The Marvel Legends figure of Phastos was released in the Autumn of 2021 as part of the MCU Eternals wave. The wave was made up entirely of MCU characters from the Eternals movie and it also included a BAF of Gilgamesh, allowing collectors to round out the full complement of Eternals when you combined the full-wave with the exclusive releases of Thena and Ajak.
Phastos was packed along with the leg of Gilgamesh. He arrives in the standard Legends packaging with a golden theme around the nameplate and via the symbols on the side art. The rear of the box, and the card back, carries on that theme but blends it up to a starscape and with the Eternal circular symbol imprinted within. Alongside the artwork and BAF checklist on the back of the box is a short and concise background for Phastos and his role in the Eternals.
"Over the centuries Phastos has helped nudge humanity forward technologically while always keeping his brilliance hidden in the shadows"
When sculpting Phastos, the Hasbro team have avoided the use of a specific facial expression as we saw on others in the wave such as Kingo and Sprite. This does make Phastos one of the better-looking figures of the line, but still not a perfect likeness for actor Brian Tyree Henry. The head lacks the shape for Phastos, it needs to be more rounded and the hairline set further back, and some better shaping around the beard.
While the photo-real deco adds a level of realism, the overall paint applications for the head has issues, namely where it fails to cover the very edges of the hairline and beard, leaving them in the original skin tone.
The costume is replicated from the movie costume with the chest section carrying the celestial iconography we see throughout the movie. The main elements of the costume are cast in a base purple with silver and gold added over the top. The lower torso and skirt are a rubber addition that flares out to the side. This leaves Phastos looking like he has no waist while the actual costume is more tailored and stops at the knees, whereas the figure sees the robes come down past the knees.
As has been consistent through the entirety of the Eternals line, Phastos is packed only with an alternative pair of hands allowing you to change from a pair of open gesturing hands to a pair of clenched fists. The fists themselves don't make too much sense as Phastos operates more as a Thinker and not a Fighter - but combining the two does work for varying gestures.
Articulation is 18 points in total and all executed as pinless joints. The skirt does hold back some of the leg posing and Phastos also suffers from quite loose legs that do try to slide out to the side. The arms have a fuller range of motion and can be moved and positioned as though Phastos is using his celestial power of design and construction - it is therefore perhaps a missed opportunity not to have a Doctor Strange style effect to sit on one of the hands so Phastos can be displayed in this exact situation.
Phastos is a further mediocre figure in the wider Eternals wave. While he isn't captured with an exaggerated facial expression, the overall likeness is not the best and the face paint is sloppy in places. The costume needs to look more tailored around the waist and be cut at the knee and not beyond it. Phastos is also the first figure I've had joint issues with from the wave with very loose hips that do not help in getting him standing.
Like the other figures, the beauty of Phastos is his role in a wider group collection rather than an individual figure and I am getting close now to having all the Eternals lined up on display which feels to be the goal of the wave which is suffering like many first waves of MCU projects with some disappointing visuals.
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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...