Marvel Legends BAF: Odin

Captain Marvel, Sentry, Iron Fist, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Thor

2015 started out with a bunch of BAFs lined up and Odin is the first that grazes my collection. Technically, this wave consists of two BAFs: Odin and King Thor; truthfully, I'm not in the mood to have two Iron Fists, Hawkeye, and Thor just to make King Thor. I might've missed Machine Man in the process, but I'm not complaining. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Odin, Marvel depicts him as the old lore does: The father of Odin and all the gods of Norse Mythology. In the movie universe, he is the king of the advance ancient race of aliens. This figure however is based off the comic book version(more or less since Odin changed forms more than once throughout the decades in comic book). So, what does the Allfather bring to the table for us collectors? Well, let's find out.

Well one thing is certain, Hasbro managed to implement an important detail: Odin is missing one eye. The picture I got makes him look like he is in a shy pose; my one gripe about the face is that the way his eye is positioned, it makes it hard to get him to really look a certain way without it looking awkward like this picture. Regardless, it's a good face sculpt. Love the helmet, the horns, even the beard has some slight details in terms of paint. Though it's hard to get articulation out of his head with the man beard. His helmet, though decently sculpted, could still use some better paint details; or maybe some regal colors like gold. Other than that, I say it looks like Odin regardless if Odin changed looks several times in his comic book life(I'm more than willing to believe that there is a bit of Anthony Hopkins in this Odin since everything in Marvel has to abide by the cinematic universe these days).

Groot was the last BAF I got so let's compare the two. Size wise, Groot gets the award. Though Odin isn't small by any means. Gone are the days of small BAFs indeed and I'm really happy that Hasbro is really getting a good flow with BAFs these days.

He has a new body sculpt( I believe) and for the most part he is well done. The wash on his paint detail could've been a bit more on the giving side, but hey, Hasbro is Hasbro. There is something about the way he is made that makes him look like just a normal warrior which undermines the idea of Odin being the KING of Norse Gods; but again, perhaps Odin had an armor like this some time in the past.

Odin has one accessory, which is his spear. I'm sure it has some kind of name but I am not bothering with it right now; I think it's Odin Spear honestly. Well, it's not bad looking; looks bland at some angles, but it does mirror the color and wash of his helmet; again my gripe about it is that it should have been a bit more regal colored. Then there's the axe(again it has a name) which belongs to King Thor. Though I didn't want to simply store the weapon so I decided to give it to Odin just to imply that he is ready for all out battle. Not a bad looking weapon, though it dwarfs in comparison to the presence of Odin's spear and the overall ambiance Odin has.

Odin actually has a decent articulation; in fact he falls a bit more in the expected form of movement range! Though his clothing, the stiff cape and all hinders a lot of movement. I already mentioned the beard and how his head has the funny eye going on so that crosses out certain poses. Though generally, one doesn't need to have a lot of fancy poses for Odin. It's not like he is the nimble, agile, and even hand to hand kind of character.

That is all the pose one really needs for Odin most of the time. That and probably beating up both Thor and Loki for constantly arguing.

In conclusion, Odin isn't a bad BAF at all. He is above mediocre and is different. Honestly, it's really his set, the figures that came with him that made him worth it. Figures like Scarlet Witch, Iron Fist, and Captain Marvel is what made him stand out to me. I have no desire to finish King Thor so again, I'll be missing out on Machine Man but who cares? For anyone looking to have Thor be side by side with his father, this wave is a must! Other than that... can't wait for the next wave! 

ML Odin: Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff! Scarlet Witch is here and let me just say, she is probably one of the most beautiful figures that we have received from Hasbro. Tell you what, she topples the Scarlet Witch from Toybiz by a LOOONNNGGG few miles! But let's not dwell on that past! Let's move on with this figure.

She is the alternate of the Captain Marvel from this wave that I reviewed already; "Maidens of Might" as these couple are called. You know usually I'll just comment how awesome the side art is, but I do like the posture of Scarlet Witch in the box. It's like she is magically elevating Odin's head. Alright, moving on.

We have seen this body mold before of course and Hasbro is well known for reusing the same mold when it's done right; I have no personal qualms with that tactic, but I hope they explore new avenues to add some diversity to their figures. While the Bucky Cap mold hasn't dried out yet, it is over used in more ways than one; as for this mold, well, it sets right with whom they used it for and it's definitely a great body for Wanda! The pain detail lacks(of course) but the coating of the red makes her just damn luscious! The skin tone and pink tights are well done and the face has no distortions whatsoever. Her brunette hair is accurate and those lips! The cape is probably the newest addition for this mold and I like the way they did it. The folds are great and the opening on her back makes it really easy to make use of a figure stand! Aesthetically, this figure delivers for me!

