Best Toy Prchases of 2022

My apologies for the significant drop-off of content this year. With restrictions eased now that people stupidly believe the pandemic is over, things have naturally changed for me this year. For one thing, I got a new, better Audio Visual job than the one I was doing before the pandemic and the ones I was doing in the little spaces between lockdowns. In addition, my workload has picked up so much that I'm finally chipping away at my student loan debt from University at long last, and renting a house seems possible. That may seem like a low bar, but when your life was on hold for two years, it felt like a more significant accomplishment than you'd think it would. Sadly, the trade-off is less time to work on these sights. I work on these sites for fun; I don't make a profit on them, meaning that I need to prioritize what does make money.

Anyway, I wanted to do something different this year. Instead of ranking toys in separate lists, I wanted to do a single post cataloguing some of my favourite toys of the year in no particular order. Are these toys all objectively the best? No, but they're enjoyable for different reasons. I've sorted them into categories for you; feel free to skip through to what you're interested in. With that out of the way: 

 

Top 7 Best and Worst Miscellaneous Action Figures of 2021

2021 was a year of experiments. However, like all experiments, some succeed, and some fail. Today, we honour the failures, the scrapped plans that I still enjoy, but I didn't want to put the time into a full review as past experiences told me the effort wasn't worth it. Today, we delve into the legends of Marvel, the galaxy far, far away and a different multiverse with its own pantheon of heroes and villains. Though there wasn't enough to make a Top 10 list (I didn't feel like it was worth it when I barely got over ten figures), I did want to make a shorter list that covers the greats and the not so greats. So, before I get to the Joes, here are my Top 7 Best and Worst Miscellaneous Action Figures of 2021 (of the things I got in 2021, not necessarily being released in 2021).

 

Though the title states 7 Best and Worst, there are only two figures I wanted to include as a "worst of" mini list in this review, not because I think they are objectively bad, but because they made me rethink what I was going to do collecting wise from now on. So keep that in mind when you read why I was not too fond of these two.

* Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Battle Droid.

 

 In terms of detailing and articulation, this is an excellent small scale Battle Droid. I never had "traditional" (if that's the best way to put it) Star Wars toys when I was a kid. The big vehicle playsets with lots of 3-4 inch figures controlling them were never in my metaphorical toybox. In that regard, it's been interesting seeing the Vintage Battle Droid and the (not included on this list) Vintage Darth Vader in person. There are two reasons why the Battle Droid makes it on the list. One was getting both the Battle Droid alongside some Black Series figures made me realize that I preferred the larger scaled figures (maybe I would get more of the Vintage collection if space and cost wasn't an issue for the vehicles). The other reason was that the Battle Droid specifically does not feel pleasant to hold. Because of how thin the B1 Battle Droid design is, the figure is moulded in this rubber-like plastic to keep it from breaking, which ironically makes it feel more brittle, and extremely light. While I get the reasoning behind it, and it was the most logical thing, it still doesn't feel great. I feel more confident playing with a Lego Battle Droid, and the clips used for those pieces are notorious for breaking (at least back when I got Battle Droid minifigs).
 

Marvel Legends Phage:

 

Feel free to call me a "filthy casual" for this one, but Phage made it clear to me that if I was going to go in on Marvel Legends, and it's long, long... long history... I would need to have a genuine interest in the character or the representation first. I got Phage when I aimed to get all of that Venom wave to complete the Build A Fig, Venompool (mainly not to have a torso hanging around my tubs from when I got Gwennom). The thing is, though, I have no idea who this even is. I don't know much about the wider Marvel Symbiote World outside Venom and Carnage. Riot didn't impress me in the Venom movie (so much so that I'm not even convinced I'm remembering his name right), and Phage... just looks like a gold symbiote with some more spikes. There are some things I like, the head detail looks great, and I love the arm blade accessory. However, this guy will likely always have going against him because of all the horror stories I've heard about Gold Plastic Syndrome and my past experiences with the ticking timebomb that is metallic plastic. Is this that same type of plastic? No, I don't think so, but I can't help but feel nervous when holding him, like if I breathe the wrong way, he'll turn into dust as if he was an Infinity Gauntlet victim. For those wondering, no, I no longer have a random torso in my tub for Venompool. It's now a random torso with legs. I didn't end up finishing the wave anyway after getting Phage.

The "Not objectively the worst, but worst due to circumstances and preferences" mini list aside, here are the Top 7 Best.

7. Star Wars Black Series Commander Cody:

 

 
Even as someone who grew up when the prequels were in cinemas (though I was too young to see them in the cinemas). I will openly admit the Star Wars Prequels aren't great movies as a whole. They have their moments of enjoyment, some probably not for the intended reasons, and I still think that Revenge of the Sith is, overall, one of the better Star Wars movies. However, what got me to love characters like Commander Cody was the Clone Wars, and I'm glad that this gives a great representation of Cody from both the show and the movie. I love how they handled the armour, all the little painted details, and even how they sculpted the blasters. This figure definitely made a positive impression on me regarding The Black Series of figures. It, and the Marvel Legends figures, took time for me to come around too, as they feel limited compared to the G.I. Joe Classified figures. While that may feel like a stupid comparison to make, it's hard for me not to compare them, as I got into Classified first. Things like Cody's shoulder pads limiting articulation, along with the lack of an ab crunch in another Black Series figure later on, still feel jarring. Will I army build Clones now, thanks to Cody? No, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to try and get a Rex, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka to go with him.
 
