Marvel Legends Kate Bishop is a reminder as to why Hasbro’s female figures need double-jointed elbows.
Kate Bishop was the character that convinced me to pick up this box set. I never liked Vision’s Avengers A.I. costume, so he was due for an update in my display, and Falcon desperately needed to be redone, but I probably would’ve skipped both figures and waited for more iconic looks if not for Kate Bishop. For those that don’t know, Kate Bishop is a Young Avenger and the cooler of the two Hawkeyes featured in Matt Fraction’s ultra-popular Hawkeye series. Kate is a sassy, smart badass, and it’s surprising that it took Hasbro so long to immortalize her in plastic.
Kate is on that new Phoenix/Kitty Pryde body for lithe adult females. To me, that body makes the most sense for her, as I see her as a young woman rather than a teen. Kate has the same bow as the Rocket Raccoon wave Hawkeye and the Odin series Hawkeye, but it is instead realized in silver and black. As far as newly sculpted parts go, she features a new head for sure. She may also feature new boot cuffs, a new quiver, and a new belt (though I can’t say for sure). Be aware that the figure is positioned awkwardly in the package, and this may cause her to have warped legs and fingers (as mine does).
The articulation is that of your average female Marvel Legend. Her head can look up, down, and side-to-side (though slightly hindered by her hair), she has ball-jointed shoulders, single-jointed elbros, swivel-and-hinge wrists, a diaphragm joint, T-joined hips, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, hinged ankles, and ankle rockers. I am a strong proponent of double-jointed elbows on female figures, and single-jointed elbows are particularly egregious on an archer. Kate can be posed as if she’s preparing to draw her bow string or after an arrow has already been released, but never notched and ready to fire.
There’s a decent chance that your interest in this set hinges on how you feel about Kate as a character, so I’m not sure how much convincing I can do one way or the other. In general, I can’t provide a definite recommendation either way. All three figures could be worse, and Hasbro didn’t put an exceptional amount of effort into any of them. They’re mediocre, and your collection could be better for their addition or worse because of it.
