The Marvel Legends Captain America: Civil War Infinite series three is starting to arrive, and in true Fwoosh fashion, we going to work backwards through our features of all of the figures. That means the mean, green Build-a-Figure is up first: Abomination!
Holy Hannah, how is your wallet doing these days, dear Marvel Legends collector? I have to say that my toy shelves have been in a state of bliss with all of the Marvel Legends love we have been getting over the past month or so, but with that comes a constant stream of tears from the old billfold. I ain’t even mad, though – my new X-Men, Spider-Man, and now Captain America Legends are all awesome, and I have been ready for this glut ever since Toy Fair. I don’t remember the last time (if there was a last time) that THREE Legends assortments hit on top of each other, but I have a pile of new coolness that will keep my happy for the months to come. You know, until that itch starts up again.
Big Bad Toy Store got this new Cap wave to me late last week, and while I probably wasn’t anticipating this delivery as much as the X-Men and Spidey boxes, I can already tell you that this is a really strong wave. There is a bit of something for everyone with the inclusion of Secret Wars Captain America, MCU Scarlet Witch, Iron Skull, Eel, Captain Britain, and Wonder Man in this assortment, so if you are into all of that, several corners of your shelves are going to get a boost as you acquire this set of shiny newness. Of course, if you DO buy all of those guys, you get the Abomination BAF, and since we usually talk about the builders last, I am going to lead with him. I will get to the rest of the assortment next week. Promise.
Even before starting this spotlight, I was already in kind of a weird place with Abomination, at least in terms of his action figure history. I now own five comic Abomb figures: two from ToyBiz (plus a variant), and two from Hasbro, and, really, they have all been pretty damned good. Granted, I think they have gotten better with each subsequent release, but while I am always happy to get a better figure, the climb wasn’t as high from the last figure to this one. It was time, though, since Hasbro has never taken a crack at him, and since this new figure fits the current Marvel Legends aesthetic much better, I am happy to upgrade. However, in doing so, I have actually upgraded TWICE in the past month.
So, while this Abomination BAF arrived last week, I actually got the same figure, but with a different paint deco, in my SDCC-exclusive Marvel Legends Raft set last month. So, I have actually had a bit of time to (mostly) live with this figure and gather my thoughts about it. In doing so, two things have become abundantly clear: I think this mold makes for the best Abomination figure thus far, and the only tough choice for collectors is going to be which deco they prefer, if they even care to decide. I know that sounds simple, but it is what it is: if you like the darker paint applications, get the SDCC version; if you like the more pronounced highlights, get his BAF; and if you don’t care one way or another, you will still win because this figure is a marked upgrade over what you have had in the past.
Whether you realize it or not, we are living the golden age of Marvel Legends right at this moment. This is the best the line has ever been in terms of sculpt, quality, and playability, so if you have been with the line since its inception, that should be easy to see, and if you started collecting Marvel Legends during this most recent iteration, you picked a heck of a time to jump on. So for those of us who have figures of characters that are getting outdated, we are seeing some great upgrades, and for the newbies, you are getting a first pass at the best Marvel Legends figures to date. So, as a veteran Marvel Legends collector, I am really happy with the upgrade here, because this is a cool Abomination.
It has been ten years since my old standby Abomination was released in the ToyBiz Onslaught series. To this day, it remains a pretty good figure, but after ten years, I think the market is ready for a new iteration. So, while I am welcoming of the new figure as an improvement, that is more of a comment of how much I like this new one, not that I dislike the old one, if that makes sense. I think the sculpt, which includes the proportions, the durability, and the integrated articulation are all improved upon here, so with that said, I am not here just to draw comparisons, and the focus should really be about the figure itself.
Gentle Giant is (once again) handling the design, and the character really comes alive in the sculpt here. I love detail throughout, something the character requires, and his head sculpt is a highlight as it is menacing and appropriate. He has a rough hide with gross and broken finger and toes nails, so all of the little details are covered. I am also a big fan of the build of the figure – he is WIDE and stocky, and those qualities make him intimidating. Granted, he is not as tall as the previous Abomination, but he is still big, and now he is built like a truck, so he is ready to take on everyone. Now, Marvel Legends has always been built on a “blank” base body system, but I REALLY appreciate when we get a character-specific sculpt. There is so much going on here, and from head to toe, no detail was left out in the sculpt.
This figure also thrives from an articulation standpoint, and while this version will not take the trophy for MOST articulation points on an Abomb figure, it does have the most useful and best integrated scheme. This Abomination has an abdominal crunch joint! That is pretty standard as part of the normal Marvel Legends articulation scheme, so he matches up with his current peers well. All of the points function well and are meaningful (I have never had much, if any, need for individual finger articulation), so you can pose him menacingly as he is locked in battle with the Hulk. I *kind* of wish he had fists, but that is nitpicking.
In addition to the scheme itself, the articulation works very well with the actual sculpt. That is a strength Hasbro has had with this line since the “Return of Marvel Legends,” and while he is super-articulated, it is generally not at the expense of the sculpt. There are no giant ball joints that take over the details to accommodate their purpose, and even with this being a BAF, there are no obvious connections that stand out more from the individual pieces than in a standard figure. This is a BIG part of why I think Marvel Legends is the best it has ever been at this point. I love articulation, but it needs to work with the sculpt and still look good, and that is where we are finally at in terms of aesthetics.
Finally, the paint job on this figure is actually very nicely done, and has a lot of details, especially for a figure that is mostly monochromatic. The details, like the fingernails and toenails are clean, but the shading on the body, eyes, and even teeth is also very nice. The paint is also where you will want to evaluate which version of Abomination you prefer, this BAF or the Raft version. Frankly, I see the strengths in both, and I am more than pleased to have both, so, really, if you are just picking up one, you cannot loose. However, I think the Raft version is actually more comic accurate for most of Emil’s appearances, but, after having the new one, I think I actually prefer this BAF version. As a figure, the more varied paint applications make him look more interesting to the eye, and thus a bit more detailed. I imagine I will waffle back and forth between the two for some time, but that is a good problem to have.
Well, it looks like this is the last of the Civil War figures, and as far as Build-a-Figures go, it is going out with a gamma-enhanced bang. Abomination is a great BAF with tons of details and great articulation. I personally feel this is an upgrade over what we have gotten in the past, so I welcome him gladly. Now, I just need a good classic Hulk to fight him! Stay tuned, we will have looks at the rest of the wave coming soon.
