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Yoda was released in the Archive Series of the Black Series in 2019 as part of the 2nd wave alongside Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul and the Scout Trooper. The Archive Series is a revisit of older, fan favourite, figures from the Black Series - often with the newer face print technology applied. Yoda was given this upgrade, improving on the decor of the original Phase 2 blue line release from 2014. Packaging 3/5 Rather than a boxed release, the Archive figures are presented on a blister card with a shaped cardback with V cut out and two tone design - black round the top and left side, with grey as the figure backing and right hand strip. It carries the Star Wars Black Series logo at the top with the ARCHIVE logo just under this and orientated down the side of the blister. The character name is on the left hand side, also orientated to run up the side of the blister and in a grey text to match the ARCHIVE label. An insert is placed into the blister itself in a triangle shape and carries a Gregory Titus artwork of Yoda. This is not the original artwork that features in the small round panel on the blue line packaging, but a new illustration. The back of the card pays homage to the original 2014 release with a larger version of the Titus artwork alongside an image of the original 2014 packaging and under this the original year of release, picked out in the blue to match the blue line releases. Sitting under this is a short piece of background text "Yoda is a legendary Jedi master and stronger than most in his connection with the Force" Unlike the boxed Black Series, these blister cards are essentially destroyed once opened. Paint & Sculpt 3/5 Yoda is a re-use fully of the original 2014 figure but is now treated with the Face Print technology and it makes a big difference to the overall look of the figure. The likeness is much improved to the original Yoda puppet seen on screen - most notably the eyes, which were very crude on the original release. There is also a more subtle treatment for Yoda's hair (or what's left of it), which is much more palatable. The rest of the body is covered in a sand coloured robe, now in a much lighter textured fabric than the first release. It is tied at the waist with a plastic tie fashioned a a belt. There is a fully articulated body under the robes - but the robes won't come off easily without cutting the belt piece. The soft goods hang fine on such a small frame, but they are a little open at the back of the neck and this causes them to slip down the shoulders. It is as though they are missing a tuck and stitch around the back. Yoda has his blissl (flute) around his neck. This has a habit of getting in the way of poses and sticking out at odd angles. You may be better tucking it into his robes as it can't be removed as the strap is too short to go round his ears and over his head and off. He also comes with his snake. This was always an homage to the original Kenner release, making its inclusion on the Vintage card more poignant. Hands and feet are painted well enough, with the nails picked out in a bone colour. Scale wise, Yoda is too big when compared to the other 6 inch figures. He comes up to Luke's waist almost when he should really only reach his mid-thigh area. Accessories 4/5 The snake accessory is removable. It is cast in a soft plastic and in one shape that is designed solely to hang around Yoda's neck. The stripes are well painted, and up close you can even see the snake skin texture which is really impressive at the scale. The cream and pink are a touch lighter than the original release. Yoda has his Gimer walking stick, cast in brown plastic with some level of wood effect built in to the cast. This detail may have been more defined with a darker brown wash over the top. It looks and feels slimmer and less substantial than the original version. It can be hooked over or through either hand to create the walking stick pose. Yoda comes with his lightsaber, something that is not contemporary to Empire. While I appreciate the addition of any accessory - this seems an odd choice for this release. The saber is a re-use of the 2014 version with black hilt that is then painted silver. The paint on this is less than perfect with scratches and splashes. The blade is translucent green and clicks into the hilt for an ignited lightsaber effect. Yoda can hold the saber in either hand, but it does look odd when used with this figure and with the hand poses which are more sculpted to hold the walking stick or for lifting up X-Wings. Articulation 3/5 As a smaller body, Yoda has a lower articulation count of 14 points. This is just about all he needs for the level of posing you would want. As I said lightsaber and fight poses look and feel odd. The joints are sufficient for having Yoda lean on his stick or gesticulate with his hands at Luke. Head : ball joint neck Body : ball joint waist Arms : ball joint shoulder, double joint elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, single joint knee, ankle rocker The arms do suffer a little bit from the lack of a bicep swivel to offset the inability of the elbows to twist. In fact Yoda may have been better served with a single elbow joint that rotated. Without this rotation there is no way Yoda can get anywhere close to two handed poses of either his saber or his stick. Summary The inclusion of Yoda on the Archive wave was an odd one if Hasbro had always intended his re-release of the identical figure less than 12-months later on the Vintage Card 40th Anniversary wave for The Empire Strikes Back. However, both versions do give a much needed update to the figure in terms of face print likeness which was quite basic on the 2014 Yoda with the line in its infancy. The Archive version offers a different card back option for MIB collectors, and provides another avenue for openers to update their Yoda figure. In terms of the figure and its contents, there remains issues with articulation and the lack of any rotation at the bicep or elbow, and that means posing can be a little stiff and is definitely restricted. I also don't want to knock the inclusion of any accessory, but the light saber is odd both in the blister for carded collectors and for loose collectors where it will probably go straight into the spares box. Hasbro certainly have not perfected a figure of our favourite Jedi Master, and I score this Archive release a 3 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series figures 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, star wars, black series, empire strikes back, dagobah, archive hasbro, yoda,

