It took some time to really get the Warlock BAF set review going; go figure with December and all the Holiday craziness! Regardless, here we are with the #2017 Warlock BAF action figure! Let's check him out and see if he stood the one year test of time!
There are two Warlocks in the Marvel Universe and this New Mutants character is not the first one that comes to my mind. Regardless, #Hasbro made the decision to make him a BAF and thus why we have here in action figure form. Truthfully, I don't know much about Warlock other than what I saw in the animated series of X-Men and my glimpses of the Phalanx Convention saga. I know that he is an alien being capable of possessing others and he can change forms at will and change his arms into weapons. I also know that he is a goof and has his own way of speaking. And that's as far as my knowledge with this character goes. Obviously I don't have any attachment but as an action figure, I think this is one of those characters that truly tested Hasbro's ability to deliver in terms of details, likeness, and just the overall presentation. Let me just say right now that if Hasbro did spend as much time with known characters like the time they spent with Warlock, I feel they'll be at a better place.
As far as Hasbro's replication of Warlock, it's actually pretty darn good. Warlock has a lot of weird details to him as a character and his Marvel Legends form captured most if not all of it (It is also worth taking note that his form changes quite frequently so he will never have the same visual designs panel by panel). Every area has a lot of unique sculpting, rivets, designs, and just overall painstaking work put into Warlock. From head to toe there is much to admire and it's hard to fathom that Hasbro is even capable of this for a regular BAF figure.
Along with the addition of coating of gold here and there, Warlock is given this inorganic look and makes him stand out as if he doesn't belong... exactly how he looks in the comic books: a complete alien and out of place. While the paint job seems random, it definitely serves to be as accurate as possible to the comic book version of Warlock.
I mean, his face can get pretty animated in the comics (and in the animated series), but how they sculpted his face for the action figure and all the gold wash that's mixed in with the black just makes him pop out so much. I can't believe Hasbro spent this much time making this VERY obscure character look this good when they can't even spend that much on certain characters that definitely deserve this much love; and no, I'm not talking about the cinematic characters that get all the attention in the world for obvious reasons.
As far as his articulation goes, Warlock's pretty nimble. He has good range of motion for his size and shape and I can't complain at what he is capable of doing. Both hands are posed different, right hand is fist and the left hand is an open hand. He has the alternate buzz saw hand that can be swapped for either the right or the left hand which in turn, gives Warlock variety for some poses even with one alternate hand. His lanky body does pose some issues with the joints as they are a bit wiggly and I found the legs on my action figure tends to fall off far more than I would like. The cables that connects his arms to his body were a bit bothersome and they did not attach well (super glued mine) and once I permanently found a way to keep them inserted, they seem to get in the way for some of the arms' rotation. Overall, it's not too bad though. I found myself able to pose him with pictures that I wanted to get.
Just as a point of reference, here is Warlock next to your average 6in action figure. Again, he has some height to him so he is by no means a small BAF.
Hasbro went above and beyond for this character... don't know why but I feel as if they put more effort in Warlock than some of the popular comic book characters. As I mentioned, aside from their Cinematic Marvel Legends who tend to get full on unique body mold and painting 95% of the time, comic book Marvel Legends tend to get left in the dust; Warlock is an exception. I appreciate what they did and it show cases what Hasbro is capable of, but I don't have an attachment to this character so I can't say Warlock is my absolute favorite BAF. Given that he is from 2017 though, I'd say it's still a good enough purchase considering I found the figures that built him half off the original price. Not a bad deal but I wouldn't have been pleased if I paid full price for him.
As for the entire wave, some characters are great and a must for me while others I could have lived without having them in my Marvel Legends collection. Again, I would not have spent the money if they were all full retail price. I was fortunate to find them all at different times and for a price that were more than reasonable. So let's grade them.
Consisting of: Shatterstar, Colossus, Dazzler, Cyclops, Polaris, & Sunfire
Lowest(ONE) being my least, Highest(SEVEN) being my favorite.
Shatterstar - What's to really say about this action figure? A character I'm indifferent about and he brings nothing new to the table.
Warlock - Despite the work Hasbro placed on him, it's hard to really get behind a character I didn't ask for at all.
Polaris - While it's another pretty face to add to my femme fatale, there's really not much else she adds. Recycled effects, body, and a costume I'm not that fond off, Lorna Dane is just okay.
Sunfire - Surprisingly, I enjoyed this action figure far more than I thought I would. Again, no attachment to the character.
Dazzler - While I have very little attachment to this character as well, Dazzler is actually quite a fun action figure to pose and take pictures of.
Colossus - I wanted this to by my top action figure of this wave but the fact that the classic head alternate and the harder than it should have been to pose body made him hard to stay on top.
Cyclops - Jim Lee, animated series, gene splice, all of that. A body mold that has been used too often and lack of optic blast effects and Scott still gains number one? It's all about nostalgia and this action figure LOOKS like the Scott Summers I grew up to hate.
Obviously a lot of what went against this set was character preference, and that's a big thing. Truthfully, I passed on this wave for a reason. Getting it on cheap prices definitely helped me swallow having some of these plastic fodder into my collection. Definitely not a highlight of my snags this year but it does show a perspective of Hasbro--what they are capable of if they wanted to give that effort. I can't recommend this to everyone but for a 2017 set, it holds up for 2018 and possibly 2019.
Until Next Time!
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