should not have been the BAF or if she was, there really had to be something to make her feel 'grand' like the bigger BAFs in the Legends world(new and old). It's a shame that she falls short and I don't feel her being that important of a BAF. Though as a figure I like her and it's a well sculpted face. It really does look like Jubilee from the past but again, missing a few things. Maybe the older costume would've done better and a bit more nostalgic for sure... but it's what we get right?

Jubilee is now part of the X-Men shelf along with three different Wolverines. The X-Men are growing in numbers and all that is needed are a couple of my favorites like Archangel, Psylcoke, Colossus and of course a few others. Well, let's see where else Hasbro takes us to future BAFs then!

ML Jubilee BAF: Cyclops (Marvel NOW)

The next one in the line up of my X-Men Legends that I acquired recently! This one is Marvel Now's Cyclops with his new look. Post AvsX attire and for some reason he is all dark and dreary(well, after going psycho with your dead Ex-Wife's signature power and killing your father figure and mentor... yeah go psycho I will go), and there is something new with his powers that I am not aware of. Regardless, this new figure replicates that look and even the 'Racer X' head... yes. Racer X:

Okay so it's not an exact duplicate but it just reminded me of Race X the moment I saw it on figure form. Admittedly, it's been a LOOONNNGGGG time since I've seen an episode of Speed Racer. I digressed. Moving on!

Yes Hasbro box! So awesome and easy to break into and replace! Moving on!

So they took away the utility belt the moment the Jim Lee look was taken away but it came back with this new look. What does he carry there? Contact lenses? Eye drops? But as for the rest of the sculpt, I think it's the familiar mold we have seen with average sized Marvel males. Paint wise, it's not bad. It's just all black with a bit of red paint so not much we can truly scrutinize there. And he has a hole on the back for a certain shield bearing character! Moving on!

This is the accessory. Yes. This is the accessory. It's the BAF piece for Jubilee. I mean... no alternate hands(much needed)? No optic blast affect? No alternate head? Nothing? This is what is agitating about Hasbro.

His articulation is still pretty good considering that it is a good mold. Again it's the alternate hands is what kills me. I'm not sure if Scott still needs to do his famous 'press my visor button' thing, but just closed fists don't do it for me. In DIRE need of something with this guy to make it a bit more... 'wow'. That head really needs an optic blast affect of some sort! Seriously, I guess it's a difficult thing to do with such price they are demanding for these figures nowadays! Honestly, not much to say about this guy. Just know that he is a standard mold with modern articulation and the paint job is decent.

Red and Black vs Blue and White! All in all, this Cyclops is lack luster. Still a decent figure but it just doesn't catch my (EYE!) eyes as much as it should. I can forgive the older X-Factor Cyclops for lacking optic blast affect because it came with a bigger BAF piece and he has standard/famous Cyclops pose available. But this Cyclops is a must to build Jubilee! 

Marvel Legends BAF: Sentinel

Sentinel Series: Spidey, Omega Red, Cyclops, Black Panther, Sinister, Angel

I remember the first time I saw the Sentinel! It was from the Animated Series comic book of the X-Men. I thought he was a giant version of Iron Man! Truth to be told, it's hard not to think that with the fact that the Sentinels are robotic, repulsors signature beams on their palms, and they are Marvel characters! So yeah, there was a point in my life that I was naive about Marvel. I know right? Well the majority of us are aware of the Sentinels' story: the Mutant haters' answer to a society who can shoot beams out of their eyes, morph into any form, lift light poles with their mind, and manipulate metal… etc. etc. Whatever they are programmed to do, they will do and it does take a lot to kill these guys since there is a whole army of them! Armed with advanced weaponry, almost infallible mutant detecting capabilities, restraining devices, flight, strength, durability, and a myriad of other things… well, you can surmise that the X-Men don't have the greatest times fighting these handsome guys off.

Details, details, and more details! Toybiz outdid the Sentinels in their 'true' form at that time(comic books and the X-Men animated series)! For a while the Sentinels just looked like oversized tight wearing robots, but Toybiz steered away from that look and perhaps took lead to what the more 'robotic/mechanic' aesthetic that these mutant hunters should look like! Just from a quick glance on the BAF Sentinel, one can truly spot the extensive amount of details placed on every nook and cranny! Wiring set up, robotic-like muscles, ridges and metal plating designs… then if we just go on the painting itself, it adheres to the color scheme of the comic/animated style Sentinel but truly make it look battle worn with the metal, rustic, and armor tint from front to back. The eyes have a green tint to it as well that really tries to capture a robotic stare. Not overly impressed with the 'arc reactor' and the 'repulsor' pain job, but that's just me being an Iron Man fanatic I suppose.

I swear, the Sentinels have a lot of Iron Man influence to them because of their trademark moves; also a little bit of comic fact, Iron Man did take over the Sentinel designs later on. They were even called 'War Machines' at one point with James Rhodes piloting a couple of them.

Sentinel doesn't come with a whole lot of accessories except for the trademark tentacles that are the exact same as Omega Red's. On Omega, it looks long and very dangerous, on the Sentinel, it looks a little on the short side. But the good thing is that it remains to be the same bendable material that allows for capturing and all sorts of fun things one can do with a tentacle.

