{"id":18442,"date":"2015-02-09T00:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T05:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/?p=18442"},"modified":"2015-03-08T23:09:12","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T03:09:12","slug":"marvel-legends-avenging-allies-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2015\/02\/marvel-legends-avenging-allies-review\/","title":{"rendered":"ML6: Avenging Allies review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marvel Legends<\/i> Series 6 returns to the trend begun in Series 2: multiple figures<\/a> released under a single name<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These heroes fight to find their origins and discover their true identities.<\/i><\/p>\n

Because the bio has to refer to two characters, it doesn't really tell you anything. This figure is Z2P45-9-X-51<\/a>, a sentient robot created for the Army by Dr. Abel Stack. The first 50 went insane upon gaining sentience, but X-51 made it through because Stack treated him like a son (and also he was exposed to a Monolith<\/a> - remember, Machine Man was a spinoff<\/a> of Jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/i> comic). The Doc died trying to protect him, so he named himself Aaron Stack after his \"father\" and went on the run from the government. He eventually joined the Avengers, helped the X-Men fight Red Skull<\/a>, was infected by Sentinel<\/a> nano-technology which caused him to attack any mutants he met, and was taken into space by the Celestials (who were the power behind the Monoliths).<\/p>\n

Machine Man uses that body Hasbro uses for everything<\/a>, this time painted in metallic purple - in other words, it's his original Kirby design, not his more recent Nextwave costume. There are silvery-blue bands painted around his shin, biceps and neck, a free-floating silver belt, and his eyes are large red bulbs against Caucasian skin.<\/p>\n

Both Aaron's hands are open to hold something, but he has nothing to hold - though that's not to say he doesn't have any accessories! One of his flashier powers was the ability to telescope his arms and legs, \"Inspector Gadget\"-style, so the toy comes with extenders that plug into his wrists. Since his hands were already coming off, they also gave him an extra pair of fists. Nice work, Hasbro!<\/p>\n

He also comes with two of the arms for this series' Build-A-Figure, The Allfather<\/a>. Yes, the BAF has more than two arms. It's a whole thing. Don't worry, we'll discuss it when we actually review him. The arms have pivoting shoulder armor, and the left arm is entirely covered by banded metal. It looks pretty cool, and we can't wait to get to the end of this series so we can tell you all about it.<\/p>\n

Machine Man may be the unlikeliest character to ever get a Marvel Legend<\/i>, and he's really been done nicely (even if I'd rather have the Nextwave version, there's no question that the Kirby design is more iconic). Now, continue on to Page 2<\/a> to see who the other \"Avenging Ally\" is.<\/p>\n


\nYou've already read about Machine Man<\/a> - now let's read about his \"swap figure.\"<\/p>\n

These heroes fight to find their origins and discover their true identities.<\/i><\/p>\n

The Sentry! You know the story of the Sentry<\/a>! This release was always intended to be a swap figure, but not for Machine Man - he was supposed to come out in Series 4, along with Hyperion<\/a>! Remember how Hyperion's bio was written to be about two people? In case you don't, here's what was on the back of Hyperion's packaging when he hit stores (or, in my case, when you ordered him from Hasbro with free shipping):<\/p>\n

All-powerful protectors struggling against a heart of deepest darkness!<\/i><\/p>\n

Sentry was the other \"all-powerful protector<\/a>\"! Hooray for Hasbro finally getting him out!<\/p>\n

The body is the same as Hyperion (and Gladiator<\/a>, because all these Superman-ripoffs need to be Superman<\/a>-sized<\/a>), and he's even wearing half of the same cape - just the drapey part, not the second bit that comes up around the shoulder. He has a new belt, with a giant stylized-S buckle. One really cool little thing you might overlook, though? Hyperion had a right fist and a left \"gripping\" hand; Sentry has the opposite. It's a shame their skintone is different, or you could create matching sets.<\/p>\n

The blues of Sentry's costume are dark, and the yellow has a luteous airbrushing to keep it from looking flat. His belt buckle is golden, with a pale yellow app for the recessed S. His skin is not as orange as Hyperion's, and his hair is long. His eyes are blank white, which sets him apart from the previous ML<\/i> Sentries, and they're rimmed in gold.<\/p>\n

He also comes with two of the arms for this series' Build-A-Figure, The Allfather<\/a>. Yes, the BAF has more than two arms. It's a whole thing. Don't worry, we'll discuss it when we actually review him. The right arm is the same as the one that came with Machine Man<\/a>, and the left matches it - no armor other than the shoulder. It will all make sense in time.<\/p>\n

<i>And now, some more OAFEry:<\/i><\/H5>