Thoughts on Thunderbolts Box Set

[greenlucario]

Just curious as to what everyone thought of the set and individual figures. I originally was going to pass but ended up getting most of the set. Here's my thoughts though...

 

Luke Cage: I was really pumped for this one, he's pretty good, just not as good as he should have been.

• Head Sculpt: Not sure I like the head sculpt it's not horrible just not great. I have a custom I made using the Drax head and I think that wold have been a better choice for Habro versus what they used. The head he has sort of looks like a retooled Steve Rogers head with how large it is.
• Body: Works, but I think it's too big for Cage. They needed something between the Drax/Shield Agent body and Hyperion.
• Paint Deco: Would have been better as a pre-Heroic age Luke Cage, street clothes not a costume.
• Articulation: Great no real problems, even the sculpted fists are alright.

Moonstone: Awesome, the new mold is perfect. The combination of the new sculpting plus the paint really makes this one of the best figures from the set.

 

• Head Sculpt: Probably the best head sculpt that Hasbro has used for a female figure.
• Body: The new mold is perfect for characters like Moonstone, not sure if I want it to be the new standard for every female character, but if it was I think that'd be alright.
• Paint Deco: Even though the pearly look like on Iron Monger can be a hit or miss it really works well here.
• Articulation: Great no real problems, even the sculpted fists are alright. The fact that the T joint is being used for the legs is so much better than the previous female molds.

Crossbones: Passed on Crossbones since I have the Ares series one, differences were minimal, not enough by any means to get this one.

 

Ghost: Probably my favorite from the set, the translucent plastic, alternate heads, something about how it all looks together is almost creepy, which is great!

• Head Sculpt: Perfect, although I do prefer one sculpt over the other, being able to change them out really puts this over the top.
• Body: Perfect, Ghost is thin, like rail thin so he definitely looks like a creepy little man, which is what the character should look like.
• Paint Deco: Minimal, but well done.
• Articulation: Not as good as Moonstone or Cage, but for Ghost that's not a problem sculpted fingers w/o articulation and limited posing aren't a problem when it comes to him.

 

Satana (Judith Chambers)

• Head Sculpt: Same head sculpt as Moonstone, except the hair is sculpted to retain as much movement of the head as possible with the cape attached.
• Body: The new mold is really perfect for characters like Moonstone or dare I hope Ms. Marvel, but for Satana it also works, which makes me think it might not be too bad as a standard mold for female characters.
• Paint Deco: How can you go wrong with all black? You can't. The two different colors in her hair is a nice touch though.
• Articulation: Great articulation, the only problem is the hands are sculpted into a "magic" pose which isn't as easy to overlook as Ghost's sculpted hands. The fingers seem a little long.

 

Overall Thoughts

A surprisingly good set, I'm glad I didn't pass on all the figures. However I don't like the concept of the SDCC exclusives very much and this set highlights the problems more so than the X-Force one did last year. The rareity of the set really makes it a problem for people to pick up that can't go to SDCC especially when only Moonstone will see a re-release. People have been clamoring for both Crossbones and a modern Luke Cage and yet neither at this point will see a major release. I think if Hasbro is going to continue this trend of hard to pass up exclusives they need to make them available in mass quantity through their website, and not just the leftovers like they already do. The collectors really do deserve better than having to pay twice the price on the secondary market.

 

So yes I really like the set, not a must have for everyone but great editions to to anyone's collection. Ghost and Moonstone are clearly the standouts. Plus supplying a modern Luke Cage and another Crossbones are definitely a step in the right direction as far as catering to collectors. My greatest gripe is the difficulty of getting this set and Hasbro could easily fix this.

[damprime]

I have only Satana right now but I'm trying to get Cage and Moonstone at a decent price also. Anyway i'm pretty much in agreement on those characters. I understand why they put this Luke out with this set but it would be nice if they released a street clothes version individually like they're doing with Moonstone. He still is one of the most wanted figures. The females are fine but this mold can't take over as the standard. Simply because the thighs are HUGE! Yeah they work for Moonstone,Ms Marvel and Black Cat. But not for too many other females. If they change those out we have a winner.From the hips up is perfect! Best female sculpt ever. It's just those legs makes them look like the WWE Divas by Mattel. Only difference being the knee joint.

[greenlucario]

Yeah after some more thought, I really agree that the new female mold is not perfect for a standard mold, but it does leave a lot of possibilities out there and I've seen some great customs using this mold.

[GreenLanternPrime]

I just got the set on Saturday and it's great. I hope Hasbro uses the Moonstone body to also make classic Ms. Marvel and even a first appearance Ms. Marvel.