Jazwares and UFC have revealed the first of their 6 inch action figures coming later this year. The line will feature fully articulate fighters, with alternative heads and hands as well as soft goods ring attire and their appropriate country's flag. Figures will also include title belts The first figures will be Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone - the latter having a variant edition with different short options. “With an extensive roster of iconic UFC champions, this unveiling is unmatched. This new line of collectible figures will allow UFC fans, both kids and collectors, to engage and replicate the biggest UFC super-fight showdowns,” said Laura Zebersky, Chief Commercial Officer, Jazwares. “The collectibles celebrate the history and icons of the UFC today, and so we’re glad to bring this to life and offer fans authentic action figures that they can keep forever.” The collection will be called the Ultimate Series - which is becoming a popular title used by NECA and Super7 already. They are due to start arriving in August 2020 with pre-orders available at Ringside Collectables - and they will then head to Amazon and Walmart in the US. They are likely to find a UK distributor as has happened with the AEW figures and land here soon after. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, ufc, jazwares

Square Enix have revealed three new Marvel figures in a line now called Bring Arts. These appear to be a scaled back version of the 10 inch Play Arts Kai figures, and now stand between 6 and 7 inches tall depending on the character. The line will launch in December 2020 with figures of Iron-Man, Captain America and Spider-Man. The figures will retail at $134.99 and will be a similar £ value once imported over to the UK. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, square enix, marvel, bring arts

The long rumoured Jango Fett figure in the Gaming Greats line has been revealed, and also opened for pre-orders. Jango will come in the Gaming Greats box and is based on his appearance in the Star Wars Bounty Hunter video game from 2002. The packaging will remain in the Phase 3 Gaming Greats format and won't moved (yet) to the new Phase 4 packaging. "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter follows Jango Fett, the most fearsome bounty hunter in the galaxy, as he pursues an unhinged Dark Jedi named Komari Vosa!" STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH GAMING GREATS JANGO FETT Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine exciting moments from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH GAMING GREATS JANGO FETT Figure, inspired by the STAR WARS BOUNTY HUNTER video game. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this highly poseable (4 fully articulated limbs) figure, featuring premium deco, in their action figure and vehicle collection. Includes figure and 2 accessories. Available for pre-order exclusively at GameStop. Jango will include his dual blasters and a removable helmet. The head sculpt looks to be updated to the face print technology for a better likeness to actor Temuera Morrison. The jet pack is also amended to one more akin to the one used on Boba Fett. The Gaming greats Jango Fett is down for an October 2020 release. Here in the UK he is a Fan Channel Exclusive. In the US he will be a Gamestop Exclusive. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, star wars, gaming greats, jango fett, bounty hunter, black series

