Yes, even more Marvel Universe.  

In the rush to get out all those Marvel Universe reviews out there were a few figures I missed from one of the middle waves. Part of the delay in reviewing these figures is the fact that Mystique was very hard to come by for me. While Multiple Man did appear in the same wave as these I have decided to hold off on him for a bit. Also Spy Wolverine is a figure that holds no interest for me whatsoever. I hated that look in Team X, in the Toybiz 5 inch line, and I hate it now. There is still plenty to see in this wave and in fact these are probably the best the wave has to offer.  

First up, Captain Britain, brother of Psylocke and although closely associated with mutant teams, he is not a mutant. Often his power have been associated with magic (amulet) and later his heritage from Otherworld granting him his powers (the latter has caused some debate about if Captain Britain might be a mutant in the comic shop I frequent. The debate resulted in an “I don’t give a crap” response). I am not sure why but I have always kind of liked Captain Britain. Often he has been regulated to comedic comics, but they have been fun at the same time.  

The figure is the standard “big buy” mold we first saw with the Wrecking crew. The gloves cover up the skinny wrists just as they did with Thunderball. The knees are different reflecting Captain Britian’s boots. It’s a nice touch that distinguishes him from the rest of the figures that have used this mold (Sentry, Wrecking Crew, Dark Spider-Man). His one down side is probably knowing he is a reused mold. Still with Britain the choice makes perfect sense  

Right after this figure came out there was an announcement and showing of a new Captain Britain figure coming in the Captain America Comic line associated with the upcoming movie. To be blunt the new figure looks a bit better than the one here. I would suggest (if you have the patience) to wait for the Captain America line version. Much better paint, it appears to be a better mold, and even comes with a sword. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good figure, but had I seen the upcoming one first I probably would have held out.  

Still I do like this figure and wouldn’t say avoid him, in fact I have to give him pretty high marks overall. As good as this figure is I have to say the upcoming one looks a great deal better.  

Next is Ghost Rider whose bio reads much more like the movie than his comic book even though he clearly is intended to be the comic version. I suppose this is an attempt to make the figure a bit familiar to the general public and avoid confusion. Personally, I think the bio is secondary but it is weird to read like that.  

GR was a ton of fun back in the day. What is there not to love about a demon with a flaming skull on a motorcycle. GR the character has gone through many ups and downs. I think his last series that began strongly in the early 1990’s exemplifies much of the characters ups and downs. The series has an incredibly strong open but by the time it ended (around issue #80) it was recognizable in name only. Don’t believe that, Pick up the final issue in the quarter bin, it’s just horrid. But still the character endures all these years later, and of course it’s that distinct look and abilities that make him stand out to many fans around the world.  

Of course there was the GR movie that many fans were highly disappointed in. I thought it could have been better but that it wasn’t totally horrid. I mean it had plenty of Eva Mendes cleavage LOL (of course that didn’t save “The Spirit” at all). Nic Cage is often cited as the movie’s biggest problem, however after seeing great performances out of him before and since (especially roles like Big Daddy in “Kick Ass”)I am leaning to bad writing and directing effecting his performance. Some refuse to believe there is that huge an effect on performance based on editing and directorial choices. There were some experiments in Russia in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with this, at essence a man was filmed staring, just staring and then the next shot was edited in. Viewers were asked what emotions were being conveyed. If a bowl of fruit was shown, the audience said the man was starving and wanting to get to the fruit. If a woman or child were cut in, the man was a murderer and wanted to kill the vulnerable people. The point is that there are a ton of ways editing, blocking, and even advising from the directors, producers, or even cuts from the editors effect the performance on screen. It’s only when all of these various talents are on similar pages that most motion pictures work, if they have disagreements about where the movie should go or what the character is trying to convey on screen then it’s a train wreck which appears to be what has occurred with Ghost Rider movie. Man, I just majorly digressed again, crap. OK so now you know something I learned in all those film classes in college LOL.  

