Marvel Legends Retro Mysterio figure review

I wasn’t patient with Hasbro’s Mysterio so when they released their first figure, I happily picked it up despite not being in love with the yellow green gauntlets and boots. Clearly, I should have known better. Hasbro revealed a more classic color version for the Spider-Man Retro line and this is the figure I wanted all along. Or is it another illusion? Let’s find out.

Packaging:  I really like the bold purple chosen for the Spider-Man series. It shows off the yellow and red well and I dig the cartoon graphics.

Hasbro did switch up the bio in a nice touch. The retro style is to show off the other figures in a wave/theme and it’s something I wish Hasbro would make the norm for the regular Marvel Legends line.

Likeness:  There’s not really a lot to add from my previous review of Mysterio. The figure features a great raised cape with eyes looking back at you on either side. There’s no shortcuts here with the sculpted lines in the body and the circular patterns in the gauntlet. It’s hard to blame Hasbro for re-releasing him in classic colors to get more use out of the buck.

The head underneath the globe is now a translucent Multiple Man instead of an original distorted illusion.

Unlike some of the other Hasbro Spider-Man rogues, this is a clear upgrade from the Toy Biz figure.

Scale:  Even with the globe dome, Mysterio is about the same size as a standard Marvel Legends figure coming in a bit taller than Spider-Man.

Paint:  The only gripe I had with the previous figure was the color choices. That’s addressed here and the gold really does make a difference.

Hasbro also included a dark green wash in the base body and that blends well with the lighter green outfit. The globe is also much better as it’s opaque as intended.

My figure’s cape had some white on the cape like paper burned into the plastic before it finished cooling.

I’m pretty sure the first Mysterio has the right color cape. Switching them out would take a little effort since the globe needs to be swapped out, but ultimately I think that’s going to be my plan.

Articulation:  Mysterio isn’t going to punch Spider-Man out so his gesturing hands make sense to convey him conjuring up another illusion to throw off his adversaries.

He’s got solid range to swing his arms out and aim, which is all I need from him.

The biggest trick is the cape plug doesn’t always sit securely in the hole and is prone to popping out with minor movement. I’ll see if superglue can ultimately fix it.

Mysterio has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• biceps
• elbows (double-jointed)
• wrists
• torso
• waist
• hips
• thighs
• knees (double-jointed)
• boot
• ankles

Accessories:  Mysterio still gets the two smoke effect pieces from his earlier figure. They’re made of a translucent material so they’ll catch the light really well.

Worth it?  You can get Mysterio for $20. That’s not a great deal considering the lack of a Build-A-Figure piece, but I suppose it works out better if you’re an MOC collector.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

This is a big improvement over the first version with the exception of the cape, which I will happily swap out. If you waited on this version you definitely made the smart call this round.

Where to get it?  I got Mysterio from Hasbro Pulse, but he’s up for pre-order on Amazon.com and Entertainment Earth.