The Shang-Chi Marvel Legends wave hit stores In late April 2021, a full 5-months ahead of the movie's release. There was no pre-order period, particularly as the movie had been delayed due to Covid-19, and once the first teaser trailer had aired the first 5 Shang-Chi movie figures were officially unveiled and dispatched to stores.
The wave utilises the usual Marvel Legends packaging, with the Shang-Chi movie figures leading with the film's logo and a gold character label. The back of the box carries the briefest piece of background text without any hint of significant spoiler information other than what has been released officially already.
"Trained since childhood by the mysterious Ten Rings Organization, Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn back into his father's web"
The one issue that often befalls Marvel Legends MCU releases that come in advance of the actual movie is the accuracy of costume, but in this case, Shang-Chi does look an excellent replica of the main movie costume that features heavily in the trailer, and in promotional posters.
The short-sleeve red top is textured with both a webbed pattern and more pronounced lined sections that are then painted into black. More black is featured on the shoulders, around the hips, and the cuffs. This is mostly applied neatly, but there are a couple of areas where the base red shows through and one spot where black has smudged onto the red surrounding area.
The likeness to actor Simu Liu is good, but it does perhaps the forehead is a little too large and the cheekbones not as defined as they should be. The figure uses face print tech, and this is well applied.
Shang-Chi is armed with a bo-staff weapon which is cast in a silver finish with two ribbed grips at either side that are painted in a matt brown leather finish. The weapon arrives straight and is of a plastic that is not so soft that it will be prone to warping. It fits into the pair of gripping hands that come affixed to the figure.
Shang-Chi is also supplied with two other pairs of hands, both sculpted into Kung-Fu poses. The first is in the Tiger Claw position, while the 2nd pair look like the Snake Head position.
As you'd expect from a master of the Martial Arts, Shang-Chi is fully articulated to make the most of both his bo-staff, but also the Kung-Fu hand options. With 19 points of articulation, the only real miss is butterfly shoulders but that doesn't impact many posing options. You can even drop Shang-Chi onto a stand and he can perform high kicks.
I summary, Shang-Chi is a well-presented figure - accurate to his movie costume and with a good (although not great) likeness. He articulates really well and with the various hand options and bo-staff, there are plenty of posing options. This new aspect of the MCU is shaping up nicely.
In summary, Shang-Chi is a well-presented figure - accurate to his movie costume and with a good (although not great) likeness. He articulates really well and with the various hand options and bo-staff, there are plenty of posing options. This new aspect of the MCU is shaping up nicely.
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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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, marvel, legends, shang-chi, legend of the ten rings, simu liu, kung fu, martial arts, bo-staff