6. Marvel Legends Into the Spiderverse Prowler: 

 

 
I won't deny the fact that there's a heavy "spider theme" for the Marvel Legends characters. While I like other Marvel superheroes and supervillains, most of that love comes from the MCU, and I didn't get any MCU Marvel Legends figures this past year. Comic focused waves like the X-Men stuff didn't interest me, as many of those designs aren't what I have in my head when I think of those characters. I got the full Into the Spiderverse wave and was planning to review them during MAYvel 2021, but I ended up cancelling those plans when the two Marvel Legends reviews I did bombed in terms of page views (hence why I'm doing this and not proper reviews). I love how they handled Spiderverse Prowler; it's accurate to the movie without feeling limited by it (something I'll come back to later). The costume looks gorgeous; it's beautifully dynamic even in stationary poses. It looks like a hunter stalking its prey, waiting for the right moment to pounce. I just wish he came with accessories for himself and not the Build a fig for the wave, Stilt-Man, as some battle-ready claws and an Uncle Aaron head would have been perfect additions for him.
 
5. Marvel Legends Maximum Venom Gwennom: 

 

 That's not to say I don't enjoy the comic book designs. Like everything, it's case by case. Venomized designs of other characters in the Marvel comics have often felt hit and miss for me, as Spider-Man's black suit's simplicity is often lost to make more monstrous designs based more on Venom's look. While that's not a bad thing, it does make specific Symbiote versions of heroes like Miles' equivalent of the Black Suit look bad in my eyes. Gwennom's look, on the other hand, feels like a nice balance of the two extremes. It looks more monstrous than her regular costume, but it feels more complimentary than something like Miles, which looks more like Miles' body, with Venom's head. Elements like the Symbiote teeth making up the end of the hood, the tongue used more like a whip, the punk jacket adding in that bit of extra detail to the body this still feels like a costume and not a monster. The story it's used for in the comics feels like a perfect modernization of the iconic story and costume without going overboard with the knowledge fans have, knowing that this thing is still a monster.

4. Star Wars Black Series Grand Admiral Thrawn: 

 

 
 While Star Wars fans may complain about how he was portrayed in Rebels, it doesn't change the fact that Thrawn was, to me at least, still one of the best things in the second half of the show. I love this kind of villain. Cold, calculating, a villain that, while they may still just be mortal, no extra powers, no god-like technology, can read their enemies so well that, when they stop playing with their prey, decimate everything about them. That presence carries over in this figure; you always feel like this character is in control. While Cody's shoulders are limited, I was genuinely surprised by the lack of an ab crunch on Thrawn, though it's something that I'm perfectly fine with ignoring as it breaks up the sculpt of the Imperial Uniform. Perhaps that's the goal of the Black Series? Sculpt > Articulation? To a Black Series collector, let me know if this is the case.

3. DC Multiverse Batman Beyond (standalone release): 

 

This list wasn't going to be purely Marvel Legends and Black Series. Though Hasbro 6-inch was the bulk of my purchases for the year, in terms of looking for more experimental things to cover, the DC Multiverse figures did catch my interest as I enjoy DC's pantheon of characters. As tempting as it was to get the DCAU inspired figures due to my love of shows like Batman, the Animated Series and Justice League, like with Prowler before, I wanted to get something that felt better in the real world instead than being limited to the design of the animation. While those designs look good in cartoons, they don't look good as toys. I love the design of Batman Beyond's suit, and Terry's growth into The Batman throughout the show was almost always interesting, even to this day. It's nice to see something where a teenager is the main focus, but it doesn't feel as cliche as other teenage focused shows (looking at you Disney Channel sitcoms). There are some things I wish this figure did, such as giving him removable wings, more articulation in the neck to get him into better flying positions and including the Batarangs from the Build a Fig version; this is still a gorgeous take on Terry McGinnis' Batman. I got him at the same time as I got the Batman based on Detective Comics #1000. While I still like that Batman, I absolutely love this one.

2. Marvel Legends Into the Spiderverse Spider Gwen:

 

Yeah, both versions of the Ghost Spider made it on the list. Though I still haven't gotten the comic accurate version they put out a few years ago (hopefully once I've got some more money to spare?), this is still a great take on both the comic book and movie character (depending on the head you're using). She's honestly one of the main reasons I wish Prowler came with a little more, as she comes with both Spider-Ham and Stilt-Man's chest and still has enough room in the budget for two heads, two hoods and a spare set of hands. Granted, she is a smaller character, but it still doesn't change the fact that I wish there were a little more to Prowler. This is just a fantastic take on the costume and character, one that I easily recommend as a representation of the multiverse heroine. Anything else I could add to here would just be repeating my review of her.

