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: Rocket Raccoon

Here we are! The final piece of the Groot BAF: Rocket Raccoon!!!! After such an amazing turnabout in the movie of Guardians of the Galaxy, the popularity of this critter ascended and we have ourselves the Hasbro Marvel Legends version of him! So what is there to say about this guy?

The box is familiar. The side panel art is still amazing to me! Other than that, nothing new here. Let's move on.

While there are many things I dislike about this figure, I do want to say that it has a pretty accurate detail when copying the movie version. It looks like a damn raccoon that has a special space suit on and like I said, it's movie accurate. Though the moment I saw this figure, I knew that I wasn't going to like it. First and foremost, he is tiny! Tiny for the price! Also, that face. Do you guys remember the Rocket Raccoon BAF?

While the BAF as Rocket Raccoon isn't exactly the most exalting thing to talk about, it is a better figure than the one that comes for the Groot piece. First and foremost, it has more articulation! Not much but it can move its mouth! Its head swivels quite smoothly too with no awkward look, also the firearm is easy to fit! Rocket's for the movie was just awkward to put on and it hinders a lot of poses. In fact, it ha minimal pose-ability. While we are at it, I might as well talk about the articulation .... it sucks. Legs can't move, head has that awkward swivel, lacking the mouth articulation, and he can't stand on his own without the tail being down. Oh and what's up with that sad face?!

For Rocket, he comes with that awful gun, the biggest piece for the Groot BAF, and Star Lord's gun he uses against Ronan. They kind of had to do some justification for asking for a full blown price for a tiny figure.

Rocket is a must. No matter how you want to slice the pie: complete the movie assembly, complete Groot, or just to have him, he is a must. He is not even close to being my favorite out of the two Rocket Raccoon figures and let me tell you, I'm not the biggest fan of his BAF counter part. As the last piece of the wave aside from the BAF, I'd say he is pretty weak. Good job dropping the ball on some redemption on a Rocket Raccoon figure, Hasbro. 

ML Groot: Drax

Drax the destroyer! Here is the underdog of the movie! I was never a big fan of Drax in the comic books and much less when I saw him on the big screen! Though something in the movie and the way he portrayed his character that really got me to like this guy... and his action figure counter part? Well, we'll see.

That drawing on the side panel of the box does look like the actor: Bautista. Side note, I used to watch wrestling and Bautista was just coming on when I was ending my charades with the male soap opera era... didn't see too much of his acting, but he was awesome in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Now I never really got Drax's design in the comic books; or should I say I never got what was inspiring about it. He had two and both didn't appeal me. The first time I saw his movie version I was 'meh' about it, seeing him in the movie made me like him because of who he is and not his costume design(in fact, that's how I feel about the Guardians of The Galaxy team; none of them really have a great costume design). Though this figure does his movie counter part justice. There is a lot of sculpted details on his 'tattoos/marks', in fact, ALL of them are sculpted in. The trousers aren't bad, the boots came out pretty good so no qualms. His body mold is a muscular type that truly fits Drax. Panting is good so I have no complaints.

Well I suppose Drax having two daggers count as three accessories if I count the BAF piece of Groot as one. Not much to see here.

In terms of articulation, Drax is pretty standard and that's a good thing. He can do a lot of things that I would normally wish for a figure can do with the modern day standard. Though he is pretty heavy and having him pose in my stand doesn't work out quire as well as the other lighter Legends that I have reviewed in the past. And not that I'll ever pose him without his daggers on his hand often but, he does come with sheathes on his boots. Movie accurate.

All in all, Drax is definitely the better out of Gamora and him. I ended up liking this figure so much more for the simple fact that he sure has a lot of details and I didn't really have high expectations for him to begin with. The resemblance to the actor, the good sculpted detail, and the standard articulation makes Drax one of the better ones in the wave!

ML Groot BAF: Gamora

And here comes another piece of the Groot BAF from Hasbro: Gamora. Now not trying to delve into the movie as much but, Gamora was the eye candy of the movie as Black Widow was to Avengers. Though honestly, I really felt like she was a weak character and there was nothing grand about her; I feel the same way about her comic book counter part but hey, not all Marvel Characters can entice me, right? So how does her toy fare then? Let's find out.

Standard box. That artwork on the side remains amazing as they have been in Hasbro's new box for their Legends.

