ML Legends BAF: Groot

Starlord, Nova, Gamora, Rocket, Iron Man, Drax

This is most likely going to be the last BAF catch of 2014 and I must say, Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise surely surprised me this year! What I mean to say is both the movie and this BAF are just amazing pieces added in to the already growing Marvel Universe! So with that said, let's going ahead and dive right in to Groot and the amazing quality this figure provides!

The face may not be my favorite part of this BAF because it's so one dimensional and so stoic that when trying to do an action pose, he just seems bored. Though that's not saying I don't like it because if we are to say that it looks like Groot from the movie, there is hardly anything to say to refute that statement. It looks like Vin Diesel's Groot and despite it being forever bored looking, one can truly remember the movie when looking at his face. The big black and 'ignorant' eyes, the tree/ent looking head, then I'm not even going into detail with what is shown with the shoulders and chest... it's an amazing testament that Hasbro has the capability to make a truly detailed figure. So speaking of details, let's just to that now.

So Jubilee was the last BAF I acquired and while I don't completely dislike the mutant turned Vampire young lady, I do say  that she was a poor choice for a BAF. Now to put aside the idea of size and choice of character, Groot has far more to offer in terms of details. Yes he towers over Jubilee as he should and yes he has more details, but to truly scrutinize the details...

The sculpt on Groot is new and every carved rivets, makeshift tree, twigs, and even the paint(while minor, still appreciated) details given are something new that Hasbro has to offer! This is a brand new mold from what I can tell and as it should be. Groot is a unique and peculiar character as it is so to bring him on the Legends scale with a brand new body mold is a prudent! Honestly, highly appreciated!

Articulation wise, I don't have any real major complaints since he does move pretty well for someone with a peculiar body mold. He has the abdominal swivel that is surprisingly intact despite the sculpting job. The arms are pretty articulated despite the branches sticking out of the shoulders; folds right in the gap between the shoulder joints! The legs have a bit of a -joint that actually works really well and I have no gripes over it. Ankle pivots remains to be the same complaint I have, which again, all well and good since in the end, he stands as he should and posing isn't difficult. At some angles, the stoic facial expression actually does quite well now that I look at it closely. Though the open hands does lack some things... fists and such would be nice. Perhaps alternate hands would do well.

As always, the lack of accessories does hinder the credibility of this BAF. Groot did a myriad of things that would definitely require some accessories like some long variant arm, perhaps some sharp twigs coming out of is back, close fists, and some variant faces. Again, Hasbro's major flaw is providing some extra paraphernalia to make things a bit more... fun.

I have a Marvel Cinematic Universe shelf that ... might stay or might not. In the mean time, Groot stays there. All in all, it's a great figure. Definitely one of the most innovative BAF Hasbro pulled off this year. As for the whole set, it's not my favorite, but definitely not the worse. With the movie being as cool as it was, the addition of the whole team in my collection is definitely got me hooked on a feeling! 

ML Groot BAF: Nova Prime

The other figure that drew me to this BAF to begin with is none other than Nova Prime himself! The Groot BAF wave still strikes ambiguousness in me... not sure if I will be completing it, but I own the two that I really wanted out of the wave. So how does this guy deliver since I had my crosshair on him? Let's see.

The box is all too familiar. I'm not too keen on the Nova artwork on the side, but I suppose that part doesn't matter all that much. The pose for Nova in the back is pretty lame too since I'm not sure if he is flying, or doing some kind of odd pose or something. On to the details of the figure then.

If I was to judge this figure on paint application, mold, and likeness of Nova Prime, I'd say this figure is high on the list! Hasbro once made a Nova figure some time back and it was awful to say the least. I won't go in depth on that figure(I don't have him) but let's just say that this one has all the fine details on his armor, the belt, the 'nova' chest piece, and the helmet... all had great attention put into it. The star on his back is also amazing, though I had one minor blemish on him:

It's a quite a shame, but It's not that much of a damper since it's a beautiful looking figure. The metallic blue fits perfectly with the gold armor plates. His red star on his helmet complements the gold, and his triad 'arc rays' have enough fine details to make it look like what they intended to be. Minus the little paint distortion on the star on his back, I'm really happy how it all came out aesthetically!