1. Marvel Legends Gammerverse Miles Morales: 

Both of Spidey's Amazing Friends made the list, but Peter Parker himself didn't. Peter B Parker I thought was just fine, which is why he didn't make it here. This version of Miles, though, this is what I wanted from the Into the Spiderverse Miles I reviewed back for MAYvel. This is a fantastic representation of Miles' Spider-Man, helped by the fact that his design in Insomniac's games (neither of which I've played yet as I don't have a PS4 or PS5... yet...) are great designs for the costume. The beauty of this figure is its simplicity, the black and dark red complement each other perfectly, the optional Venom blast hands (I think that's the name, I know it's Venom something...) add that little extra colour to make him look vibrant without detracting from the look. I hope an updated version of Peter's look from the games comes out to join him, especially with Spider-Man 2 being in active development. It would be tempting to get figures of all the original costumes for the games because of how good they look, especially if they're given this level of care. Miles was one of the last figures I got for 2021, so while a part of this may still be the new toy sheen, this to me, feels like a great way to close out 2021 in terms of general 6-inch figures.

Let me know if you agree or disagree with the choices on this list. With my limited experiences in these three lines, I'm more than open to hearing suggestions on figures to get or figures to avoid. Who knows, maybe for 2022, some of these could break out into their own Best of Lists by then. However, that may depend on how my income for the year goes, thanks to the pandemic. I'll see you next week for the final of these lists, the best and worst of G.I Joe Classified.

Lego Spider-Man 76178; Daily Bugle: A giant skyscraper for your quaint city

With the after-effects of earlier lockdowns still affecting me, work still not entirely returning to normal yet, I was itching for something big to build. At first, I was torn between the Mos Eisley Cantina and the Ninjago City Gardens. The former because I'm a big Star Wars fan, and out of the sets at that size in the Star Wars IP, it's the one that's got the closest chance of having somewhere to go in my room in its current state. The latter because it looks like an exciting build, with a lot of interesting uses of parts. The only thing holding back the Gardens from winning was that it doesn't look good on its own. Its main companion pieces haven't been on shelves in years and have skyrocketed in price as a result. Then, this set gets announced. Though it doesn't quite scratch the complexity as the Gardens would, it's of an IP I'm more interested in, it looks good on its own, and there's a possibility of there being more in the future. So, plans change, and so this set came home. After building it over the weekend, was it worth it?

 

 

Starting with the minifigure selection, and the best way to describe it is "is there a Spider-Man minifigure you've wanted? Chances are it's here.". Out of all the characters that have been in the Spider-Man subtheme of Marvel Superheroes, the minifigures missing are: 

 

• Miles's regular costume (let me explain in just a moment) 
• Vulture
• Spider-Man Noir
• Spider-Girl
• Iron Spider
• Iron Venom
• Ghost Rider 
• Stealth Suit Spider-Man 

Most of them, if not all of them, are still easy to get. The characters included in the set are: 

 

• Spider-Man
• Ghost-Spider
• Mysterio
• Venom
• Miles Morales (using a look drawing inspiration from Into the Spider-verse, along with the recent PS4/PS5 Spider-man game (if only he had his backpack and cat to finish the look)
• Sandman
• Carnage
• Doctor Octopus
• Green Goblin
• Spider-Ham
• Gwen Stacy
• Peter Parker
• Robbie Robertson
• Aunt May
• Ben Urich
• Black Cat
• Blade
• Firestar
• Betty Brant
• The Punisher
• Daredevil
• J. Jonah Jameson
• Amber Grant
• Bernie the Cab Driver
• Ron Barney

That is impressive, with many of those minifigs appearing for the first time in physical Lego. However, some corners were cut to pull it off. The civilians/ alter-egos often reuse parts from other minifigs, and some characters like Green Goblin and Mysterio missing pieces to complete their looks; it's hard not to be impressed by the result of it all. Especially when put on display in and around the building, it's hard to notice the cut corners, and cases like the reused parts are only noticeable if you're very familiar with Minifig pieces. I can only imagine what the minifig list could have been if all of the requests were approved, as according to the set designer, 60 characters were at least being considered at one point.

As for the building itself, there are two big negatives it has in my mind. I am not a fan of stickers, so all the excessive sticker detail, especially on small tiles, is frustrating. If you're not a fan of sticker details, you are going to hate this set. The other issue is that it's a very repetitive set to build, thanks to builds like the windows, a process you're repeating 30 times throughout the build. If you're looking for something intricate, you're not going to be finding it here. While some exciting mini builds, like a vending machine, photocopier, and the Sandman stand, the main build isn't that exciting. Once it's done, though, it's awe-inspiring and worth the slog of a build process to get to. It's one of the tallest builds I've done so far, perfectly fitting for a New York Skyscraper, and the intricate details that reference as many Marvel and Spider-Man comics, shows, movies, and games are a delight for fans of the character. There's lots of space for displaying Minifigs, and with the even balance of heroes, villains and civilians, you can set up very dynamic moments. I could see this set also benefiting from a light kit, thanks to all the windows in the building. That being said, I dread to think of the wiring pain associated with such a task. Though I have one minor nitpick, I wish there were a recording floor considering all the news broadcasts and podcast references in the set. The only major issue I have with the set is accessibility on the ground floor for hands. For the sake of stability of the set, it's tough to get your hands and minifigs inside the lobby of the building, which is a shame when you consider how easily accessible the rest of the floors are, thanks to removable roofs and walls. A necessary evil, but it feels like a glaring issue when compared to the higher floors. 

