Marvel Legends The Controller Build-A-Figure review

Hasbro hasn’t been afraid to make some offbeat Build-A-Figures for the base comic book waves lately. I remain a fan of the format as it gives Hasbro an easy way to get some fringe characters into the line. The Controller has the benefit of being an Iron Man foe, but it’s his frame and similarity to another recently released Marvel Legends figure that made his inclusion all the more sensible.

Let’s see if this Build-A-Figure was worth the time and money in collecting.

Packaging:  Yeah, there’s no separate packaging for Build-A-Figures although it would be nice to have some way to include a bio and cool packaging art for him.

Likeness:  Initially I thought The Controller was a basic repaint from the Infinity Gauntlet Thanos deluxe figure. Hasbro actually just used the Thanos as the base while adding more than enough elements to The Controller stand out on his own.

Naturally, his head sculpt was going to be different. It’s very well done with sculpted lines to fully show off his craggily, deformed face. I really like the deep sunken in eyes that provide another layer of personality.

The collar/shoulder pad piece is the same although Thanos’ torso had sculpted straps to keep it “locked” in place. Additional differences are The Controller’s waist and belt piece.

That gloves and boots have a smoother, rounded cuff compared to Thanos’ more wrinkle and fold heavy boots and gloves.

Paint:  I really like the paintwork here. Instead of just going with a flat sky blue, Hasbro added some lighter blue shading as well to give Controller more of a comic book coloring technique. It creates a very nice effect for him and gives it more of a prestige look.

This also helps differentiate from the two base shades of blue. He sports a darker pearlescent shade of midnight blue on his helmet, chest piece, gloves, trunks and boots.

The detail work on his face is also extremely well done with a darker brown wash helping to bring out the cracks in his face. Sleep isn’t a priority for this guy as he’s got deep dark circles under his eyes.

There’s just a little sloppiness with the lining of his teeth, but it is really a case of trying to find something not perfect as opposed to it being a glaring issue.

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Scale:  Controller’s size is just right. Some artists tend to draw him as a massive towering giant while other just make him bulky. His size is just right so he’s not towering over Hulk (or a classic Drax), but he still looks like he’d give Iron Man some trouble for a minute.

Articulation:  The Controller is a bit of a brawler as you’d imagine for his size. His exo-suit gives him extraordinary power and he’s not afraid to use it in combat against major level threats like Iron Man and Namor.

Despite the bulk of the mold, the figure has some better-than-expected poseability. It would have been awesome for him to have butterfly shoulders for better range with punching, but it would have likely disrupted the flow of the collar piece.

Like most bigger figures, The Controller only has single-jointed elbows due to the thickness of the arms although he does have double-jointed knees. Those are very helpful in hitting some deep stances and exciting poses.

The Controller has:

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

Accessories:  Unlike most BAFs, The Controller actually comes with some alternate options as he gets a set of swappable fists. He’s not overflowing with accessories, but it’s nice to have some measure of versatility when it comes to posing him.

One of the cooler options is his open right hand comes with a pair of controller discs sculpted onto his hands. He’d use these to take control of people. Having a removable one would have been even better, but this is a really welcome inclusion.

Worth it?  Like some of his recent predecessor waves, The Controller was much cheaper than the old $120 price point. Thanks to some clearance sales of some figures, I was able to get him a little under $75. Is he a $75 figure? Not hardly, but Herald Thor was really the only figure I grabbed for the sole purpose of completing The Controller so he was absolutely worth $13.

Still, this wave is a pretty solid one so I wouldn’t feel too terrible about getting them since Controller is a very strong BAF.

Rating: 9 out of 10

The Controller adds a distinct looking villain to the bad guy shelf with a mug only a mother could love and a color scheme that really pops. He was definitely one of the more useful and fun BAFs that I’ve assembled lately that’s only held back by the articulation limits of the arms and elbows.

Where to get it?  If you missed out the stores clearancing out this wave, online is your friend. Entertainment Earth still has the full case available for a reasonable price. Amazon has most of the wave for cheaper than retail if you want the set without the Iron Man who does not come with a piece for Controller.