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Logically I would follow up my 2020 Marvel Legends Invisible Woman review with a look at her brother (the Human Torch), but instead I’m going to mix things up and focus on the character who would be this wave’s headliner if not for a certain Victor von Doom! Fantastic Four Legends The Thing is in-stock and shipping out now via online stores, and hopefully there will be enough to meet demand this time (as Ben is packed at two-per-case), because this ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing is a real winner of an action figure that every fan deserves a shot at!
While most collectors eventually managed to find the Walgreens Fantastic Four Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch and Invisible Woman figures in stores, The Thing proved to be an extremely tough pickup for many, many disappointed FF fans.
Luckily, Hasbro was able to create a mass release Fantastic Four Marvel Legends series to kick off the new decade, bringing all four members of the quartet (plus Dr. Doom, She-Hulk and Super Skrull) to the masses!
And not only is Ben Grimm getting a new version in this Super Skrull series—he’s doing so double-packed so that twice as many fans will be able to get him as the other three members of the team! The Thing is easily the most marketable and popular member, so Hasbro unquestionably made the right call with the case ratio here.
While a portion of the collecting world is dissatisfied with the modern Slott-era F4 costumes in this wave, I think that will be less of an issue here. Ben is still in black and blue trunks like the Walgreens iteration—just with some extra details added on. For those who just want a standard Thing on their shelf, this looks pretty dang similar to the “iconic” version most picture in their minds.
The trunks have a belt add-on piece with the “4” logo on it that sits super tight and does its job perfectly, adding an extra level of depth to the costume.
The head sculpt is obviously not the Jack Kirby-styled Thing (nor should it be in this costume), but I love the characteristic huge jaw and unibrow on this action figure. The mug on this toy is just great, and I can definitely feel Ben’s personality radiating from the portrait.
I also totally dig the various shapes and sizes of the craggy rocks that make up the Thing’s body. This mold will be familiar to those who got the last version from Walgreens, but it’s outstanding whether you’ve owned it before or not. For whatever reason, I especially find the rocks making up Ben’s back impressive-looking.
This is a bulky action figure that both looks heavy and is heavy, and the heft gives a feeling of high quality. All of the joints are tight and hold chosen poses well, and any paint flaws are minor enough that they’re not even noticeable to me. The Hasbro QC team really kicked ass with this whole wave thus far.
The articulation set is identical to the Walgreens exclusive (obviously), and consists of:
- Ball-Hinged Neck (with a terrific range of motion), Shoulders and Elbows
- Swivel-Hinge Fists
- Ball-Jointed Upper Torso and Hips
- Swivel Waist and Thighs
- Double-Hinged Knees
- Hinged Feet with Rockers
Swivel biceps would have been nice, but for the most part you can get Ben Grimm into whatever clobberin’ time poses you desire—so long as the pose you desire is achievable with fists…
Besides than the two choices of heads for the Super Skrull Build-A-Figure, Ben comes with zero additional accessories. Ordinarily I wouldn’t complain about a figure of this size not getting extras at the standard price-point, but the exclusion of the grappling hands from the Walgreens Thing really kinda sucks since we already know the tooling exists.
Otherwise, my only real issue here has to do with a stylistic choice: Hasbro chose to use a dry-bush looking style of shading on Thing’s chest, arms, head and feet. I go back and forth on if I like this cel-shaded feeling detailing, but I do know I don’t like that his abdomen, fists and legs don’t have it. I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker on such a solid figure, but I do admit that I don’t think the execution here is ideal.
Overall: For the many collectors who couldn’t get their mitts on the Walgreens Exclusive Thing figure, this Fantastic Four Legends version is a pretty great alternative. The quality, detail, articulation and heft all get high marks, and I think the modern costume will be met with less resistance from fans than the other three team members’.
Not having the existing grappling hands be included here is a real irritant, though, and I’m still not 100% in love with the shading on parts of Ben Grimm’s body. This is an excellent action figure I can absolutely recommend, but I do think there’s still room to improve for an eventual Future Foundation or other variant.