Marvel Legends Mister Fantastic figure review Walgreens exclusive

Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic, Stretcho or my Marvel Legends figure to beat for 2018. Call him whatever you want, but this is one of those figures I’ve been anxious to track down and add as the centerpiece of my Fantastic Four display for months.
There’s a lot of figures I’ve been anticipating for 2018, but I doubt any besides possibly the Tiger Stripe Wolverine will top Mister Fantastic. Let’s see if my excitement for this guy was valid or a stretch.

Packaging:  No changes from the successful formula. Wide open window to showcase the figure and his accessories, a drawing along the side and a bio on the back. The bio is generic, but it does a better job explaining the character than some others though it misses the obvious reference to the FF.

I wasn’t a big fan of the drawing this time as it seems a little more aggressive than I think of when I picture Mister Fantastic. There’s the subtle Walgreens exclusive sticker on the front. It’s a lot more understated than some other exclusive labels.

Honestly, my appreciation for Walgreens for delivering us these Fantastic Four figures (and new additions to the Walking Dead line) that the sticker could be far more obnoxious and I’d be fine.

Likeness:  I love the head sculpt. Toy Biz did some great head sculpts for Reed, both with the Gilligan’s Island Professor influenced version and the Mike Wieringo take. Hasbro released its own adequate Reed, but topping what came before was going to be tough.

With rare exceptions, Hasbro’s newer sculpts have become the definitive take on the character and that’s definitely the case with Mister Fantastic.

The head sculpt features a raised eyebrow, which captures Reed’s personality perfectly. Unless an alternate head is included, the head sculpt has to be versatile enough to work in most settings. It’s why a neutral expression tends work best.

With Reed, the raised eyebrow conveys his curiosity, contemplation over a new formula, how to defeat an opponent or Sue reminding him he’s a father and husband first and a scientist second.

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Hasbro went with a new torso for Reed, which doesn’t make him look like a bodybuilder and has the right amount of fabric folds in the torso. I wish that carried over to the legs as they look more muscular, but it’s not a deal breaker for me by any means.

Scale:  I kinda envision Mister Fantastic to be slightly smaller than Captain America, but slighter and far less formidable. That’s the case here and I like that there’s some range in Reed’s height compared to Cap and Cyclops.

Paint:  There’s not a ton of paint apps here, but if possible you’ll want to check the eyebrow. I’ve seen lots of people have no problem with the figure. Mine had the eyebrow painted off the sculpted area, which made him look off.

Thanks to the focused sculpt, make sure the eye area is painted properly as well. The graying temples came out nicely and I had no issues with the logo. I’ve seen three in person and got the best of the bunch. In fairness, these aren’t common problems with most Marvel Legends so I just saw two lemons.

Articulation:  The only real limits with Reed, thanks to his accessories that further showcase his powers, is your imagination. Reed has the standard ML body and he’s perfectly capable of hitting any poses you’d like even with the added weight of the extra arms.

Mister Fantastic has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• bicep
• elbow
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee
• ankle

 

Accessories:  Unlike most Marvel Legends waves, there’s no Build-A-Figure piece. To close the value gap, Hasbro has included worthwhile accessories for the various figures. Reed comes with two outstretched arms.

They swap in and out with the standard arms and is a great expression of his power. Naturally, it would have been cool to have an extended neck and legs, but something is better than none.

Reed also gets the Ultimate Nullifier. This is the device the Human Torch used to threaten Galactus. It’s a fun FF Easter Egg for fans. Maybe the only other accessory I wish Hasbro included was a Johnny Storm headsculpt so we could have a depowered Torch. I wouldn’t mind buying this figure again with a Johnny headsculpt and some alternate flaming on hands.

Worth it?  Walgreens has been pretty good about having regular sales on products. For about a month you could get Marvel Legends, including exclusives for $13. That was an excellent price. While I missed that, I was able to get Reed for $15, which is still a killer deal.

Rating: 10 out of 10

There might be better figures this year, but Mister Fantastic is likely going to be my favorite Marvel Legends figure. This is a sentimental choice and one that gets me one Ben Grimm away from having an updated Marvel Legends set of Fantastic Four. Excelsior!

Where to get it?  I’ve gotta give it up to Walgreens for seeing an opening and becoming the destination for a highly coveted ‘wave’ for hardcore fans. If the challenges in finding Reed have been any indication, this partnership won’t stop anytime soon. The Find at a Store option proved invaluable even with the same SKU for the Walgreens exclusive FF figures. If you keep striking out, give Amazon a try, but be prepared to pay higher prices.