Welcome to our review of the 2014 Rocket Raccoon Marvel Legend figure from Guardians of the Galaxy. 2014 was an important year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe figures - with these finally brought into the Legends banner and with the Guardians of the Galaxy wave seeing the first MCU dominated wave with an MCU build-a-figure of Groot.
Packaging 3/5
we purchased our review figure loose so the images below are stock images
In 2014 the Legends were operating under the Infinite Series logo. The box design was predominantly black with the film logo at the top and the legends logo underneath. The Guardians line was a purple hue added to the box and there was artwork on each of the scooped sides of the Rocket figure. On the top flap we had the peg hook and confirmation of the Build-a-Figure as Groot.
Round the back we have an image of the figure touting his blaster a short bio that confirms Rocket as a Bounty Hunter hot on the trail of their next big pay day. Below this we then have the checklist for the Groot BAF with the parts coming from the 6 figures of the wave - Rocket, Drax, Gamora, Star-Lord are taken from the movie while Iron-Man and Nova are comic book based.
"Intergalactic bounty hunter ROCKET RACCOON and his partner GROOT are hot on the trail of their next big payday, the human know as STAR-LORD."
Sculpt and Paint 2/5
It is difficult to review a 4 year old figure without comparing to the current standard of sculpt and paint application. While the likeness of the 2014 release is good, the paint is still quite basic. The eyes are a bit flat and are lost in the dark fur around the nose. The fur sculpt itself is quite soft with a dark wash over the top to try and bring out the detailing.
The suit is the one worn by Rocket in the early scenes from Nova Prime and this is a good choice as its a very stark contrast of the orange against the brown fur. The suit includes some panelling and straps and these are painted over the top of the orange with grey and black paint work. There is some paint errors around the suit where the black and silver aren't quite covering all that they should. There is more detail round the back of the suit with a backpack - but again there is some paint missing from this and there is orange visible underneath.
While the fur around the neck was washed with black, this drops off on the arms and legs and these are left as plain brown plastic. The final details on the fur are then on the tail where there is a variegating dark brown stripe design.
When you compare the 2014 Rocket with the 2017 Rocket there is a size difference, with the newer Rocket having gotten a little smaller. Side by side you can see the improvement in paint and sculpting in those 3-years. The 2017 release also remind us that perhaps a 2nd head might have been a nice pack in with the 2014 release, a screaming head on this figure would have looked pretty good.
Articulation 2/5
As a smaller figure there was no way Rocket was going to pack as much articulation as a full 6 inch figure. There are 9 points of articulation all together and the first of these is the head which can rotate on the peg. The arms are jointed at the shoulder with a single rotating elbow and a final pivot at the wrist. The waist is also jointed and the 9th joint is in the tail which can rotate - although when you do so it will impact the stability of the figure as the tail is used to stand the figure.
The legs are fixed as single piece and that is a shame, particularly if you want to try and have Rocket riding on Groot's shoulders or in a flying pose.
Accessories 4/5
To make up for the smaller size figure and reduced articulation, Hasbro have thrown some pretty big guns in with Rocket. The first of these is this huge blaster that Rocket uses in the movie and through to the final battle. It is cast in a brown plastic but has some darker paint apps to add some variation.
The problem is that Rocket cannot hold the weapon particularly well making posing difficult. Thankfully there are a couple of neat poses you can employ, my favourite being the weapon slung over Rocket's shoulder.
The second accessory is not technically an accessory for Rocket. It is the Hadron Enforcer, the enormous weapon used in the movie to try and defeat Ronan. The piece is huge and it does make sense for it to be used to fill in the "box space" that Rocket's small frame would leave. It is cast in a slightly softer plastic so it has some warping to it in place. It is painted in metallic colouring with bronze and silver the primary colours.
While it can stand up, the weapon is actually designed to be placed against a figures chest with two handles hidden under the outer section. Due to its weight you need a hefty figure like Drax to wield the piece - as seen at the movie's climax. Star Lord can also hold the weapon but you will probably need to support the pose with a stand as Star-Lord is a lighter figure and the Enforcer will overbalance him.
Summary
Considering that the MCU Legend figures were in their infancy at the time, this is not a half bad attempt at Rocket Raccoon. The more obvious flaws are the articulation which limits the way the gun is held, and also stops you getting a real good pose of him standing on Groot's shoulders. The less obvious issues are of the time such as the sculpt and paint finish - something that has stepped on quite a way in the last 3-4 years.
If you are an MCU completist and want an original Guardians movie line up then this is the only Rocket for you - I doubt Hasbro will give us a do-ver anytime soon. I score Rocket Raccoon a 3 out of 5 with the decision to include the Hadron Enforcer taking this release just over average.
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