After the success of the MCU Black Panther movie on screen, Hasbro took an unprecedented step in their Marvel Legends line - releasing a 2nd wave of figures from the Black Panther movie with the entire wave of 6 figures and the build-a-figure based on the MCU with no comic book pack ins whatsoever. The Dora Milaje figure is one a number of recent "army building" releases by Hasbro and includes three head options as well as alternative weaponry.
Packaging 4/5
While the wave overall was badged as Black Panther Wave 2, the Dora Milaje figure is actually badged under Avengers Infinity War - although this just as easily been a Black Panther release. The design of the packaging is not however aligned to the other Infinity War releases and instead has the with golden yellow Panther card back and ice blue character name plate.
The side art is varying again - not matching either the Infinity War or Black Panther packaging. The image is very striking and like the ornate tribal outfits of the Dora Milaje it carries a lot of detailing. The same image is used on the back of the box on a vibrant yellow background (again different from both Infinity War and Black Panther releases to date). Beneath this sits the BAF checklist for M'Baku and to the side a short piece of introductory text.
"The Dora Milaje are an all-female special forces group prepared to defend the Black Panther and the people of Wakanda at all costs."
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
First off we need to state that this is a full re-use of the body we saw on Nakia in the first Black Panther wave - parts of it were also used on the Okoye BAF. This version however is much more vibrant than the Nakia release with a deeper red base colour and brighter patterning on the tabard and on the thighs. Considering the amount of pattern and paint apps, it is all incredibly neat.
While the body is a re-use, the real beauty of this release is in the decision to make this an army building release and including three different Dora Milaje head sculpts. The first is quite neutral with tribal tattoos on one cheek. The second has no tattoos and fuller lips and wider expressive eyes. The final head has a more angered and determined look and is again sporting facial tattoos.
Each head pops on and off easily and the fit is good on each of them. If you want some variation in your Dora Milaje troop then the head will also fit on the Nakia body - see the final two images in the panel below.
Accessories 4/5
Like the body, all of the accessories for the Dora Milaje are recycled from the original Nakia release. While the quality in terms of paint is certainly scaled back, the volume of accessories in terms of a Legends release is impressive.
First we have the tall spear that was originally designed for Okoye and packed in with Nakia and the Okoye torso. This time round it is cast in a silvery plastic with no other paint apps. It can fit in either or both hands.
Accessory two is the spear tip, again from the Okoye BAF. Once more we have it cast in a silvery plastic with no paint apps. The fit in the hands for this one is a little loose.
Our final armament are the circular blades that Nakia wielded in Black Panther. These are again cast in silver, but have a green paint app on the handles. There is a lot of detail scriptwork and icons in the sides of these blades.
Articulation 4/5
Our Dora Milaje warrior comes with 16 points of articulation, consistent with other female releases.
Head : ball jointed pivot neck
Body : ball joint torso
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, pivot wrists
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, ankle rockers
While the lack of a double jointed elbow is a little restrictive, the spear is long enough to still allow for two hand weapon posing and stances. There are plenty of options for variance in your Dora Milaje display if you were going for a number of these in your Black Panther or Infinity War display.
Summary
Once again Hasbro has taken an existing figure and repacked it, but added in enough extra to make us want it - and indeed probably to buy multiples for army building. The three new head sculpts are excellent and still include face print technology even if they are essentially unnamed characters. Paint is spot on over a sculpt that was impressive in terms of detail to start with.
Articulation is slightly hindered at the arms, but that is the same for any Legends female character. The accessories, while numerous, might have been better with a touch more colour on them.
I score the Black Panther Wave 2 Dora Milaje release an impressive 4 out of 5.
