Released in April 2023, Kraglin is part of the Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wave that is exclusively turned over to MCU figures from the movie and includes a Cosmo Build-a-Figure. This is the debut release of an MCU Kraglin as a Marvel Legends figure. The wave is packed in plastic-free packaging, using figure imagery alongside the usual artwork around the standard Marvel Legends box to depict the contents.
Immediately out of the box, Kraglin looks off in terms of his overall proportions. The figure stands taller than Star-Lord and is on a similar size footing height-wise as Drax - actually taller than Drax with the fin. If you compare heights on-screen Kraglin should be slightly shorter than Quill, who in turn is half a head shorter than Drax. Kraglin also has a pair of very spindly bow legs compared to a much broader torso that has no defined waist and gives a pot-bellied look. Proportionally the legs look too short and the torso too long. All of this is driven by the Frankenstein nature of Kraglin as a figure with the arms and legs a direct carryover from the 2017 Yondu figure which itself suffered a little from spindly legs, albeit disguised by the long coat. The body is cast in a base plastic of the Ravager red uniform with added detail in silver to the armour pieces on the left arm - and the finish here is messy at best with red visible through the silver of the armoured bracer and shoulder section. The torso has a neat set of black stitch detail added up the left-hand side and a couple of other blacked trim pieces at the shoulders. The legs are devoid of any detail until we reach the boots which are a base grey with burgundy painted panels. The outfit is finished off with an additional chest strap and holster which is added as an individual piece cast in soft brown rubberised plastic with black segments.
While the body is disappointing, the new Sean Gunn head sculpt is glorious with a very impressive likeness enhanced with photo-real print including scarring on the forehead, a hint of facial hair shaped around the chin and shading around the eyes and nose. Kraglin is then crowned with the fin presented to him after Yondu died and this is plugged into his head and painted in a glossy metallic red.
Kraglin is a pinned body thanks to the donor parts with pinned double joints ad the knees and elbows. The total articulation count is 18 and with no cumbersome coat or armour, Kraglin is quite wide-ranging in movement. Kraglin comes with a small knife which is light on details, but well shaped and painted to colour the hilt brown and the blade and pommel silver. It is a loose fit in either hand, but will hold in place - and it can be stowed away when not in use via a slot over the left shoulder.
Kraglin also features the Yaka Arrow piece - another donation from the Yondu figure of 2017. This is executed in very soft plastic to allow the arrow's translucent tail to be wrapped around and flexible. This does leave the arrow itself prone to warping. The arrow can fit into the holster provided, but will still have the trail attached. You can also just about get the arrow to hold as though in flight by strategically wrapping the trail around Kraglin’s body. Including the arrow in flight is fine, but Kraglin’s head is not ‘whistling’ so the look is not accurate. What we really needed was an arrow without the trail or a second head that is whistling.
In terms of overall looks it is difficult to look beyond the obvious odd proportions of Kraglin. The arrow works to a degree, and the knife is well done considering its size. For the debut appearance of Kraglin and considering the quality of some of the other releases in the wave - this one falls a bit short, and sadly like Yondu himself is unlikely to be revisited with an improved version any time soon.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...