"BERSERKER CLAW" is a phrase that pops in mind whenever I see Sabertooth. While he has had prominent roles in Wolverine's comic books, the animated series, and other fandom based mediums, I just remember his appearance in Capcoms' VS series. Regardless, here we are with a Marvel Legends of Sabertooth in his "recognizable" look from the 90s. Let's check out this action figure and see how if it's a good addition to our growing X-Men Marvel Legends.
Victor Creed is one of Wolverine's main antagonist. Having a long standing history with one of Marvel's most popular mutant, Sabertooth has to have the same, if not, MORE ferocity and battle prowess to be able to give Wolverine a run for his money. Depending on the writer, Victor has achieved both being a threat and as a dangerous ally; then of course, there are occasions where he was mishandled altogether. I think there were more than enough times when Marvel didn't really know how to handle a character that fell into the whole 'villain who turned a new leaf' (Venom, Magneto, and the list goes on). Nowadays I know he is part of a branch of X-Force... or at least a team that acts like the black ops X-Men team. I'm not sure if Sabertooth will ever reach a popularity that will surpass the many feral-beast-like characters of Marvel, but I do know that the 90s/animated look is definitely my favorite look for him and I daresay, his more prominent look overall.
He does look pretty frightening, doesn't he?
If I talk about how disappointed I am about this, I will waste some space in my toy review for this new Marvel Legends Sabertooth. So we will just leave it as it is.
This is a familiar body mold so let me just say it right now that I am not a big fan of the body that they chose. The "Hyperion body mold" is not the best looking one but with the proper cover up it can work. Unfortunately for Sabertooth, he doesn't have a lot going for him so his new Marvel Legends action figure doesn't cover up the flaws of this out dated body mold. There are a few new parts; the forearms are new I believe to accommodate for that pointy elbow designs on this costume. The only other thing that sort of helps this painful mold is the nicely sculpted mane. It has a lot of attention and it is one of the most recognizable thing about this costume for Victor so rightfully so. Unfortunately, I think it is a bit too small and not as grand as it was in the comic books and/or the animated series. The other new part to this action figure is Sabertooth's face. It looks great--it captures that savage look that Creed is known for. It looks a little big in some angles, but then again, big heads isn't something new with Marvel Legends and it isn't that big of a deal (no pun intended).
Sabertooth has the color combination that I wouldn't really think of when creating a feral villain, but this same color scheme somewhat echoes Wolverine's older costumes (I call it the gaijin costume). Regardless of my opinion on Sabertooth's color scheme, #Hasbro pulled it off just fine. I got, for the most part, clean paint, no real issues, and the final product is definitely a recognizable character. I already talked about the mane and all its details--the face also comes with care so I'm not complaining in regards to that.
The articulation is what one would expect from this mold. As a muscular body, it does have some good things that goes along with how it allows movement but it just does it in an ugly way. I was still able to pull off some pretty awesome pics so I can't complain in that regard. Though the same ongoing issue of lacking any kind of accessory hurts this action figure a lot. Though I'm not sure what else to give him other than alternate hands, really. Some closed fists are the only thing I can really think of that would fit well. Slash effects, maybe?
At least Victor has slashing hands to try and replicate some of his brutal battle against his arch nemesis.
With Sabertooth being a long standing foe of Wolverine and the X-Men in general, I think this was a good addition to our Marvel Legends. While Hasbro had more than a few missed opportunities with this figure and with the reuse of that body mold usually bears bad news in my opinion, this action figure is far from perfect. Though with his aesthetics passable and with him looking awesome next to a classic Wolverine (I have yet to review), all in all, I enjoyed the new Marvel Legends of Sabertooth enough.
Until Next Time!
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