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The 80th Anniversary of Marvel Comics saw Hasbro release a number of single Marvel Legends figures and sets to celebrate. The MCU sets included a 2-pack of Hela and Skurge from Thor : Ragnarok. Hela would use the existing figure with new heads and accessories, while Skurge was a brand new figure. Checkout the Hela figure review here Packaging 5/5 The packaging follows the designs laid down in the 2018 First Ten Years Sets with a squared off box rather than the scooped sides we associate with Marvel Legends. The base colour is black with the Legends logo at the top of the box and the movie logo at the bottom. The figures are visible in a window that is bordered in red with the character names built into an extended panel in this red border. The side art remains with Hela shown on the right and Skurge on the left. On the back of the box we get a central movie poster with character profile pictures either side and a short piece of background text. "An Asgardian warrior desperate to prove himself worthy, Skurge's survival instinct leads him to join Hela and become her Executioner. Skurge must wrestle with desire for self-preservation in the face of Hela's violence against his home" Paint & Sculpt 5/5 Skurge The Executioner is a brand new figure in the Legends line. It features an excellent head sculpt of Karl Urban which then is enhanced by the face print technology that gives it expressive "shifty" eyes as well as the scarring around the face. With the head being bald the neck joint is more exposed and visible on the figure, moreso from the rear. The armour is big and bulky and made up of overlapping panels of a metallic silver over a burgundy outfit of sorts. Each panel is cast in the blue colour and then trimmed in silver with further silver dots added on the rivets - these are all neat and with no obvious errors. The lower skirt section is a separate piece in more flexible plastic. It too is cast in metallic blue and has a dragon emblem on the front belt buckle. Accessories 5/5 Skurge comes with a selection of weapons, starting with his Executioners axe. This is cast in a very dark grey plastic that is quite rigid. The rigidity means the axe holds its shape including the details cast into the blade and handle. It fits into the two gripping hands that come on the figure - allowing for left, right or two-handed posing. Skurge also gets his assault rifles Des and Troy. These are cast in gloss black plastic with no other paint apps. The cast is crisp, but the barrels on both of them are very thin and can get warped. They fit into a pair of trigger finger hands that are also provided with the flexible finger slotting into each trigger. These extra hands in themselves are a bonus as Hasbro could have made one set fit all. Articulation 4/5 Skurge is articulated fully with 18 points of articulation, and is pretty flexible in his posing even as a bulky armoured figure. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulders, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers The arms are fully mobile, even under the huge shoulder armour which itself is pivoted to move as the arms are raised - although they cant go all the way up. The bicep swivel and double joint elbows allows for some nice action posing with the axe in particular and shooting poses with Des and Troy. The legs look to be fixed under the skirt, but the skirt piece is flexible enough to move as the legs move. The only issue with the lower limbs is the ratchet on the ankle rockers is very severe and not set quite right for the right foot in particular to be planted flat - this causes a bit of trouble in getting Skurge to stand. Summary Skurge is a brilliant new figure to the MCU line of Marvel Legends and represents a big expansion of Thor Ragnarok figures in 2019. The figure is well packaged, well sculpted, well painted and well articulated. The accessories are great too and I am pleased we got both the axe and Des & Troy and we even got extra hands to hold them rather than making one set fit all. Other than a slightly uncooperative right ankle rocker, Skurge is a beast of a figure and deserves top marks with a 5 out of 5 rating. See More Marvel Legends MCU Figures

McFarlane will be expanding their 7-inch videogame figure content in 2020 with a new deal to produce action figures from the Cyberpunk 2077 video game by CD Projekt Red. The game features the likeness of Keanu Reeves who plays one of the characters, Johnny Silverhand. McFarlane will be bringing us a 7-inch and a 12-inch version of Johnny. The 7-inch line will also include a figure of V, the main playable character. The game itself releases in April 2020 with the first figures scheduled for May 2020. Animegami are already listing pre-orders even though there are no images at this stage.