 

 

While this is an easy recommendation for Marvel fans, I'm torn on if it's a good recommendation for general Lego fans or general consumers. While the end result is excellent, the process of getting to that point I can easily see as an issue for people, as it was an issue for me over the 10-12 hour build time over two days (not counting breaks for food, keeping video rendering going and other house responsibilities). If you're willing to push through the repetitiveness, you'll be left with a great looking display piece. However, the issue comes from if you're ready to place 347 windows, 67 beams, and 231 1x2 rails. If you can push through the repetition, and especially if you enjoy Marvel, I readily recommend this set. But if you're not into Marvel, you're probably better off getting something else. I've got a few other Lego set reviews to come in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for those. But while those will be on Wednesdays, the usual schedule will resume for Sunday, resuming with a set of Horrorcons.

MAYvel 2021 (Marvel Legends); Into the Spiderverse Miles Morales: Close, but no cigar.

 While the Main site will soon be starting MAYvel with a collection from Disney+, I thought I might use this as a chance to go through some of the other Marvel Legends I picked up. Because nothing says "riding the hype train" quite like reviewing toys from a few waves back from a movie that came out in 2018, does it? I mean, it is MAYvel after all; catch up is the name of the game here.

 
As with the Gwen Stacey, this represents Miles from the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. However, while Gwen's design for the movie was mostly the same as it is in the comics, Miles' takes many more liberties. You can't pass this off as a comic Miles, thanks to the shorts, shoes, hoodie and jacket. The design itself is a bit of a mixed bag because while it looks good in the movie, it doesn't translate well to plastic. Unlike Gwen, though, one of the best things about the toy is the head sculpt for a maskless Miles. It's an excellent translation of the animation model, though there are other parts of the toy that I don't think translate as well. The shins look a bit too thin and skinny on the toy, which is heavily contrasted by loose-fitting shorts. Another minor nitpick of mine is the fixed neck. Due to the way it's sculpted, it kind of looks like he has a hunched back thanks to the way the jackets sit on his torso, but if you take the jackets off, other than the awkwardly coloured arms, it looks too long. The neck reminds me of Hungry Hungry Hippo when the hippo heads are extended to reach the marbles. 

 
Sculpting on the figure (prior nitpicks excluded) is well done. I love the sculpting details on the spider suit, and the work done on the sleeves to give the jacket a fabric texture look to them is impressive. I'm also quite impressed with the paint. The eyes on the mask stand out nicely. It is a shame, though, that the spider logo is lost amongst the red hoodie. Articulation is solid; he is far more agile than the Gwens were thanks to a resounding ab crunch, though the hoodie can get in the way at times of movement, mainly if you want to curve his back. The lack of a double elbow joint is annoying but not the end of the world.

 
The big takeaway for me from this figure, comparisons to G.I Joe articulation excluded, is that this makes me think, "Wow... I'd rather have a comic version of Miles." This toy isn't bad, far from it, it does the job it set out to do pretty well, but when I think of what Miles Morales looks like, this isn't it. I like his design in the movie, Into the Spiderverse is up there as one of my favourite Superhero movies. But just because I associate the character's personality with the movie form doesn't me I associate the design. The black and red spider suit looks cool, and the appeal of it is lost due to all the extra clothes this toy is wearing. Because of that, though, this feels like an "it's close, but I can do better." It's not bad, not quite what I'm after. I hope you stick around because while Sundays this month will all revolve around Marvel Legends, the main site will be mainly focusing on Disney+ streaming for MAYvel 2021, starting with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. If this marathon of content goes well, great! If not, I can always default back to Lego if I need MAYvel content for the Toybox.

Marvel Legends Into the Spider-verse Gwen Stacey and Maximum Venom Ghost-Spider: At least this can last a while.

 "Will this mean I'll start collecting Marvel Legends and Black Series? No, I'm not made of money!"-Mediaholics Toybox's review of G.I. Joe Classified Duke. My curiosity will be the death of me, I swear.

Well, with my curiosity fueled by the return of, and my introduction to, G.I. Joe toys with the Classified line, along with seeing a wave of Into the Spiderverse figures on shelves, it was not a good combination for someone who is curious by nature, and still waiting for the Events Industry to recover from COVID-19 with time to kill. Though my knowledge of the comics isn't excellent when compared to other fans, some things do pique my interest, which is why this is a dual Ghost Spider review. Thanks to the Build-A-Fig accessories, these will likely go on for a while as semi-regular reviews, if for nothing else, then not having random torsos lying around my collection. Shall we try and see why there's love for Marvel Legends? Oh, and encase you're curious, yes, that quote does extend to Star Wars, but that's for another day. It can wait.

