Marvel Legends Retro Black Widow figure review
Hasbro has killed it all year with its Marvel Legends line. Seizing an opportunity to deliver something unexpected and satisfying collectors’ desire for traditional versions of characters, Hasbro came up with a Marvel Legends Retro line. While I have most of these figures already, the packaging and paint variations were more than enough to get me hooked on a new line. Black Widow was probably the most essential of this first wave as Hasbro was overdue in releasing a version with the modern articulation and body parts. Happily, they didn’t disappoint. Let’s go to the wayback machine courtesy of 2017.
Packaging: One of the big selling points of the Retro line is the Toy Biz homage packaging. It looks amazing and really touches all my nostalgia sweet spots. The figure bubble might be a bit wide, but Hasbro made good use of the package with an eye catching blue, big logo and action shot of Black Widow.
The back is equally well done with a colorful yellow bio and shot of the remaining figures in the wave. I can’t lie. This modernizing of the old school packaging is earning points just because of the classic presentation.
Likeness: For old school fans, this figure is just Step 1 to having an iconic Black Widow figure. This blows away Hasbro’s earlier comic style Black Widow with the slender athletic build we’ve seen on Invisible Woman. That’s a better choice than the thicker mold we’ve seen with Warbird and Rogue.
Hasbro has the hanging belt and appropriately scaled bracelets down fine. The most obvious flaw is the reuse of the Mary Jane Watson head. I know people have used that head for Black Widow customs, but I’m not a fan of this kind of reuse where there’s not even any paint changes.
Scale: Black Widow should be a little shorter than normal size guys. She’s about the same size as Hawkeye, but we’ll see how she looks with the motorcycle head as that looks to be a bit smaller.
Paint: This is a pretty simple costume with the only real painted element the widow logo on the belt. The head is fine, but since I plan to immediately swap it with the Marvel Legends vehicle alternate head, any flaws there aren’t a concern.
MORE:
- Would a four hour cut of Black Panther be long enough?
- Ranking the Marvel Studios movies from Iron Man to Avengers: Infinity War
- TV Recaps
- 10 Best and 10 Worst Couples in the Arrowverse
Articulation: For collectors like me who’ve been using the early era Black Widow, this body is a much improved one in terms of poseability. There’s a lot more posing options with this body. I was very impressed that this one can hold a high kick pose, which is great for knocking out any AIM and HYDRA goons.
Like most of the female figures, Black Widow would tremendously benefit from bicep swivels.
Black Widow has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hip
- knee (double jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Black Widow comes with two small pistols. With this classic attire, the pistols are somewhat redundant as Widow just used her Widow’s Bite bracelets. They’re a little dainty for The Punisher, but at least Maria Hill and Sharon Carter have some new options. Considering all the accessories that came with the Retro Captain America and Punisher figures, Black Widow really comes up lacking in this category.
Worth it? I was able to take advantage of a great Toys R Us sale to get Black Widow for $15. Given the lack of big accessories or a Build-A-Figure piece, that’s a much better price for this Retro line.
Rating: 8 out of 10
With an alternate head from the motorcycle set, this probably would be an easy 10. This is a good start to a classic Black Widow, but it’s a little annoying having to buy two figures for the ideal version of a character.
Where to Get It? I’ve only seen the figures at Toys R Us, but I’ve read reports of folks finding them in Walgreens, Wal-Mart and possibly Target. If you want to avoid the hassle of hoping to find them, just roll with Amazon.
Get the Marvel Legends Retro Black Widow figure from Amazon.com.