McFarlane have announced the next two Mortal Kombat action figures to join it's 7-inch line as Series 2. Following Sub-Zero and Scorpion into the arena in 2020 are Johnny Cage and Raiden. Johnny Cage, one of the original 7 playable arcade characters, will come with Sunglasses, Bet Actor Trophy, his own action figure and a display base. Raiden, another original character and one of the few to have appeared in every generation of the game, will be packed with alternative hands, his staff and 2 lightning bolts. He is designed in his Merciless Guardian garb from MK11. Both figures are down for a Q1 2020 release (Jan-March) and will come in the window box packaging. Pre-orders are open across most retailers or McFarlane figures. Our McFarlane Video Game Page has been updated with this news Johnny Cage is an action movie star and martial artist in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He is one of the seven original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game, and remains one of the most popular characters in the franchise to date. Product Features 7 inch (17.78cm) scale Made of plastic Designed with ultra articulation with 22 moving parts Figure showcased in Mortal Kombat themed window box packaging Features Johnny Cage in his ‘Hollywood Hunk” skin featured in the Mortal Kombat 11 Video Game Box Contents Johnny Cage figure Sunglasses Best actor award trophy Miniature Johnny Cage figure Base Raiden, one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game, is one to have appeared in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character. Product Features 7 inch (17.78cm) scale Made of plastic Designed with ultra articulation with 22 moving parts Figure showcased in Mortal Kombat themed window box packaging Features Raiden in his ‘Merciless Guardian’ skin featured in the Mortal Kombat 11 Video Game Box Contents Raiden figure Bonus pair of hands for customizable posing with each accessory Staff 2 Lightning bolts Base

Captain Phasma, and her Quicksilver Baton, were released in 2018 as an exclusive release. Based on her Last Jedi outing, Phasma was originally planned as a Toys R Us Exclusive that then fell foul of their demise. The figure was released via the Disney Store in the US and via the fan channel for the rest of the world - while in Canada and the Far East it remained a Toys R Us product in the TRU stores still operating there. Packaging 4/5 The box for Phasma is the standard red 3rd phase box. As an exclusive there is no numbering on the release, and Phasma is named as Captain Phasma with a subtitle of "Quicksilver Baton" to differentiate from the 2015 version. There is some new Gregory Titus artwork for this box, recreating the damage to Phasma's helmet and that single exposed eye beneath. This artwork is repeated on rear of box along with some specific text around Phasma and her role in The Last Jedi. "Captain Phasma and a squad of elite First Order troopers capture Resistance heroes Finn and Rose, who have infiltrated Snoke's flagship, the Supremacy. Before Phasma can eliminate them, a series of unforeseen events leads to a dramatic battle between Phasma and Finn." Paint & Sculpt 3/5 The first striking thing about the head sculpt on this updated Phasma is the realism of that exposed eye beneath the helmet. Even though it is such a small area, it has been given the face print application and that eye and the shading is uncannily realistic. The blast damage works too, with a melted plastic look to the damaged area that is then scorched with a rusty metal colour around the outside. This damage is carried on down the figure, although not on the cloak which does look a bit odd. The body is a full re-use of the 2015 Phasma from Force Awakens. It is well coloured, but not the shiny metallic we see on screen. The majority of the figure is cast in a black plastic and the silver is painted on top. That has led to some messy areas with ragged lines around the leg armour and on the hands - and even a big silver paint splodge in one of the black thigh areas. The cloak on the 2018 version has been changed from rubbery plastic to a soft goods. This is the ultra thin material that flows much better than the earlier Black Series soft goods, and it comes with a red trim to match the onscreen cape. Accessories 2/5 Phasma retains the blaster rifle from the 2015 release. It is cast in metallic gold and sections of black have then been added. The weapon carries a good deal of sculptural detail across its length, and the black applied paint is neat and tidy and picks out details as small as fastenings on the grip. It sits into Phasma's right hand and it can also be slung via a slot in her right thigh. The other two accessories are