SUMMARY:
Released in Toy Biz’s 2006 “Legendary Riders” Marvel Legends series, this 6-inch Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff might be the character’s first incarnation as an action figure (at least, in a six-inch incarnation).
Scarlet Witch’s red-and-pink costume is completely painted on except for her red cloak, which is a tightly-secured rubber attachment. The articulation points include: 1. The head easily nods, but it can’t turn sideways in either direction. 2. Bending at the elbows, the arms potentially can rotate a full 360-degrees, but such action might damage the elbow joint. 4. The wrists and four fingers (the thumbs don’t move) have good flexibility. 5. Her torso bends and slightly turns in both directions. 6. The legs have knee and ankle joints, but only the ankles smoothly bend. 7. The knees and ankles bend. 8. When positioned, the figure can stand indefinitely in display poses. Her sky-cycle accessory accommodates the peg holes at the bottom of her wedge-heeled boots.
Note: This figure is considered rare, as it was short-packed for that particular Marvel Legends run.
REVIEW:
The good news is that the figure comes with some fun extras, as mentioned below. The bad news is that those same extras come with this dismal Scarlet Witch figure. Not only is this ultra-flimsy excuse for a Marvel Legend hampered by insufficient elbow and knee joints, it’s too cheaply constructed to muster minimal articulation. Worse still, like several female Marvel Legends of that era (i.e. Psylocke and Invisible Woman), her amateurish facial features are deplorable. While the Scarlet Witch’s costume and her sculpted brunette mane are good enough, Toy Biz punted on devising a remotely good face. The bottom line is that 2015’s redesigned Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch is a major upgrade. It’s a far, far better purchase than this disappointing predecessor.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Per the “Legendary Riders” theme, an Avengers sky-cycle (with foot pegs) is included, as is a trading card. A full-length (32 pages) reprint of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes # 8 (it’s a mini-series finale) is enclosed in a sealed plastic bag.
PACKAGING:
Toy Biz does an excellent job promoting the figure in its nicely-manufactured box.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2½ Stars
