In 2015 the Marvel Legends Infinite Series line released a Toys R Us Exclusive boxset which featured the three key S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who featured in the 2012 Avengers movie. Since the release, we have not had any further figures of Coulson or Maria Hill, and only one further Nick Fury as seen in the Captain Marvel movie, This makes this one of the more sought after sets in the MCU range of Marvel Legends.
The packaging used on the set was an expansion of the box design at the time which had just been established a year previously with the scooped sides and large open front window as opposed to the blister card format pre-2014. This new phase of Marvel Legends was badged as the Infinite Series which featured as a sub-title under the main Legends logo.
The Avengers movie logo sits on the top rail of the window with a further blue Avengers logo on the bottom rail. Running the length of the very bottom of the box are the character names.
The side art features all three characters in an illustrated greyscale that is reminiscent of the artwork on the Star Wars Black Series. While Fury and Coulson are instantly recognisable, the likeness to Maria Hill on the art is not as good. Maria has also been reversed on the sides - while Fury and Coulson remain the same orientation - which doesn't help.
The back of the box repeats the main logo's again for Legends and Avengers and then shows an image of each of the figures included in the set. Next to each of the characters is a short piece of text - nothing specific to the Avengers movie. For Maria Hill it reads...
"An elite espionage agent, Maria Hill is always there when it counts"
4.0
The images used below are from stock photos of the set.
Despite the age of the figure and the fact it predates face print tech, the likeness on Hill to actor Cobie Smulders is pretty good with well painted features and a sculpt that captures the raised eyebrow expression with a slight smirk on her face. The head sculpt also features an ear piece and a neat hair sculpt with an added bun on the back.
The head looks a little too big vs the body, but that is more down to the body proportions being used at the time for MCU figures which still held some level of exaggerated comic book design. The body of Maria Hill borrows from the Black Widow figure released in 2014 for The Winter Soldier movie, specifically the legs and the upper arms. The torso and lower arms are new. The body suit is cast in a dark blue with painted silver zip. S.H.I.E.L.D. logo's are added to both shoulders.
A belt piece is added in black with sculpted pistols in holsters - these are non removable but are painted silver. Straps on the midriff and the thighs are sculpted additions that are painted black and line up with the added belt segment. The outfit finishes in boots that are also painted in black.
4.0
Two handguns are included in the S.H.I.E.L.D. set, and they work with Hill or Fury. The guns are quite plain with limited details on the sculpt and a quite clunky trigger and stock vs more modern weapon accessories. They are cast in grey with a single blue line across the barrel.
The blue does give them the look of the ICER (Night Night) Gun seen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but as far as I know, both Hill and Fury were carrying normal handguns for Avengers,
Hill is provided with only one weapon wielding hand, her right, while the other is cast in a fist. The gun fits into place with reasonable ease, but the grip is not tight and the trigger finger does not want to slip into place. The weapon cant' be holstered as the holsters themselves are cast with a weapon already in place, This also makes it an odd look for Hill to have two holstered guns and then a third gun in her hand.
2.5
Maria Hill has a total of 16 points of articulation, a standard for female bodies for the Marvel Legends at that time.
Head : ball joint neck
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs: ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers
As a slim body with no obvious issues with armour or cloaks, Hill poses really well. The legs in particular are very mobile and she can kneel, sit and crouch with all the leg joints very tight and secure.
The arms are where the issues lie. The elbows will only go to 90 degrees, and that does hold back some key posing. I would have loved to be able to pose my Maria Hill with her hand on her ear piece relaying some information to Fury or other Agents.
There is also an odd decision with the right hand wrist which is pivoted on the side of the hand not the top. This means the wrist bends to the side - which is a natural movement but it looks a bit odd on the figure. Losing the top movement also wont allow the gun to be lined up if the arm is outstretched in a firing position. Oddly the left hand is jointed on the top?
3.5
The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D set is one I have been chasing for some time (at a sensible price of course) and I can now say I am 33% there with the acquisition of Maria Hill. The figure stands up well in head sculpt to the more modern Legends but does of course lack the face print options. The body, like the Black Widow on which much of it is based, is a bit stylised and bow legged.
The accessory is pretty poor, as was the case with many accessories of the early 2014-2015 MCU era. The choice to sculpt fitted guns in holsters and provide a fun accessory is also an odd one. Posing of the gun and the arms are made difficult by the elbow joint and the slightly odd wrist articulation on the right hand.
It is always difficult to rate a figure that is a number of years old as of course I am comparing it to the figures we are getting now. While I would love a new Maria Hill figure - and wouldn't be upset if it was this head with face print apps - the 2015 version doesn't look massively out of place with the other MCU figures. I score it a total of 3.5
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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, marvel, legends, hasbro, SHIELD, Agent Maria Hill