"Alright people, let's start this from the beginning one last time." To start things off with answering some questions as to who these two are and why I'm reviewing both of them at the same time when they look nothing alike, that requires a bit of unpacking. In a basic summary, Gwen Stacey was Peter Parker's first love in the comics; The Night Gwen Stacey Died being regarded as one of the most important comics in Spider-Man history. Many, many years later, a comic event was being written themed around Spiderman known as Spider-Verse, a multiverse adventure pairing many different versions of Spider-Man together. A mix of pre-established comic spiders like Miles Morales from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, spiders based on media representations like the then ongoing Ultimate Spider-man version of the character, along with versions of the webhead that flip the concept on its head all being brought together for a story. "What if Gwen Stacey got bitten instead?" was one of these "flip the idea on it's head" ideas. This event is where the Spider-Woman that the fanbase nicknamed "Spider-Gwen" came from, and when she was dimension-hopping, she got herself a special Venom Symbiote. She would eventually adopt the alias of "Ghost-Spider" when she was brought into the central comic universe. Symbiote part excluded, her role in the Spider-Verse and popularity from that series was one of the driving reasons why Spider Gwen was put into the Sony Animated Movie from 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Anything I could say about that version of her can be summed up as "go watch Into the Spiderverse, it's a great movie." My apologies to the more well-known fans about this likely butchering of the character's history, there is a lot to it, and I know people don't like to read a lot, so I had to keep this brief.

I'll start this review with the Build-A-Fig pieces; so that if I do more reviews of Marvel Legends, I don't need to go into this process again. With the majority of Marvel Legends figures (that I've at least seen), a themed wave of figures tends to come with a piece of a larger figure that you can put together if you collect all the figures in that wave. Both figures come with the torso of their respective figures, Gwen Stacey (the name I'll be using when referring to the Into the Spider-verse character) comes with the torso of Stilt-Man (who wasn't in the movie, but that is best saved for a dedicated review). Ghost-spider comes with the torso and weapons of Venompool, who, as far as I can tell, is Deadpool with the Venom Symbiote. It is a solid idea for getting larger figures into the market, though annoying for those who don't like leaving random pieces of figures lying around (like me). When writing this, Stilt-Man is complete, and Venompool has a set of legs to go with his torso. If these reviews interest people, I'll keep making them, and they'll eventually get reviews once I've covered the characters lugging around their body parts. In the meantime, let's look at Gwen. 

To get one positive out of the way first, with the significant exception being the Maskless Gwen face, this can be quickly passed off as the comics Ghost-Spider, the traditional look, not the symbiote costume, due to how faithful the Into the Spiderverse design was to the comics. Those looking for a Gwen from the comics and can't afford the late tax (the first one I could find on eBay was $100+ shipping, and an Amazon listing had her almost $190). Completely accurate? No, but within the ballpark. If you're hoping I compare this to the Edge of Spider-verse version, you'll be disappointed as I don't have that one, and I'm not paying those prices. Maybe if I can get one second-hand, as I do enjoy the character in all the media appearances that I've seen, but that might not be for a while. As for the Spider-verse version that I do own, when she's wearing her mask and hood, she looks like she's jumped off the screen. However, to compare it to something like modern Transformers Masterpiece figures, there is extra detail here that, while likely coming from other characters, adds enough detail to help it feel alive. To jump ahead a bit, I think the two figures here share moulding for their lower chest, but that's me basing it that the abdominal muscle-sculpting looks to be the same. Even in basic poses, the sculpted muscle tone gives the figure an air of power to her, like this is someone that can, and will, beat you up without breaking a sweat. 

While as good of a figure as it is, there are parts about it that I'm not a fan of, thanks to a mix of things like unknown expectations going in, accessories I wish she came with and accessories that I'm not fond of the result. I've been focusing on the masked look because I'm not a fan of her unmasked face. Don't get me wrong, it's sculpted well, and the detail with things like the eyes is impressive, but she has a dead eye look about her with the mask off, which is kind of unsettling. The face needed a better expression on it, something like the smug smile from the forest where she debuts as Ghost-Spider/ Spider-Woman would have been a lot better at giving some more life to the face. It's a shame that it's the face the figure is wearing in the box. She comes with other accessories: a pair of web-shooter hands to swap out with the fists she has by default and a Spider-Ham figure that can't move (outside of a ball joint for the head) but is well sculpted and works well as an accessory. It would have been nice if she had come with gripping web hands, encase someone wanted to use some white string as makeshift webs, but a part of that goes into a flaw I have with both figures, so I'll save that for after I talk about the symbiote suit.

