Do you remember how great and awesome the movie Blade was? I do, it was the first Marvel movie and was the prototype for how Marvel movies should be made. The movie was released in 1998 and had its own 6-inch toy line, and a few years later Blade would make his appearance in Marvel Legends 2003 Series 5.
Movie Blade was not “comic” Blade. The movie was adapted for modern times and the comic character was eventually changed to match. The movie did have a ton of violence, a ton of blood, great visuals and a bitchin’ soundtrack. It also starred Wesley Snipes in the lead role, who was at a peak in his career and was perfect for the role. The movie also rebooted Kris Kristofferson’s acting career. The best part is the movie still holds up. It was a low budget risk with low expectations and it killed it at the box office.
The Marvel Legends figure killed it too. This was a great figure featuring a great sculpt, cool accessories and good articulation. The sculpt is spot-on to the on-screen Blade, and the head sculpt in particular is amazing. This is Wesley Snipes. I do not remember if the sculpt is an early 3D scan or a straight-up sculpt, but it is Wesley Snipes. The figure is another beautiful sculpt from the early ToyBiz era and still holds up with current movie figures.
However, the articulation does not. While this figure is super-articulated and poses like crazy, time has taken its toll and all the joints are super loose. Getting Blade to pose was challenging as the hips are super loose. But it’s all there: double-jointed knees and elbows; the shin, thigh, bicep and wist swivels; and even the ball-jointed chest works really well. The head has a single ball joint, but it works well and has a great range of motion.
Blade comes with a ton of accessories: removable sun glasses, a sword, his gun, a knife thingy, and his motorcycle. The gun isn’t made for this Blade, the handle is too wide for his hands and it doesn’t fit, and there’s the extended clip-thing that can allow Blade to hold the gun. The knife-thing has a hinge allowing it to be displayed folded out or closed; it, too, is a bit large for Blade’s hands. The sword might be the best part as it looks amazing. It also fits in a peg on Blade’s back, and the jacket even has a hole to accommodate the sword. Blade’s removable jacket is a nice touch, and while I’m not always a fan of soft goods, this jacket works perfectly. Finally, the motorcycle is beautiful. Sadly, a foot peg broke off of mine, but it still works and if I want, I can fix it with a piece of sprue.
Do you want Blade in your collection? Yes. The figure still holds up from a design perspective and will work in your Hasbro and ToyBiz Marvel Legends collections. It works as a comic figure and as a movie figure. I’m not certain this is a figure in desperate need of an update as it still holds up well (floppiness aside), but I would love to get a comic version of Blade.
You can find this figure here:
