Whew! We have made it through an entire new series of Marvel Legends in shotgun fashion this week. Spider-Man has kicked off 2019 in strong fashion with the Kingpin Build-a-Figure, and this series features a good mix of classic and modern cuts to add to your ever-growing collection. To bring it home, hotly-anticipated Silver Sable joins the surprise standout of the wave, Night Thrasher. Let’s take a look at the last two figures required to build old Wilson Fisk.
You know, Marvel Legends does many things consistently well, and that likely goes without saying. However, one aspect of this that is usually not as heralded as the rest is the ability to keep surprising you, even after all these years. I understand the want, because I want it too, to be consistent and deliver a wide and diverse line that is cohesive and jels well together. But… even within that context, I find that my favorite figure in a given wave is not always the one I expected when prototypes are shown off for the first time. Now, I am not talking about characters here, I mean how well a particular figure is executed regardless of character, so when Gwenpool is considered to be a favorite figure with little to no previous exposure, you know things are going right.
So, that leads me to…
NIGHT THRASHER
Yup, even in the company of Puma and Kingpin, I think Night Thrasher is the best FIGURE of this series. I know that seems a bit crazy with such dynamic looks keeping him company, but man, this figure is really, really awesome, and unexpectedly so. The New Warriors getting representation is always a good thing, but for a guy that mostly wears solid black, you would not expect him to outshine a costumes like the one Puma sports, but here we are. The armored pieces, combined with the different finishes, a splash of red here and there and a muthertruckin’ SKATEBOARD, makes this figure really shine, and it is so much fun. So much. So, so, so much.
There is just something so eye-catching about shiny black armor, and these martial arts togs will keep Night Thrasher stealthy, but also well protected from bad guys and pavement alike. Yes, I get it, at first glance, the monochrome costume might not be the most exciting thing in the world, but those different armor pieces add a nice contrast to a basic construction that only utilizes a single base for most of the build. Night Thrasher also moves very well, and while the articulation scheme is fairly standard for a Legend, just about all of the joints have a range of movement that I would consider to be the best out of any of the figures in this series. Because of his accessories, NT will need to master quite a few diverse poses, and this figure can achieve most of those well. Speaking of accessories…
Night Thrasher might have the best accessory ever included with a Marvel Legends figure. Yes, his batons are same Daredevil sticks we have seen countless times, but… BUT, he has a skateboard, you guys! I love that we are at a point in the run of Marvel Legends where we can have things like this, and I see several of my other figures fighting NT for the use of that board. It might be a touch too small for him, but it is a lot of fun and there is no way I am displaying him doing anything other than shredding the gnar. It is cool that he has a little snap on piece for his back that can hold the batons and board, but it will get little use around here, that is for sure.
I have to admit, while I was glad that New Warriors were getting some more headway into the original line-up past Kid Nova (the Vance Astro we got doesn’t count) in ML (PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE let Firestar be next!), I am guilty at looking past Night Thrasher in terms of anticipation for this wave. As it turns out, this is my favorite standard figure in the wave, and he is pretty much the definition of a fun action figure. I have certainly posed him the most since receiving this assortment from Dorkside, and even if you are not into the character, if you remove the red bits, you have a damned good base to make some night-ops fodder figures for your heroes and villains to fight. Now, bring on that aforementioned Firestar, but also Speedball and Namorita!
SILVER SABLE
This is another one of those instances where I cannot believe that it has taken all of this time to get this character into Marvel Legends. Silver Sable has been regularly discussed by the fandom as wanted for inclusion in ML for years, and with a fairly basic build, I am still surprised this is the first pass at the character we have had in this long-running line. Honestly, she was the CHARACTER I was looking forward to the most amongst the basic figures included here (though, pretty much tied with Puma), so I am pleased to finally have her in the collection, even if she has been a bit outshined by Puma, Night Thrasher, and Kingpin. That is no fault of the figure as this piece is nicely done, but the costume design just isn’t as dynamic having them all in-hand.
Silver Sable is one of those characters who has always hovered around my top ten/twenty wants for ML, but I don’t think I have ever voted for her with a sense of urgency for her inclusion. That said, I am very glad to have her as she is a longstanding character with some interesting arcs and storylines, she has a great look, and her characterization has been given some modern relevancy with today’s global/political climate. As far as her figure goes, well, she is a pretty straightforward and basic Marvel Legends female, but don’t misunderstand that as a slight, because it is not. If you have been happy with the recent female figures we have gotten in the line as I have, you should enjoy this one. That comes with some understanding of the compromise in the construction at some turns, but Silver Sable’s costume lends itself to some of the standard ML executions.
From a construction standpoint, SS is essentially the Invisible Woman (or several other females of the same build) with some new pieces added to provide the costume details. That is fine because it fits Sable’s build, and the costume details are preserved via the usual combination of paint and add-ons. I love the two tone silver used in this look because while it is technically monochromatic, it is still quite striking. The actual suit details, like the stripes and boot lines are done via paint, while the gloves, belt, holsters, and harnesses are all separate pieces. It all works together just fine, and while I can understand some possible grumbling about the painted on boots, everything else is fine. Oh, and if you take off all of these separate pieces you might have a decent base for that Lilandra head that is being included with Mystique later this year, so two of these figures might be required.
Like the vast majority of MLs these days, the head sculpt/likeness on this figure is quite nice. She is, of course, an eastern-European (new Latveria) mercenary (who hunts the BAD guys) so she has a very stern look, but retains an attractive likeness. She would like to remind you that she is NOT just another Black Widow (really, she isn’t), and the headband smacks of 1980s chic while adding some variance to her look. She comes packing two weapons (both re-packs, I believe), but like Widow and Punisher, just about any gun, knife, laser, or bludgeoning device you have lying around will work just fine for this figure. The range of movement in her articulation allow for most weapons holding poses to be achieve, and her expression really helps sell the whole effect when she carrying her firearms. Basically, this figure gets me just about everything I need in a Silver Sable, and it looks great doing so. The Spider-Man Rogues are really shining in ML as of late, but I am also pleased to get more of the Spider allies/adjacent characters like Silver Sable, too.
As I said – WHEW! We made it! The first ML series of 2019 is in the books just in time for the next two to hit, so I am glad I got to take this one in because I have been really anticipating its release. I am very pleased to have an updated Kingpin, but also to have new characters like Night Thrasher, Silver Sable, and Puma added to the collection. I think the overall makeup of this wave will call for some mixed reactions, but I love it when we get full waves of comic versions of characters, so overall, I am pretty happy here. Spider-Man should be seeing more love in plastic later this year with the release of his new movie, but in the meantime, don’t sleep on this wave, and go to Dorkside to get yours.