One of my significant issues with the traditional Spider-Man Venom suit is that for as nice of a look as it has, it's somewhat surprising how well red and blue characters being painted black works; it is just a black version of the Spiderman suit. No extra details, no bells and whistles, just a black suit, likely due to its introduction and the cause of the suit coming after the fact. I bring this up because Ghost-Spider's suit fits the Symbiote suits' potential now that people accept that the symbiotes are more than a set of black threads. I love some of the details like the jacket with the spiked shoulders, and the hood being designed like a symbiote mouth. Honestly I think the hood is a far better way at executing the symbiote mouth when compared to other costumes such as Miles'. The "tongue" I'm a bit hit and miss on. While it looks fantastic in comic art, I don't think it's translated well to plastic, even though it is nicely sculpted. I think it has something to do with the length of it. I think it's a bit too long if you have it just dangling, but you can wrap it around her leg and have her hold the end of it in one of her hands. I also like that it's more of a dark blue and not black, which helps her stand out a bit more when put next to other symbiote suits. Unlike Gwen, you don't get extra accessories like alternate hands or a head without the hood on for her, but I don't have an issue with that as it's not needed, and the clawed fingers are the only hands she needs. 

Articulation on both of them is about the same. However, Ghost Spider's hood and jacket limit the head movement, and the joint in her chest doesn't seem to want to let her arch her back. The overall articulation is fine for what it is, but it is limiting when you consider how limber she and other spider characters are in media. While I've been able to replicate poster shots of Gwen's Into the Spiderverse design, neither can pull off things like a wall crawl or a "spider landing"; fingers of one hand on the ground, the other arm in the air, the body as low to the ground as possible). The problem with articulation is that it is hard to balance the figure's movement with its sculpt, especially when there's nowhere to hide the hinges, such as on figure-hugging, single-piece super-suits. Would I have liked these two to be more agile? Yes, but I don't know if that would have been worth sacrificing to the sculpt needed to pull it off. At the very least, though, was it too much to ask for a forward ab crunch on these two?

From an outsider looking in, one of the biggest problems is that it is a very, very deep rabbit hole due to the massive catalogue of heroes, villains, side characters, and alternate costumes for all of them. When you combine that with a business model that encourages you to get figures, you don't want to complete larger figures. From there, enabling you to start pairing them up with other characters thanks to the web of connections that are the many different Marvel Universes makes getting into the line as a new collector very daunting. With two of the ones I took the plunge with, what I got were solid but a little underwhelming. Great representations, to be sure, but I can't help but think things could have gone further when it comes to stuff like articulation. I plan to do more reviews of Marvel Legends in the future, for both the Spiderverse wave and the Venom wave of figures. Past that, though, is a bit more up in the air. I might not know how deep this rabbit hole goes, but I know it goes deep, and many figures have hefty late taxes on them. See you next week for a review of Maximal #2.
 
Also, I should say this now encase anyone wants to ask; I've got no plans to review now brand new wave of X-Men figures, which only just launched at the time of writing. I recognize some by name, none by design.

Lego Marvel Avengers (Endgame) 76125; Iron Man Hall of Armor: You know you're rich when this is your wardrobe

Ever since Iron Man 1, and especially Iron Man 3, there has been one set Marvel fans and MCU fans have been wanting for a very long time. The Hall of Armours, a place where Tony Stark stores all of his suits, creates new ones and deploys them as needed. It's an iconic location that people have been wanting to see in Lego form for a long time, especially thanks to all the Iron Man variants there has been over the years. Now that it's been a few weeks since the movie came out, I don't feel bad by saying that this wasn't in Endgame, however, it does fill a role that I hope Lego continue with going forward, but more on that later.

Lego Marvel Avengers (Endgame) 76124; War Machine Buster: I see that hatred against knees is still a thing.

Thanks to the combined interest in Bionicle and Exo-Force (probably the only thing I've been interested in that has a connection to Gundam), I've been interested in Lego Mechs. I enjoy seeing mocs that people create online, to seeing what Lego creates officially. The only problem is that official mechs nowadays have been struggling in the movement department. While it's understandable because these are still for kids, I get frustrated when I see mechs with unmoveable limbs, stuck in a single position for all time. It was my biggest issue with the Hulkbuster from the Infinity War line, and to spoil it quickly, it looks like War Machine got it even worse.

Lego Marvel Avengers (Endgame) 76123; Captain America Outrider Attack: Oh my god what's wrong with your face?

Yes, it's an old meme, but a fitting one.

Where would MAYvel be, without reviewing Marvel Cinematic Universe Lego sets? Or rather, where would MAYvel be without reviewing Lego Marvel sets in general, because with the exception of that Spider-Man wave which I don't plan to get even though I want those minifigs, the Lego Marvel Superheroes line is now just Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not complaining of course, especially because the large gaps including the Fantastic 4, a lot of the Mutants and any inhuman not named Mrs Marvel, are probably going to be filled in eventually due to how self-sustaining this thing has become. It'll honestly be interesting to see what happens now that Avengers Endgame has come out, to see if it is as self-sustaining now that the events that happened in it did happen. I won't be spoiling anything about Endgame here, including how accurate the sets are in the movie, all that I will say is that there are sets that never appear in the movie. Shall we begin?

Lego Avengers Infinity War 76104; The Hulkbuster Smash-Up: My Kingdom for a Hulkbuster with knees... or any Lego mech with knees...

