Not long ago I got into a debate with someone at my local comic shop about who the X-Men’s greatest villain was. He said Apocalypse, I countered “What has Apocalypse ever done?” Primary he comes along, preaches Darwinism and gets his rear end handed to him. Magneto on the other hand does things that have impact, sometimes long lasting impact. I did concede that one thing Apocalypse did was turn Warren Worthington III AKA Angel against his friends temporarily as well as change a boring character into something special.
Archangel is one of my favorite X-Men. When he was changed over from ordinary Angel AKA Warren Worthington III to Archangel AKA Death, well it was defiantly a shocking moment in my comic reading. Angel went from a one-dimensional character to a complex character who had given up everything for his power and sold his soul to his friend’s mortal enemy. His dealing with all of this took several years and was a very enjoyable voyage for the reader. It’s one of the longest running single character arcs I ever remember and is one of the few that IMO have never been topped.
A few years later, for some inexplicable reason, Archangel got his feathered wings back. Supposedly it was a gift from Apocalypse, WHAT!? I literally tossed down Uncanny X-Men and never picked it up since. I have read that Angel is back to Archangel ect, eh whatever, the whole thing got too messy when he got feathers. Change I don’t mind when it makes sense, but this whole wings changing randomly is just too convoluted for me to deal with. Love ya’ Warren, but I can’t deal with that.
But this is about the figure, and surprisingly the makers of Hasbro went with the 80’s look that Archangel had right after he turned on Apocalypse. That is the version of Archangel I wanted and I defiantly got it thankfully.
The wings are pretty cool, they can fold up behind Archangel (but Awkwardly)and they stick to the back in peg holes. Apparently there will be a Death Variant that will include a set of the wings folded up like in the comic, I wish Hasbro had gone that little extra on the regular release.
This figure is really great, far beyond what I would have thought at first. The paint is dead on and the color is really good. Of course Hasbro recycled a body for this one, but honestly they got the paint so good I can deal. Overall I have to give this figure a near perfect, he would be perfect if only he had those fold up wings with Death, but still he is pretty great and probably my fav X-Man ever. If Hasbro releases a regular Angel I know I will be perfectly happy with Archangel. So I say when you see it, grab it.
Next is the big guy, Colossus. He is probably my second favorite X-Man. Colossus came about in a time when we weren’t too friendly with the Russians and yet he became one of the most beloved characters in comics. So much so that people actually complained when the X-Men movies didn’t have Peter as a Russian. It is an integral part of his character.
So with this review I feel I must talk about the huge metal guy on the couch, the inevitable comparison to the Marvel Legends showdown version of Colossus. The thing of it is that Colossus was probably the best MLS figure released from the brief line. So how does this MLS stack up to his MU counterpart.
Much better than the Wolverine Origins attempt. Both of these are nearly the same bulk and same height. MU is a bit larger but only barely, in fact the MLS arms are bigger and more defined. So in this comparison what is the verdict. Well VERY close. I would have to say they are nearly even. I would have to lean a bit to the MLS version just for being a bit more old school comic accurate. While I don’t mind the Astonishing X-Men look, I like the older and more colorful look much better. This same mold is being repainted for the Giant Sized X-Men box set, but the MLS is probably where my preference will always lands. Of course it should be noted MU Colossus can look up due to newish neck articulation and he also has foot holes which is something the MLS figures do lack in.
The MU version is great though, defiantly one of the best MU figures to date. Oddly enough the hands are in similar positions on both figures. I just find it hilarious that things like that happen. But it does make for an easy toss with Wolverine.
Juggernaught has had some pretty interesting and strange changes in the past few years. Apparently he lost his ruby but turns out he was a mutant as well. He also joined the X-men for a bit, yeah that is what I said. To me though, Jughead will always be the brute with magical powers he was from the beginning. Just the way I view him.
The figure is awesome, he is huge but not to the point of absurdity. Some like the idea that Juggy is the size of the Marvel Legends version, I am not a fan of that myself and honestly I think some artists have taken Juggernaught’s size too far. But back the figure, also he does not have the dreaded immovable hips that have plagued the larger figures of the Marvel Universe line like Thing and Hulk. One thing I really like is the mold of the helmet looks like its scratched up and beaten up like Juggy has had more than one encounter with Colossus and Wolverine.
