Review > Wolverine (X-Men Origins Wolverine)

[Well, the whole “new review format” went over like a lead balloon with you guys. This review may read more like the newer format, but that’s only because I already did the definitive long-winded Wolverine figure review years ago.

While I loved Star Wars toys as a kid, I’ve never really been interested in 3 ¾”-scale action figures, and so neither Mattel’s Infinite Heroes nor Hasbro’s Marvel Universe hold much interest for me. However, I am obligated to buy any and all action figures of Wolverine in his brown-and-yellow costume, and so I dropped the (sigh) eight bucks for this figure when I saw it at Toys ‘R Us.

From what I can tell, despite this figure being part of a line called “X-Men Origins Wolverine,” it’s in scale with the Marvel Universe figures.

Packaging: Since this line is meant to tie in to the upcoming movie, it features Hugh Jackman on the front. There are some nice graphics on the back, along with a bio that appears to be specific to this particular version of Wolverine, since it describes events in the Wolverine: Origins comic.

Sculpting: The body sculpt is quite impressive for a figure of this size. There’s good muscle definition, and even some smaller details such as folds in the clothing. However, the face could be better; the nose looks smashed and the mouth looks less vicious than constipated.

The claws are both a solid piece, with black-painted plastic between each claw until about a millimeter from the end. Ironically, this means this is the first Wolverine in ages with perfectly straight claws right out of the package.

Plastic & Paint: I like the darker shade of yellow (goldenrod?) they used for the light parts of the costume. The paint apps are smooth everywhere except the head, which looks a bit sloppy.

Articulation: Wolvie features Marvel Legends-like articulation, and frankly, for a 3 ¾” figure, it’s impressive. He has ball joints at the shoulders, hips, neck, and upper torso; double-hinges at the knees; hinges at the ankles; swivels at the wrists; and those odd Hasbro half-swivel, half-ball joints at the elbows and ankles.

I’m happy with all of the articulation except for the neck: while it purports to be a ball joint, it barely moves up and down.

Of course, Palisades introduced this level of articulation on 3 ¾” figures years ago with their Army of Darkness line, but it’s great to see it becoming the norm (hear that, Mattel?).

Accessories: Wolverine comes with the red Muramasa blade, which is a bit odd, since to my (admittedly limited) knowledge the Muramasa blade was red when it was forged, but now looks like a normal sword in the comics.

A stand (like the ones that come with the G.I. Joe figures) would have been a nice inclusion, for action poses.

Quality control: No problems here. For such a small, well-articulated figure, Wolverine is surprisingly durable, and would probably survive plenty of child play.

Value: I read a lot of complaints about the $12 price point for DCUC figures, but eight bucks at retail for this thing? It doesn’t even come with a BAF part. Six bucks seems like a more reasonable price for these.

Overall: Wolverine is pretty good–for a 3 ¾” figure. The more I play around with him, the more I like him. If Mattel’s Infinite Heroes had sculpting and articulation of this quality, I’d probably be collecting it.

However, Wolverine’s limited neck articulation, lack of a stand, and price tag are disappointing, and cost him a couple ravens.

Poe’s Raven Rating:
[raven 3]

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12 Comments

  1. Henry

    I am sooo excited in getting this figure along with the other Marvel Universe figures after wave 1 (which is really horrid apart from the Modern Iron Man).

    Wished Hasbro included stands for these guys – its a no-brainer given that it is a standard accessory for their GI Joes… Talk about WTF were they thinking!!?!?!

  2. Frowny McBeard

    I like the Yashida inspired suit, but the brown/orange combo reminds me too much of my room when I was a kid. (My parents had redecorated in the mid 70s.) Brown shag with orange walls.

  3. Andrew

    The Ultimate Sabretooth from the X-Men line of toys from Toy Biz actually managed to have reasonably strong claws that weren't liable to poke an eye out, too. And he was obviously designed for kids, since he's got an arm swipe action feature.

  4. I remember when $8 could get you a regular size action figure…

  5. Poe

    @MisterBigBo: Except for the Street Fighter Vega figure. His claws are perfectly straight.

    Why Hasbro can’t get this right, I’m not sure, though I suspect it may have something to do with the rigid safety standards Hasbro has to adhere to, since their figures are much more likely to be handled by children. A collector-oriented line like Street Fighter, produced by a smaller company like SOTA, may not require the same safety standards, and therefore can use a better plastic.

    It’s also possible that the more brittle plastic used for Vega’s claws just aren’t feasible for a child’s figure, due to the potential for breakage.

    And yeah, I’m all about the brown-suited Wolvie. I hate the clown suit.

  6. Deadpool is rockin' sweet! Except my only shia le beef with DP's figure is that big honkin' sai. ITS HUGE. ML HUGE!

  7. The Iron Man is the winner out of this first wave for me, but I like the Wolverine and Black Cat aren't bad either.

  8. Misterbigbo

    I thought I was the only one who loved the brown suited Wolverine. I just wish they'd do without the claws; they are so impossible to do in anything other than metal without getting all wiggly.

  9. Newton Gimmick

    I plan on reviewing some of the MU figs this week, I have Iron Man and Silver Surfer and they’re great. Of course I am a bit of a 3 3/4 fan.

  10. I've seen the MU figures in some toy stores but there's no way I'm paying $12-$15 for a 3.75" figure. These are going to hit stores like Target, right?

  11. Price aside, it looks like Hasbro’s not doing too bad on these. But, I don’t wanna go back to 3″3/4! I don’t like that it looks like that’s going to be the only game in town for Marvel for the forseeable future.

    (Of course, I say that, but have to buy the Deadpool when it shows up!)

  12. I love the new scale and look forward to getting Wolverine to abuse my stormtroopers.

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