In the eventual life of the MU line there has been inevitable comparisons to the SHS/MLS line. In that much has been said about how easily MLS figures break. Of course this is not entirely accurate, the major joints have a ball hinge and with that design the tendency is to pop off. In one respect this makes for easy customizing but in another it makes the arms and legs come off a bit too easy. However the legs on many of the MU figures have similar problems, as was the case with my GR right out of the package. No it’s not a criticism necessarily, but just showing that while some claim Hasbro’s molds are so “Superior” to the Toybiz ones they still have similar problems.  

Although the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider didn’t use a chain he is packed with one anyway. This is an obvious reference to the more modern Dan Keitch version of GR. Still I am not going to gripe as it fits GR’s character either way, but some reviews of this toy has pointed out the end of the chain looking like a penis. Well yes and no, and there is a simple reason for that. Chains alone are very dangerous as a weapon both for the intended victim and also for the users. Without a weight on the end of the chain it is somewhat ineffective for anything besides a clubbing blow. They are hard to control to begin with but without the weight on the end they are near impossible to swing effectively. Various martial Arts have several chain weapons and almost all of them have some sort of weight at the end. The most common weights used are either balls (to primarily emulate a flail type weapon) or in a point for penetration. Of course these penetration models somewhat resemble a penis, just like bullets and other types of weapons do. The major reason (and not to sound too suggestive) is the design of the weapons is to penetrate the opponents skin and that shape lends itself to such an action. Yes I have digressed again, but now you know what I have learned from too many years of martial arts.  

In comparison to the Toybiz SHS/MLS version of Ghost Rider, honestly I feel this is a comparison of Apples and Oranges since both figures represent different versions of GR. Still if I was forced to chose I would give it to MU Ghost Rider this time but only by the narrowest of margins.  

So the verdict, very much a figure that is worthwhile for anyone who likes the MU line or likes GR himself. There are plenty of bike substitutes to put GR on including the pike from the SHS/MLS line. I am pretty sure eventually we will get a bike for GR but who knows when and if the bike will have the same GR with it, so I say grab this one now. It’s still floating around in revision cases so I say go for it.  

Next is the figure I was actually surprised was so hard to find, Mystique. While I don’t hate Mystique, she is nowhere near my top favorite villains. I did hate the lame attempts to make her into a hero with Freedom Force and X-Factor. Simply put, to me a villain is a villain unless there are extraordinary circumstances (i.e. the original Thunderbolts becoming good guys). Mystique needs to stay a villain because that is where she works to me.  

Apparently Mystique has been using her shape shifting powers as age-defying make-up. She is reported to be the biological mother of Nightcrawler and Grayson Creed as well as the foster mother of Rouge. In other words she has two kids who are not spring chickens themselves. Also it has been suggested Mystique is over 100 years old, making her pretty spry for such an old lady.  

The figure is our typical “woman” sculpt and if she has any strikes against her that is it. This mold has been used for everyone from Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman (both versions), Firestar, and every single female character in the MU line. Of course the major weakness is the arm articulation which has no swivel whatsoever. While generally I am ok with a certain level of articulation, but the constant difference within this line from males to females is annoying. I only hope Hasbro eventually decides that more female molds are needed.  

Despite that glaring flaw the figure is pretty good, the “skirt” works on a great many levels to distinguish her from other figures. I think that the skirt needed the same paint wipes on the rest of the figure’s outfit just for a bit more uniformity, but it isn’t a terrible difference.  

The only new aspect of this figure besides the skirt is the head sculpt which is pretty good. It looks like her appearance from the late-80’s which is the look I generally prefer anyway. She also comes with the same lame-o M-16 mold many Marvel Universe figures come with. My plan is to dig through my GI Joe extra guns and give her two pistols. This matches her better in the comics as well as my own views of the character.  

If you see it I say grab it, it is worth your while IMO as she is a necessary part of the X-Universe.