Released in May 2023, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 Marvel Legends wave contained 7 key characters from the movie and an 8th (Cosmo) included as the build-a-figure. Nebula’s previous Marvel Legends releases have been a much sought-after figure from GOTG2 and a What If? variant that has been clogging shelves. This GOTG3 version arrives in plastic-free closed-box packaging with an image of the figure on the box front overlaid onto an illustration of Nebula that is then used again in full colour on the side art. The BAF checklist moves now to the right-hand side while the back contains the short character write-up and confirmation of the box contents.
In hand Nebula’s likeness has certainly been improved massively from what was already a strong sculpt on her GOTG2 release. The sculpt delivers in terms of realism for Nebula as we see her on-screen across the differing skin tone panels, the robotic implants, and the likeness - particularly in the eyes - to actor Karen Gillen.
Nebula is wearing the updated Guardians ‘uniform’ worn during the final third of GOTG3 and as inspired by the original comic book team. This is cast in blue plastic predominantly, and this choice of blue is a shade or two too bright than what we see on screen which is a much more muted and darker blue. This may well be another case of the figure being based on earlier concepts or artwork. The Guardians logo sits on the front of the chest and is painted silver, but sadly not as accurate as we might like with obvious bleeding of silver over the edges and onto the blue of the uniform. We also get paint decor across some trimmed panels on the torso and across the shoulders. These are also not quite perfect with red not always covering well on a darker base colour. This means the trim is a little muddied in places, but in a way that does add some weathering and age to the uniform rather than being too bright and shiny.
As it is Nebula we have a fully robotic left arm cast in silver with metallic tendons working their way around the basic arm shape. The arm is crying out for a dark wash to enhance the detail and to give some level of wear and tear. The costume is finished with a black belt piece with a silver buckle and some black cast boots.
Accessories include the ability to swap the hand of Nebula’s robotic arm for the extended sword piece we see her use in the movie. This starts with a silver colouring where it connects to the wrist, and then it is trimmed around the edges in bright orange. Paintwork again is in question here with this orange quite messy in the application too, but as it is trying to replicate a glowing effect we can overlook the parts where the paint has gone outside the lines.
Nebula is also armed with her pistol as seen on her first release, and a larger blaster weapon that was first packed with Gamora for GOTG2. Both of these are plain grey plastic with zero paint apps which does make them both look cheap and out of place on the figure. The handgun fits into the left robotic hand well enough, while the larger weapon can be wielded with a bit of work - using the open right hand to cradle the barrel.
Nebula has 20 points of articulation, all executed on a pinless body while retaining double joints on the elbows and knees. The extra pair of joints come from the boot-cut swivel. The figure is supremely poseable with each joint working exactly as it was designed with a robustness about each of them and no hint of any loose pieces or weak spots.
As a figure Nebula does a decent job of justifying the now standard £25 price tag although I would like to have seen a bit more care on the paint details and some added decor on the weapons. The head is the highlight of the figure in terms of the likeness to Karen Gillen, while the alternative sword arm works well and also looks the part. There is a question over the uniform colouring which is not quite as bad as the Avengers Quantum Suit errors but is noticeable. And we shouldn't overlook the fact that while this is a new figure in its entirety it is used again in the same wave for the majority of the Mantis figure.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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