Stan Lee was released in the 6 inch Marvel Legends line in 2020. A figure of Stan Lee had been rumoured as far back as 2018 as a BAF. Stan's sad death in November 2018 likely delayed the plans and it wasn't until the Summer of 2020 when the figure finally got its release onto store shelves. It was now a single figure release in special signed "Excelsior!" packaging. Stan's figure was based on his cameo in Avengers (2012) and comes complete with the chessboard from the film - as well as a signed Captain America shield. Packaging 5/5 The packaging for Stan Lee draws much from the recent First Ten Years and 80th Anniversary sets than the standard Legends line. The box is squared off and uses a black pattern design as the backdrop - invoking the look of the pop art dotted artwork that we often see for Marvel characters. The Legends series sits top right, while the bottom of the box simply carries the Marvel logo - under this, where we would traditionally find the character name, in a silver box is Stan Lee's name. The silver theme continues in a single border around the figure window and a replica Stan Lee signature across the window. To either side spine is the word "Excelsior" and this is also finished off with Stan's signature. These two panels are highly reflective and look superb when lit correctly. The back of the box also follows a similar format to the First Ten Years / 80th Anniversary. We have a shot of the figure against a blurred backdrop recreating the scene where he is playing hess and commenting on the recent events at the end of Avengers. To the side of this is a movie poster, and underneath a brief piece of text to add context. "Inspired by Stan Lee's cameo as a skeptical chess player in Marvel's The Avengers" Paint & Sculpt 4/5 Stan is a fantastic likeness, including his grin and trademark moustache. The head uses face print technology to really bring out the likeness to Stan from 2012 and this includes shading around the mouth and eyes to add realism. The eyes are painted, but are behind a set of sunglasses. These are well shaped but the frames are perhaps a tad to thick - but to be expected at this scale. The eyes are just visible behind the translucent lenses. The body is a good match to the beige shirt and blue jacket Stan's wears in the Avengers cameo scene. These are cast in their base colour with the buttons on the shirt painted. The trousers are a re-use from the original Coulson figure and subsequent suited figures since. This isn't a bad thing as they work fine with the outfit. The only issue is that when you line up the thigh swivel to the lines of the trousers, this does turn the feet inward - so you either have to live with offset trouser seams, or inward turned feet when Stan is standing neutrally. Accessories 3/5 Stan's first accessory is the chessboard he was playing on in the Avengers. This is the board when folded and is made up of a slab of plastic with some chess board size squares etched into the top. The only other detail are the gold hinges one one side which are the only paint apps. The board can be snuck under Stan's arm - but it does little else. The other accessory has nothing to do with The Avengers or his cameo, and is more fan service with the inclusion of Captain America's shield - now emblazoned with Stan's signature. This is a re-use of the recent Cap shields from Civil War onwards with the two looped straps on the back. it slots up and onto either arm, but to keep the signature orientated it has to be held quite straight. Of course Stan Lee did not create Captain America, and the shield inclusion is likely more one of convenience as a piece Hasbro could recreate easily for the set. It would have been a nice tribute, if they wanted to go down this route, with other parts such as a Spider-Man web slinging hand (as often posed by Lee) or an Iron-Man gauntlet hand and forearm. Articulation 4/5 Stan comes with a remarkable amount of articulation, with the full range of 19 points of articulation included. This is more down to the body going on for use in a Spider-Man release than specifically designed for the Stan Lee figure. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : T-Joint chest, rotating waist Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivots Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers The ball joint neck is very mobile, but the large pivot does pose some aesthetic issues. The arms and legs are fully moveable, with no armour or capes or cloaks to impede Stan. He could do any range of action poses if you wish. We played around with a few of his photo poses such as the Spider-Man web slinging - and as mentioned above, including a web slinging hand would have been awesome. All the joints are tight and secure and work fine. The only issue is back to the turned in feet and standing Stan will require the thighs to be swivelled out and a bit of forward lean on the torso. Summary The Marvel Legends Stan Lee figure is a wonderful tribute, and is well executed in terms of sculpt, paint and articulation. The packaging is well thought out too and makes for a great display item if you choose to leave Stan sealed in the box. The issues in the set are really just those legs, which don't quite line up to the sculpt of the trousers without turning the feet inward unnaturally and this has a knock on effect to the stability. I also query the accessories in terms of context to the movie this cameo figure is based on - or indeed their context to Stan. I wonder if Hasbro will leave it as that for Stan Lee, or will we have further Stan Lee cameo figures to look forward to. I wouldn't be opposed to that and would love to see future Barber Stan from Ragnarok, Mail Man (Tony Stank) from Civil War or WW2 Veteran Stan from Age of Ultron. I score the Stan Lee Marvel Legends figure 4 out of 5. Visit our Marvel Legends Database for more News & Reviews 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, avengers, assemble, stan lee, excelsior, cameo