Seriously Lego, what do you have against knees? Did someone really not like that one Monty Python Sketch? The Knights weren't that bad, good tastes in shrubberies. (before anyone brings it up, yes I know the reason why, but there is nothing stopping them from making something stronger)

The final Infinity War set... and also the one I actually got first, and was originally planning on doing first. Why leave it so late? Because of the Soul Stone. Let us return the battle of Wakanda, and see how helpful this Hulkbuster is.

Lego Avengers Infinity War 76108; Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown: Not the best with security are you Doctor?

Raise your hand if you saw that Time Stone fake out coming... Just me? ... Really?

The Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown, the largest of the Infinity War Lego sets released so far (not counting that "Totally not UCS" Hulkbuster), and fittingly, where one can find the Time Stone (Eye of Agomoto not included sadly), and the most amount of minifigures. Is it worth the cost? Well...

Lego Avengers Infinity War 76012; Thor's Weapon Quest: No Peter Dinklage minifig? I am dissapointed!

EDIT: 20/5/18, 10:57: While originally, the review said that Thor was reused from Thor Ragnarok, only his face was reused, the body print is new.

One day good sir, you will have it one day...

It's hard to talk about this one without spoilers to the context it comes from so I will go into spoilers for this review. Nothing major, but this set does revolve around one of the big plot points of the movie, Thor getting Stormbreaker, and traveling to (I hope I get this right) Nadivalier with Rocket and Groot, to forge the new weapon. How well does it hold up? Allow me to show you.

LEGO Avengers Infinity War 76107; Thanos; Ultimate Battle: "BEHOLD THE POWER OF MY JEWEL ENCRUSTED GOLDEN ROCKET FIST!!!"

At least he's not using it to throw rave parties? (https://twitter.com/Blaster944/status/992756321119232000)

EDIT (13/5/18, 10:30): Turns out this isn't the Milano, but a ship called the Benatar

Set number 3 of six, and we have another version of the Milano, Star-Lord's ship from Guardians of the Galaxy. The second largest set in the line, and the set coming with the item that plays a huge role in the movie, the Infinity Gauntlet itself, Let's see how it fairs in a review setting, shall we?

LEGO Avengers Infinity War 76103; Corvus Glaive Thresher Attack: Is there meant to be a Part 2 to this or something?

Up next on our Avengers Infinity War Lego set Marathon is the Corvis Glave Thresher Attack. We move into Wakanda with this one with the chase for Infinity Stone number 2 from the movies, the Mind Stone, important enough to play a large role in all Avengers movies so far (except Civil War, depending on if you count it as an Avengers movie or a Captain America movie). How well does Shuri's Lab/ Piece of Wakanda's border hold up though?

LEGO Avengers Infinity War 76101; Outrider Dropship Attack: When a Battle Pack isn't a Battle Pack

With Infinity War now being released in cinemas, and seeing as I won't get to it until this time next year (maybe, might break that rule for this, at time of writing the movie's not out for another few days), I still want to do something more directly connected to the film, so why not review the Lego Sets made? I know I said I'd do the Hulkbuster, and I still will, I just flipped the order around. Instead, these are going to go in order the Infinity Stones were revealed in the movies, and because the first was the Space Stone, first seen as the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger. We're doing the smallest set of the wave first. Sound good? No? Too bad.

For all of these though, as there will be a mix of "these being written before watching the movie" and the fact that these are all coming out within a few weeks of the film in cinemas, I am going to avoid movie accuracy in these reviews. At least when I did Black Panther, the movie was still out in cinemas and had been there for a long time. If there's a second wave (which I do hope there is), I will look at those in the context of the film itself. I will, however, be referencing the trailers though, as I feel like that's fair game. But for now, getting all the exposition out of the way, let's get to it.

LEGO Black Panther 76099; Rhino Face-Off by the Mine: Even with mounted laser guns, this is not a threatening Rhino

By viewer request (as voted on here at the time of writing: https://www.strawpoll.me/15336306/r), the Sanctum Sanctorum can wait, for first we must travel to Africa, and start our two months of Marvel content with their newest movie (at time of writing). With Black Panther being such a huge success, its only fitting the new king of Wakanda gets some recognition this year. To those wondering why I'm not reviewing the movie, its because I review movies when they're out on DVD. Relax, I will get to it. For now, let's look at one of the two sets Lego put out for the movie with the Rhino Face-Off by the Mine... it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Couldn't it have been something like "Battle at the Vibranium Mine" or something?

