{"id":26791,"date":"2014-02-10T00:25:51","date_gmt":"2014-02-10T06:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26791"},"modified":"2014-02-10T00:25:51","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T06:25:51","slug":"marvel-legends-spider-man-infinite-black-cat-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=26791","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Legends Spider-Man
Infinite Black Cat Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>So I\u2019ve got this weird thing where I compulsively buy Spider-Man villains. I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m a big fan of Spider-Man\u2019s Rogue\u2019s Gallery \u2013 I\u2019d be hard pressed to even tell you their real names or origins aside from a couple. But I like them as action figures. I know because I\u2019ve bought them several times over. And, even now, with my mostly purged Toy Biz Marvel Legends collection slowly being salt & peppered with Hasbro figures, my Marvel shelves are still well populated with Spidey villains. It\u2019s just strange. <\/p>\n

A good chunk of those figs hail from the ML Sinister Six Box set. I loved that set. Great versions of Green Goblin & Doctor Octopus. A smilin\u2019, thankfully tongueless Venom, a fun Kraven (I don\u2019t like screaming heads, but the S6 version sure beat that jaundiced single release), and a so-so Electro. And then there was Black Cat. Black Cat was in no way a good figure<\/a>. She had that awful early-ML female articulation (I still have Rogue, ugh \u2013 Hasbro, where\u2019s a new 90s Rogue?), a bad head sculpt, and this giant chunk of immobile hair. And I think her neck paint stripped off the first time I move it too. It just wasn\u2019t a good figure. <\/p>\n

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As toy collectors, we know that old trope about women action figures not selling. And, as collectors, typically counter back with \u201cmake the action figures of the women worthwhile.\u201d (at least when we\u2019re not fretting over cooties). I don\u2019t always agree with the masses out there, but I think the idea that a lot of the ladies get subpar figures being a fair assessment. Action figure lines with great figures for the women are few & far between. It\u2019s gotten better in recent years. While I don\u2019t always like that many of their figures look like sisters, the 4H have produced some great figures with their Queens of the Seventh Kingdom line & MOTU Classics. That same success didn\u2019t always transfer to DC Classics sadly, which kinda joins the ML line in putting out some hideous figures. That aforementioned Rogue. Scarlet Witch. Hasbro got in on action with Emma Frost, Madame Viper & Mystique too. <\/p>\n

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But things are hopefully getting better. Hasbro has finally righted that misstep Toy Biz took all those years ago with their S6 Box set. We now have a great Black Cat figure (well, great is overstating it, we\u2019ll get to that in the articulation section), but the sculpt is fantastic. Felicia (look, I know one secret ID!) is actually pretty. Hey, her eyes are up here, fellas. I don\u2019t have any shame in admitting I want the girl figures to look pretty either. I want my Batmen figures to look grim, my Grimlocks to be ferocious, and if I\u2019m gonna buy a Black Cat, it better damn well have a pretty face (or, y\u2019know, be included in a box set of other awesome figures\u2026 I guess, never mind). <\/p>\n

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With the smashing head sculpt aside, the rest of Black Cat features the newer, curvier buck used on some of the more recent figures. I don\u2019t have any of those, so I can\u2019t compare, but it\u2019s a solid buck. In addition to the head, the upper torso, lower arms, and lower legs are all-new to get Cat\u2019s details just right, but otherwise it\u2019s a fairly standard figure. The only thing I\u2019m not a fan of is that it\u2019s a little bigger\/taller than previous releases. The top of Black Widow\u2019s head is about eye level for Black Cat. That may be comic accurate, I haven\u2019t looked it up, but one funny thing is that even though Cat is taller and has, uh, just about everything bigger than Widow (arms & legs, people, yeesh) their waist is about the same size. That waist is the only real flaw I find with the sculpt, when viewed from the side Black Cat looks a little ridiculous. Like she fell out of a comic book or something. To solve this, I will pose her facing forward. <\/p>\n

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The paint work is mostly sharp, but it could be just a little better. I didn\u2019t notice so much in person, but up-close in the pics you can see the paint for the lips, the mask, the eyes \u2013 they\u2019re all slightly off. I love the level of detail in the sculpt, but it would\u2019ve been even better if the paint could\u2019ve kept up. I should also point out that there are a lot more blue highlights in the hair than what is showing up in the pictures. They\u2019re done well, not nearly as distracting as some of the recent Blue Symbiote Spidey figures (& thankfully there\u2019s none on the black areas of the costume) and I think, this time, it actually enhances the figure\u2019s overall look. Yes, for once, I\u2019m not complaining about blue highlights. I know, right? Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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The one area where I wasn\u2019t as happy with the figure though was the articulation. There is a lot to like \u2013 the ball-joint at the neck (she can\u2019t look up due to the hair, but there is surprisingly good range otherwise considering how big the hair is), ball-joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and inverted ankles, swivels at the thighs, double-hinged knees, and a great ab crunch. Now in some cases, I just want more. I always lament the lack of bicep swivels, but some calf swivels might\u2019ve come in handy on this figure too \u2013 because the hips kinda suck. <\/p>\n

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There are some good poses possible. She can crouch pretty low; she\u2019s actually on a higher shelf ready to pounce on Spidey right now and looks great. And, as you can see, she can do the Captain Morgan pretty well too. But any figure with a t-crotch and good ankles can do that. And that\u2019s kinda what Black Cat has. The hips are ball-joints, but the side range is so limited that posing her is annoying. Basically the hips can only flare out a little bit, they can\u2019t go back at all, and if you bring the legs forward then the lower torso makes the side-to-side movement even more limited. It took forever to get that whip picture \u2013 and she\u2019s balancing against the wall in it anyway. Fail. <\/p>\n

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Speaking of said whip, that is her primary accessory. It probably has a fancy name I don\u2019t know since it has the little hoe\/claw on the end. I\u2019m not a fan here either, but I\u2019ll always take a \u201cfree\u201d accessory. I\u2019d like it more, but it\u2019s a loose fit for her hand and I\u2019m not sure what pose goes with the whip when it\u2019s in an s-shape (though I bet you she wouldn\u2019t stand in it anyway). <\/p>\n

Also included is the giant hulking torso of the Green Goblin. It\u2019s pretty awesome if you want to build him. I feel the usual BAF compulsion, but a) I\u2019m trying to kickoff \u201cNo Toy February\u201d (I made it up) and b) Movie Electro? Superior \u201cKanji-Face\u201d Spidey? You\u2019ve got to try better to tempt me, Hasbro. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I\u2019m still happy with the figure. The sculpt is solid and the paintwork is good, though you might have to find her more than once (which could be a problem). The lower leg articulation makes up for the hips what it can and above the waist, the articulation is solid. So, yeah, I\u2019m still going to put Black Cat down as one of the better female figures in 2014 so far. And I do give credit to Hasbro for their improvements on the ladies. If they\u2019re going to do them this well, then it\u2019s time to for a redo of Rogue & Valkyrie. And I have I mentioned before that there still aren\u2019t Marvel Legends for Hellcat, Firestar, Sif, Enchantress, & Polaris. I\u2019m sure I have<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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For all our Marvel Reviews, check out our Review Index<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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