Hey there, welcome back to Dan's ToyBox. It's been a couple of weeks since I posted a review. Sometimes you just need to get away and remember why you enjoy doing what you do. Anyhow, we're back with a pseudo retro review with the Hasbro Marvel Legends: Marvel Knights "King Daredevil" figure.
I haven't opened a Daredevil comic in years, so I had to do some research to find out the deal behind this look. After the events of Devil's Reign, with Matt Murdock believed to be dead, Elektra takes over as Daredevil. Returning to the role, Murdock and Elektra launch an offensive to take down The Hand Ninja once and for all. Together, they form a team and, upon learning that Stick is helping them and is responsible for finding the texts of The Fist, both Daredevils undertake a dangerous test to become the organization's leaders. Murdock and Natchios face off against an army of undead warriors from The Hand, and after a fierce battle, defeat them and receive the new titles and roles of King and Queen of The Fist. Murdock's new costume is similar to Elektra's take on the DD garb and the pair soon find themselves on a headlong collision course with their old ally/adversary, The Punisher, newly installed as The Hand's deadliest warrior: The Fist of the Beast.
It feels pretty good to be back in the writing seat, so, without any further ado, let's jump into our main categories: Accessories, Appearance, Articulation, and Affordability, shall we?
ACCESSORIES: 5/10
"King Daredevil" comes with his trusty billy clubs, which we've seen more often than I can count. They do plug into one another to form a longer baton. He also comes with a double-bladed spear/staff. I would, honestly, have liked to see some actual fists with the figure, for posing sake, but we get what we get. My biggest issue with the billy clubs is that they are such a soft plastic, that warping them is incredibly easy. In fact, the plug bent when I initially put them in the holster, so now, I need to straighten it, otherwise the baton is crooked when assembled. I do like the staff though and the way his hands are designed, allows you to have both on the staff at the same time. This leads to some decent action posing options.
APPEARANCE: 8/10
At first I was unsure about getting this, because I wasn't crazy about the costume design. When I learned the purpose behind it and the changes that had taken place in the comic, I decided to give it a shot. The upper torso is molded in red, with black paint apps. The biggest gripe I have is that the red shows through at the seams at his waist/torso joints. That's kind of disappointing, the fact that the black paint on his upper torso is a bit darker than those of his legs is also kind of a bummer. It's slight, but noticeable. I imagine that when posed for photographs, the lighting will help to hide the difference. There is also a difference in the red on the torso. It's a semi-gloss, which matches his wrist wrappings and gloves, but stands out against the matte red of his shoulder pads and mask. I suppose the contrast gives the figure some depth, but it just doesn't look quite right. I am very impressed with the paint and sculpt on his head. The beard and hair is very nicely done, giving a very realistic look to the figure. I also like the fact that the mask doesn't cover his entire head, as previous iterations have done. This, somehow, looks more dangerous to me. I am also impressed with the amount of detail put into the design of the costume. There is a nice texture to his pants and the detail in the wrist and boot wrappings is very well done. I'm also pleased with the free-floating belt/billy club holster. It doesn't hinder articulation and sits very well on the figure. The matte red of the belt and holster match the mask and shoulder pads nicely, giving consistency across the figure. The wrinkles sculpted throughout add a nice touch to the design, making this look more like actual clothing, than a skintight suit. Overall, this is quite a good-looking figure, but for ONE HUGE issue, which I'm going to discuss in articulation.
ARTICULATION: 7/10
Daredevil uses a mix of parts, which allows for some good and some bad articulation. Starting up top, his head will turn side to side easily, but there is not up/down looking movement. The shoulders are on rotational pegs, which allows for 360-degree rotation, and can raise the arms out to a T pose, but not beyond. The bicep swivel works fine, and the elbows are double-jointed and bend fully in, allowing the hand to touch his shoulder. The wrists pivot and hinge without issue. The upper torso is on a hinge which allows for decent forward and backward crunch/tilt. Sadly, the sculpting doesn't extend up under the hinge, which gives DD the "pregnant" look when tilted back. The waist swivels without issue, as the belt is movable, as mentioned earlier. For an athletic martial artist, Daredevil should be able to do better splits. This figure can hit, maybe 45 degrees. The upper thigh cut works fine and now we come to the most egregious part of the figure. While the double-jointed knees work fantastic and give a tremendous amount of range... they look TERRIBLE.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!?
I get that the sculpt of his pants calls for them to look baggy, but man... this is awful. This looks like something out of a nightmare! I understand they are limited in the design by the sculpt and look of the leggings, but there has to be a better way to articulate this knee. There is no boot swivel, and the ankle hinge and pivot work well, though the hinge on mine was a bit tight.
AFFORDABILITY: 6/10
This figure was $25.99 on BBTS as part of the "Mindless One" Build A Figure wave. We are slowly starting to see some consistency in Hasbro's pricing for Marvel Legends. I'm still baffled at how one figure can be packed with several accessories, while another is minimally equipped, and both are the same price. Either way the value for pricing is about average, hence the score of six.
Overall, if you are a fan of Daredevil and this particular storyline, this is a solid addition to your collection. If you're just a casual collector, quite frankly, this could be an easy pass. It's a bit above average at best, and thereby earns:
6.5 out of 10 ToyBoxes
He's not terrible, but he's not great either. Thanks for all of your support. Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!