He's not extremely great in regards to the articulation side. He's not horrible by ANY means but there are certain things that makes him fall short on certain pose or what not. Perhaps it's the stiffness of certain joints that makes the said flaw, but I will point out that a 'normal' stand still pose is difficult because his right leg doesn't go in all the way; his ab crunch is a bit loose at times, and his right wrist swivel is slightly loose for having used it for such a small amount of time. Now for the figure's own imperfections: no ankle pivot(understandable), fingers don't close in a way to make it look like it has a fist, and not a big deal but his wrist doesn't bend with enough trajectory to give him a 'repulsor' blast look.  Though over all its an impressive in regards to articulation. The shoulder pads being very pliable hinders no movement for the arms, and most of the joints stay firm, giving the heavy figure enough stability.

This is the comparison to the recent Habro BAF: Ultimate Green Goblin. Pretty obvious that his stature makes this hulking Green Goblin look tiny. Also, for old reference to compare it to some of the giants of Toybiz Legends:

Apocalypse

Galactus

So pretty obvious that Toybiz made a few giants in their time. The impressive thing is that none of these three are complete recycled molds; as far as I can tell, all brand new and special for each one.

So here comes the ultimate battle of Mutants versus the Sentinel! Guess who is going to win?!

Yes, Sentinel wins!

Overall, I'm really happy with this BAF. It's probably pretty high on my list now with the characters he came with and the finished production! I'd say for all you BAF collectors out there who are both Hasbro or Toybiz fanatics, he is a must. He isn't cheap by any means and one must really find good prices online to get the full piece, but all in all, he is worth it. Toybiz, I miss your quality in details! This figure makes that thought more prominent. Oh, and yes, I am moving on to a new shelf. There are some movements in the Game Room because of lack of…. space. HA! Who predicted that?!

On a final note, this is on my new camera so there is a noticeable difference in my pictures I surmise. I'll try not to use as much photo effects from now on since the pictures look great without the affects I think.

ML Sentinel BAF: Cyclops

People can say what they want about this guy, but Cyclops has endured, fallen, persevered, and remains to be one of Marvel's most recognizable figures. He is an X-man, an original X-Man at that, an X-Factor, a Phoenix Force, and probably an Avenger! Talking about the action figure realm, well Toybiz has made him plastic material since the greater days and during the realm of the Legendary BAFs. So here he is! The X-Factor variant of Cyclops from the Sentinel BAF wave!

Yes, the picture is crooked due to the fact I was very excited to get him out of the box and into my hands! Toybiz, got to love the way your toys smell after opening them though! Such nostalgia!

I'll admit it right now that I love this suit. Why? It's the first(or one of them) suit I remember ever seeing Cyclops wear. Seeing that one particular trading card way back when I always thought his glasses are cool, then I got to know Marvel and realize that he isn't exactly the one that I should be wishing I should be, but regardless, this figure has its victories in detail. He has a lot of paint work done to him and some good sculpting. Say what you want about the giant boots and gloves, but back then those things are cool! The combination of the white and the blue makes him look like Frozone from Incredibles, but still, it's classic.

Cyclops is NOT a flier, so why is it that he has a stand? That's because Toybiz was generous! As one noticed from the picture before the one above, Cyclops has a hole on his back and it's for this stand! He doesn't fly, yes, but it is for dynamic poses! Cyclops is pretty acrobatic to an extent. And this is standard: comic book and a Sentinel BAF piece.

For articulation, Cyclops falls short here and there. I would say it's the age of the toy and some articulation aren't given back then but that's not the case. He is clearly missing the ab cunch and the ankle pivot that Toybiz gave to some of the toys at this set. Both are pretty critical for some awesome pose, but the one thing they did get right is that he has flexible fingers/hands/arms to get his optic pose; and that's for both hands by the way!

"GENE SPLICE!"

Yes, Cyclops does the shoryuken like Ryu in the Capcom games he appeared in. For some reason he called it 'gene splice'. While he may not be adept in martial arts like Ryu is, he does add his optic blast at the end to make it more… adequate.

He isn't the highlight of the wave, but at the end of the day he wasn't the worst. If it's the costume design that people have qualms over then this figure won't please; he has the Second generation X-Men variant for this toy, but eve that may be a turn off for some people. Over all, I had fun posing him since he complied with most pose I thought Cyclops would do. All in all, I like this figure and it is my first Cyclops 6 inch! So no complaints here!

Previously On X-Men....

I remember this 90's Cartoon and these two were the main pair Love Birds! I'm sure some of you would find this rather nostalgic, eh? 

 

Anyways... Blast in the past moment I suppose! Don't have much intricate post for tonight... Rather depleted to say the least!

Although I have yet to bring myself to really finish these first two DVDs. Perhaps I will one of these days. Though, I DO have a lot to catch up on.

Avengers vs X-men

Baby Avengers!

So the conclusion of Marvel's 12 round event is finally here. Well the conclusion and the aftermath, of course. I have graced myself with owning two of the comic books; the main event issue 12, and the aftermath of what the Avengers series will be going through. The variant cover I got, the Baby Marvel picture is going to be fitting for the comic wall of another room I will soon design. Truth to be told, these two comic books are only attracting cover wise; the content inside... well not so much.

Cover is Great!!!

My main qualms with comic book these days, especially with the common trends of Main Event cross overs is the lack of consistency. Now I'm somewhat used to the whole AWESOME cover and atrocious inside art debacle... I am not at peace with it, but I am learning how to deal with it... but to change artists during main events?! Issue 12's last artist does not give this conclusion justice! Especially when the first artist was one I am not a big fan of! Then somewhere in the middle it changed to Coipel... I was having hope! Not to mention that the said cover is insinuating SOMETHING with Iron Man, but inside the book... totally not what it was going for. SO suffice to say...

The last issue was a disappointment. But at least I take solace in the more than enticing cover art!!!!