So with the big elephant on the couch again, how does Juggernaut stack up next to his Marvel Universe counterpart. This time it’s not so close. I admit the MLS Juggernaught was just ok, I hated the head sculpt and the gorilla arms. These are both absent from the Hasbro Juggernaught.
But I have to admit the Hasbro version is ten times what MLS put out years and years ago. Even if you have the MLS Juggernaught I would recommend picking up MU Jughead, he is very worth it.
Next is Havok, AKA Alex Summers brother of Cyclops AKA Scott Summers. I always liked Havok, he struggles with the shadow of his brother in nearly everything he has done and yet he still presses on. The shadow of his brother’s success has brought him and Cyclops into conflict, but also that is just good storytelling.
My first exposure to Havok was a classic Marvel Team-Up with Spider-Man against the Living Monolith (Whom I would love to see in a Gigantic Battles set) and eventually Thor came in as well. It was a great storyline and instantly I really liked Havok.
His costume is the Brotherhood/Mutant X version rather than the classic version. Although the Classic version is slated as a variant (Of course we are all still waiting on Phasing Vision too). If I had one gripe about this figure it’s that the recycled body is a bit too lanky for Havok IMO. Havok always seemed to have just a bit more bulk to him (but not much as he was still slender, but a bit bulkier than his brother Cyclops).
Funny too as I even kept the stupid blast thing that also came with the MU Iron Man figures. I still feel it’s dumb but it’s a lot more fun with Havok than Iron Man.
After Havok comes Katharine Pryde AKA Kitty, AKA Shadowcat, AKA Sprite. Kitty has had a few names over the years but she still remained an integral part of the X-men. She uses the standard Ms Marvel/MU female body (the one with no arm swivel) which is kind of a let down since the costume she wears she generally wore earlier in her career (and thus wasn’t quite as developed as this female body is). Still she has that all important accessory, LOCKHEED the dragon.
You can place Lockheed on Kitty’s arm by wrapping his tale around her forearm, but otherwise he won’t sit on her. That is a bit of a letdown but not something that breaks the deal. Her head sculpt is dead on, exactly what Kitty should look like.
One of the major disappointments I have had as a comic fan is the “slutting up” of females in comics. Once I saw a cover of X-Men with Kitty where she was wearing hip hugger pants and “peek-a-boo” G-string. That was a hard thing to see since I had never pictured Kitty as anything but a kid. Still it’s tame compared to what writers did to poor Mary Marvel.
Kitty was also one of the first of the young girls to get an attachment to Wolverine. The list of others who have done this include Rouge and Jubilee. Oddly enough this seems to have mellowed over the years (since we now know Logan is like 500 years old LOL). Still Kitty and Wolvie had an interesting student/teacher dynamic together back in the by gone days.
Last up is the oddball of the set, the AIM Soldier. Actually he couldn’t fit in anywhere anyway, how does a bucket headed guy fit into any wave. Still AIM is more an Iron Man/Avengers nemesis so it is odd that a mostly X-Men wave would feature the soldier.
Supposedly he uses the new Ghost Rider body so in a way he is a preview of that figure as well, which does look like a cool figure. I doubt very seriously if I had seen him out on his own I would have grabbed him. Personally right now I want the big villains like Thanos, Doom, Madrian, Ultron, or teams like the Wrecking Crew, U-Foes, Thunderbolts (Original) ect. The nameless thugs don’t often interest me after the Stormtroopers and Cobra Troops I have collected over the years. Still since I got him he is a nice figure and I kind of like him. I guess he has grown on me.
He has an interesting thigh swivel as well which is reminiscent of Modern Thor as well as Colossus and Juggernaught. It appears this is the first example of a new articulation in the MU line. If that is the case than not bad at all IMO.
Overall this wave is flat awesome, not a loser in the bunch, sure it’s not perfect, but what is? This time we get all new characters, most of which have never been in 1:18th scale before. Also, not a Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Wolverine to be seen, in other words no burn out of same old characters. That makes this wave a breath of fresh air in a line that seems to be a breath of fresh air. No offence to fans of Star Wars and GI Joe, but upcoming offerings are a bit worn with “core characters” while this gives fans something new to look at. Hopefully this wave can get over whatever the distribution problems have been with this line cause the wave really is something.