Welcome to our review of the 2019 Marvel Legends Ulysses Klaue figure from the 2nd wave of Black Panther figures. Klaue is packed with the torso of the wave's build-a-figure, M'Baku.
Packaging 3/5
Klaue is packed in the Black Panther packaging complete with golden figure backdrop and blue hued side art. The side art is not overly dynamic with a shot of Klaue in his waistcoat looking a bit menacing.
Round the back we have a split of colour with the top section in a vibrant orange. We lose the promotional image of the actual figure here and Hasbro are now using images from or based on the movie. This image of Klaue is much more impressive having zoomed out and showing him firing his arm weapon. Alongside this is a short bio.
"An arm dealer obsessed with vibranium, Ulysses Klaue infiltrates the secret nation of Wakanda to steal the sacred metal and sell it for a hefty profit."
Underneath the gold section we revert back to blue with a checklist for the wave and the location of the various parts for M'Baku.
Out of the box, Klaue is sat in an inner tray with his spare arm and side arm to the top right and M'Baku's torso to the bottom right. The figure and parts are all secured solely by the tray and there are no twisty ties or straps to negotiate.
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
The head sculpt and subsequent face print on Klaue is nothing short of impressive. It captures that manic, crazed look of Klaue and of course the likeness to Andy Serkis is uncanny. The eyes are also manic and stare out from beneath the brow with a real intensity.
The hair and beard are well executed and the face is even then "distressed" with a number of cuts and contusions as sported by Klaue in the movie. There is nothing to fault with the head at this price point.
While the head is impressive, the body does have a few problems. The Hasbro team have potentially worked to a budget with this figure - so instead of a fully sculted torso we have a rubber waistcoat and shirt that is then wrapped onto a plain torso underneath. This means the upper body of Klaue in regards to his waist and legs is a bit bulkier than I would like and can look disproportioned from certain angles.
This torso piece is cast in dark blue wit the white painted on top for the shirt and this paint application is patchy with some areas unpainted and some bleed onto the waistcoat. Oddly the back of the waistcoat has been given a more indepth treatment with a nice mottled effect painted onto the base plastic.
The rest of the outfit is plainly decorated with single colours and no painted definition. We also have a stamped white reference number on the inner thighs which is a bit too visible against the dark blue trousers.
Although it could come under articulation, I will talk quickly about an issue here with the lower legs. They've been sculpted with a visible seam down the trouser sides and a fold at the front. These cross from the upper hips down to the thigh. When the line from hip piece to thigh piece is lined up, the feet are turned inwards by some distance giving Klaue a peculiar and unnatural stance. This is a shame as the legs then have to be turned out which breaks the line of the trouser seam and throws the sculpt of the leg with a visible broken line at the thigh joint.
The detail does come back in the lower arms thankfully with an impressive tattoo on the right forearm that goes down under a sculpted watch and onto the back of the hand. The other arm is sculpted to have Klaue's weapon exposed. The hand and forearm are split into two pieces really well and the weapon comes up from the void in between in a gunmetal grey with silver dry brushing and some blue panels down the barrel.
Accessories 3/5
If the weapon arm was not enough, Klaue is armed with a handgun. This is cast in plain plastic with limited detail. It fits in Klaue's right and with a trigger finger that just about slots into place.
The other accessory - as such - is a second left forearm. This one is closed up so the weapon is not exposed. It slots on at the elbow and is easy to swap in and out. The hand is cast with an open palm look and gives you a slightly different option for displaying Klaue.
Articulation 3/5
Klaue has 18 points of articulation (17 if the exposed gun arm is in use). The head is ball jointed with a pivot as usual and is fully mobile. With the torso all as one piece the next joint sits in the waist, but it is a ball joint not a simple rotation so there is some lean movement in this piece.
Both arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with a bicep swivel underneath. A bicep swivel usually indicates a double jointed elbow, but Klaue only gets a single joint and the elbow can also rotate. The wrists on the right arm and the left non-weapon arm are jointed with a rotation and a pivot.
While the double jointed elbows feels like a miss, Klaue can achieve most of the poses you would want him too and this downgraded joint is not too much of a concern.
We mentioned the leg issue earlier on which throws the line of the sculpt when the legs are posed in a natural stance. Aside from this leg articulation is good with a ball joint hip, thigh swivel, double jointed knees and a limited moveable ankle rocker. Klaue has no trouble standing.
Summary
Klaue is one of those villians that might have been overlooked for a figure considering he is simply a man in a suit. The figure Hasbro have given us is pretty impressive as far as the head sculpt goes, but you can see where some corners have been cut such as the rubbery waistcoat over a plain torso and the limited paint on the body.
The biggest issue is sadly those legs which are too slim and that either do not line up when the feet are posed naturally, or that cause the feet to be turned in and unnatural when the lines of the sculpt are aligned. That is a bit of a miss from me.
When you weigh up everything, and on the strength of that head alone, Klaue is certainly an above average release with some neat inclusions such as the split gun arm. I score him an above average 3 out of 5.