She comes with the Odin head, cape, and spear for the BAF piece and as for her accessories, she comes with a brand new 'hex energy' affects for both her hands. WHOA Hasbro, are you listening for real?!

The affects are comic book accurate and the translucent pink they used makes it a gorgeous addition to the probability witch. It's molded quite right but there is one thing I fear: they will re use this for another magic related(AHEM Dr. Strange) figure. I mean as it is, the two hex affects are exactly the same thing!

Now articulation wise, Wanda isn't the most compliant to pose. While getting her into dynamic poses isn't exactly in-character, to get certain 'sorceress' themed postures wasn't exactly the easiest either and sometimes lacking some zest as they do in the comics. Don't get me wrong, she's pretty nimble and has the standard points of movement for the mold, but again, she doesn't entirely 100% cooperate. Not that she would need to be doing some major dynamic poses anyways since she isn't known for her agility as much as she is known for manipulating probability and magic.

All in all, she is a pretty good figure. If anything else the addition of another beautiful looking Marvel Legend definitely isn't something to frown upon. I'm elated to have her in my collection and not to mention she hold the part of the Wave I really would have needed to build Odin. With that said!

As beautiful females of Hasbro goes, she might be harder to find. Better hunt with diligence and know your retail's time of shipment! 

ML Odin: Iron Fist

The Immortal Iron Fist! I have to admit, this guy is one of my favorite characters in Marvel that doesn't really get the light of day! Well, here we are with Danny Rand punching through the darkness and getting an action figure that is part of the All-Father BAF! So, did he past the test and gain the rank of being a Marvel Legend?

I really like the art(I know I have mentioned that before) and it's very martial arts pose; but there is also one thing about the box cover art that goes against this figure: the chi affect on Danny's fists!

Now right of the get-go, for all of you Iron Fist/Marvel fans, it's easy to recognize that the costume picked for Iron Fist is the one where he seems to be powered up thanks to Dr. Strange's Eye of Agamotto; not entirely sure how long he wore this costume or if he is wearing it now, but all I know is that he is stronger and I'm assuming able to channel more chi thanks to the magical talisman. So as far as the accuracy of this figure, I say it's pretty up to snuff. White and gold seems to be intact and I like the color used for the areas that are supposed to be gold. Believe it or not, there are also shading on this figure as well on the white areas which is a great sign that Hasbro is paying attention. The Dragon symbol on his chest came out pretty clean to, though his sash is a bit lackluster if you ask me. Speaking of which, this is a Toybiz body mold and not the usual "Bucky Cap" mold that Hasbro uses a lot.

It's almost deceiving at some aspect with how many alternate hands he has. Truthfully, it's quite awesome. I did wish he come with fire special affects since Iron Fist's powers does have his chi igniting so that he can punch the living a-holes out of people.

He has the standard articulation and the added shoulder swivel and the modified ankle pivot(I don't think the Toybiz one had it), he meets every expectation that I have for the notion of 'standard'. Though what makes Iron Fist amazing as a figure are the alternate hands of course!

Still a far cry from the imports and what they give out in terms of variation hands, I must say that Iron Fist does offer a lot of dynamic poses! I am pleased with how articulated he is and just how many 'martial arts' pose he can actually perform.

But what are poses like the one above without:

Some Chi energy?!

"RISING DRAGON!"

Though I did wish I found the other 'Chi energy' from the Toybiz Iron Fist. It would have been perfect. Speaking of Toybiz...

I have always loved that figure and it's classic beyond belief but to me, this is the case where the costume is extremely out dated and not exactly my favorite anymore. I've always liked Iron Fist but his costume seems to make me want to take a step back so with that said:

Hasbro Odin BAF Iron Fist wins over the Toybiz Apocalypse BAF Iron Fist. 

In conclusion, he is probably my favorite one out of the set, honestly. He had the most articulation and fun factor to offer, and the fact that he is one of my favorite characters, well, just makes me want to pick him. He isn't perfect and definitely still barely outshines the classic Toybiz, but hey, he takes the bout. For anyone who are addicted to completing sets no matter what--Iron Fist is a must TWICE! I'll talk more about that when I get to the BAF but, yeah. Great figure!  

ML Odin: Thor(Marvel Now!)

With a BAF wave that is dedicated to the All-Father, one can't simply not have a Thor figure in it! So, here we are! Odin's most popular Marvel son! So, how does he make the All-Father all proud?

Thor swinging Mjolnir in that greyscale art. Nice! Oh, Hasbro started adding scotch tape for a more secure box to deter "swappers". Yeah!

Thor's updated look for the "Marvel Now" story line isn't half bad. It pays homage to his 'classic' and out of place costume but gives it the 'Viking' look nonetheless. One thing about this figure is that he is huge and scaled adequately for a Thor. His cape may be too stiff for my taste, however, it has some shading in it! It's well done. The profile picture makes his arms really way too muscular and his legs looks like he skipped leg days. Other than that, a good looking figure for anyone who is a fan of Thor.

