DAREDEVIL
HISTORY: Born as Matt Murdock, Daredevil first appeared in a self-titled comic, Daredevil #1, in April of 1964. Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett and with input from Jack Kirby, from the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, young Matt Murdock was blinded by an unknown radioactive substance that took away his sight, but heightened his other remaining senses. Daredevil has also made appearances with various other affiliations such as S.H.I.E.L.D., The Defenders and New Avengers. As well as partnerships with Elektra and Black Widow.
FIRST GLANCE: In its packaging, there seems to be a bit of empty space. This figure essentially consists of the basics; figure, base and weapon (the unmasked variant does feature a loose mask accessory). Diamond Select Toys tapped sculptor Sam Greenwell to bring Daredevil to the Select line and what you see, is almost what you get.
PROS: Even though the paint is pretty basic at best, the details are in the shading. Darker shades of red compliment the muscle definition very well and the "DD" paint on the chest is spot on. You almost couldn't ask for a better representation straight out of the comics. On the unmasked variant, the paint on the head is beautifully applied. Eyes that are straight forward, hair color and paint is very clean and the overall headsculpt is on point.
CONS: For being so well known as an acrobatic character, if this figure were your first impression of the character, you'd probably easily move past it. Although the double kness almost let Murdock kick his own backside, the articulation nearly ends there. Lack of bicep swivels really compromise posing and the hips are awful. Joints are extremely stiff with excess paint and plastic in the gaps giving you the feeling they'll break or snap at nearly every turn. Other than that, the figure, again, seems very basic.
ARTICULATION:
Horizontal movement goes a full 360° with minimal vertical movement.
Ball shoulders, no bicep swivel
Single direction elbows
360° wrists
360° waist
Leg movement is very restricted by sculpt, moving almost 45° in every direction with very little twist capability at the hip
No thigh swivel
Double knees
Single direction ankles
BUYERS/COLLECTORS RECOMMENDATION: With the latest Netflix series taking off and no current word on a reissue, expect locating Daredevil to be a bit more difficult, as well as finding one online at a reasonable retail price. Loose collectors, pick up before the price goes up. Carded folks, take the same approach. Whether or not this is the definitive Daredevil figure, for the time being, since it's our only one, it would be. However, hope the latest series is a success and we can get one that rivals the Marvel Legends interpretation. With just a few more current appointments, this could be a great figure. Advice for the completists out there would be that if you see the unmasked variant of this figure, pick it up at all cost. It is one of the rarest figures in the Select line and fetches well over $150 on the secondary market, if you ever see one.
ELEKTRA
HISTORY: Created by Frank Miller, the Kunoichi ninja assassin Elektra made her first appearance in Daredevil #168 in 1981. Born to Hugo Kostas Natchios and his wife Christina, Elektra Natchios was assaulted by kidnappers at a young age which prompted her martial arts tutelage. When Hugo became an ambassador to the U.S., Elektra attended Columbia University where she met Matt Murdock. Elektra has also worked on both sides of the crime game, such as Thunderbolts, The Hand, S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA and Heroes for Hire.
FIRST GLANCE: Unlike the aforementioned Daredevil, Elektra, despite her size, fills up the already oversized Select packaging. That is due to the enormous castle-like base. This figure is also inspired by Greg Horn's cover work and transposed into figure form by sculptor Steve Kiwus. Released in the early days of the Marvel Select line, the statue approach is very noticeable.
PROS: It is tough to complain when figures get an abundance of accessories, Elektra is no exception. With interchangeable arms, four sais, naginata (long blade with ribbon) and a modified nunchaku, there are plenty of weapon choices. The large base also doubles for storage for all the parts of the figure as well as pegs for securing each weapon itself, with the exception of the naginata. The alternate lower half, with its stand, also gives you an additional pose. The paint applications on this figure are excellent and stand out in a crowd of other basic figures. The detailing throughout the various layers of hair is exquisite. Colors are bold and contrast very well, especially around the eyes with the magenta eyeshadow. On the display, regardless of which lower half you choose, it holds its balance over time.
CONS: As great as the colors on the paint are, there are a few points, particularly on mine, where it got sloppy. Black overruns on the head garment, wrist wraps are missing some red and just a few clumps of paint that likely didn't dissolve properly. Other than that, despite the statue approach, the figure is quite versatile. Finally, I couldn't give the extras a 10 mainly because of the overall quality of the pieces themselves. They are very flimsy and don't like to stay straight.
ARTICULATION:
Head would have great horizontal movement, but it is restricted by the hair and there is good vertical movement
Ball shoulders
Bicep swivel
No elbow articulation
No wrist articulation
With no articulation below the 360° waist
BUYERS/COLLECTORS RECOMMENDATION: Since its recent reissue, Elektra isn't the most sought after figure. Although the same could be said even before its reissue. It was still common to find for retail. It should also be noted, the reissue does have a much more pale complexion as opposed to the original. This figure is often not found loose, as most people who pick it up, actually wanted it and isn't often a figure, like Wolverine or Spider-Man that can get discarded with each and every reissue. Carded, the figure still goes for retail. Advice for the completist, try to get the original and don't break the bank or let someone tell you otherwise. It fits very well on a comic display and if you come across the lesser equipped Skrull SDCC variant, accompanied by a Skrull army builder, place that one higher on the priority chart.
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