In Autumn 2021, well over a year later than originally planned, the Marvel Legends Eternals wave hit store shelves. Unusually for a movie tie-in wave - which are normally a mixture of MCU
and Comic Book - the Eternals wave was exclusively movie related with 7 of the main Eternals characters and an 8th as the Build-a-Figure. Along with the exclusives of Thena and Ajak, Hasbro had therefore managed to release all ten of the Eternals ensemble in one go.
Sprite is packed as usual in the scooped-sided Legends box with a golden accent used across the black by way of the nameplate, the Eternals logo itself and to the side with another logo built into the artwork. Round the back the theme switches a little to a starscape that then fades to sky and sunshine against which there is one of the ancient circular Eternals symbols - this design is replicated as the card back for the figure.
"Sprite has the ability to cast lifelike illusions and is an Eternal much stronger and cleverer than she appears."
The rear of the box carries the usual brief snippet of character definition and the checklist for the BAF with Sprite coming with the main torso for Gilgamesh.
The first thing that is evident once Sprite is unpacked is the proportions for the head look all wrong. This was not evident from the promo art, or the way she is packed with the head sideways - but once posed the head looks way too big for the body. In comparison, the head for Sprite is larger than that of Ikaris for example. You can mitigate this with some posing choices, such as having a side-on stance as we saw in many of the promo images.
The likeness to actor Lia McHugh is passing, but not nailed on as we would normally expect. The jaw feels too wide and the smile is exaggerated. The photo-real deco does a good job around the eyes and the mouth and the hair is relatively screen accurate but is taken from the historical scenes of the movie before Sprite discovered hair products.
Putting the head proportions to one side, there is a good level of accuracy put into the height and body type for Sprite who despite her great age, presents with the outward appearance of a teenager. Sprite stands a head shorter than Ikaris which is pretty close to the height difference we can see in cast photos and in the movie. The costume accuracy vs the suits worn by the Eternals is good and includes the moon and celestial motifs along with the silver and jade green colour scheme and the flowing cape.
The body is cast in the silver base colour with the jade added neatly over the top. There are no other paint deco applications.
The Eternals do not use or carry any form of weapon or accessory that would warrant inclusion in the set, so we end up with simply an alternative pair of hands for Sprite. That gives you the option of a pair of open hands or a pair of clenched fists.
This feels a little bit cheap compared to what we may see with other Legends releases. An alternative head with a more solemn expression would have fitted in well with the set and given some variety for display. Or perhaps some effect pieces for her hands to represent her powers for those that like to use these sorts of FX parts on display.
Sprite has a total of 16 points of articulation, the usual configuration for a slimmer or female character where double-jointed elbows are not feasible. The replacement elbows still do a fantastic job, engineered to bend to and beyond 90 degrees which gives Sprite a lot of expressive arm options for her storytelling or when casting her illusions.
The head joint is very slim and feels fragile, certainly something to watch out for when posing. The legs have a full range of motion, although having Sprite sitting or kneeling is restricted by the cape section that flows out and down past her knees.
Out of all The Eternals figures from Marvel Legends, Sprite feels the hardest done by in terms of her head proportions. While she is packed with the largest part of Gilgamesh, she warrants more than a second pair of hands as packed in accessories - as do most of the Eternals. The costume execution and paint job are good, and the articulation is well executed on the smaller body frame with plenty of expressions available in the arms which is important to the character of Sprite. The Marvel Legends Eternals figures as a whole are designed to be collected and displayed as a group and to that end, collectors will either be all-in or all-out in the main. Once 'assembled' and displayed with her fellow heroes, the flaws on Sprite will be more muted so dont be completely put off if you are picking up all ten of our heroes.
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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...