In honor of #MarvelMonday we have a surprise for you: there is a new Marvel Legends set that has just been released, and it features two X-Men figures! Well, actually, if you have been paying attention to the Legends line the past few years, you know that getting some new Mutants is not at all a surprise as they have been taking a starring role as of late. And why not? They are popular, and there are TONS of characters from that corner of the Marvel Universe to get to for cool action figures, so it has been all good. What IS a pleasant surprise is how fast this set has been released after its announcement, and we are getting into rare territory now-a-days when we can check another Toy Biz lifer off of our list.
Pyro! Finally, we have a new Pyro! To me, as we assemble several iterations of the X-Men in Legends, it is just as important to put together a solid Brotherhood to combat those Xavier do-gooders. Pyro is crazy and vindictive, and he has a long standing association with the Brotherhood, and just as long of an association with not liking the X-Men. Most closely associated to Mystique’s Brotherhood team (to me, anyway) old John Allerdyce even got a turn in the Fox X-Men films where he was featured as one of the more interesting characters, having gone from Xavier student to Magneto subversive. Plus, my ML shelf is pretty much down to single digits when it comes to holdover figures from the original Toy Biz days, and with this new release, there are fewer to spot – but that is a good thing!
Opening this set, this is instantly the best Pyro figure I have ever owned. GRANTED, I have not owned a ton of Pyro figures, but this one pretty much captures everything that a Pyro figure needs to be perfectly. We have seen a lot complicated Mutant designs capture in plastic quite well as of late, but it is just as commendable when a clean and streamlined costume design (like Pyro’s) is effectively realized. This figure is not teeming with new parts, but he has them where he needs them, and quite frankly, this set is exactly the kind of thing I love seeing released via the “Fan Channel” outlets. Plus, no matter how deep we get into the X-Men, or even the Marvel Universe at large in this line, his bright yellow, orange, and red color scheme is sure to remain a standout.
If this release is not your first rodeo with Legends then you will likely quickly recognize that this Pyro figure is built mostly on the Sunfire base. That is definitely a-okay with me because the build feels logical for Pyro’s physique, and this body features some very nice and functional articulation, highlighted by those beloved butterfly shoulders/pecs. The aforementioned color palette looks great here, and since the body is mostly smooth, it keeps the paint lines clean (a real challenge with colors like orange and yellow, so kudos, Hasbro) and the “nude” or “spandex” base of the outfit is sharp. I have to say that I do like how the feet usually featured with this base, and included here, are more proportionate than the old Bucky Cap feet, but I am kind of ready for a new set of stompers that feature a form not so pointy as these. That is a small and preferential observation, but some new feet would be cool.
Pyro gets the required new pieces where is counts, and those come in the form of his overlay/flamethrower rig, and TWO new heads. The chest/shoulder overlay includes the backpack all in one piece, and the tubes that attach around wrists are separate pieces that plug into the pack. The form is all good here, but just as importantly, the figure is able to wear the overlay well, and it sits correctly via the back peg, so it does not get all crossed up when you try to do some basic posing. The same can be said for the tubes as they are made with a plastic soft enough to enhance the poses, rather than restrict them. Pyro also gets some reuse out of the included flame effect pieces we have seen with the likes of Sunfire and the Human Torch, so that is a nice addition, even though they don’t really express his fire effect quite like I usually picture it.
The two(!) new heads also added to this set are really, really cool, and they speak to progress that ML has made over the last several waves with the sculpting work. The heads have gotten more unique (there was a time when it was tough to differentiate one female face from the next), and definitely more expressive with tiny little details that add to the overall effectiveness. I mean, this figure has little spandex stretch lines around the ear coverings on both heads; that is a small but very appreciated detail that makes good figures even better. The main difference in these two heads is the expression from one to the next, and while one features a placid “standard” expression, the other is smiling dementedly, and frankly, that is perfect for Pyro. I generally shy away from “in the moment” expression when I am not taking pictures, but the evil smirk is going on this figure and likely never coming off, it is very effective.
Now, while Pyro might be the highlight of this set for me, he does ride with a brand new Rogue figure in a costume that is *technically* making its Legends debut, but there is certainly some history around this, too. As you ML fans probably already know, this figure and the featured costume has a long history of, well, not happening in Legends. Now, I say “this figure” but in the past when this costume/version has been shown, and then planned for release in an older incarnation, and has essentially been hanging around the fringes of ML for a long time. Well, finally, we have Rogue in this very eye-catching costume, and wait has been worth it because the evolution of Legends over the past several years has given us a much better base for this figure than what was previously planned.
That is to say, I don’t think any part of the figure that was showed off years ago has been carried over here, and that is good thing. The body is certainly not, but I thought maybe the hands were the old by this point, but no, thankfully, this is all-new. I really like this costume for Rogue (a hood would have been fun, too), and the funny part is that, even though Pyro is an brand new character for Hasbro Legends, I think this Rogue figure actually has more new parts. I keep getting more and more conflicted about what version of each character will be my “default” figure in the display, and this one is not doing me any favors in that regard. I generally consider my collection space to on the larger side, but maaaaaaaaan, ML is trying its best to take everything over at this point.
This figure is green – I mean, really green, but a darker shade of green than say, the Jim Lee version, and this darker green is offset very nicely by the white accents and scarf. This figure features a costume that is definitely more on the modern side, but this outfit tosses it back to some of Rogue’s earlier looks, and I appreciate that. I like the skirt piece as an aesthetic choice for the look, but it does restrict the hips a bit, and unlike most ML overlay pieces, it is glued down to the figure itself. The included swappable hands are familiar to the entire planet at this point because these fists and open hands have been used ad nauseam at this point. I am good with the fists because fists are fists, but it is time for new female hands of some sort for ML because all of the females are pretty much doing the same thing at this point.
Like the body upgrade, so too are the two heads included here, and not only are they better than what was shown off for the older version of this figure, they are also the best ML Rogue heads ever, period. Granted, that is not saying much (remember that old TB face? Yeeesh) for her ML run, but that also does not take away from the fact that both of these heads are nicely realized, and feel very “Rogue” to me. Like Pyro, Rogue features a calm, and a more emotive portraits, and while both work fine for her, I would probably be more likely to display the smiling face. Don’t get me wrong, her “I am about to destroy all of you” look is gonna be great for some fight photography, so both of the heads will get their due usage.
This is a great release put together in a sharp package with great art (that Pyro effect and how you can see his eyes through the lenses, though!), that is pretty much exactly what most ML collectors could want from a Fan Channel release. I am so glad to have an update Pyro figure (now lets see Avalanche, Toad, and Mastermind!), and not only is finally getting this Rogue a relief, but it turned out to be a very sharp figure in and of itself. This set was originally slated for an October/November release, but Big Bad Toy Store has them early, so head over there to get yours now, you will not be disappointed.
