Marvel Legends Whiplash review
Whiplash is one of Iron Man’s coolest looking villains. No, not that 90s Gimp look that was awful, but that stylish black and lavender costume. It’s kinda wild how long it’s taken Whiplash to get a figure considering his MCU counterpart debuted in Iron Man 2 way back in 2010.
Regardless of the wait, he finally arrives in the Retro Iron Man wave. That’s fitting since he got his first Toy Biz figure in the animated Iron Man cartoon line way back in 1994. Geesh that was a while ago.
He’s called Whiplash, but this is really Marco Scarlotti in his Blacklash attire. Let’s see if Hasbro deserves any backlash for how this figure turned out or if it’s another hit for this stellar Iron Man Retro wave.
Packaging: This package set up is done in the retro card style from the Toy Biz line. It features a large image of the cartoon Iron Man flying next to the logo and a vintage computer font for Whiplash’s name.
No need to worry about any damage to the card. Hasbro is using a very thick cardstock that you’d have to put in work to ruin it. Over on the back is a wide image of Whiplash with his accessories. On the top right corner is a decent bio that explains his abilities.
Likeness: Whiplash has such a unique outfit for a mob hitman. The Maggia assassin has legit flair with the half mask with a green top knot. His black bodysuit gets its sizzle from a long, flowing cape with a high collar and angled gloves and boots. And he throws in a satchel to carry his gear in a practical manner.
He’s got one of those costumes that’s just impossible to top. Despite Marvel artists’ best efforts to makeover, he inevitably comes back to this look. Hasbro handled his look without any compromises.
The rope connecting his cape is well done along with the clasps on either side. His high collar appropriately rests above the cape.
This might seem like a small thing, but Hasbro actually went fully comic accurate with his angled gloves and boots. It further helps to distinguish him from the usual gloves and boots characters. He’s using the Spider-Man UK mold, with some modifications.
Whiplash’s expression is strong. It reads like he’s hot quiet confidence and fully assured that he can get the job done for his employers.
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Paint: This should be a given, but sometimes Hasbro gets a little funny with the colors used for costumes. Whiplash’s cowl, collar, gloves and boots have the right shade of lavender. Just as important, his cape is a darker magenta as it should be. Smaller details like the gold buckles and clasps are sharp.
If I had any minor issue, it’d be the lack of shading in Whiplash’s cowl to best reflect how it looked in the comics.
Scale: Whiplash is a regular sized guy and should be about eye level with his fellow hitmen like Blizzard, Spymaster and Beetle. He won’t be too small next to Iron Man and won’t look undersized.
Articulation: The Spidey UK mold might not be the most articulated one now for Marvel Legends, but it still is one of the better ones in terms of poseability. The cape doesn’t hinder his movement since it drapes past his shoulders.
Blacklash is a range fighter who prefers to keep his distance from his opponents so sweeping back and forth movements are key. Clearly, a mold with butterfly shoulders would be helpful, but the ball-jointed shoulder socket has its own decent range.
Whiplash has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- bicep
- elbow (double-jointed)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Whiplash comes with swappable fists in case he needs to slug Iron Man or pose menacingly.
It’d be pretty dumb if he didn’t come with a whip. The whip has largely been drawn as an electrified cable or a laser whip. Hasbro split the difference and made it out of a translucent plastic and less detailed coils. It looks good. The whip couldn’t really be poseable, but it’s done in a soft enough plastic that it has some flexibility to it.
Worth it? Thanks to a Target sale, I was able to get Whiplash for $17.49 instead of the regular price of $24.99. That’s a much better deal for me since he’s lacking a Build-A-Figure piece.
Rating: 9 out of 10
A more articulated whip and a mold with butterfly shoulders are the only things holding Whiplash back, but Hasbro nailed the paint job making for a dynamic looking figure to battle Iron Man.
Where to get it? Target has the Iron Man Retro wave in stock now. GameStop has the wave on their website. You can also grab the Marvel Legends Iron Man Model-09 figure from Amazon or Entertainment Earth.
As an Amazon and Entertainment Earth affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.