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Back when I reviewed the X-Men Marvel Legends Gambit figure from the Caliban Series in 2019, I said that “I wouldn’t mind seeing another version of this same figure released” down the road. Hasbro must have taken that to heart, because now they’ve updated and released this Remy twice more! The Marvel Legends X-Men 97 Gambit figure is now available—is the third time the charm that elevates this Gambit to definitive?
I was positively starved for a new Gambit figure when Hasbro released the Caliban BAF wave Gambit four years back, but we’ve seen Remy Lebeau revisited twice in his iconic costume since (in addition to this year’s yellow team suit Gambit in a 3-pack).
His latest release is based on Remy’s animated appearance from X-Men 92/97, so it switches up some things from the comic-based versions. Is it worth another 25 bucks to buy what’s more or less the same Gambit once again?
The whole X-Men Legends 97 series come packaged on basic blister cards, a sort of compromise between the conventional Marvel Legends window boxes and the controversial plastic-free packaging.
It’s not the most exciting packaging in the world and you need to destroy it to get at the figure inside, but I appreciate the individual character art on the left side of the cardback.
The three noteworthy changes from the previous Hasbro Gambit figures are the head sculpt, the colors and the jacket.
As this release is specifically for the upcoming X-Men 97 cartoon series, the portrait has been given a smoother and more animated look. Remy’s expression feels a tad more playful, and I like the charming “swoosh” shaping of his hair. For a cartoon Gambit head, I’ve got no complaints.
Similarly, I like the cartoony color scheme of the costume. Rather than the previous metallic magenta, Gambit’s chest is painted in a matte bright pink (almost salmon) color now. This is much more faithful to the animated color palette, as are the now brighter blue boots.
Gambit’s coat is not only a shade darker now—it’s also a different jacket mold altogether from the previous iterations! This jacket is smoother and feels a lot more casual than the previous ruffled ones. It’s big a big change, but I like it and think it’s appropriate for the animated style.
For accessories, there are three included and all 3 are crucial (and reused): a bo staff, a charged card effects piece and an alternate left hand throwing an arc of charged cards. The ML Gambit Retro figure in 2021 had all these accessories plus one more, so the loadout is actually a minor step back.
Both card effects are as awesome now as they were in the Caliban wave. The translucent pink energy looks terrific, and either accessory hugely enhances the fun of the figure overall.
Gambit’s bo staff is molded in a bluish-silver this time. I prefer the grey-silver it previously was and feel like that’s more authentic, but I’m personally not too troubled about the color tweak.
What I am more annoyed by is that Hasbro omitted the extra grasping left hand the Retro Gambit included. That hand was the best option by far for gripping the staff, and its absence is definitely notable here. It’s the only real way that this figure is a downgrade from the most recent Retro edition–now Gambit can either be throwing a card with effects or just pointing with two fingers. Awkward.
The articulation on Gambit unfortunately hasn’t been upgraded, but thankfully, it was acceptable in 2019 and is still so now. Gambit’s knees are double-pinned, but gratefully it’s next to impossible to see that in most poses due to the jacket. The ball-hinge elbows also aren’t the best, especially for trying to achieve dynamic staff wielding and card throwing poses.
The complete articulation scheme includes:
—Ball-Hinge Head, Shoulders and Elbows
—Upper Torso Ab Crunch
—Swivel Biceps, Waist, Thighs and Calves
—Ball Hips
—Double-Jointed Knees
—Swivel-Hinge Wrists
—Hinged Feet with Ankle Rockers
The mid-boot calf swivels are starting to look more and more awkward to me, and I’d love to see an updated Gambit with even better articulation within the next few years. The current figure’s joints all feel solid and reasonably tight, and he can stand stably without much fuss, however.
Overall: This is another challenging figure to assign a grade to, as I gave the original release of this figure an ‘A-‘ and this one is almost the same. Even so, Marvel Legends itself has improved in the past 4 years, and the meager updates to this Gambit Legends figure simply aren’t to that level. With no improvements to articulation, less accessories than the Retro release and a higher price-point, this X-Men 97 Gambit figure is still a good release, but is less impressive than it was 4 years ago. An excellent pickup if you missed the past iterations or prefer the cartoon colors, but otherwise not something to get super psyched about.