Marvel Legends Darwin review – BAF Bonebreaker wave

As much as I loved X-Men: First Class, I thought it was Quicksilver getting shot levels of stupidity for the one character capable of adapting to any threat getting killed. Darwin by his very nature should have been the last X-Men standing in any circumstance.

Darwin was among the secret second group of X-Men sent to save Cyclops and company from Krakoa. It’s one of those continuity retcons that seemed unnecessary, but at least made for an interesting story.

Hasbro tried to create a little synergy in this Marvel Legends BAF Bonebreaker wave by releasing Darwin and his squad mate, Vulcan. That’s a good thing. Let’s see if this figure can evolve to be one of the standouts of this wave.

Packaging: David Nakayama handles the package art, which means we can count on the signature portrayal of every character. As usual, it’s a great drawing that shows Darwin’s slightly creepy appearance.

Normally, the X-Men waves have a yellow orange accent, which I prefer over the red accent.

Darwin’s bio quickly explains why he’s the ultimate X-Man, but doesn’t offer much context in terms of his team affiliation, allies, etc.

Likeness:  Hasbro went with the lanky Pizza Spider-Man body. That works fine for Darwin, who also has slightly enlarged fists. He’s got an X-belt, which is the only other addition.

His head sculpt is solid, fully capturing Darwin’s personality and alien-esque appearance.

And it took all of 30 seconds to make me think Hasbro could repurpose this entire figure for an X-Factor Caliban.

Paint:  Darwin has a darker hue costume with a purple and navy-blue combination.

There’s no wash on his head, which would have been a useful addition though the pearlescent effect on the eyes is nicely done.

The X on his belt is a bit sloppily applied and the red has some black overspray.

 

Scale: He’s taller and lankier than the standard X-Men, which makes sense although Darwin really just needs to be around his squad mates Vulcan, Petra and Sway.

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Articulation: The Pizza Spider-Man buck allows for a wide range of movement. It’s not as smooth and fluid as some of the newer bucks that have pinless joints, but it’s fine.

Darwin has:

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

 

Accessories:  Hasbro wasn’t feeling too generous with this wave in terms of accessories.

Darwin could come with any viable number of accessories to show his adaptation powers. Instead, he just comes with outstretched hands, which are OK? I guess it’s better than nothing.

Darwin comes with the right side of the Build-A-Figure Bonebreaker tank.

Worth it?  I was able to get Darwin on clearance for $13. Clearly, a better price than the standard $24.99. I wouldn’t feel great paying $25 for Darwin, a figure that feels pretty basic.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Darwin isn’t a flashy or especially remarkable figure. His greater use is another figure to complete Bonebreaker. At least he was cheaper than normal to grab.

Where to get it?  Check your local Targets, which has this line up for clearance. This is the best route in terms of the price for this underwhelming figure. Failing that, you can get him from Amazon or Entertainment Earth.