Marvel Legends Marvel’s Orb review – BAF Puff Adder wave

The Orb is a terrific example of how fun the Marvel Legends line can be when Hasbro is feeling a little inspired.

Maybe he’s not in most collectors’ Top 100 most wanted lists, The Orb is a fun addition to the line and one of those wild characters that stands out in any display.

Let’s see if this Ghost Rider adversary was worth keeping an eye on for more than helping to complete the Build-A-Figure Puff Adder.

Packaging: Just a few more series before the return of plastic window packaging. This game of figure Russian Roulette is for the birds. Some of it is just from the uninspired presentation for the Marvel Legends.

It’s always odd when Hasbro uses artwork that doesn’t match the figure.  Helpfully, the right side shows which piece of the Build-A-Figure Puff Adder comes with Orb. The back stays boring with another shot of the figure and a smaller window of all the included accessories.

Likeness:  As I have very little familiarity with the character, it does seem very Hasbro to use what seems like Orb’s alternate outfit. The look that pops up most often in Google searches is very similar to Johnny Blaze. It’s got a high collar jacket that tucks into his larger belt. The flared gloves and boots are intact.

There are enough images with this figure’s attire that it isn’t so much wrong even if the other look is what Hasbro probably should have done first. The biggest difference is there’s less sculpt requirements with this attire.

I’m not a fan of the choice of the Bucky Cap mold resurfacing like some cockroach mold that refuses to go away. Orb definitely seems like he has a thicker torso than this mold, which makes him look way too slender. The flared boots and gloves do look nice and the detailed belt full of pouches looks good too.

It feels like Orb’s eye helmet/mask could be bigger though I wonder if the size was necessary to keep the articulation intact?

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Paint: The Orb’s paint work is solid though it’s missing some signature aspects of the costume. There should be eight stars — six in the mid torso area and two in the center — while the figure only has five. It’s a weird omission especially when there is an obvious blank space where another set of stars should be positioned.

Typically, The Orb’s eye is clean with just the eyeball providing the color. Hasbro decided to give it a heavy dose of red veins. It’s fine, just an odd choice considering that’s not the norm for him. I do really like the paintjob of the iris, which has a bit of a wet look as if we were looking at a real eyeball.

His gloves have a blue stripe with more stars along the glove tip. This paintwork is very well done though Hasbro could have made this easier by making the blue stripe wider like it is in the comics.  The bright shade of red really pops against the white and blue parts.

Scale: The Orb is a regular sized dude despite the eye mask/helmet gimmick. He should line up er…eye to eye with an average height character.

Articulation:  The Orb was frequently shown going motorcycle a motorcycle against Ghost Rider so his ability to hit a good riding pose is crucial. And being to blast away whether with his eye or signature blaster is also essential.

For its various aesthetic problems, the Bucky Cap mold is still a pretty great buck in terms of posing. The Orb’s gloves limit some of the functionality of the double-jointed elbows. No butterfly shoulders shows this mold’s age.

A bigger issue and one that’s a newly introduced problem that didn’t exist before is the omission of the boot swivel. It’s bad enough that Hasbro is still dragging this mold out for figures in 2023, but to start taking away articulation from it? That’s a horrible decision.

There’s not a lot of range with the eye. This really would have benefited from a barbell joint to provide better range.

Orb has:

• neck
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge (up and down)
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• shin
• ankle

Accessories: Following the trend of this wave, The Orb doesn’t come with a lot of accessories. His lone accessory is his signature blaster.

This is a unique sculpt with a bulb-like barrel with a very detailed interior. The grip is nice as well and should prevent Orb from losing hold of the blaster anytime soon.

Finally, he comes with the right arm and swappable open right hand of the Build-A-Figure Puff Adder.

Worth it?  The use of the Bucky Cap mold instantly means The Orb is not worth the regular $24.99 asking price. You can get him for $21, which feels like a much better price for this guy.

Rating: 8 out of 10

With a better buck and his other attire choice, I think Orb could have been one of my favorites of the year. He’s a quirky enough character that even with the problems he still stands out, but he could have been a lot better.

Where to get it?  The Orb is long gone from stores, but you can still get him from Amazon and Entertainment Earth.

As an Amazon and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.