With competition coming from all sides through the likes of Kickstarter, Bandai, Mezco, and a multitude of others, sometimes it’s nice to see a domestically released, retail-level, mass-market figure from a company like Hasbro hit all the right notes and be just as satisfying as anything from the much more elaborate and sophisticated offerings from companies that continue to raise the bar. There’s no doubt that Hasbro has really hit their stride with their 6-inch Marvel Legends line, and one of the many figures that exemplified their Marvel prowess was their brown costume Wolverine, released as part of the Juggernaut Build-a-Figure wave. 
This X-Men wave was a long-awaited breath of fresh air that was announced while speculation and conspiracy theories were claiming there would be no more X-Men waves, to our collective despair. When promo pics of this Wolverine first circulated, everyone’s jaws hit the floor. Costume preferences aside, what Hasbro gave us with this figure is damn close to being the perfect Wolverine figure. They nailed his height, the colors, the sculpt, and the articulation — like, the only fault I can find with this guy is the lack of “arm hair” paint apps on his arms, and that’s only a nitpick if I’m really looking for something to whine about. Otherwise, this could very well be the last Wolverine figure I ever “need.”
The fact that he can be posed in what I call a “classic Art Adams/John Byrne crouching pose” is cause for celebration enough. We have seen no shortage of Wolverine figures over the years, so the fact that Hasbro can take an overexposed character like Wolvie and completely energize the fan base with this release truly speaks to the figure’s strengths and appeal. Sometimes simple really is better, and they got so much right here that this was an easy pick for my top figure for 2016.
This figure is sure to turn up again repainted in his classic tiger-stripe colors, but for now I’m savoring this figure’s place in my collection as the centerpiece of my X-Men display. This costume will always be my personal preference for the character, so I could not have been more thrilled to get it first. Subsequent X-Men waves will have their work cut out for them in terms of generating the hype and excitement this figure managed, but I hope they pull it off. Until then, we get to bask in the plastic glory of a near-perfect Wolverine on our shelves.
This Wolverine is still available at Amazon. Snag one if you haven’t already!