Welcome to Black Panther Week and the review that kicks it all off, Marvel Legends Nakia! In celebration of the movie release, this week we will be taking a look at the four new Black Panther MCU figures from the Black Panther wave. It should be out in stores now. If I’VE seen them all in Central Ohio, you guys should have them as well.
It’s important to note, I’ve not seen the movie. I have no idea what their weapons do or how they carry themselves in the movie (with the exception of Chadwick Boseman as we all seen his portrayal in Civil War).
As I mentioned, I am starting with the character I know the least about, Nakia. What I know of her MCU character is a big fat goose egg. I know a little more about her comic character. Nakia is a member of the Dora Milaje, an elite group of royal guards, all women, who are brutal and efficient in their job duties. She refused to accept that T’Challa would never return her affections, grew bitter and eventually become a villainess by the name of Malice. If you want more info, start here. Let’s not dilly dally, people. We have action figures to discuss!
What’s in Marvel Legends Nakia’s box?
When we open the standard Marvel Legends windowed box for Nakia, inside we find the figure, two circular blades (I am assuming), and a tiny spear tip. In addition, we get a spear and torso for the Build a Figure from this wave, Okoye.
What doesn’t work with Marvel Legends Nakia?
Sure, extra hands are always great for action figure photographers, as are extra head sculpts. However, I am not sure this figure needs either. The only thing that hampers the figure at all is the armor on her right shoulder. However, it’s movie accurate based on the stills I’ve seen, but I have to believe that there was a better way to handle that shoulder. As you can see by the pic, it really hampers that arm’s movement.
Both her and Okoye seem to have what appears to be razor slashes on their face/heads. Obviously, it’s not razors but rather something went wrong with the molding process. Again, I am not seeing the movie until the evening AFTER this review posts (when you have kids you have to plan to leave the house weeks in advance) so maybe there is a reason for it, but I can’t imagine that is the case.
Hasbro, seriously… why can’t we give female figures double jointed elbows? Or put that gear thing in like you did on Jaina Solo? That would be fine also. It’s frustrating. Also frustrating is that Nakia has no ab crunch at all.
Finally, and this is probably only an issue you’ll notice if you take pictures of action figures, her face looks… out of focus, to me. That’s the only way I could put it. When I first reviewed my shots from the session, I thought my focus was off, but even in hand, you may notice it. It still looks great, but I think the digital face print technique, when put under a microlens, still looks fuzzy. Hasbro isn’t on Bandai’s level yet, but it’s leaps and bounds better than past work (seriously, who was that unmasked Steve Rogers in the Civil War 3-pack supposed to be?).
What works with Marvel Legends Nakia?
The tunic pieces are a rubbery plastic that we see all the time. I was prepared for it to hamper her articulation scheme, but it doesn’t pose an issue at all. Her hands grip the circular razors perfectly. Even the orange and yellow color of Nakia’s garments pop for me. Those are colors I usually don’t go ga-ga over, but it just works here. Lastly, this face sculpt (although it’s less of a sculpt and more of a print job if I understand it correctly now?) looks eerily like Lupita Nyong’o in spite of the aforementioned fuzziness. Finally, I love when they use an upper diaphragm joint. It just looks more natural to me. If they could figure out how to do an ab-crunch worth anything with that diaphragm joint, that would be perfect.
Should you pick her up?
Yes. If you’re a fan of the MCU stuff or just a Black Panther fan, this figure just works. My only advice would be to hold off and wait for the price drop unless you’re in a hurry. She’s already down to $16 and some change on Amazon. You can still pick her up here:
Are you a fan of the MCU figures? I really feel like if you get any of the three regular releases, you need to get the others. They look great together.
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