Marvel Legends
Symbiote Spider-Man vs Kraven
Hey! New Marvel Legends! I love new Marvel Legends! The cool part is that, despite this new set containing the stars of Kraven’s Last Hunt, it did not take much of a hunt at my local Target to find it. That’s good for me!
I know, I know, Marvel has a lot going for it right now. There is a little movie called Avengers: Endgame hitting the cinema screens tomorrow, and even in the more narrow world of action figures, the next ML X-Men set is showing up everywhere now and people cannot contain their excitement over it. However, this new two-pack is also rolling out to its exclusive home at Target, and for me, getting a classic Kraven the Hunter is something I have wanted since, well, the more modern take on the character was released a few years ago.
It’s a bit funny, back in the old ML days, when a character was released and said character was not wearing your costume of choice, or of the era you preferred, it was unlikely that you would see another version of the character come along for many years, unless, of course, it was Spider-Man or Wolverine. But now, we have gotten to an era when, even lower-tier guys can get their due in multiple incarnations, and I am quite appreciate of that. I understand why the more modern Kraven was released originally, and even though it was not my cup ‘o tea (despite being a good figure) I still had hope that we would one day see a new take on the old version.
Well, that day has come, and overall, I am quite pleased to get this classic Kraven, and even though the figure isn’t perfect, he fit well in the iconic theme I am trying to build for my Marvel collection. Plus, we get another swipe at the black costume/symbiote Spider-Man, and I know a lot of people who missed out before are relieved to not pay the current aftermarket prices on the original.
As I said, this set is exclusive to Target, and their online store (order HERE), and it goes for the expected $39.99 price tag. I know the headache that store exclusive releases usually cause, but I have to say, my local store had 4 in-stock, and you can get it now at the link above, so it seems like this will not come with the usual hoops to jump through. Unless of course, you are anywhere outside of the US, and in that case, may the odds be in your favor.
For the figures themselves, both are solid releases, but both with some flaws, and if you have the previous Kraven or Symbiote Spider-Man, you know what you are getting into here. For Spidey, nothing is new here in terms of parts, but Kraven does get the required new head (and belt, which I THINK is also new), so I am glad the money went where it needed to go with this set because the rest of the reuse works just fine.
Spider-Man has the same body and construction scheme as the previous release, so there is nothing different about the build here, though the black plastic itself might have a bit more of a matte quality to it this time. Swappable fists and “thwip” hands are included, and while they are not new, they were not required to give us options, so I am glad they are here.
Also reused for this figure is the unmasked Peter Parker head we have seen before, but this time with a new bruised and battered deco. I like this, actually, and the black eye and blood are both rendered very nicely on the head, and a battle-damaged unmasked take on Parker is something we haven’t seen yet. Now, this tiniest of nitpicks would point out that you can still pick up on that slightest ghost of a smile in the sculpt, which is probably not appropriate for a guy who is getting his mug turned into mush, but it is not terribly noticeable.
For Kraven, I really love the new head that is included, and even though I am not usually big on the whole mid-yell or gritted teeth look for my figures, it works well here. I think there is a LOT more personality in this head over the modern take, and it certainly exudes more of that Kraven vibe that I know. The costume repainted well here, and that is especially apparent in the vest and leopard pants. The latter are capris (as they should be) and since he is not wearing a loincloth thing in this release, you an admire his prominent backside. If that is your thing.
Now, I do have a couple of issues with this figure, and to me, they are more apparent than the half smile on a beat up Peter Parker face. First is the obvious one: Kraven got some SERIOUS cankles. I mean, I thought maybe they would not be so pronounced when we first saw this figure, but honestly, they are hard to miss and draw your eye right to them, which is a shame. I think this is cause by the feet not being native to this body and they are just too small and don’t fit naturally with the ankles. I don’t know, maybe I will get used to it, but for now, hearty midwest grandmas got nothing on the Hunter.
Additionally, I REALLY wish they would not have carried over the hand wraps things on this figure from the modern version. Instead, a repaint of the Namor forearms and gauntlets would have been a better choice to my eyes. It is not terrible because the wraps don’t look bad, but I think those more straightforward cuffs would have looked more classic figure this take on the character. I am not saying these are wrong by any means, and those wraps have been around through multiple costumes for Kraven, but my brain is trying to tell me that being around the hands just doesn’t work quite as well.
For accessories, Kraven gets an obvious repaint in the spear, and a new release on the Elsa Bloodstone rifle (I think), which was a great call. I think the spear might be the only aesthetic choice I like better in the modern version release as I think it is just more dynamic than this one. The rifle is cool and certainly a weapon of choice for The Hunter, so I am glad to see it here.
Yes, I have some critiques of this set, but overall, I am very happy with it and somewhat relieved that we have a new classic take on Kraven, because that is what I have been needing. Aside from the cankle issue, all of my nitpicks are pretty minor, so I am mostly content, and I think most people will be, too. Now that Kraven is in the books, lets get new old takes on Shocker and Electro, because those both sorely needed. Heck, I would take a slight retool or Rhino as well to get a bit more iconic. Make it happen, Hasbro!
