{"id":31282,"date":"2015-06-22T02:35:19","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T07:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=31282"},"modified":"2015-06-22T08:44:14","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T13:44:14","slug":"marvel-legends-ant-man-ultron-build-a-figure-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=31282","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Legends Ant-Man:
Ultron Build-a-Figure Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> “Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create avengers. People create… smaller people? Uhh… children! Lost the word there. Children, designed to supplant them. To help them… end.”<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Ultron, Avengers: Age of Ultron. <\/p>\n

Some minor spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron ahead\u2026 C\u2019mon, if you care about this toy, you\u2019ve already seen it right? <\/em><\/p>\n

A new wave of Marvel Legends hit TRU last week; I almost got out of TRU without spending $120 on it. The theme for the wave is loosely based on Marvel\u2019s upcoming Ant-Man film, very loosely. I\u2019ll probably review most of those in the next few weeks as we get closer to the film\u2019s release, but there is one figure I\u2019m ready to review now. It\u2019s also the figure that pushed me over the edge to blow $120 on all six figures, most of which I\u2019m not likely to keep. Marvel Legends collectors know that hard decision well, we call it the build-a-figure. In this wave, the build-a-figure has nothing to do with Ant-Man, at least in the Marvel Cinematic Universe anyway, it\u2019s from Avengers instead. It\u2019s Ultron. <\/p>\n

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Since it was Ant-Man\/Giant-Man\/Hank Pym that built Ultron in the comics, I suppose it\u2019s fitting that he be included with this wave. That\u2019s a cool little nod for comic fans, but I still felt a little burned. It\u2019s not a bad wave \u2013 we get a founding Avenger, three solid C-list villains, and a newer Giant-Man costume, but if you\u2019re collecting MCU figures you only get Ant-Man and five guys you gotta buy to build an Ultron. It\u2019s good business to mix things up a bit, but just one or two more movie figures might\u2019ve been nice. <\/p>\n

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So there\u2019s that. But what about Ultron? I did mention that I still almost walked away. That\u2019s partially to do with the film. I had a great time watching Age of Ultron. I thought it was one more step in the right direction the MCU continues to march its way towards. And I really enjoyed James Spader\u2019s Ultron\u2026 even though it wasn\u2019t exactly what I was expecting. <\/p>\n

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I got my first whiff of it not being what I was expecting in a preview clip that featured Ultron recruiting the Twins. It\u2019s when he can\u2019t think of the word children and then jovially laughs. It\u2019s on me that I was thinking of a purely robotic villain \u2013 I should\u2019ve known better considering Whedon\u2019s involvement. Even though it was different than I expected, I still liked it. The difference from comic to movie is usually unimportant to me and, in this case, it\u2019s even easily explained; this is Tony\u2019s Ultron, not Ant-Man\u2019s. <\/p>\n

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I did come to enjoy the portrayal though. Heck, I wish the movie just ended with the scene between him & Vision. I also liked the look, but in the end, Ultron just lacked any real resonance with me. He doesn\u2019t have Loki\u2019s charm, Red Skull\u2019s menace, Pierce\u2019s self-assuredness. Ronan, even with his basically zero characterization in Guardians makes more of a connection towards me. Ultron is superior to the forgettable Iron Man villains (credit, no doubt, to James Spader), but like them he is propped up more by other elements of the film being good rather than being a pillar the film relies on. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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So let\u2019s start talking toy. I kinda feel the same about the toy as I did the character in the movie. Some promise, probably enough to keep most folks happy, but just not quite executed to the point of being a memorable, great toy. I bought him for the ensemble \u2013 though it\u2019s not much of one since the MCU has thus far only received four villains in the Marvel Legends line (that averages out to about one every other year!). <\/p>\n

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Things start off strong with the sculpt. The height is great clocking in at 8\u201d and towering over the handful of MCU MLs we already have. And while the sculpt is more an approximation of the film than accurate, it\u2019s not bad. A lot of the details are there with the figure only deviating when the film opted to use gaps. This is worst at the waist joint where a swivel cut chops mercilessly though the circuity and filled in areas alike and cheapens the whole area as a result. The elbows & thighs have similar issues, but are covered for much more easily. I\u2019m okay with most of those decisions here. What hurts the sculpt for me is the expression. He kinda looks like he can\u2019t believe you just hurt his feelings instead of anything remotely menacing. As a whole piece, he looks good on the shelf though, so I\u2019m content with the sculpt. <\/p>\n

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I also enjoy the articulation. Ultron has ball-joints at the neck, shoulders, wrists, hips (limited), & ankles; double-hinges at the elbows & knees; swivels at the waist & thighs; and an ab-crunch. This is actually a ton of great articulation that should allow for some truly great poses. And it does, as long as you compensate for some soft plastic on the legs. Not just the knees, but everything from the knee down. This is where things take a turn. That soft plastic, along with a hollow torso (why not have the gaps then?), just make the figure feel really cheap. And when you just bought six figures and paid $120 to get this guy, cheap is the last word you want to enter your mind. <\/p>\n

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Which brings me to the worst part: the paint. Now, silver is tricky for toys, but that\u2019s a problem to be overcome, not an excuse. Ultron is molded head to toe in a dull gray and then only select areas were painted silver: the front of the legs, the front of the shoulders & biceps, the front and top of the upper torso, and most of the head. The silver blends into the gray well as it curves around the figure, but it\u2019s pretty terrible in certain spots. Compare the top & bottom half of the arms, where the thighs meet the hip joints, or the entire back of the figure. It\u2019s not terrible \u2013 it\u2019s not early Hasbro Marvel Legends, but it takes us right back to that cheap moniker. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I\u2019m torn about where to place the final verdict on the figure. The scale & sculpt are what we\u2019ve come to expect as Hasbro has continuously upped their game on their BAFs in recent years, but Ultron\u2019s cheap materials and paint simply doesn\u2019t continue that trend. If you just collect Marvel Legends, or are like me and love the MCU while enjoying oddball figures like Tigershark & Bulldozer, then this is an easier pill to swallow. You get seven figures for your $120 purchase. If you\u2019re just a fan of Ultron though? This figure isn\u2019t good enough for that kind of coin. For me, I\u2019ll be adding him to shelf and blending him out with the other MCU figures, but I\u2019ll also have my fingers crossed that Hulkbuster \u2013 another MCU BAF ensconced in a comic wave \u2013 turns out a lot better. <\/p>\n

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

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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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