You are here: Home » Featured » Archangel (Marvel Legends)

Archangel (Marvel Legends)

August 5, 2013 | By Errex More

Well, after completing the Build-A-Figure from the Hit Monkey wave, one would think that any of the other figures which don’t have any extra piece packaged with them would be an easy pass, Right?
Wrong! The Hit Monkey wave includes three other characters, Wolverine in his X-Force duds, the Ultimate version of Captain America and the subject of today’s review, Archangel.

Archangel uses the same mold from last year’s SDCC exclusive Marvel Legends X-Force team pack, but for the 2013 release Hasbro decided to sell him painted in his regular colors. You’ll recognize the color scheme from the Marvel Universe version, but the larger scale definitely offers a lot more space for details and articulation.

Not that Archangel actually has a lot more detail sculpted in, since the basic buck is quite generic but it does display a nicely sculpted physique and a few fabric-like wrinkles around the joints.

There are no extra details sculpted for the costume, other than the edge of the cowl sculpted on the head. The head is a unique piece, of course and has the same grim facial expression seen on his smaller counterpart.

Archangel is one of those figures that really offer a lot of value due to the very large wing assembly. Instead of having each wing attach separately to the body, each one connects to a central hub/backpack thingie that in turn attaches to the figure with a single peg.

The primary wings have a very similar design to the smaller Marvel Universe version, consisting of two sections each, connected with a large hinge in the middle and a smaller one connecting to the secondary wings and the central hub.

I was expecting the weight of the whole wing assembly to make it difficult for Archangel to stand on his own, but the overall articulation makes it actually quite simple. Marvel Legends Archangel has the following:

• Hinged peg neck.

• Pegged hinge shoulders.

• Upper biceps swivel.

• Double hinge elbows.

• Pegged hinge wrists.

• Hinged torso.

• Swivel waist.

• Ball jointed hips.

• Upper thigh swivels.

• Double hinge knees.

• Upper calf swivels.

• Pegged hinge ankles.

• Rocker feet.

All of these joints work really well and even the hinges at the limbs have soft ratchets in them to help keeping Archangel standing in almost any pose. The torso hinge feels slightly wobbly at times, but the ratchet in there really helps the overall stability.

Archangel is molded entirely in dark blue plastic, with no shading or highlighting whatsoever. The face is block-painted in a lighter blue color with the whites of the eyes and the blonde eyebrows are also neatly applied, but the one thing that really adds to the visual impact of this figure is the painted metallic magenta pattern.

This pattern runs all over the figure with a highly reflective finish that offers a nice contrast to the muted dark blue plastic underneath. Of course, these applications tend to look their best when limbs and torso are properly aligned, but Archangel’s costume doesn’t seem to have much trouble in this regard.

Archangel (5)

Given how large the wings are, there is really no surprise that Archangel doesn’t come with anything else in the package, even though his hands are certainly sculpted to grab things. It would probably make more sense to give him closed fists or relaxed open palms, but I for one actually prefer the option to have him carrying stuff.

I will say that Marvel Legends Archangel is possibly the one must-buy figure in his wave, even if you don’t plan on getting any other character from this assortment.