Marvel Select: The Wolverine
The theatrical version of The Wolverine was one of my favorite movies of last summer, and the Expanded Edition DVD was my absolute favorite movie of the year (if you haven't seen that yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out - it's the violent, dark Wolverine movie we've always wanted but never thought we'd see).
There were quite a few toys produced for the film, but only one I wanted. This is the Marvel Select figure made to tie into the movie.
"Marvel Select" is a line of action figures in a 7-inch scale produced for collectors by Diamond Select Toys. These days, you can find them in two places: specialty comics/collectibles shops and branches of The Disney Store.
I'm not sure if this particular figure ever made it into The Disney Store or if it was deemed too dark for that market. I picked this up at a comic store, and I was surprised to see him. For reasons that will sense in a moment, this has become hard to find in shops and expensive to procure online.
I've got a handful of MS figures, but nothing approaching a "complete collection." That isn't to save the line isn't worth it - as a matter of fact, I think it's probably the best option available for new collectors trying to get their money's worth - but I've been more into DC for the past decade (though that's been changing since the New 52 started).
There were quite a few toys produced for the film, but only one I wanted. This is the Marvel Select figure made to tie into the movie.
"Marvel Select" is a line of action figures in a 7-inch scale produced for collectors by Diamond Select Toys. These days, you can find them in two places: specialty comics/collectibles shops and branches of The Disney Store.
I'm not sure if this particular figure ever made it into The Disney Store or if it was deemed too dark for that market. I picked this up at a comic store, and I was surprised to see him. For reasons that will sense in a moment, this has become hard to find in shops and expensive to procure online.
I've got a handful of MS figures, but nothing approaching a "complete collection." That isn't to save the line isn't worth it - as a matter of fact, I think it's probably the best option available for new collectors trying to get their money's worth - but I've been more into DC for the past decade (though that's been changing since the New 52 started).
Appearance and Construction: 9/10
|
The figure is fairly solid, though the joints did begin to feel a little loose the more I played with them. This strikes me as a figure you'll want to put into a pose and leave him that way for a while.
The figure looks fantastic. It comes with three heads (much more on that in a moment), and two of them feature almost photo-realistic sculpts of Hugh Jackman. The third is a little cartoonish, but I won't hold that against them. I only have two minor complaints here: first, the figure's skin is a tad too glossy, which makes him look less realistic in person (some of the photos, including the one to the right, conceal this issue - his face doesn't look quite that good in real life... though it's close). My other complaint is with the claws, and - like the first - it's a minor one. These claws are good, but they're not quite at the level of the rest of the figure. |
|
Those are trivial issues, but they hold the figure back from a perfect score. Still, there's no denying this does a fantastic job encapsulating Jackman's Wolverine.
Packaging and Extras: +2
For those of who are curious, here's how the figure looks packaged:
|
|
The front of the package does a good job showing off the figure and extra pieces, though it wastes a lot space in the process. To be fair, they didn't have much choice: every figure in the line came like this, and MOC collectors would have revolted if they'd used anything else. The back of the package is a little interesting in that it provides an inaccurate synopsis for the movie, claiming that Wolverine accepted Yashida's offer and willingly had his healing factor deactivated. It also mentions a "detailed base" in the description: I'm sure they'd planned to include one at some point, but it clearly didn't make it into the finished product.
|
But rather than worry about what wasn't included, let's take a look at what they did give us.
The figure comes with three heads, three sets of hands, and a katana. The heads show Wolverine angry, angrier, and screaming in rage. Normally, I like more variation, but this is Wolverine we're talking about: who wants a happy version, anyway? Despite the fact they're all versions of him pissed off, they're still all immediately distinct, a testament to the sculptor's skill. Of the three, the only one I don't love is the one where Wolverine is screaming. There's something off about the mouth that makes it looks unrealistic. |
The other two are almost perfect, other than the slight glossy appearance I mentioned in the Appearance section. I'm honestly having some trouble deciding which I want to display, though I'll probably go with mouth closed version.
|
The three sets of hands are also well chosen. You get one set without claws (both sculpted to hold the sword), a set with metal claws, and a third set with bone claws. The bone claws are probably the most appropriate, since the pants appear to be the ones Wolverine was wearing at the start of the movie, which was set decades before he had the metal injected. But who's really going to want to display Wolverine with bone claws? The others are all more useful. There's no reason not to mix and match, so Wolverine can hold his sword with one hand and have claws extended on the other. The katana is gorgeous. There was some fantastic paint work done here: it's a great piece. |
|
If they'd included that base they mentioned on the back, I'd be giving this a +3; +4 if it had been a good base. As it is, this is still easily a +2. The extra heads and hands are great additions, especially for customizers, and they went above and beyond with the sword.
