Marvel Legends Retro Collection Hercules figure review
Hercules is my favorite non-essential Avenger member. He’s always cool to see as part of a lineup, but he hasn’t been in so many core Avengers stories that he cracks main roster status. For the record, that squad is the Big Three, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Wasp, Giant Man/Goliath, Vision, Scarlet Witch and Warbird/Captain Marvel.
I say all that, but with most of those characters getting some amazing updates from Hasbro, a classic Hercules was standing out big time for a do-over. In part because Hasbro’s first crack at him had long started looking outdated. Instead of releasing him in a standard wave, Hasbro released Hercules under the Retro Collection banner as part of the Avengers theme. Let’s see if this version is worthy of a crown prince.
Packaging: I appreciate the Retro Card style as it’s a cool throwback to my early days of collecting Toy Biz’s figures. I love the little touches like the random highlight — in this case Hercules’ golden mace — and the bio with the yellow backdrop.
The bio is fine although it could use some mention of the Avengers and it’d be nice to see more of the other Retro Collection figures as well.
Likeness: Hasbro released a great modern style Hercules in the BAF Armored Thanos wave. It was a standout figure even though I had zero attachment to this look.
It did lead me to track down that blink and you miss era of the Avengers with Captain America/Falcon, Spider-Man, Jane Foster Thor, Herc, Wasp and Dr. Doom Iron Man. That was actually a pretty out there lineup.
Anyway, this time Hasbro went with Hercules main Avengers look from the 80s. This is a more simplified version of his first attire, which included a skirt and intricate leggings (?).
To stay on point with branding, Hercules trades his sash for a harness that forms and H and just in case you missed that subtle visual cue, his big gold H buckle on his belt reinforces it.
The leggings are gone, but Hercules is sporting some intricate sandals this time. This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of sculpt. Both the sandals and the belt have a leather-like texture to them, which is a nice touch.
His bracelets are less intricate than the modern figure and are in keeping with the classic look.
Hasbro’s hasn’t missed with a Hercules head sculpt even the original figure. This is probably my favorite of the trio as it really captures his joyful nature with the big smile and the little detail of his hair flowing over the headpiece. Bring on the mead Jarvis!
Paint: This outfits wins points for simplicity’s sake. Hasbro made sure all of the gold, greens and brown elements match up properly. I appreciate the effort to throw on some hair on the chest and arms even if they really should have gone all out like Brad Walker’s spectacular take on him.
Between issues of #snipeandslug I did another #marvelwarmup! My favorite Avengers era (if not my favorite line up, though I do love all of them) was this one by Roger Stern, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer. It’s all so beautiful, you should read it. pic.twitter.com/ID3MkurLKM
— Brad Brad Walker (@IAmBradWalker) August 25, 2021
But seriously, great paintjob. No issue with the eyes and no random slop anywhere on this guy.
Scale: Hercules is scaled properly so he’s taller than his team contemporaries Captain America and The Black Knight, but shorter than the 80th Anniversary Thor.
The best part is Hercules looks appropriately beefy and super heavyweight class.
He looks like the toughest guy in any room Thor isn’t in and I love how he looks next to his Avengers rival Namor.
Articulation: Hercules is a super brawler capable of mighty feats of strength so he needs to be able to pull off convincing punches and kicks. That’s not a problem with this figure who was a lot of fun to pose.
Hercules has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Hercules comes with a decent amount of useful accessories. First off, he’s got his trusty mace. It doesn’t have a ton of range, but it allows Hercules to have something besides his fist to thwack his opponents. It’s got a nice design, has a nice grip handle and connecting strap.
He’s also got a set of swappable fists, which is ideal for a brawler like Hercules.
Finally, he’s got an alternate head sculpt with a more serious expression. This one has his teeth gritted as if he’s been in a fight for awhile and just about had enough of playing Mr. Nice Roman god. It’s nice to have another portrait option especially when one is a smiling head sculpt.
Worth it? I grabbed Hercules for a little under $20 thanks to reward points and a sale at Best Buy. He’s easily one of the best Retro figures since he’s more than just a basic repaint.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Another Hercules. Another 10 out of 10 figure. I don’t have any complaints with this one beyond we need a Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel figure ASAP. It’s time for Hasbro to knock out the original look so they can go for the complete trio of 10s.
Where to get it? The Retro Card line is somewhat exclusive. Best Buy and GameStop have him and Entertainment Earth has him available for pre-order, but you can pay more than retail at Amazon.
As an Amazon and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.