For San Diego Comic Con 2019, Hasbro took their recently announced MCU Grandmaster Marvel Legends figure and combined him in a special 2-pack with a brand new figure of his cosmic counterpart, The Collector. The set was sold at SDCC 2019, but was also globally available through the fan channel and specialist retailers.
Packaging 4/5
As an SDCC exclusive, the packaging on this set is outside the usual formats for Marvel Legends - it is also big and bold in terms of its design and shape. The piece is designed as a circular box with each figure displayed in a curved window on either half. Above each window is the Legends logo and beneath it the movie logo for the figure - Guardians of the Galaxy for The Collector and Thor Ragnarok for The Grandmaster.
Being of such a size, and with the shape, the box is prone to damage and there is also quite a lot of tape visible where it has been used to keep the top and bottom flaps secure.
The set then opens up by means of Velcro fasteners. This allows the two window segments to be displayed side by side and we now have a reverse for the box. This back segment includes features we had seen on The First Ten Years sets, with a movie poster replicated and under this a short piece of text for each figure.
The Collector text reads as follows.
"Taneleer Tivan, the Collector, is obsessed with collecting objects from across the galaxy. He adds to his collection by any means necessary, not above resorting to immoral or illegal dealings. As part of his acquisitions, the Collector came into possession of everal Infinity Stones, making his collection a target for those who would seek their power."
The box opens from the top or bottom flaps of each semicircular panel. The figures slide out in a full cardboard inner piece with the figure secured into a clear plastic section that sits in front of a scenery inspired card backing. Sadly the rest of this inner piece is plain brown cardboard and not easy to display well outside of the box.
The Collector's backing piece is his collection room on Knowher. A 3D effect is created by having the case of Cosmo the dog as a separate cardboard cut out piece that sits further out than the rest of the backing card.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
The Collector comes with two head sculpts, both are stunning and an exceptional likeness to Benicio del Toro in his on screen makeup. The face print really sets off the fantastic sculpt with very intense eyes that are darkened around the sockets. As was the case with the Grandmaster, the hair piece looks to be separate and that does present a slightly visible line.
The second head has the Collector wearing his goggles and these are also well executed and then painted in silver and weathered with a darker black wash. I suspect both heads are identical under the glasses.
The top half of the Collectors outfit is impressive with a segmented black and red jacket with silver fasteners and zips. A detailed chain hangs across his midriff, well painted in gold and with red and blue jewels. The left arm is done in a grey animal print design and this is meant to be part of the cloak that hangs around his shoulders - with the decor matching the interior of the cloak. The cloak itself plugs into the back of the figure
The top half of the Collectors outfit is impressive with a segmented black and red jacket with silver fasteners and zips. A detailed chain hangs across his midriff, well painted in gold and with red and blue jewels. The left arm is done in a grey animal print design and this is meant to be part of the cloak that hangs around his shoulders - with the decor matching the interior of the cloak. The cloak itself plugs into the back of the figure and sits well against the shoulders, it can be removed easily enough - but leaves the figure looking out of proportion and the left arm makes the whole look a little strange.
The figure is a dramatic disappointment from the waist down. After such an impressive sculpted top half, you find the bottom half is a simple pair of trousers and shoes taken straight off the Captain Marvel 1990's Nick Fury from the same year. We do not see a lot of the lower half of The Collector but what we do see is a pair of black trousers - while some costume references have these including more red leather look panels. The shoes appear to be out of place and he from the screen grabs I can find they should be smooth, laceless boots of some kind. All in all these lower legs do make him look very tall and lanky using these legs and proportions feel off?
Accessories 2/5
The Collector comes with a single accessory, and this is a re-use from 2014 from the original Guardians of the Galaxy wave - the Power Stone in its circular container. This piece does have some surface texture, but not as intricate as the actual prop - something that I assume is very difficult at this scale. it is coloured in silver with no other discernible decor.
I had hoped we might get a specifically shaped hand to hold this, a bit like the hand that came with Loki for the Tesseract - sadly, we don't. The hands are very generic on the figure with the right including a trigger finger so likely repurposed. The right hand won't give enough to hold the Power Stone, the left however will after a bit of teasing.
Articulation 3/5
The Collector has a total of 18 points of articulation, the same as The Grandmaster and with the same variation in arm joints - with the cloaked left arm getting a single rotating elbow and no bicep swivel vs the right arm that is fully mobile with double jointed elbow and the bicep movement.
Head : ball joint neck with pivot
Body : torso ball joint
Left Arm : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Right Arm : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
There is sufficient play in the right arm for having the Collector be quite expressive and even adjust his goggles or touch his head. The left arm is much more restricted, but can bend to a right angle to hold the Power Stone.
The legs are fully mobile, and yet are a real pain to pose. The ratchet ankle joints never seem to line up with a flat footed position and the stances end up with legs off in one direction or one knee bent behind or worse bent to the side. I do find this irritating and I am constantly trying to tweak the stance for a better one.
Summary
From the waist upward, The Collector is an absolute stunner of a figure. Nailing the likeness across two head sculpts and doing a great job of the top half of the costume.
The figures issues lie in the legs - which are a direct reuse from a Nick Fury figure - and these look off in the case of proportions and aesthetics. They are also a pain to pose in what you'd consider a natural stance.
The other consideration with the set is the exclusivity of the set, particularly for a character like The Collector who cannot be obtained anywhere else. Thankfully the pack has been very easy to obtain for an SDCC exclusive - and there have even been some significant reductions here in the UK bringing it down well under the RRP.
I score The Collector an above average 3 out of 5.
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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, marvel, legends, sdcc, grandmaster, collector, guardians of the galaxy, thor ragnarok
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