You know, there was actually a point that I was really worried about this figure's facial features; I thought she would revert back to the days when Hasbro(and all female figures in general) were just plain ugly. Hasbro was just in a good roll as of late and it would be a shame if Gamora(played by Zoey Saldana.. hott) came out as horrifying as the first Emma Frost that Hasbro tried way back when. Luckily, it's not a bad face. It has resemblance to the alluring actress. The rest of the figure is definitely in the mediocre area. While the paint detail on the hair, her suit, and her skin is well detailed, I think the ranking factor for me falls into just how lackluster her default outfit was. And no, I wasn't looking for a straight out sex fest like her comic book outfit was, but she just didn't have the wow factor; though Gamora's role in the movie was enough to get me to like her. One thing about the body, surprised they didn't use the busty mold; not truly complaining but I'm sure a lot of boys are.

Not going to be redundant with Hasbro's lack of in this department but I will say that this sword is terrible! Detail wise, size, and ... everything about it. The hilt is so small that Gamora can't hold it properly(or maybe I can blame it on her hands and the way they are poised)!

Now let's talk about Gamora's biggest flaw: articulation! So I must be spoiled with some of the things that standard Hasbro has to offer since I am not too thrilled with what Gamora can do. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the ankle pivot but she lacks that. Her head doesn't do a whole lot with the nicely painted air, her hands may have the standard movement but she truly lacks conviction in the way she holds her sword. Legs can't 'spread' too wide(and I'm not trying to be too sexual here) so that deters any of Gamora's acrobatics that she shows in the movie.

Just making this took a bit of effort. To stand on one knee and have something 'cool' come out of it is tedious to happen for Gamora... lame.

Decent face, nice paint, below mediocre articulation, and lame accessories(or lack of); seems to me that Gamora fell short. All in all, I'm not entirely disappointed to have her, though I don't think I would've missed much by not having her; though she is a necessary piece for not only Groot, but also to complete the movie Guardians of the Galaxy! Though I wish she had more 'exuberance' to her or something that would at least live up to her movie version... Maybe that's asking for too much. Well, least I have her!

ML Groot BAF: Starlord

I said I wouldn't get this wave for a lot of reasons but, here I am with another piece of the BAF Groot! Honestly, after the movie, I was kind of compelled to. So on to the review then.

Yay box! There is a Starlord art on the corner which is actually pretty awesome.

Right off the get go I want to say that the details on this figure s pretty good. Starlord had two outfits in the movie and this was his first one. I honestly like his second one better and it would've been great to have a variant of that(I would have picked the second one), but no. The long trench coat is actually not disappointing like other figures they have had. It's made out of this rubbery and pliable material that doesn't hinder articulation too much. The details on this coat is awesome and he even has a sling bag that is well done. His face(two variants) is good, which is what we'll be looking at next.

I don't understand the mask since it doesn't cover his hair or his neck. It's supposed to keep his body safe from outside exposure of none friendly air... but whatever. I like the mask though for how it looks. His face is alright; doesn't really look like the actor himself but it's a good enough painted face.

Accessory wise, he actually has a decent amount. The variant head is appreciated as well as the nostalgic headphones and cassette player. The 'silver' orb that contains a certain something is also a nice touch, though he can't really hold it. The guns are surprisingly well done with some good details. Of course he comes with a BAF piece which is of course Groot's left arm.

His articulation is going to be a standard model for modern day Hasbro Marvel Legends. That's a good thing for the most part since recent day articulation has plenty to offer despite me still being annoyed with the new ankle pivots they provide. One thing about this figure, or the recent figures that I also have to point out is that there is this strange 'gummy/rubbery' feel to their figures. Really makes them feel unstable and very ... I wouldn't say cheap but it doesn't have a solid feel to them. While I merely display my action figures and never really repose them as often, I do believe that they have the quality to endure what action figures were intended for: to be thrown around for the sake of reenacting action sequences and such.

Probably the biggest downfall of this figure is his outfit. I really wished they chose his later design rather than the pre-guardian outfit he wore; which pretty much consists of space jeans, space shirt, boots, gloves, and a space trench coat. Though again as I said, for what we were given, it's a damn good attention to detail.

In conclusion, this wasn't a bad figure. I really am glad that I jumped n board on this Guardians of the Galaxy wave and it's all thanks to the movie. Groot seems like a good BAF so all in all, I think I'm not striking out by choosing to finish this wave. So three down, three to go!

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.