Marvel’s 80th Anniversary celebration has begun in the Marvel Legends line, and we are set to kick it off with a look that has a very Ragnarok flair. Time to party like the gods!
Oh, my merry Marvel brothers and sisters, there is a LOT to be excited about when it comes to Marvel Legends this summer. I have been impatiently anticipating these new 80th figures since their debut at New York Toy Fair, and with SDCC now in our sites, they are finally here. I will admit, I am looking forward to the comic figures the most, but these two sets feature one of (if not THE) favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movies of mine, Thor: Ragnarok. Additionally, one set feature two of my favorite MCU characters in Grandmaster and Korg, and Grandmaster features one of my favorite human beings of all time, Jeff Goldblum. So yeah, bring me my comic figures, but these sets make me VERY happy.
Now, I found these (literally) last night at GameStop and I wanted to get pictures of them up right away as time is getting scarce ahead of travel to SDCC. So, I have a few overall thoughts on these, but mostly, there are pictures here. I will say that, overall, both of these sets are really nice, and I have no QC issues to speak of past my Hela figure MAYBE having two right feet (I really cannot be certain). The figures are solid and the likenesses are really great. Like I said, I found these at GameStop, but they are starting to trickle out here and there even though it seems like Hasbro is wanting to hold their release until a specific time during Comic Con (likely so Pulse has them first). So, be on the look out.
GRANDMASTER AND KORG
How I adore this set and these characters. Watching Ragnarok, I knew I wanted figures of these guys ASAP, and now I am glad to have them. Both figures match their on-screen counterparts well, and you can practically hear them talking about Meltsticks and New Doug. Yeah, Grandmaster’s robe does limit his articulation a bit, but I am not sure what else you would expect in this instance, so it kind of is what it is. At any rate, these two will not be relegated to the shelf, nay, they will stand on my desk and be constantly admired. I would say I am good for the current cast of MCU figures with this release (it is hard to top), but I think I like the SDCC Grandmaster even better. That is cool, I really cannot own too many Goldblums.
SKURGE AND HELA
While the other set features two new MCU entrants into Legends, we have seen Hela in the line before. Honestly, I am totally okay with a new release of her because I find this figure to be superior in just about every way, even though the base body is reused. The biggest win in the the new heads, especially the one with her hair falling over her face — Hasbro NAILED that one. The inclusion of the Mjolnir crushing hand is a great addition to this set, and I really like that the colors are more vibrant. The good news is that the heads are swappable from release to release, so you can mix and match as you like.
Skurge makes his ML debut with this set, and he is given a very solid treatment. The likeness to Karl Urban is good, if not a bit placid, but the armor is pretty spectacular and the colors really pop. For me, the best part is the inclusion of his twin M-16s, Des and Troy, and there is no other way this figure will ever be displayed; Skurge looks great holding them out on either side. His axe is here too, if you like, so I will never complain about choices. I REALLY like how well Ragnarok is now represented in Legends, and these four are probably the best the movie has to offer in terms of quality figures.
If you are an MCU Legends collector, I think you will be very happy with these sets. If you are not, get the Grandmaster and Korg set anyway, it is just too much fun. Like I said, we are about to get inundated with new ML releases, and with SDCC next week, I think the rest of the year is going to be much of the same.
