Marvel Legends Psylocke, Nimrod and Fantomex figure review set
Hasbro has knocked out some fun multi-packs over the last few years with the X-Factor, Alpha Flight, Family Matters and Love Triangle sets at the forefront. The latest three pack — Psylocke, Nimrod and Fantomex — features an interesting mix of characters where there’s one clear main draw and the other two are decent additions. I’ll leave it up to you to guess which is which in this one.
Packaging: The 2020 theme is a silver and yellow color scheme. It’s a classy presentation made even better by the amazingly lifelike artwork from John Tyler Christopher.
Since Fantomex and Psylocke get the prominent side panels, Nimrod takes the majority of the rear packaging. The only downside to this package setup is it doesn’t allow for much of a bio. Since collectors have splurged on this set the notion is that they are already very familiar with all these guys, but I do appreciate the write-ups.
Likeness: Psylocke’s Uncanny X-Force attire toned down the more risque aspect of her costume although the thigh slits and bare shoulders are a weird design choice. All of the costume elements are painted on, which helps make it look a little boring.
The head sculpt is OK, but I don’t think it effectively captures how Psylocke looks in the comic with the rounder head. The Jim Lee makeover made her look more like a model and this is one of the plainest sculpts of a female figure in a long time.
Fantomex gets an upgrade from Hasbro’s first crack at him. That figure featured the old school ball sockets hips and was somewhat undersized. This version is much taller and broader all around. He reuses the Gambit/Nick Fury trench coat with the random flared out sides.
Fantomex also gets the boot straps from Cyclops, which means they’ll need the superglue treatment to stay in place. Hasbro reused the holster from the previous Fantomex figure and it’s impressive that was still in the parts library for recycling all these years later.
Nimrod is massive and definitely has the feel of the deluxe figures Hasbro has been experimenting with releasing the last few years. I thought he was built on the Build-A-Figure Iron Monger body, but it seems like all of the sculpt is new. The plating looks good for his armor, which in the comic was drawn admittedly very simplistic.
Scale: Psylocke reuses the earlier body, which is fine as it’s not too short and not towering over anyone.
Fantomex is a character I would only pair up with other members of X-Force so his height doesn’t really bother me. He just needs to be in relative scale with Wolverine, Archangel and Deathlok. And this is when I start thinking maybe I should have gotten that X-Force color scheme Deathlok…
Nimrod was maybe the biggest villain besides the Marauders introduced during the John Romita Jr. era of writer Chris Claremont’s legendary run. And I’m always a fan of supervillain teams or bad guys tough enough to take on the whole team themselves. Nimrod is certainly in the latter category and Hasbro gave him enough size and bulk to make him look formidable against the 80s-era roster.
Paint: Psylocke’s hair features a great purple gradient. The exposed skin areas on her shoulders, arms and thighs match up nicely with her head sculpt as well. The X on the belt could have been a bit tighter, but that’s being real nitpicky.
Fantomex has two colors that don’t always play nicely with each other in terms of hiding paint flaws with black and white. To Hasbro’s credit there’s very little bleeding of the black onto the white with the mask looking especially sharp.
The old school take on Nimrod had more of pink shimmer throughout the armor while the modern slant features pink lining. The sculpt features lined marks for the accents making for a cleaner paint job and the shade of pink used is terrific giving that appearance of energy piping through the armor.
Articulation: You know what to expect with Psylocke. There’s no change from the standard female articulation scheme so she lacks the waist and bicep joints, but can otherwise strike some nice poses.
Fantomex naturally is the most dynamic of the set from a posing perspective.
Nimrod is not surprisingly more limited — he lacks a waist swivel and the size of his arms restrict his elbow joints as well. Nimrod was more of a tank though so he doesn’t need to be this agile character doing deep stances or anything.
Psylocke, Fantomex and Nimrod have:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep (Fantomex only)
- elbow (double-jointed)
- (Fantomex only)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist (Fantomex only)
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed) (Fantomex and Psylocke only)
- ankle
Accessories: In a positive step for these box sets, everyone has at least three accessories.
Psylocke reuses her accessories from her original release with the pink translucent psionic knife, butterfly effect and sword. I’m not that well versed with modern Psylocke, but I assumed her sword was still a solid piece and not a psionic effect.
Fantomex comes with two pistols with orange translucent firing and vapor effects. The blasters could have benefited from a black wash to avoid that pristine toy gun visual, but otherwise they’re fine and I love the effect pieces.
Nimrod is the big winner here with two alternate fists, punk translucent energy blasts and wings and a classic face plate. The classic face plate is the big winner for me with the set as it’s going to be my default one until the House of X figures arrive.
Worth it? I wasn’t invested in the set enough to pay the regular $80 price tag for it. Once it hit $56, that was well worth it for me given that Nimrod is basically a Build-A-Figure/deluxe figure. Fantomex warrants $20 alone essentially making Psylocke a $6 figure.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
It’s always fun to complete a team and nearly wrapping Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force squad is a big win along with adding a major X-Men villain. That’s enough to make this a winning set even if I wish Psylocke had a dramatic upgrade from her previous release.
Where to Get It? This set is exclusive to Amazon so that’s your only option. Fortunately like most Amazon exclusives you won’t have to worry about it being sold out. As a reminder, as an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small percentage of any purchases made from links here, which are a big help in offsetting costs for these reviews.