Play and Display: +2
Marvel Select isn't particularly known for including great articulation, but they don't traditionally make statues, either. Most of the figures I've seen from this line are in line with DC Direct and other similar offerings: a handful of cut joints to fine-tune the pose and maintain balance, but that's about it.
This is, by far, the best articulated Marvel Select figure I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen that many, but it's miles ahead of any others I've come across.
The articulation here is similar - but better - than you'd get from DC Universe Classics. You're getting ball joints on the head and torso, ball-and-pins on the shoulders and ankles, swivel/hinge joints on the hips, hinge and pins on the wrists, cuts on the forearms, upper legs, and on the ankles (above the other ankle joints, mind you), pins on the elbows, double-pins on the knees, and.... am I missing anything?
That's... a lot of articulation, and most of it is very well executed. It helps that the figure's design doesn't require any obstructions: there are no coats, pouches, or long hair getting in the way.
I want to call special attention to the ankles and wrists, though. The ankles essentially function like some sort of advanced rocker, coupled with a hinge and cut. I don't think I've ever seen this degree of possibility on a sixth inch figure that didn't sacrifice the appearance before. I'd love to see these joints on as many new figures as possible. Hell, let's make this the new standard!
This is, by far, the best articulated Marvel Select figure I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen that many, but it's miles ahead of any others I've come across.
The articulation here is similar - but better - than you'd get from DC Universe Classics. You're getting ball joints on the head and torso, ball-and-pins on the shoulders and ankles, swivel/hinge joints on the hips, hinge and pins on the wrists, cuts on the forearms, upper legs, and on the ankles (above the other ankle joints, mind you), pins on the elbows, double-pins on the knees, and.... am I missing anything?
That's... a lot of articulation, and most of it is very well executed. It helps that the figure's design doesn't require any obstructions: there are no coats, pouches, or long hair getting in the way.
I want to call special attention to the ankles and wrists, though. The ankles essentially function like some sort of advanced rocker, coupled with a hinge and cut. I don't think I've ever seen this degree of possibility on a sixth inch figure that didn't sacrifice the appearance before. I'd love to see these joints on as many new figures as possible. Hell, let's make this the new standard!
|
The wrist joints are really important here: they allow you to get several classic Wolverine poses, and even hold the katana naturally with two hands. These were key to making the figure work - I'm glad Diamond realized that.
Honestly, I'm having a hard time finding any faults with the articulation on this toy. The one joint that might be missing is a double-pin on the shoulders, but - honestly - I think that'd hurt the sculpt too much. The extra pieces snap in firmly without too much effort. The pins on the wrists feel sturdy. I'm sure it's better not to change the hands too much, but I've been swapping hands and heads constantly for these pictures without incident. |
|
I almost went to a +3 on this: the articulation is really good. But, after glancing at some other reviews I've done, I think +2 is more in line with other toys that excel in this category. This is great work, though - I think Diamond used just the right balance of articulation and sculpt.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10++
Every now and then, I come across a toy in this scale that is more or less perfect. Oh, sure - there are a handful of minor issues I covered - but nothing at all major. All things considered, this is one of the best action figures in my collection... and it's a BIG collection.
I paid about $25 for this at a local comic shop. That seems to be in line with what the Disney Store is charging for Marvel Select figures, though I do occasionally see them cheaper at other shops in the area (none of which had this in stock, but that's understandable).
If you can't find this at a comic shop, you might be out of luck. These seem to be going for around $50 on Ebay, and that's too much for even this toy.
I paid about $25 for this at a local comic shop. That seems to be in line with what the Disney Store is charging for Marvel Select figures, though I do occasionally see them cheaper at other shops in the area (none of which had this in stock, but that's understandable).
If you can't find this at a comic shop, you might be out of luck. These seem to be going for around $50 on Ebay, and that's too much for even this toy.
I'm honestly not sure who to bet on here. Sure, Wolverine has the healing factor, but Leonardo's quite a bit stronger and faster, plus he's got a ton of experience fighting someone with way more claws than that.
Here's an earlier Diamond Select Wolverine with Jackson's head. I think Singer missed the boat here. I mean, he wanted the audience to believe Wolverine was ready to kill: I'd be terrified of the mental state of anyone forced to wear that outfit.
