Mafex Black Panther Review

The Mafex Black Panther figure is one I’ve been looking forward to since I preordered him. When I first got serious about this hobby in 2015, Mafex was kind of a joke. Their horrible QC combined with subpar figures was a hard pill to swallow.

Yet, in the years that followed, Mafex slowly but surely turned up their quality. Sure, we still have occasional issues like Iron Spider’s legs, but for the most part, I find each subsequent Mafex release to be objectively better than their Bandai or Hasbro counterparts.

I have a lot of Black Panther figures. Mostly all of them are MCU based and almost all of them look pretty similar. Obviously, I can’t get enough T’Challa, but would the Mafex Black Panther be the one Panther to rule them all? Let’s grab some catnip and a scratch pad, and get to work!

What comes in the Mafex Black Panther Box?

As usual, Mafex hits it out of the park in terms of value. This guy comes with the following:

The Mafex Black Panther figure itself.

We get FIVE sets of hands!

Holding hands.

Holding hands

Neutral hands.

Open hands

Hands splayed for attack.

Open hand

Flat hands for whatever you need flat hands for…

Finally, Panther fists!

Panther Face Punch!

We get a spear tip weapon like what we see in the Black Panther movie.

The tip of the spear.

But wait, there’s more. We get three different head sculpts.

We get a standard headsculpt.

We get an eyes exposed Black Panther mask.

Eyes wide open.

The last head sculpt is the best 1:12 sculpt I’ve seen yet of actor Chadwick Boseman.

Also included is the standard Mafex display stand.

Here are a few more detailed close-ups!

Panther feetsies.
Panther booty.

What doesn’t work with the Mafex Black Panther figure?

I honestly can’t come up with a flaw on this figure so far. I’d like to see a deeper butterfly bend, but that’s really just me whining about 1st world toy problems. Of course, that’s all action figure reviewers. I suppose the Boseman headsculpt suffered from a gloss finish.

What works with the Mafex Black Panther figure?

More often than not, I find myself looking forward to Mafex figures these days. The Iron Spider, this Black Panther, and the upcoming MCU Thor are all figures I was excited about. As I mentioned earlier, I have a ton of Panther figures, including a Mezco and two Bandai’s.

The Mafex Black Panther figure blows them all out of the water.

This figure is crammed full of articulation. Forget any other 1:12 noise. This is fire. I want that sentence to be on my tombstone. Radical.

The weapon is a great add-in for fans of the movie, but the Black Panther doesn’t need weapons. He IS a weapon. There isn’t a Panther pose I can’t hit with this figure.

The first thing I did was blast the unmasked head with a flat finish, which really helped him look more human and less like plastic.

This figure can get you through any look you want from the Black Panther movie, Infinity War or Endgame. I’ve spent a lot of time fussing on this guy and so far (knocks invisible wood… like my genitals), no breakage or other quality control issues.

I have two Figuarts Black Panther figures. The Civil War version and the Infinity War version (and I managed to miss putting the CW Panther in the group shot). I’m not sure Bandai gets Black Panther. He isn’t a bodybuilder. He’s graceful. Slender. Some might even say like a jungle cat. Those people would be correct. Mafex gets that and subsequently, their Black Panther figure is the King.

Should you purchase the Mafex Black Panther figure?

Absolutely. He may be the quintessential 1:12 scale Black Panther figure.

Whether you’re an MCU fan or just a Black Panther fan, this is a fantastic iteration of a character who has inspired and influenced countless folks. Truly, a figure worthy of a king.

You can pick him up here: