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It may be rather hard to believe given the iconic nature and massive popularity of the character, but Hasbro has never individually released a non-exclusive standard 616 Magneto Marvel Legends 6” figure… until now! Fans have waited through black costume, white costume and Age of Apocalypse iterations of the Master of Magnetism, but finally the most recognizable mainstream version of Erik Lehnsherr is ready to storm retail stores: the X-Men 97 Marvel Legends Magneto figure is now available! Is Hasbro delivering a definitive action figure of Magnus? Here’s my review…
X-Men ‘97 may not have an official launch date yet on Disney+, but once the animated series is actually streaming, stores will be ready to pounce on the buzz with scores of now-available X-Men toys and collectibles. Hasbro and Funko are ready to cash in on some of the most popular designs in X-Men history, including with the subject of today’s review: iconic red costume Magneto.
I actually really dig some of the alternative Magneto costumes Hasbro has produced for us over the years, but it’s long past time we got a mass retail singular release of Magneto donning classic red. Yes, we’ve seen versions of this design in a 3-pack and as a Toys R Us exclusive previously, but this is the best and most accessible iteration to date.
Like the rest of the X-Men 97 Legends, Magneto comes in lovely blister card packaging that you need to destroy in order to free him from his plastic prison. The box back shows all 6 figures in the series, including the X-Men 97 Gambit Legends figure I reviewed last week.
The base figure of Magneto here is really, really nice. Magneto is absolutely ripped with bulging abs, but that’s accurate to the cartoon source material and not a shortcoming.
In fact, I would say that all of the proportions here are spot on for the muscular old man Erik Lehnsherr is. The colors feel likewise ideal for a cartoon look, as Hasbro went with matte and glossy tones that feel authentic to X-Men 92 instead of the metallic hues from the 3-pack, and without the more realistic shading of the Toys R Us Magneto.
Just like in the X-Men Animated Series, Magneto’s eyes are shadowed by his helmet. If you didn’t watch the beloved show, it might looks like Mags has raccoon eyes—but I grew up on that show, and I love the shadowed portrait.
As far as accessories go, well… that’s where this release truly stumbles. Magneto comes with just two accessories: a pair of interchangeable fists to swap out his default gesturing hands for.
Given that we’re used to getting multiple effects pieces, a Build-A-Figure chunk and sometimes an extra head or removable helmet with Magneto figures in BAF waves traditionally a couple bucks cheaper than this, a pair of fists is a bit of a letdown.
Don’t get me wrong—I’d much rather have alternative hands than no accessories at all. But what with there being no magnetic effects to add on and no other extras to speak of, the fists seem relatively useless for anything other than Magnus getting into a fistfight against Charles.
The default gesturing hands do work well for pretending Mags is “manipulating” the magnetic forces around him, though it’s still startling to me that Hasbro chose not to include any of the many, many compatible existing effects pieces with this figure.
The purple cape is such a vital part of Magneto’s character design, and thankfully, it’s executed well here. As is always my preference, the cape is permanently attached and won’t fall off at the drop of a pin leaving Magnus feeling exposed. The cape is permanently affixed to Magneto’s collar piece, with a peg that slots into his back. The peg stays in decently, but has a bit of backwards give to it so it doesn’t entirely resist posing. All in all, the cape is executed quite well.
And with regard to that articulation—it’s excellent. While there’s no butterfly swivel shoulders, we’re treated to pin-less double-jointed knees and elbows. The complete scheme includes:
—Ball-Hinge Head and Shoulders
—Upper Torso Ab Crunch
—Ball-Jointed Hips
—Swivel-Hinge Wrists
—Swivel Waist, Biceps and Thighs
—Hinged Feet with Rockers
The helmet and cape inhibit articulation slightly, but as a whole Magneto has a really solid range of motion and flexibility.
Overall: This is a really beautiful, basic figure of animated Magneto in his most recognizable costume. Note the word “basic”, though—even with pin-less joints everywhere and a great sculpt and proportions, this is still a $25 action figure with no effects pieces, no removable helmet and no alternate heads. I commend Hasbro on bringing this version of Magneto to retail as a singles release, and the Magneto Legends figure itself is terrific—I just wish we got a little bit more for our $25 worth. Very worthwhile release, despite lacking somewhat in the value department.