Good gracious (sorry, Cap would not want me to swear), can you believe that the second series of the Civil War Marvel Legends is hitting already? Well, I mean, they are kind of hitting already insofar as they have been released in Asia, but if you know anything about us, you know we would not be able to wait the extra weeks until they hit stateside for us to get our greedy mitts on them.
The good part is that we are very pleased to share our thoughts and pictures with you now that we have them, and since Pabs is handling the movie figure reviews, and Robo is taking it to YouTube, that means you are stuck with me for the comic-based figures in this assortment. It seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago (because it was a couple of weeks ago) when I was talking about the first assortment’s Captain America (comic-based) and Sharon Carter, but good news for the guy who couldn’t figure out why movie Cap was not included in that assortment: he is in this one.
However, to keep the (seemingly) complex release pattern going, we are also getting a smattering of other non-movie figures in this Giant Man assortment, and I am kicking it off with a look at a character whose comic version I certainly did not expect to see here, especially in its classic incarnation: Nick Fury. Yep, the Howling Commando cum Executive Director of SHIELD is back in his classic look, and if you have been hankering for some swingin’ Steranko action, you are going to want this figure for sure. I have always had a special affinity with this character because we share the same name, but even I wasn’t prepared to see him make his debut at Toy Fair last month.
Nick Fury has, in my opinion, been handled very well in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far, and Samuel L Jackson, in his usual fashion, brings a lot of depth and entertainment value to the character. The character (based on the Ultimate comic version) was quite literally made for him, and as far as giving the character an imprint in popular culture, I am so pleased with what the movies have been able to bring us. However, we very recently got a figure of that movie version in a Toys R Us box set, so it is kind of cool to see the classic version get its day in the sun, and Nick even brought the ability to army-build SHIELD agents with him. If you are wanting to build the movie Giant Man figure, you are going to need to get at least one of these, and if you are like me, you won’t be disappointed.
For all intents and purposes, I have not ever had a chance to upgrade my classic Nick Fury that came out waaaaaaay back in series five of the ToyBiz run. I know that Hasbro released an update to the figure in a two-pack several years ago, but I never cared for head sculpt, and I used the base to get some Dum Dum Dugan representation on my shelf. So that old ToyBiz figure has been a stalwart in my collection, even though he hasn’t really aged gracefully. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE that old figure’s head sculpt, but the base body used for the figure was wrong to begin with, so it was pretty much handicapped from the start.
This new release utilizes the now-classic Black Panther base body, and it far more fitting for Nick’s physique. Of all of the bases currently in the ML parts library, I feel this is the most appropriate one to use, and since it is essentially a “nude” suit, it covers the foundation of Nick’s base outfit pretty well. Gone is the jacket and cargo pants, while the navy blue jumpsuit with white boots has returned. The rest of the outfit details are handled via glued-on pouches and straps, and they work pretty well here. They all have some painted wash detail, so it is not just stark clean white, and if you are used to the Hasbro method by now, you can bet that there is a holstered gun that is not removable. That is not so bad, though, because the figure does include his classic pistol (now THIS could have used some paint details), and the leg holster can store that perfectly, so he does have some function to go with his form.
As I mentioned, the figure also includes three different heads: Nick himself, a SHIELD agent, and a helmeted look. The latter is just great, and I have a feeling I will be going back to the well a couple of times for this figure so I can have a couple of agents flanking the boss man. The un-helmeted head is a little wacky in terms of expression (that’s Dirk Anger, for you), even if the eye piece is neat in its translucent green glory, so even though I won’t have much use for it, it is a free extra piece, so I am not going to bitch about it. The Nick Fury head is perfectly fine as well, and it represents the character well. Like most Hasbro heads, it could use some more paint detail, but they did take a stab at supplying the five-o’clock shadow, so that is a cool detail.
I still cannot break myself of the fact that, even though I find this Fury head sculpt to work just fine, I don’t like it as much as that old ToyBiz version. Yeah, I was never a fan of the rest of that figure, but the head sculpt on that figure remains AMAZING, and it is so dynamic. I think I’m having trouble adjusting to the more placid expression on this new figure. That might just be me, but I thought I would point it out; I don’t mean to detract from this new sculpt at all, but making comparisons is in our nature, so I pretty much just the predictable thing, even if it is just a matter of opinion.
Overall though, this is a great figure, and I very pleased that it has been included in this assortment. Thanks to the movies and TV show, SHIELD agents have certainly gotten their fair share of representation lately, so we just could not go without their leader in his classic look. I certainly recommend this figure, even if you were likely going to buy him anyway, so when this assortment hits (probably closer to the movie release) be sure to grab at least one.
