Well, bubs – it looks like the stars are aligning to allow the X-Men to take a more prominent place in the current Marvel Legends line. You will get absolutely no complaints out of me on that (let’s hope the Fantastic Four will follow suit), but just in case they get too cocky, the Hasbro team is sending in the big guns. Yep, the Sentinel has returned to ML and all of dem muties better be runnin’ scared!
As weird as it might seem, this is the first time that the Sentinel has made an appearance in the proper Marvel Legends line since series 10 during the Toy Biz days. Yes, this (pretty much) exact figure was previously released by Hasbro in a couple of different colorways several years ago, but that was technically under the 1:18 scale Marvel Universe banner. Well, of course, I bought the SDCC exclusive “classic colors” version, but I skipped the silver one, but that did not mean for one second that I would not be getting this new Amazon exclusive release. I mean, c’mon, these guys hunt in threes, right? So technically, I am still on the hook for one more. Oy.
Like I said though, the timing seems right for this release, and I am happy Amazon picked this up after the demise of Toys R Us. We are several years out since the original version(s) came out, so I would imagine there are several new fans who need a first crack at this, and some of us with a more tenured history can always be talked into getting at least one more. We are weak. We need our toys. We need more of our toys. The guys at Hasbro know this, and it has been proving to be true up to this point, as it has gone in and out of stock very quickly on the site, but things seem to be evening out now, with it staying in-stock for longer periods, and I know several people have taken the plunge in the past week or so. Just like Master Mold, UPS is sending an army of these across the globe, so let’s take a look at this bad boy, and the requisite Wolverine that is also a part of the $99 deal.
If you already own the MU version of this Sentinel, then yeah, a lot of this will be familiar territory for you, but if you have not committed to this new version yet, there are a few differences to point out, so don’t run away from me just yet. First and foremost that, while the old MU SDCC Sentinel had a pretty insane MU oversized card, this new box has a front Velcro flap featuring some updated Days of Future Past artwork, as well as some reproductions of original panels on the inside. Wolverine and the Sentinel are packaged nicely inside the window too, but that actually takes a backseat to the overall packing design. I know I do not usually spend a lot of time discussing packaging, but this is unique and it looks great.
For the Sentinel itself, yeah, it is straight up reuse, but honestly, the overall design and (relative) scale to Legends makes it a no-brainer in terms of not doing something wholly new. Let’s face it, this dude is still bigger than those TB Sentinel build-a-figures, so we have always been dealing with this as a general size for them anyhow. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVES me some TB Sentinels, and they will never leave my Legends display, but all things being equal, I prefer the Hasbro design because it is closer to what I would call a “classic” Sentinel design. Incorporating the DoFP theme into this release makes good sense too, as that is probably the storyline that made Sentinels so memorable.
The color scheme is different on these guys from the previous iteration just enough to make your OCD twitch, but they are most certainly what I would still consider to be “classic.” I have to admit, I like the brighter colors used here, but I like the extra paint detail in the older version better, so I am torn. This will likely be the dividing line with collectors since there is not a lot of other differences. At any rate, since Sentinels hunt in threes, that means I will, now that I think about it, most certainly require another one, that way my old one can be the “leader” and these two new guys can follow the mutant extermination objective. Don’t worry, the electronic feature was not forsaken here, so you still get a variety of sound effects with this guy. I am a sucker for that booming electronic voice and light-up eyes, so I am happy everything has been retained. For having electronic guts, this figure still has some nice articulation in tow, and honestly, can get to just about any reasonable pose a giant robot needs to achieve.
The new/old take on Old Man Logan is also included in this set, and I have to say that it has been a pretty great couple of year (give or take) for classic Wolverine fans. I mean, the awesome brown and tiger stripe costumes aside, this is the third Logan/street clothes Wolvie have have gotten, and overall, I think I like it the best. The costume is instantly recognizable from that seminal comic cover with Logan and Kitty on Uncanny X-Men #141, and this is the most accurately it has been rendered in ML to date. It is all reuse from the previous Logan figures (save for the gun holster), but the colors stand out with the yellow collar and shiny belt buckle. Logan gets his claw hands, but also trigger fingers to facilitate the included gun that we have seen countless times in this line. It’s a nice touch, but I take it more as a attribute to the outfit, more than something I would pose the figure using on the shelf or in a fight.
The head is lifted straight from the Logan on motorcycle bike set we got a couple of months ago. While I will say that this version makes that head look better with a cleaner and more detailed paint job, I also would not call it slavishly accurate to that #141 cover. Sure, it has all of the hallmarks of that look – the expression and older look with greying temples, but the hair shape and facial features are not the same. I get it, this is a store exclusive and reuse was likely mandated, but if you are looking for that “perfect” DoFP Wolvie head, it has still yet to arrive. It works for the most part, though, and as I said, I like this Logan figure the best of the ones we have gotten from Hasbro thus far.
Overall, I enjoy this set. I am a sucker for Sentinels, so getting another crack at the great figure they had in the library is something I welcomed, and if you did not get the MU version, this one should do nicely. If you already have it, well, you have a choice to make here, but that original “classic” color was tougher to get way back when, so now is your chance. As I said, I like the colors better here, but there is some loss of detail that the old version enjoyed, so it is a bit of a trade off. However, the electronic effects are still cool, and you get a Wolverine they can disintegrate out of the detail, so good times are to be had. Nab this dude at Amazon while the gettin’ is good. EDIT: this is currently sold out from Amazon proper, but keep checking back, it has been going in and out of stock regularly.