NECA have released this gallery of promotional images for their upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon 2-Packs, Series 3. This next set includes April O'Neil and Footsoldier, Casey Jones and Footsoldier and Leatherhead and Slash. They are exclusive to Target in the US. Elsewhere in the World we have a more general release and Pre-orders are open now. The sets are due Summer 2020, estimated between July and August. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, April, Casey Jones, Slash, Leatherhead

NECA have revealed the packaging for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2-packs heading to Target in the US in July 2020. The sets are based on the TMNT cartoon series and feature Slash & Leatherhead, Casey Jones & Foot Soldier and April O'Neil & Foot Soldier. These new images have been added to our NECA Database. Filter by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to see the 2020 sets. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, neca, teenage mutant ninja turtles

A NECA Toy Fair 2020 Announcement as the 2003 Godzilla stomps his way into the NECA Godzilla line of figures. This is Godzilla as he appears in the 2003 movie, Godzilla : Tokyo SOS. He will be fully articulated and measure 12 inch from head to tail. Like all the recent Godzilla releases, the 2003 Godzilla will come in a closed box carrying the artwork from the original movie poster. An opening flap will reveal the figure in a clear window. 2003 Godzilla is scheduled for release around June 2020 NECA is excited to introduce the next iteration for the most famous kaiju in the world, #Godzilla! Based on its appearance in the 2003 film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S, Godzilla stands approximately 6” tall and measures 12” long from head to tail. Featuring over 30 points of articulation and an articulated tail, this Godzilla from the Millenium Era will come packed in collector friendly window box packaging with opening flap. Shipping Date: June 2020 Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, neca, godzilla, 2003, godzilla tokyo sos

NECA have released the packaged images of their 2003 Godzilla, as seen in Tokyo SOS. Like all of the recent NECA Godzilla figures, the set will be in a fully enclosed box with opening front flap to reveal the figure within. The box art is based on the original movie poster. Godzilla 2003 will start shipping in mid-July 2020. NECA is excited to introduce the next iteration for the most famous kaiju in the world, #Godzilla! Based on its appearance in the 2003 film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S, Godzilla stands approximately 6” tall and measures 12” long from head to tail. Featuring over 30 points of articulation and an articulated tail, this Godzilla from the Millenium Era will come packed in collector friendly window box packaging with opening flap. Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors, godzilla, neca, tokyo sos

It was late 2017 when I plunged headfirst into Hasbro's Marvel Legend MCU figures, and I opened the first checklist on the site at the same time. This soon expanded into a full checklist of MCU figures from Hasbro - broken down by MCU Phases. As I upgrade the site to the new database format of checklist, the opportunity arose to create a fuller Marvel Legends database of all figures - both MCU and Comic based - and over the last 6-weeks I have been building this database back as far as 2014 when the Infinite Series launched. I now present my Marvel Legends Database, complete currently with over 750 figures all broken down by release year, wave and source material. The database can be filtered by MCU or comic and also by movie/source, year and release type - for example general releases, exclusives or multi-packs. There is also the option to search by character name and by wave if you want to see a particular wave. Clicking through each figure opens a database entry for each, and where there is news or indeed a full review that link is also included. These data cards will also carry promo image galleries and promotional text where available - this is more prevalent on the newer releases. Considering the volume of info there are likely to be some errors, and I've taken some liberties when the source material for comic book releases are not immediately obvious. If there are any significant errors, please let me know. Visit the Marvel Legends Database today... and please share where possible with friends and like-minded collectors Checkout our blog page for more action figure news, reviews and store reports 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 figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