what give the release its name - the Quicksilver baton. This is the weapon she uses to face down Finn and the first accessory is the small un-extended version. This is cast in silver with no real detail other than some small holes cut out at one side. The longer version, the extended version, carries the same details and is as tall as the figure. The issue with both weapons is the fact the figure's hands have not been adjusted - or a second pair included - to hold it. Neither weapon can be gripped as it simply slips through either gripped palm. You can balance it in place or with the longer weapon use two hands to give more friction in order to hold a pose. In a set named after the weapon itself it would have been an expectation that Phasma could hold the baton securely? Articulation 3/5 As this is the same body as the 2015 Phasma, it comes with the same articulation count and setup - 16 points in total. Head : ball joint pivot 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 rocker Without the rubbery cape the figure does have more options for posing and the arms do work well enough to get two handed weapon posing with the baton and the blaster. They can be raised fully, with the shoulder armour withdrawing cleverly under the chest piece, and can also be raised outward in firing poses. The legs remain quite fixed with the large thigh armour clashing with the belt if raised. The leg joints are secure though and the ankle rockers a good secure ratchet, allowing Phasma to stand well in a number of poses. Summary I liked the original 2015 Phasma when released, I scored it a 4 out of 5 at the time. Since then the Black Series has moved on big time and I am pleased to see that this figure does benefit from these improvements - particularly the face print use to show that single exposed eye, and of course the improved soft goods to allow the cape to be updated and therefore open up more posing options. The figure is still not a great match for the shine of Phasma's armour on screen, but it does look metallic and shiny enough and the burn and damage marks are well executed. The figure does however have some sloppy paint lines where the silver and black armour transition. The biggest frustration is that in a figure subtitled "Quicksilver Baton", Phasma is not able to hold the said baton securely as there has been no work done on her hands to match the new accessory. She needed a revised left hand as a minimum, or ideally a second set with which to grip and wield the baton. I score Captain Phasma a 3 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series Figures

Mezco have announced a new One:12 Collective 6-inch figure from the DC universe in the shape of KGBeast. This Soviet assassin will come with three heads - two masked and one unmasked. There is a wealth of weaponry including two sledgehammers, a sickle, machetes that fit into sheaths on the figure, handgun, gun arm with magazines and a spear head. The usual multiple hand options and stand will also be included. KGBeast is scheduled for Q3 2020 release (July to September) and you can pre-order now for worldwide shipping direct with Mezco. The One:12 Collective KGBeast comes ready for war - outfitted a sleeveless shirt with fortified armor, spiked shoulder armor, utility belt, cargo pants, and plated tactical boots. Complete with 3 head portraits including an unmasked Anatoli Knyazev sculpt, “The Beast” takes no prisoners and is equipped with a titanium alloy prosthetic gun in place of his left hand, a sickle, a sledgehammer, a machete with crossbody sheath, and more. Anatoli Knyazev, the cybernetically enhanced assassin better known as KGBeast, was trained by a top-secret branch of the KGB known as “The Hammer”. The master of several martial arts, KGBeast has also mastered the use of every deadly weapon known to man and has proven himself to be one of Batman’s most challenging adversaries.

NECA have unveiled the clam-shell packaging design for their 8-inch Candyman figure. The figure will follow the usual format of a sculpted head and articulated body along with soft good tailored clothing. The figure will also include two head options and a removable bee swarm chest piece. It is down for an early 2020 release. "We dare you to say his name five times! From the classic horror film series Candyman! The terrifying slasher films told the story of vengeful urban legend Candyman, who could be summoned by speaking his name five times in front of a mirror. NECA’s clothed action figure features the likeness of legend Tony Todd in two forms – interchangeable heads allow regular and bee-covered expressions. The figure also has an elaborate soft goods coat and comes with an attachable “bee swarm” chest."

