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.