Doctor Strange, Astral Projection, was released in 2016 as part of the Marvel Legends wave to coincide with the release of his MCU movie. The wave mixed three figures from the film along with comic book versions and a comic book BAF of the films "big bad", Dormammu Packaging 3/5 Doctor Strange is packed in the standard black scooped side Legends box with an orange hue design used across the figure backing, the name plate and down each side with the image of Doctor Strange facing off against his enemies. The box front uses the MCU movie logo at the base of the figure window, with the Legends logo at the top. The box was used on both the standard Doctor Strange and this Astral version and both figures are pictured on the reverse of the box with the briefest of text about the Sorcerer Supreme. "The Sorcerer Supreme combats evil using many forms." nb : My review copy did not come with the BAF part, or I believe the correct tray insert. The box is however as the figure was released, shared with the standard Doctor Strange figure. Paint & Sculpt 2/5 The Astral Projection figure is essentially cast in a pink hued white plastic to replicate the scenes when the Doctor is on the Astral plane. This means the details in the head and the likeness to Benedict Cumberbatch are a little harder to see, but on closer inspection you can see what a good sculpt this is and that the likeness on the standard figure is lost more in the sculpt. Fully translucent figures rarely work as they expose the joints and working within, so this solution is a compromise. The plastic is pearlescent, which helps the overall effect, but perhaps the colouring should have had a more yellow tinge than pink? There is virtually no paint on the figure, save the white applied to the eyes which looks possessed. When you look at the scenes in Doctor Strange where they visit the Astral plane, I think it would have been nicer to try some level of colour to the base white pearlescent. On screen the Astral versions of the characters are not white like a ghost, rather they retain some colour and are more translucent. It would have been interesting to see if Hasbro could make that work - a bit like the Force Ghosts in Star Wars Black Series? In these comparison pictures you can see that the two Doctor Strange figures from 2016 use the same exact sculpt and only the base plastic and final colour scheme were changed. The Astral version doesn't get the cloak, but can wear the one that came with the standard version for an interesting look. Accessories 2/5 As well as not having the cloak, the Astral Doctor Strange is also missing the spare hands, coming only with the spell casting versions. He also doesn't get the magic effects. He does get the Eye of Agamotto. This is cast in a white plastic with no paint apps. It has the same issues as the coloured version in that it does not sit very well on the figure. And without the cloak to keep it in check it is almost worse on the Astral version. Articulation 3/5 Doctor Strange has a total of 20 points of articulation, two more than usual thanks to a swivel at the boot cut on the legs. Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : ball joint waist Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hip, thigh swivel, double joint knees, boot swivel, ankle rocker Movement is identical to that of the main line figure and posing is great for the upper body, less so for the legs behind those lower skirts. The beauty of this figure comes with a flight stand and he looks great levitating on the Astral plane or even posed with and behind the main figure. Summary Astral Doctor Strange feels like a figure that should have been part of a 2-pack, and not a single release when you consider this is the same figure as the main line Doctor Strange with virtually zero paint, no alternative hands, no cloak and no magic FX accessories - calling its value for money into question. It works to a degree thanks to the pearlescent paint, and will rely a lot on lighting to bring out the detail on display - looking much better when lit and against a darker background. I score the Astral Doctor Strange a slightly disappointing 2 out of 5, and would have liked to see a bit more ambition and colour in the body. See More Marvel Legends Figures 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, hasbr, doctor strange

