MARVELous: Hail all heroes, conquerors and s/he-men everywhere! If you are even a novus collector of action figures you have probably come across the Marvel Select line which has been designed and distributed by Diamond Select Toys for over a dozen years now! From the Ultimate Spider-Man to the forthcoming Age of Ultron Black Widow there are a staggeringly noteworthy 100+ to choose from in circulation! And these are available directly from DST and from a handful of specialty retailers and local comic book shops! These are, for the most part, strictly styled as a 7" figure in scale, however, as you will see in this review - some need just a little more space to match their comic persona!
Formed in the late Nineties the Maryland-based company behind-the-scenes is a true collectors paradise, catering to hardcore fans of those who loved the original comics enough to become adult collectors. With over two dozen licenses, it is the relationship with Marvel that excites most! They care about design 360° and pour that love into large display packaging with stickers and emblems as well as always including a licensed booklet for the official touch. They also excel in the area of accessories, backdrops, sculp and paint. The artists they work with go for true resemblances to the characters you grew up with. So, let's take a closer look at a small cross section of five recent figures we had the chance to examine close-and-personal:
With the upcoming May release of the new Avengers: Age of Ultron fans worldwide are anticipating the biggest of all Summer blockbusters as this film starts to truly unite heroes that have grown in such popularity in their distinct franchises. And this Ultron figure stokes the firestorm about to emblazon the silver screen. Take a look....
This supervillian gives you a strong combo of muscle man meets evil robot (though he's actually a roboticist). The body resembles his adamantium alloy (impervious to most damage) with a matte metal finish. I really appreciate the contrasting orange-red "glow" color inside his jaws and eyes that enhance his overall sinister appearence. The body has lots of articulation at the ankles, wrists, torso and knees - allowing for all kinds of wicked positions. And like all of the figures in this line, this one comes with a pegged staging/backdrop which you can see in this detail:
Ultron stands atop the remains of a partial city he's likely conquered with his superhuman speed and strength, no tto mention his ability to fly at subsonic speed - likely busting apart that brick/mortar wall. The figure is modern, clean even if a little slimmer than expected - it's this lithe-ness that will get him through any challenge set forth. The head-sculpt/helmet is probably the most stand-out feature here - they got this perfectly. Rating: 8/10
Dr. Doom, another supervillain developed in the golden age of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby was the arch nemesis of the Fantastic Four. This scientific genius was always depicted as the most brilliant in the Marvel Universe. His signature green cape and silvery mysteriousness is captured well here.
The green cape is of a rubber-like material and is removeable with ease (though nicely it doesn't easly just fall off). The riveted-faced figure also comes with a few additional and excting accessories including the golden chalice (which is actually another removeable hand) and a pistol (see below) which fits nicely into his other posed hand or in the roomy side box-pouch.
Dr. Doom seems destined for wrong-doing with poised pistol and grimacing scowl. The paint effects are spot-on here, especially on the green garment which has a wrinkled and worn look to it. Plenty of pivot points here and his head will adjust to have him look to the sides like this. But the piece-de-resistance comes when you put the figure into the included environment.
This carpeted and stepped throne stage is wonderful, and the figure sans cape can be seated, or you can stand him alongside - or upon the first step - you decide. The golden eagle crest flies almost invisibly above and the treatments on the tufted leather chair are perfect. Rating: 8.5/10
Magneto has become familiar to many modern day fans as portrayed by Sir Ian McKellan in the X-Men series. He is a crux of a character having been both a key villain as well as an ally of the X-Men over the comics and other renditions. In actuality, appearing in the comics in the early 60's, he is a powerful mutant that was a Jewish Holocaust survivor.
And here his stands atop the ruins of the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning (created by Marvel and supposedly in the Berkshires of Massachusetts). Magneto's cape and bodysuit are perfectly contrasted in bright red and metallic purple. The cape, in -flight, is sculpted with great deft hand, giving it a wonder feeling of being adrift. The figure has a ton of flexibility/articulation, and his feet are sort of rubberized to easily mount the display stand. This guy is chiseled and his helmet nearly masks his face, and it's only this visage I find as a minor low point as I think he could have looked slightly more menacing or comic - his expression sorta puts him in limbo - but the helmet does the trick to boost his testosterone a touch. No detail has been flubbed, he's otherwise pretty flawless. I want to find some kind of glowing orb to put inhis grasping hand, he needs something to complete the look....a perfect conundrum for any collector. Rating: 7.5/10
Enter the BIG guys! Here's Abomination (Russian-born Emil Blonsky), and he weighs, get this, three pounds of scaly and rugged greeness! Another supervillain born in the latter 60's as part of Tales to Astonish and known to battle The Incredible Hulk. After bombarding himself with radioactivity he battles Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk), and then the Silver Surfer as well. There's a whole sideline story of his relationship to a witch coven and being a LKGB agent. It's a hoot and a half! Let's take a look at him unwrapped front and back.....
He resembles something 'tween lizard and turtle -- all green and mean! First thing you notice after this figure's weighty-ness is his incredible mashing teeth and ferocious claws. It's a bit of a Godzilla/man mashup in a speedo. And look at the tiered scales on his back, and monster arms. This guy is at least 2 inches taller than the others herein. And he's meant to be, given that he was originally imagined by the great Stan Lee as "bigger and stronger" than the Hulk! The paint/sculpt takes into consideration, quite brilliantly, the overall look of the form and function at the "seamless" joints. This has to be one of my favorites in this line so far, and he stands stoutly and soundly. And the grotesque tinge of green is righteously un-uniform for a more "realistic" effect. The only eh moment is in the cardboard backdrop - it's nice that they added it, but it's a throwaway really - hard to compete with this big guy! Rating: 9/10
And, here, rounding out this selection of Marvel Select figures is non other than Thanos. First appearing in Iron Man (#55) the early Seventies from creator Jim Starlin - he is a mutant of the moons of Saturn. Most topically of late his character sprouted up in the epic Guardians of the Galaxy (and his reprise is on the horizon in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War - Pts. I + II). As a Titanian Eternal (race) Thanos is seen as the "Mad God" and here he comes with his muse, Death.
Boasting 14 points of articulation, and we tested them to great results, he is a powerful, grounded (and colorful) fella. As you can see (above), his muse has a wonderful curvy posture for a walking skeleton -- actually she doesn't walk, the figure is flat at the bottom, and has no moving parts - except for a clip-on face ("mask"). Thanos' torso is hulk, bulk, strong and fierce. His mug was sculpted with a lotta love given he nearly wiped out all living beings in the universe. He comes with a bonus accessory, the infamous Infinity Gauntlet with its bejeweled knuckles. His coloration is pretty bold, balancing a teal torso/bodysuit against a warm, golden shoulder armor, crunchy fat boots and thick fisted gloves. This figure is easy to love, they got so much right -and his big man poses are fun and domineering. He can even sweep his dark mistress off her feet. Rating: 9.5/10
As you can see these figures, which most are still in stock (in limited quantities), are quite exciting to behold in their finer details. You can create your own variations on situational poses and scenarios, or you can mix-n-match among other figures. We had some fun while comparing them side by side.
Endless fun for all.