I'm going to write these reviews with the assumption that those reading this have at least heard of LEGO, and know of words like Minifigures. Is this going to be an in-depth review, analyzing every piece including new pieces, new colours and other information more useful to die-hard LEGO fans? No, cause chances are they've already bought the set if they were interested in it. I'll be looking at this more from a general perspective. I will start with the Minifigures though. The set comes with three and only one accessory for one of them. You get a Black Panther with some energy stored in the suit (watch the movie or look up the context, time and place for that, and this isn't it). Killmonger in his Vibranium suit, though not charged at all, and Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje, who comes with her spear. All three do have really good prints on their chest, back and heads, though if you were hoping for alternate faces, you're going to be disappointed as none of them have anywhere to hide the second face. The ears of Black Panther and Killmonger only hide the stud connection on minifigure heads, and Okoye is meant to be bald. While it is a shame that none of the figures have some of the more luxurious print works, in that all three just have black legs and none of them have any printing on the arms, I can't help but feel there are things missing from the minifigures. I do wish they'd given Killmonger his swords, but the biggest gap is a character I feel should have been included... ok one of many, this was the big battle of the movie, but we never get nameless background characters in lego unless you're a muke in a Star Wars set. W'Kabi, while not playing a huge role in the movie compared to these three, he was still a main character and one of the Rhino riders in the movie. It also would have been nice to have gotten a M'Baku, but I can cut my losses when needed. Some would complain that "charged" Black Panther should be purple and not metallic blue, but I do think that the metallic blue looks great on the black body and plays off the gold on Killmonger quite well. I'd have liked it as well, but the change is something I can appreciate too. Still though, at least overall, these three are great minifigures.

The Vibranium Mine itself, a huge crater with magnetic trains floating too and from mining machines in the movie... is represented by a minecart, two pieces of scaffolding meant to look like tracks, and a mediocre catapult meant to launch the Minecart. This does well and truly feel like an afterthought in terms of the set design. I wouldn't be surprised if the lion share of the budget for this year's Marvel sets went into Infinity War, but they still could have done a better job then a minecart. Granted, its a futuristic looking Minecart, but its still a minecart. The catapult is a small, non-detrimental, but also not useful gimmick for the set. Its meant to flip the cart over and in testing, I got mixed results, though a common one was a drastic angle change, almost 90-degree difference, but then falling back down onto its wheels and onto the track. It's nice that you get some translucent blue pieces to act as Vibranium in the cart, and I personally added some of the spare pieces and ammo to fill the cart up more, but there's only so much you can do before needing to make something completely new to represent the battle.

The main focus of the set is the Rhino itself and... it's a pretty good Rhino. Not for something like a Zoo, unless you want a Rhino with laser guns mounted on its back, but a good Rhino none the less. The legs are attached with ratchet pieces so its very easy to place onto a base plate, and the articulation is solid for something its size. The head has a ratchet in its neck along with a swivel attached to the body to allow for posing, though it is a shame that there's nowhere for a turning piece to allow it to turn its head from left to right. The ratchet does expose a gap when you move it down a click, but considering the way it was engineered, its easy to let it slide. The legs can only move forward and backward at the body as there is no movement anywhere else in the pieces. One problem though is a small build in between the pairs of legs that limit the direction they can move. The front legs cannot move back further than a click, and the back legs cannot move forward more than half a click. You're going to have to work for your charging poses if you want to make use of the rhino belly as a space for a stand. I do however like that there is a tiny tail with a swivel on it, it's cute. As long as you move the head down a click, you can easily fire (without anything getting in the way) the two mounted stud launchers. These were introduced a few years ago and have become a universal weapon of sorts as there are a lot of versions of this launcher. The way it works is that it fires small lego pieces, normally round 1x1 tiles, using friction fire. Push the lever on it down and it'll fire. As handheld guns for minifigures, these do not work more often than not as the guns themselves look huge in the hands of Minifigures. Mounted on ships and animals, they can look good, though it just depends on where it's mounted and the size of the launcher compared to what it's on. It can be the difference between an oversized machine gun that would destroy the vehicle its attached to if it was fired, if not broken off by the wind itself as it flies, to a pathetic little pea shooter. On the Rhino, the launchers look fine, well proportioned for where they are, and what they would do.

Colours are evenly distributed along both the cart and the rhino, though if I had to nitpick, I do wish they'd cast the Rhino legs in grey instead of sand brown. There's enough of it on the rhino to make it look like the greys are armor, but those are large chunks of the colour and it does stand out a little too much. While I'm personally not a fan of sticker details, on lego I'm willing to give it a slide because of all of it you have to apply yourself. A lot of the time I would just ignore the stickers, particularly on Technic sets, but for the Marvel stuff I've been applying them and, with some exceptions just due to me doing these with my fingers and not the more sensible tweezers option leading me to put them on wrong, they have been going on well and do blend in with the sets. I do appreciate that these have been stickers for single pieces rather then putting a sticker on that covers several different pieces. I'm not going to complain about a bad application of stickers here, cause that was my own fault, other toys aren't going to be so lucky when I come to them.

Is this worth the $35-$40? Not really, I'd say wait for a price drop. While kids would enjoy this, most adult collectors would be buying this more for the minifigures, so to those people, I'd say to try and get them online off of second-hand sites. A neat little distraction, but if it had the budget, could have been so much better if you compare it to the scene in the movie. For three weeks, there will be no content on this site. Those three weeks will be 100% dedicated to the main site, which you can find here: http://mediaholicreviews.blogspot.com.au/. If you are a Transformers fan, feel free to check out some of the previous posts related to the Dinobots. Up next on the main site is going to be the original Spider-Man from the early 2000's, and next time something goes live here, we hunt for infinity stones with the Infinity War Lego sets! Which one is going first? Not sure yet, you'll just have to wait and see.