At this festive time of year NECA have a tradition of releasing a number of downloadable checklists for their ranges of action figures - and they usually sneak a reveal or two into the checklists. The new for 2019 Predator checklist has given us the first full look at a finished Alpha Predator. He was originally planned to be the 100th release in the series and is a new design that incorporates design elements of the unused Jean Claude Van Damn Predator from the original movie. Having been originally shown at Toy Fair 2019, there have obviously been some delays with this figure. The Alpha Predator is now going to fall into the 2020 release schedule, and with the tease of this image a full press announcement should be imminent.

The 3rd wave of Marvel Legends Avengers Endgame figures for 2019 saw the wave entirely dedicated to MCU figures. It brought us 6 MCU figures from Endgame and also from Infinity War and Civil War. The figures came with parts that would make up the BAF of Thor, as seen in Endgame in his dressing gown from his self-inflicted exile in New Asgard. Assembly 4/5 After collecting the full wave you will have a total of 9 pieces, which includes two head options, an alternative left hand and Stormbreaker. Like all BAF's, assembly is a push and click affair and each part slots neatly into position with a small degree of force. As always I found the thigh joints the toughest part as they are the largest peg and you are manoeuvring them around the dressing gown. Paint & Sculpt 3/5 The figure comes with a brand new head sculpt for Thor with the fuller beard and longer straggly hair. Essentially you get the same head sculpt twice, with the second head having a pair of black cast sunglasses glued on top. These glasses are very poorly positioned on my figure with one arm of the glasses glued above the left ear and the other side glued under the right ear - leaving them crooked on the nose. I had to heat up the glue and then detach the and re position. The head uses face print technology and is a good likeness for Hemsworth. It includes the scar across the right eye courtesy of Hela as well as more natural eyes and shading around the nose and mouth. The body is made up of a blue hoodie which is cast in the blue plastic with no paint apps. It does include sculpted laces and the front pocket. The lower legs are the baggy pyjama type bottoms, although the pattern is very thick and uses three colours only and is not as intricate as the pattern used on screen. They would have benefited from some toning down of the colours, particularly the blue and black. Over this all sits the red dressing gown, again cast int he base red colour with a small paint application at the shoulders with some blue trim. The figure is wearing finger-less gloves which are sculpted with the fabric texture. The colour is too similar to flesh tone that you don't see the transition and the variation of colour could be better. The overall body shape is good compared to the onscreen appearance and "bulk" added to Hemwsorth for this version of Thor. I do not however subscribe to some of the descriptive used for this BAF figure in some circles. Accessories 3/5 Within the BAF parts collected you will find a couple of additional parts for your Thor figure. Firstly we have an alternative left hand, containing the Quantum Suit wrist device. This is not particularly well painted with some paint bleed on the black of the device into the glove colour underneath. The hand swaps in and out without concern and the fit it snug into the wrist. The inclusion is welcomed as it represents Thor as we see him during the Time Heist on Asgard - it would have been quite easy for Hasbro to leave it out. The second accessory is Stormbreaker. The interesting and frustrating part here is that this is not the Stormbreaker we got with the Infinity War Thor - a cast that already existed and didn't have a great deal wrong with it. What we have here is a marginally smaller Stormbreaker with much less detail. We've lost a lot for the wood effect detail in the shaft, and the vine wraps for the grip have also vanished. The painting is much lighter and less accurate, with silver painted over the brown on the wrapping around the blade. Why such a choice to sculpt a new Stormbreaker was made is beyond me, but it is a shame to get the version we do knowing a far superior version exists. Articulation 3/5 Thor has a total of 16 points of articulation. The knees are downgraded from the usual double joint to a single rotating joint and the ankle rockers are locked in a little by the trousers. With this and the length of the dressing gown the lower articulation is limited to standing options only. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single joint rotating knee, ankle rocker The upper joint in the torso offers some rotation but not much lean. The head too is restricted by the hair and the hood of the hoodie and while it can turn the ability to look up and down is not so much restricted, but when done it looks a touch off as the hair splays out and the head sticks out forward. The arms are fully mobile and the double joint elbows and the bicep swivel tucked away under the dressing gown are quite extensive in their range, including two handed swinging poses for Stormbreaker - and I love the ability the figure has of resting the axe on his shoulder. Summary This is a neat version of Thor for those who like to have variants of the main characters, although many would argue the final battle armoured Thor would have been a better version (I think this is incoming anyway in some form). The figure hits just above average in most areas. Paint is OK, but not spectacular. Sculpt is good but has issues. Stormbreaker is an inferior version to the previous release. And articulation is not as good as other BAF figures - with the knee's downgraded to single joints rather than the more usual doubles. I score the Avengers Endgame Thor BAF a just above average 3 out of 5. See More Marvel Legends MCU figures

Valkyrie was released in Autumn 2019 as part of the 3rd wave of Avengers Endgame figures of that year. She was part of an MCU only wave that included figures from Endgame as well as Infinity War and Civil War. The wave included parts to build an Endgame Thor figure. Packaging 4/5 The packaging for Valkyrie is the same design as that used on the previous Endgame releases with the logo for the movie now included in its entirety - on wave 1 and 2 the Endgame part was missing. The side art is an image of Valkyrie in her white armour and this is also shown on the back of the box along with a brief piece of text. "An honoured warrior, Valkyrie uses her strength and skill to defend Asgard" Paint & Sculpt 4/5 This is a full new sculpt for Valkyrie, it does not even use the original Tessa Thompson head from the 2017. This new head sculpt is impressive and utilises the face print to express more realistic eyes and shading on the facial features. The hair is a separate piece - but has very little visible seam. It wraps the head and then snakes down the body in two plaited braids. The sculpt detail on the armour is exquisite for such a scale with differing textures and panels throughout the body. The whole body is cast in a white plastic so only the gold parts are painted along with some slim blue lines around the torso. All the paint is neat with no obvious errors, although a couple of gold panes are not fully covered. It is not all plain sailing though as we have another cape issue for an Asgardian character. The Valkyrie cape is a separate cast piece in a softer blue plastic with painted gold armoured shoulder panels. It connects to the body by means of a single plug on the back that is raised out by a plastic rectangle that has the sole aim of moving the cape away from the body so it looks like it is flying in a breeze. The fit of the plug into the socket is not secure and is quite loose. That means the cape has a tendency to either sit too far in and then raises the shoulder panels so they are floating. Or it sits too far to one side which then slides the left hand shoulder panel down the arm while raising the right one. We've had similar cloak issues with Hela and Loki and considering Valkyrie is not seen without her cloak I would have preferred a more fitted look like Heimdall that keeps it secure and in place and looking natural. Accessories 1/5 I had hoped Valkyrie's weapon would be improved from the extremely floppy Ragnarok sword and sheath. Sadly if anything they are even worse. Both are cast in a rubbery plastic that bends far too easily and is impossible to straighten with the usual heat/cold techniques. We have even lost some paint apps from the 2017 release, namely the gunmetal silver on the scabbard. And even have paint errors on the translucent blue blade where silver paint has been spilled. Like the 2017 release there is nowhere (that I have found) for the scabbard to hang or be mounted. The sword does fit into the right hand, but is so ridiculously bent and misshapen I feel bad having it on display. Articulation 3/5 We have 16 points of articulation on our Valkyrie figure, 2 less than a male figure with the elbows being left as single joints despite the armour giving what looks to be sufficient plastic to allow for a double joint and supporting bicep swivel. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulders, single joint rotating elbows, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker The joints are all tight and secure and posing options are numerous. The figure is however one of those where the feet and ankle rockers can't seem to be posed flat. When you factor in that cape that is pushed out and leaning backwards, Valkyrie is frustratingly difficult to stand - and I had to put her onto a figure stand for most of this review Summary Valkyrie looks awesome, it is such a good sculpt and paint job! It is let down however by a poorly designed cloak and some of the worst accessories I have seen on a Legends figure for some time. Couple that difficulty in standing her up and we have a figure that should have scored a perfect 5 out of 5 let down by some execution of the supporting parts. Factoring in all the frustrations, Valkyrie still deserves an above average 3 out of 5. But if you pick her up, be prepared for frustration in tweaking and teasing all the parts into a pose you are happy with. See More Marvel Legends MCU figures