So Nova does have Groot's left arm. Again just by the shape of his arm, this guy is pretty massive I think. Lacking accessories like flight stands, and alternate hands, or anything! I'll give this corner more depth when after the articulation.

Nova comes with the standard and expected articulation from the modern day Legends. An impressive(and minor) thing too is that his shoulder pads are equipped with articulation themselves so they don't hinder any arm movements for flight pose, or just merely lifting his arm up. So while we are in the department of articulation, might as well let it all out here. I have some qualms with the ankle pivot since ti's very 'peculiar' from how Toybiz used to do it. It's been a long time coming but I'm not the biggest fan of the way they 'turn'. The old toy biz way they just pivoted side to side but Hasbro makes them do a 180 turn which deters some good posture. There are thigh swivels that helps out with that, but I still prefer the side to side ankle pivot. Something about the Toybiz Pyro for example did the job for me.

Another thing is that Nova's head seems slightly loose. That's not the figure as a product or the feature but quality control that Hasbro seems to be getting some heat for. His build seems a bit flimsy as well. Unlike Winter Soldier Cap that seems to have this durable build to him, Nova seems 'fragile'. Finally with my last major qualms with Hasbro and their Legends is the lack of accessories. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wave did some things right with the interchangeable hands and the flame affect, but this wave seems to lack. With the exception of Starlord(which I am not sure if I'll be buying or not), NONE of these figures have any interchangeable anything or lack accessories! I mean how much better would it be if Nova and Iron Man(ones I have) if they had fire affects? Or flight stands? Or something? But again... The obstinate side of me wanting the old days of Toybiz back I suppose.

When all is said and done, I do like this figure. I do enjoy the majority of Hasbro ML products and I am just having one of those nostalgic 'want/need' in regards to these figures. When the Jubilee wave comes out, I am more than certain that it won't abate the complaint I have since in this day and age, we pay more and get less. That's just something I had to come to terms with as a collector. So Nova, I apologize if you were the scapegoat of this but I do appreciate you in my collection! Great paint! Great sculpt! What a redemption from the previous Nova! But again, it's not the perfect figure that I long for with the price range. 

ML Infinite Series: Guardians of the Galaxy

So here we are folks! The Guardians of the Galaxy Infinite Series coming this July! At first look… Yuck on Gamora. Drax and Groot looks cool but… yeah Groot is the BAF so there goes that idea. But then New York Toyfair reveals(Thank you Toyark for these pictures)…

Yes! Nova prime! I have the 3.75' of this guy and let me just say, I've been waiting for this guy for ages now! And he hits the shelf with the Guardians! As for the rest…

Do we NEED another Iron Man?! I mean don't misconstrue, I LOVE this armor. But really? Really? But who am I kidding… this guy will for sure has to be part of my collection.

I already have a freaking Rocket Raccoon(BAF) but I guess we HAVE to have a movie version, don't we? Imagine paying the normal retail price for this little guy… ouch.

Uh… I hope the face for Gamora is better in person and this model they are using is just defected.

Maybe they should have Gamora have an alternate head like Starlord over here. This thing looks pretty good though, have to admit.

We've had a Drax before and I would like to say that this one looks pretty bad ass.

And the BAF himself: Groot. He looks pretty good despite this character not really being on the top of my list. Details on this guy is pretty badass which is a testament that Hasbro is trying.

Still, the roster is lacking a bit more… villains and having another Iron Man(although he is part of the guardians of the Galaxy in the comic books) is a bit redundant. Still… it's a good looking set. Again check out Toyark for more info on upcoming toys and more pics of this wave as well as the 3.75 MU line ups for the future.

Hello September!

September! Finally the infamous Modok can be finished! The start of a new BAF figure(Galactus anyone?)! An introduction to another 3.75 addition! The Walking Dead season 3 is finally in my grasp! Oh all that elating news comes with a grip of reality: September is the last month for frivolous spending until the Holiday so... Hoping to get Galactus at least out of the way... otherwise it will be a Christmas present.

So what's in this month? Damsel of the Month, toy reviews, perhaps more cryptic posts and whatever.

Looking forward to this new Month! Here we go!