Blade really doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Nowadays we’re used to being inundated with Marvel movies coming at us from seemingly all directions, but there once was a time (way back in the fabled late 1990s) when Blade was holding it down all by his lonesome, and his movies, at least the first two, were completely awesome — AND they still hold up, mostly. ToyBiz did right by Wesley Snipes’ take on the cinematic character with their rendering of Blade in wave 5 of the original Marvel Legends line, but it’s great to finally get an update all these years later now that Hasbro has finally hit their stride (with a vengeance).
So has Hasbro given us a figure worthy of the character’s legacy? Let’s take a look!
Now, I’m not all that familiar with recent comic interpretations of Blade, but since this is supposed to be based on his modern comic appearances, it’s plain to see Wesley Snipes’ influence still lingering around the design, which is fine by me. The black packaging with the red lettering brings to mind the old movies, and I’m really digging the sigil they came up with for him on the top of the box. It reminds me of Slayer’s incomplete pentagram logo.
Blade’s design is pretty basic, but there is actually a lot of careful attention to detail here. He looks awesome. Though I will admit I do find myself wishing he had a coat since I can’t shake the Wesley Snipes association, but he does looks totally cool without it. There’s a texture to his vest and piping on his pants that make the design feel more substantial than it appears to be at a glance.
We get two head sculpt options with Blade — what a time to be alive, right? Remember the ToyBiz days when these would have been two different figures and one of them would have been packed 1 per every 11 or so cases? I’m so glad those days are over. Anyway. Of the two heads, I’m definitely partial to the one with more hair because it does remind me more of Snipes, but the “bald” head does have its charm, and I guess it’s the more comic-accurate of the two (but that’s just an assumption).
For accessories, Blade comes with his trusty vampire-slayin’ sword and a piece of the Man-Thing Build-a-Figure. There are stakes adorned on his chest and thigh, but they aren’t removable, so they’re purely decorative. He can’t hold them, but they look cool, so that’s what really matters, right? The strap that his sheath is attached to can slip off, so maybe that counts as an accessory too.
Articulation-wise, he’s up to the current standard of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends, which means it’s adequate and awesome — mostly. The one downside is his his ankles. There’s not a lot of forward movement to them, so it’s difficult to get him into dynamic poses that he can actually hold. I’m sure spending more time and finding the sweet spots will help, but right out of the box it’s a little annoying.
In terms of size, he’s a little smaller than the recent Marvel movie figures like Hela, but he’s ever so slightly larger than a true 6-inch scale like the Articulated Icons figures, so I guess I’d say he hits this sweet spot right in between.
Blade is one of only two comic-based figures in the Man-Thing wave, not counting Man-Thing himself. He’s really well done and worth whatever trouble it may take to track him down. I scored mine at Walgreens, but he is also available as part of the wave at these fine retailers:
