Ares originally appeared as the Build-a-Figure in the 2010 Marvel Legends Series from Hasbro. When I pulled out Hercules to do a review, I figured it would be apt to follow him up with a review of his fellow Greek god and Marvel Comics regular — Ares.
Ares, as a Build-a-Figure, is part of the wave of smaller-scaled Build-a-Figures. He stands around 7 inches tall and, well, draws much ire from collectors. On the one hand, they are super glad to have Ares, but on the other, no could find this figure, they didn’t like the modern look (although the Frank Cho Mighty Avengers look is really popular), and, finally, there were fit problems with the right hip. Mine, for example, is loose and pops out with ease. For some, the hex ring in the right hip broke apart, rendering their Ares useless, and with his status of having been impossible to find… collectors were not happy.
Finding the positive in this figure is easy. It’s a great looking figure and does capture the art that it is based on. And it is how Ares looks these days and fills a hole for him on Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers, or whatever display you have him in. While the figure could use some serious paint work, and there is the hip issue, it’s a good, solid piece of plastic that is fun to play with and looks sharp in a display.
On the articulation front, we have all the joints needed except for one: the neck hinge. There is a ball-and-socket joint on the head, and it works really well as side-to-side swivel but not as an up-down joint. The design of the head sculpt and/or the positioning of the ball joint means that Ares is always looking slightly down. It’s menacing but not really useful for posing. Here’s the breakdown:
Hinged ankles
Swivel ankles
Double-hinged knees
Swivel thighs
Ball hips
Ball abs
Ball shoulders
Swivel biceps
Hinged elbows
Swivel elbows
Swivel wrists
Hinged wrists
Ball neck
As mentioned earlier, the paint isn’t fantabulous, it’s OK and gets the message across. I think I’m missing some kind of look/weathering on the arms or something to make him less clean. Otherwise, it’s a solid paint job.
He comes with a knife and greatsword. I know he has a battle axe in the comic, and I’ve seen people use Lord Thor’s battle axe with him. It’s a good look. Both weapons fit well in his hands. The helmet is also removable, revealing a good-looking noggin underneath.
As mentioned before, he’s a good, solid figure to add to your collections. Being a BAF, you’ll either have to hit the aftermarket for the individual figures or buy up a set. Here are some listings: