Nicole Kidman was hot. I mean really hot. She was tall, had this awesome Australian accent and this super awesome fiery red curly hair. She was the bees knees, the cream of the crop. And then she got all plastic surgery happy and stopped being hot. Probably had something to do with being married to Tom Cruise.
Why is that important? Well, it’s been said that ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends Series 6 Phoenix was based on Nicole Kidman. Well, the face sculpt. Kidman isn’t this well endowed. And even if it wasn’t, collectors agree that this figure look like Kidman, which was cool since this was about the time Kidman started to have baby Botox face and this figure nails that look. If you google Nicole Kidman 2004, you’ll see.
Phoenix hit toy shelves in 2004 and was instantly a favorite of collectors. It came out on the Elektra base but with new hips. Elektra (review here) had the serious hippy-hing v-crotch, but Phoenix had big ball joints with thigh swivels and the works. It was a great update to the Elektra base and would make collectors and customizers happy as they had an excellent female base that they could use to complete their Marvel Universes.
There is very little different on Phoenix as opposed to Elektra. The hips and the head are the key changes. They even kept the spinning meat on the arms (where there is a double bicep swivel) and added more with the new hips. The hips, while they look good, do give me a headache. There is spinning meat on them as well (double thigh swivel), and the paint never matched up properly on the hips. There is a slight “V” on the upper thigh that should align with the crotch, but this was never aligned when painted, and as a result the tip of the thigh boots don’t align.
The figure comes with a base — the Phoenix effect! It stands, has a hinge (for wall-mounted goodness) and a holder for the figure so she can attach to it. It’s a great display piece and one that also works with other Phoenix figures.
If you are collecting ToyBiz-era Marvel Legends, then she’s one to have. It’s a good figure, but it is dated when compared to current Marvel Legends. You can pick her up here:
