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Introduction
It's time to wrap up my look at the Molten Man BAF wave of Marvel Legends figures with a review of Scorpion, Spider-Man Stealth Suit, and the big guy himself, Molten Man.
It's worth noting that while this Spider-Man is refered to as 'stealth suit', he's actually Night Monkey from the movie Spider-Man: Far From Home. Remember, several of these figures (including Molten Man himself) are derived from the film, but this is easily the most amusing.
These figures are at most major retailers right now, and will run you around $20 each.
Packaging - ***
Nothing particularly new here, but all the same positive points as in the past. There's a decent short bio on the back, along with a key which shows
which BAF piece comes with which figure in the wave. It's all collector friendly too, and the pieces and figures can be removed with almost no
damage to the packaging.
Sculpting - Molten Man **, Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
As I said, this Spider-Man is really Night Monkey, and he's glorious. Standing about 6" tall, he has all the goofy attributes of the character
from the film, and the inclusion of two head - one masked, one with the goggles up - really adds to the look. The detail work on the costume, even
with it all in black, lends depth and visual pop. There's various textures as well as sharply sculpted edges and minutia, making this guy the winner
of the wave for me.
Scorpion isn't bad, he's just a tad lackluster. The huge tail, which runs out from a large pack on his back, is quite heavy and difficult to pose. There's some nice work on his mask and face, but the suit is pretty basic, and he ends up being one of those middle of the road releases, at least in this category. He comes in around 6 1/2" tall.
Then there's poor Molten Man. If the poop emoji ever turns to crime, this is what he'd look like. The detail work is soft, and while I get what they were trying to do with the body, the facial aspects still needed a little more definition. Perhaps worst of all, the torso is made from a brittle, cheap feeling plastic, making him one of the worst BAF releases we've seen in quite some time. He stands about 9" tall.
Paint - Molten Man **; Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
Poor Molten Man loses again. I'm guessing they thought this color approximated molten lava, but I'm not seeing it. It reminds me of those bronze
baby shoes parents used to get...I think I still have mine somewhere around here.
The face is particularly sloppy, with the red mouth color splashed in the general direction. The eyes are alright, but with so little detail, and such a weird overall color, he's just not doing it for me.
Scorpion doesn't have a lot of detail either, but the work on his face and mask is quite clean. The suit is, once again, basic stuff, and he does suffer from some of the green pieces - like the discs and posts at the joints - being slightly off color.
Again, Night Monkey is the winner. Oh, he doesn't have a lot of detail either, but they did mix their finishes up a bit to add some pop. The work on the eyes/goggles with both heads is extremely good, and the skin tone on the fingers is consistent and clean.
Articulation - Molten Man, Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ****
These are Marvel Legends so this category should be a slam dunk.
For Spider-Man, it is. Lots of movement in the ball/hinge neck, and the rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists allow for tons of great arm poses. The hands and heads swap cleanly, and stay in place while you're posing him.
He also has a cut waist and ab-crunch, both adding some much needed twist, turn, and bend to the torso. The cut thighs, double pin knees, ball hips, and hinge ankles work well, although I do wish I could bet a little more movement out of the ankles. The sculpt is a tad restrictive here, but it's a fairly minor nit.
Scorpion has all the same great body articulation, plus he has that huge tail. Unfortunately, the thick tail doesn't like to hold a pose, and its weight can be a big negative. His ankles work a bit better than Spidey's, but it's not enough to make up for the hindrance of the tail.
Then there's Molten Man. While his sculpt and paint work are lacking, I have to admit they did a pretty decent job with the articulation. The ball jointed neck isn't anything to get excited about, but the arms are much more posable than I expected. There's still some restriction from the sculpt and from the weight of the left arm, but you should be able to get some decent arm poses.
He also has the rocking ab-crunch, and the slightly less posable leg joints. These legs are not as mobile as the usual Marvel Legends figure, but the restrictions come from the thick, heavy limb sculpt. He does stand well on his own, if in a limited number of ways. The fingers on the left hand are also sculpted with a flat rest, so he can do a sort of gorilla stance with it.
Accessories - Scorpion, Molten Man **1/2; Spider-Man ***1/2
Scorpion only has the BAF piece, and as such gets a **1/2.
Molten Man is an accessory, technically, but he does get one extra of his own - a hunk of girder. His left hand can hold it easily.
Spider-Man comes with the extra head, a huge plus in my book, as well as the BAF piece. He also has an extra set of web shooting hands, boosting his score a bit more.
Fun Factor - Molten Man, Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ****
While some of the figures in the wave are mediocre, there's still a lot of fun to be had, particularly for kids who enjoyed the movie. It's a nice
mix of villains and heroes, and no kid can say no to the Night Monkey.
Value - ***
I have to give Hasbro some credit. They've managed to keep their prices at the same level for quite a few years now, lining up nicely with other
1/12 lines at mass retailers. The paint and sculpts have improved, as well as the quality of the materials they use. Well, except for the
disappointing Molten Man.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall - Molten Man **1/2; Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
Molten Man isn't just the weakest figure in this wave, he's the weakest BAF I've seen in quite some time. The cheap feel, the poor sculpt and paint,
he's pretty much a mess.
But you can't go wrong with the Stealth Suit Spider-man. He's a nice addition to the mythos, and kids and adults alike will enjoy facing him off against Mysterio.
Scorpion? Well, if you really have to get Molten Man, he's a must buy. But if not, he's one that sits in the middle ground for me - nothing too exciting, but if you're looking to round out some Spider-Man villains, he's not a bad purchase.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Molten Man **; Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
Paint - Molten Man **; Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
Articulation - Molten Man, Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ****
Accessories - Scorpion, Molten Man **1/2; Spider-Man ***1/2
Fun Factor - Molten Man, Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ****
Value - ***
Overall - Molten Man **1/2; Scorpion ***; Spider-Man ***1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has the singles for $22 and a case (eight figures) for $160 and free shipping!
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
The first four figures in this wave, Spider-Woman and Hydro-Man, as well as,
Doppelganger Spider-Man and Mysterio, were reviewed earlier. Other
recent Marvel Legends reviews include the Deadpool Corp;
Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, Kree Sentry, and Genis-Vell.
I've
covered quite a few Marvel Legends over the years, including figures from Infinity War;
Black Knight and Malekith;
Thor, Cull Obsidian, and Black Widow;
and Ant-man and the Wasp.
Use the Search Reviews page to find even more.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