Vision was originally released as a 6-inch Marvel Legends figure in 2018 as part of the Infinity War line of figures - he was packed in a 2-pack with Scarlet Witch. In 2019 the figure was tweaked and repacked into the 3rd wave of Avengers Endgame figures. He was badged as a Captain America Civil War release. Other figures in the wave included Heimdall, Valkyrie, Iron-Man, Captain America and Iron Patriot. The wave build-a-figure was an Endgame Thor. Packaging 3/5 Civil War Vision arrives in the standard scooped packaging. The predominant highlight across he black is a blue hue, used on the card back, the background of the side art and across the front as a name bar - where the figure is named as Marvel's Vision. The match to the original Civil War releases is not 100% as there was a much paler backing car used on the 2016/7 figures and the Civil War logo was more squat on the front of the box. The side art is OK, showing Vision's head and torso. As usual it is mirrored on either side. A wider shot of the image is shown across the back of the box along with a brief piece of text that actually (to me anyway) is more aligned to Infinity War rather than Civil War in terms of Vision's role. "The physics-defying android, Vision, fights as an Avenger to protect the Infinity Stone that helped to create him" Paint & Sculpt 2/5 This is the exact same sculpt as the Vision released in 2018 in the Infinity War set with Scarlet Witch. That particular sculpt is a very clean and accurate representation of Vision with texture built in across the outfit and good detailing around the head to give a decent likeness to Paul Bettany. To differentiate this and the Infinity War release, Hasbro have put this one in a translucent finish to try and capture him phasing. This effect is not bad, but it is not brilliant. The head turns out lighter than the original version - but it is still too shiny and the sculpt does get lost behind the bright pink face. The body is cast in a translucent green plastic with purple lines added. The problem with this is that being translucent you can see the internal joints within. The cape is a cast plastic piece and is not particularly flexible. It is very difficult to remove from the box in the first instance, and when it does it is misshapen and that means either the rear cape sticks out - or the front part where it wraps the chest sits away from the body. When you compare the two Visions side-by-side the new version looks far inferior and I say that even when the 2018 version had faults. I would personally have preferred Hasbro to simply re-release the original version. Accessories N/A Vision comes with no accessories or pack-ins at all. The original 2018 figure had two sets of hands included - fists and open palmed - but even that has been dropped for this release, leaving Vision with a single pair of open palmed hands. Articulation 3/5 Vision has 19 points of articulation. And thanks to the translucent body, you can see a number of them within the body. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : T-joint ratchet torso, waist swivel Arms : Ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot Legs : Ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker The top half of Vision is very mobile with plenty of posing options with the head, torso and arms. The cape impedes the lower legs from anything other than a standing pose, but you will be glad of the cape as the legs themselves are very loose at the hips and the left ankle rocker in particular. Vision is really hard to stand and stay standing - an issue that the first release suffered with too - and in a lot of neutral poses the cape, which can cause overbalancing if the legs are too straight, acts as a third point of support where it meets the floor. Vision does come alive if you stick him onto an aftermarket flying stand, and this is how I have chosen to display him. This posing option has the added benefit of negating the leg issues as the stand does all the work holding Vision in place. Summary I have no issue with Hasbro re-using and re-releasing figures. But in the case of Vision, the figure wasn't great to start with and this do-over actually takes the figure backward a few more steps. The translucent finish does not work, the leg joints are loose, the cloak arrives misshapen and the figure is hard to stand. We even lose the 2nd pair of hands that were originally packed with the figure. Sadly the Civil War Vision does not deliver on most fronts and to that end I score him a below average 2 out of 5. See More Marvel Legends MCU figures