Doctor Strange was released in 2016 as part of the Marvel Legends wave to coincide with the release of his MCU movie. The wave mixed three figures from the film along with comic book versions and a comic book BAF of the films "big bad", Dormammu Packaging 3/5 Doctor Strange is packed in the standard black scooped side Legends box with an orange hue design used across the figure backing, the name plate and down each side with the image of Doctor Strange facing off against his enemies. The box front uses the MCU movie logo at the base of the figure window, with the Legends logo at the top. The box was used on both the standard Doctor Strange and the Astral version and both figures are pictured on the reverse of the box with the briefest of text about the Sorcerer Supreme. "The Sorcerer Supreme combats evil using many forms." Paint & Sculpt 3/5 Doctor Strange from 2016 pre-dates the face print technology and therefore is not the exceptional likeness we now expect. It bears a good resemblance to Benedict Cumberbatch with a well proportioned face and a decent attempt at his facial expression. The eyes, eyebrows and beard are simply painted - but painted well with no obvious errors. The hair is sculpted perhaps a bit short at the sides and is then painted a solid grey first fading to brown at the back - a more subtle transition would have improved the look and looked closer to the onscreen hair colouring. The costume is spectacular and starts with the blue robes that the Doctor wears with varying creases and folds around the torso, and shirt section with it all held in with a sash belt. These robes are cast in blue with the other colours added. Most of it is neatly applied, but we have some missing brown on the straps of the belt leaving the end of them the same colour as the robes. The cloak is cast in deep red and can be removed if you wish to give two very different looks to the Doctor. The cape has painted detail around the clasp and again the colour has not fully covered the base plastic in places leaving exposed red where a black strap should be. There are patterns cast into the cloak around the front seams, and textures round the collar and back. With a darker red wash these would have stood out beautifully. The figure is identical in sculpt to the Astral version released at the same time, with this alternative version cast in a pink hued white to create the ghostly appearance. The body would also go on for some level of re-use for the 2018 Doctor Strange from the Infinity War 3-pack. The 2018 version has a slightly better looking Cumberbatch head, utilising the face print technology. The Cloak is completely altered. Accessories 3/5 Doctor Strange arrives with two pairs of hands for use with the figure. The first are magic casting hands, sculpted in a palm open / fingers bent pose ready to unleash the mystical energy. There is then a second pair of gripping hands, designed to hold the magic shield piece also included. Both hands slot in and out easily and of course can be interchanged so you have the configuration you require for your display. The magic shield FX piece is cast in a translucent yellow and is cast with the mystical energy pattern on the front and with flaming effect sides. Round the back is a grip that can be held by either of the gripping hands so the shield is presented in front of the figure as though just cast. You can see what the Hasbro team were trying to achieve, it just looks a bit too solid for an FX piece and should have been much more translucent and ideally not held on the back but presented so it looks to be coming out of the outstretched fingers via a shaped slot or something. The Doctor also comes with the Eye of Agamotto. This is cast in a softer plastic with a dark strap, with sculpted wrapped twine, and a golden eye piece with visible carved design. It is well sculpted and painted considering the scale, but the issue is it does not sit naturally around his neck. The strap is too rounded and leaves the piec sitting proud from the figure - always sitting too high at the back of the neck. The Astral piece does exactly the same, and it was not fully solved for the 2018 release although that one seems to have some re-shaping of the strap to allow it to hang a little better. Articulation 4/5 Doctor Strange has a total of 20 points of articulation, two more than usual thanks to a swivel at the boot cut on the legs. Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : ball joint waist Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hip, thigh swivel, double joint knees, boot swivel, ankle rocker Movement is pretty great on the upper body with a number of spell casting poses available - although the arms don't want to sit close to the body and more neutral stances are not agreeable with the joint configuration. The legs are held back a little by te lower skirts of his robes. The Doctor stands perfectly well and can go to some wider stances, but not much else. He does look great on a flight stand to recreate some levitation spells. And in these poses the legs can bend and pose to match - even into a partial legs crossed pose. All the joints are secure and many are ratcheted for added security. He has no loose joints or areas of concern and stands perfectly well. Summary The 2016 Doctor Strange figure is getting scarcer these days, and while its head sculpt and paint job is not of today's standard - the outfit, much of the painting and certainly the articulation hold their own. There are paint errors to contend with, and some areas on the cloak in particular that would have benefitted from an extra paint application. But everything else looks and works pretty well. Doctor Strange is welcome addition to my MCU collection, even if I do have the later 2018 version. It is however a puty only versions of the Doctor and Mordo made it into the Legends line from the movie, making it arguably the least represented in the MCU. I score the Marvel Legends 2016 Doctor Strange MCU figure an above average 3 out of 5. See More Marvel Legends figures 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, doctor strange