For Odin's BAF piece, Thor comes with right leg. As for his own accessories, Thor has to have Mjolnir and a sword which I believe came from the "Fear Itself" storyline; other than that, I have no idea what the sword really is about. Standard accessories and not TOO bad. Though again, lacking some kind of thunder special affect on his hammer and the fact that the said hammer doesn't look as enchanting... it's not that great. The sword is alright when it comes to detail; wish it had that same silver shine as Mjolnir.

Now his articulation is where he fails the most. First off, his head cannot look up, down, or side to side very well. That fancy cape and helmet hinders so much movement that it is truly annoying to pose him. His arms are facing the cape-in-the-way dilemma, then we have his awkward legs; also he has no ankle pivot. Dynamic poses are few and far betweens and even some of his easy posing has very little weight to it. The hammer really missed the nail on this figure when it came to articulation! Perhaps if he had some kind of thunder affects going about his hammer that is detachable, there would have been a bit more flare to this figure's pose. Such a shame since he looks damn amazing for a Thor figure.

Between him and the only other Thor figure that I have, this is definitely the better figure. The one I have, the King Thor from the Blob series isn't that great to begin with so it's for sure shelved. Though they both feel about the same in terms of articulation; I just like Marvel Now's costume better.

The only other "Thor" related figure I have is Beta Ray Bill from the MODOK BAF (unless we count Thor Buster of Iron Man from the same series) series from toybiz. Suffice to say, I like Beta Ray Bill better if I was to compare the two, then again, they are two entirely different characters. It's like comparing USAgent or War Machine with Captain America or Iron Man.

All in all, a good looking figure and for the sake of the BAF, he is a must. Though with his short comings in articulation, I'm sure some people can skip this figure altogether; I did need a new Thor figure and this one sort of delivered. Glad I have him nonetheless. 

ML Odin: Captain Marvel

Another female added in Hasbro's growing and well loved work on the Marvel Heroines! The addition this time is someone who just had a revamped version of her older costume... but I suppose Ms. Marvel's new identity as Captain Marvel fits rather well for a new figure! So here she is! Honestly, let's just get into the review because I know only a fair amount about Ms. Marvel and far less about her new Captain Marvel persona.

Though the box is very familiar. Still love the art on the side. The other side is Scarlet Witch by the way since Captain Marvel is a swap.

The details on the body is something ot be admired. While very little of the designs are sculpted in, the color combination and the mold is a perfect Carol Denvers. It is also very comic book accurate and I happen to like the new look! Of course this mold is familiar. I have a feeling that Hasbro will be using this mold for a few more femme fatales for the sake of the idea that it is well liked; for obvious reasons of course. Look at that figure. Paint job wasn't that bad here; sculpting of the Carol's mohawk wasn't that bad either, in fact, it's rather nice. The sashe is different from the other ones we have seen but it's quite annoying how stiff it is. Oh, and Captain Marvel came with two different head variants:

And... not really a big fan of the mask-less version. I mean the hair sculpt is awesome but that face and those lips... yeah. I barely posed her using that face.

There are pros and cons when it comes to the accessories that comes with Captain Marvel. First and foremost, the lazy special affects that we already got from Jubilee BAF does not do well with Captain Marvel; at least they should've made it yellow. As for her BAF piece, depending on which BAF the collector is trying to finish, the King Thor head, cape, and axe(forgot the name) is not necessary. Though females are in the hott lines these days with collectors.

As far as her articulation, there really isn't anything new to add to it since it's a mold we have seen before. There are limitations but unlike other figures using this body type, Carol has no problem standing since she is wearing flat boots. The head is what bums some people out with the fact that the movement doesn't allow 'flight friendly' posture. Still, it's a good articulated figure.

Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel from the MODOK BAF. Mar-Vell will not be seeing the light of day in the movie-verse(at least on a stand alone movie with just him. I have a feeling he will be in Carol's movie shot though). Not really something I can compare with the whole "Toybiz vs Hasbro" deal since it's two different characters.

And Carol's most longest outfit: Ms. Marvel/Warbird from the 3 pack that came out a few months ago. Strange thing to get another version of the same character in the small amount of time but who am I to complain. They are both different in more ways than one despite reusing the same body mold! Still loving the Captain Marvel costume way better than her Ms. Marvel look.

In conclusion, despite this figure not entirely a must, it's a great grab! I personally like it and it's a testament is trying somewhat with some of the things that fans have been screaming for! At some point, the laziness of the energy has to end since ... it's the same one and it takes away from her unique power affects. Though with familiar articulation, great mold, and a breath of fresh air with the costume, I can't say that this figure fell short. Definitely one of the stronger figure out of the three so far!