The 3rd wave of Marvel Legends figures from Avengers Endgame brought us an Endgame Captain America from the Time Heist segment. This is of course the same outfit that Cap wore in the 2011 Avengers Assemble movie. The figure was part of a 6 figure wave with an Endgame Thor as the BAF. Cap was packed with one of Thor's arms. Packaging 4/5 The packaging on this 3rd wave of Avengers figures for 2019 remains colour coordinated with the previous releases with the Endgame figures having a blue shaded theme to the box and the side artwork. One important update is to the movie logo at the base of the figure window which is now the full Endgame logo - the previous waves just used the purple colour Avengers version. The side art on the box is nice, but it has been mirrored so that the right hand spine does look a little odd being a reflection. The same image is used on the back of the box along with the shortest piece of text (am sure they are getting shorter each wave) and a checklist for the Hulk BAF figure. "The all-American hero Captain America charges into the battle for justice" Paint & Sculpt 2/5 To start with I should confirm that this is the identical Captain America body as was released originally in 2011 as part of the first Avengers movie. This is a pity as there are issues with this body such as the very slim waist, the arm shape and the fact one leg is longer than the other. While a new updated body would have been the ideal option, Hasbro have done their best to update the outfit with a more accurate colouring so it does look less plasticy and more like the colour Cap wore in the Battle of New York. The head is new, or rather re-used from the Quantum Suit Cap from wave 1. This head is a very good likeness to a masked Chris Evans and uses the face print tech to give a very realistic set of eyes and mouth. The helmet is then trimmed with the silver A and the wings down either side. This new head looks much better here than on the Quantum Suit, and it is also better proportioned for the body - with the old head being too small. Paint across the figure is neat and well applied, the strips on the mid-section are crisp as is the various silver trims and clasps around the costume. Accessories 2/5 Cap comes with his Shield, and this has been updated from the smaller 2011 version to the larger shield that has been standard for Cap for some time. It is painted with a glossy metallic red, silver and blue with the reverse left as the base grey plastic colouring. Two brown semi-flexible straps are glued into the shield to provide the arm holds. These slot over either arm, and with some tweaking the lower strap can either be held in the grip or slid up the forearm for a higher shield position. What is notable here is the accessories that are absent. There is no unmasked Chris Evans head, despite one being available and Cap spending a lot of the New York Time Travel scenes without his mask. Cap is also missing a pair of fisted hands so he can beatdown his 2011 alternative self. It might have even been nice to include Loki's sceptre? Articulation 3/5 As this is a 2011 body the articulation is of the same era, although it still has a joint count of 18 points of articulation. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist cut swivel Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knee, ankle rocker The big difference to more modern figures is the wrists, which are not articulated and instead we have a swivel where the glove meets the sleeve - probably why we don't have any alternative hands. Being quite slim and lanky, Cap is very agile and numerous poses are available. A lot are thwarted by stability due to the right leg being longer than the left and therefore wider stances or an action posing stand are your friends. Hips and Torso joints are also still quite loose leaving Cap a bit floppy in places. Summary I do get the reason for the re-use on this Captain America in the grand scheme of then being able to give us brand new figures like Heimdall in the new wave. It is however still a shame that we do not have a definitive line up for the original Avengers and while this Cap fixes some of the paint issues and head sculpt concerns of the original 201 version, it still looks a bit out of proportion and more "comic book" than the other figures round it. With a re-used body, older articulation and difficulty standing I do have to score the Captain America a 2 out of 5 overall. See More MCU Marvel Legends Figures

The First Order Jet Trooper from Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker was first released as a Carbonized exclusive - sold at Walmart in the US and Smyths Toys in the UK. The figure was then released in wave 23 in its standard colouring in the standard phase 3 packaging. Packaging 4/5 Each of the Carbonized exclusives has used a different metallic colour base, with the Jet Trooper choosing a foil white and silver for its packaging. The box itself is very striking, but the details do get a little lost as we have grey text and artwork onto a metallic white box. Aside from the colours, the only physical difference from the standard box is a round insert towards the top of the figure window that confirms this as a Carbonized release. The side spine is a much darker metallic grey with the