Hasbro – Marvel Legends Hercules

It was 2007 and Marvel Legends was handed over from ToyBiz to Hasbro. This was to be Hasbro’s big splash, their announcement on the scene, and it was a thud. Certainly, the rabid collectors were happy Marvel Legends was continuing, but the wave was a weird mash of older ToyBiz figures slated for release and Hasbro’s first attempts. To put it lightly, the Annihilus Series brought mixed feelings.

Take Hercules, for example. On one hand, I was super excited about getting Hercules! I’d done some customs of him, even a straight-up sculpt, and this was easily my most anticipated figure. It was even in his classic digs! However, upon getting the figure and opening him, I was less than impressed. The overall figure looked great, it was Hercules and he even had that silly smile that the jovial Marvel Comics demigod wears, but the sculpt was a bit all over. The arms didn’t seem to have that crisp pop of musculature that we’d seen before, and the chest sculpt was off. The arms are long, and the chest is long, and the legs are short. He just looks off.

And yet, it is Hercules. A bit cartoony in his looks, but it is him. And he is a fantastic toy. I mean, this is one of the better toys that came out of Marvel Legends. He is fun to pose and have beat up on baddies. If only Hasbro would produce the Masters of Evil for him to joust with…

The articulation is good, old fashioned, solid Marvel Legends fare. The only joints that don’t seem to be 100 percent in the working department are the shoulders, both vertically and laterally. The ratchet joints there are very stiff, and I fear breaking the legs off when I pose him. The other area that’s tough to deal with when posing is the hips. They are hindered by a very stiff rubber skirt. Ol’ Herc can barely lift his knees, let alone sit. In this case, I would have preferred a cloth skirt.

The articulation breakdown is as follows:

Rocker ankles
Hinged ankles
Double-hinged knees
Swivel thighs
Ball hips
Swivel waist
Hinged abs
Ball shoulders
Swivel biceps
Double-hinged elbows
Swivel wrists
Hinged wrists
Hinged neck
Swivel head

The paint is a solid attempt by Hasbro to try and bring some of that ToyBiz love to the line, but it didn’t really work. Hasbro excels at getting plastics made in the colors that could be painted and they did a decent job here with Herc. They even attempted to give him a wash or dry brush, which works OK. I’ll give them points for trying.

While I am critical of many aspects of this toy, it is a good toy. It is the only Hercules we have to date, and it is a classic Hercules for any Avengers or Champions collection. You can still pick him up at:

Amazon.com

eBay