figures number, #99, at the top. Round the back this is repeated as is the Titus artwork - all alongside a short piece of background text. ""Specialised Stormtroopers of the First Order, Jet Troopers soar iot battle equipped with agile rocket packs"" As with any foil or metallic box, the Carbonized boxes are prone to damage and scratching. Here in the UK that is going to be worsened by these being on shelf products in Smyths stores and after some time they will get banged up. Both versions of the Jet Trooper uses the same size of box and the same artwork. The colouring is different and the Carbonized version has the cut in round panel on the window confirming it as part of the Carbonized Collection. There is a slight different on the rear of the boxes with the artwork on the standard release sitting higher and being cut off more at the bottom with a larger "Attention" segment. Both of my versions were UK releases. Paint & Sculpt 4/5 The Jet Trooper design borrows a lot of elements from previous First Order troopers, but the figure does not appear to re-use any parts. The helmet is a cross between a Snowtrooper and a Stormtrooper with sleek flared lines and black painted panel lining and visor. The body is covered predominantly by a large chest piece, complete with some decal work. The jet pack sits on the back of this section with a wide vent area at the top - and here we find our first paint error with some bleeding between the blue and metallic white. A further red decal sits underneath this. The figure is cast in a white plastic for most of the armour and the pearlescent paint is applied on top. That does make the figure shine in certain light, but also can make it look yellowed in others. The coverage of the paint is good and there are no obvious paint issues as seen on the Sith Trooper. There is no difference on sculpt for either Jet Trooper, only the finish. The Carbonized version is still cast in white plastic like the standard release, with the pearlescent paint applied on top. The decals remain the same and the only key difference is the jets and vents on the Carbonized Trooper being blue, while they are gun-metal grey on the standard release. Accessories 2/5 The Jet Trooper comes with a single blaster pistol. It is a new three barrelled affair with sights that do arrive warped. It is cast in grey with the same metallic finish offwhie paint applied in ares. It fits into the Trooper's right hand, but the fit is not all to secure and the hands are very stiff and difficult to manipulate to have the trigger finger slot in place. There is a socket on the right thigh and my first thought was that this allowed the Trooper to holster his weapon. It does not! There is no corresponding peg on the weapon. The leg is not the same as the Storm Trooper or Sith Trooper so the inclusion of a non-working holster slot is an odd one. The blaster from the Sith Trooper does slot in the hole, and I wonder if the original plan was for this figure to have a secondary weapon? Both weapons are identical in sculpt, with the standard version getting extra paint apps with the addition of silver round the barrel and sights which do improve the look. Both suffer from warped sights, but the standard version less so. Both are tight fitting into the figures hand, and neither fit in the thigh socket. Articulation 4/5 Our Jet Trooper has 16 points of articulation in total Head : ball joint neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulders, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hops, thigh swivel, double joint knee, ankle rocker The upper body mobility is good with a lot of range on the torso joint under the armour. Arms can do most poses and can be raised fully with the shoulder armour withdrawing under the chest as the arms are raised. The elbows give enough for a rudimentary two handed weapon pose, but only at a carry position - no real firing options. Like a lot of armoured figures the legs are a bit restricted by the thigh armour. You won't get the legs to raise into anything other than a wider action stance. As a "flying" character the figure does look awesome when placed onto an aftermarket flight stand Summary The First Order Jet Trooper is a well sculpted and designed figure. The Carbonized version is not necessarily screen accurate but does look OK in its pearlescent white paint - although it can look yellowed in some lighting. The figure articulates well enough and there is no obvious paint concerns. The accessory is disappointing having arrived warped and it being difficult to both slot into hands and the socket. You will be paying more for the Exclusive version, at a £24.99 price in Smyths Toys. That of course is a fiver more than usual and for that price you are simply getting a variant box and paint job (other Carbonized have been priced the same as standard version). To that end there is a question over the value for money of the item. Taking all that into consideration, I score the Carbonized First Order Jet Trooper a 4 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series Figures