Marvel Universe 3.75" Wave 8 Archangel

After going on a figure opening rampage, I've unearthed for myself some real gems from the older waves of the Marvel Universe line.  I'd grown lukewarm about opening these figures because either I didn't remember why I got them in the first place or simply because newer stuff that I was more eager to open found its way to me.

I opened at least 11 figures in one night, from Bullseye to Electro to Union Jack, and they've all impressed me in one way or another.

Then the Rangerlord texts me and tells me he's spotted Archangel in the semi-wild, meaning he's in a specialty store at a higher price than retail.

The last time I saw AA, I passed on him thinking that he was a tad costly, and also since the Rangerlord wanted him more.  I thought I'd find more of Archangel sooner or later.  Well, much, much later, I have. Or at least Rangerlord did.  The rest, as they say, is history because I wasn't gonna pass him up a second time!

On to the review, then!

Like: The paint decos, because his colors are simply striking and he's 99% covered by them!  In general the paint is sharp with only some very minor blurry lines in the finer areas like his face.  But on his body, the pink lines are crisp and his dark blue is spot on without any bleeding or spills.  The touch of blonde for his eyebrows is excellent, while the whites for his eyes are also very well done.  There's also light blue highlighting for his face and ears to bring out AA's features and enhance that sneer he's wearing.

Like: His wings.  They're about 2 heads taller than he is and stretch all the way to his feet.  Also, they fit tightly onto his back via two holes, one each per wing peg.  (See further below.) But other than that, Archangel is essentially the Silver Surfer buck plus wings.

Dislike: That his wings can't spread out completely. At their very best, AA looks like he's at the end o a flap or just at the beginning of flapping his wings.  We want our wings to stretch out, dammit!

Dislike: That his standard buck fits him well, but this means he doesn't have the swivel hinge neck he needs as a flyer so he can look forward while flying, or the thigh cuts that would allow him to bring his legs together better in aerial poses.  In essence, he needs better articulation! (Which figure, doesn't eh? ;P)

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9/10 - This is what the figure mainly is.  Great colors and a beautiful pair of wings.  He's also got a great sneer on his face, which I guess is the least the could give Archangel since he's got little else going for himself in terms of articulation of accessories.

Poseability: 7/10 - AA's slim MU body is surprisingly poseable but it's his wings which give him character in his poses and at the same time prevent him from some of the more dynamic standing poses.  (His wings are taller huge!)  I know, he's a flyer but he doesn't actually fly so therein lies the problem.  Heh.  The best thing you can do for ol' WWIII (Warren Worthington III) is stick him on a flight stand so that he can use his wings to their full potential.

Fun: 7/10 - Other than look great while in flying poses, this guy does little else for me.

Ok, so I could get one or two good standing poses with his wings wrapped around him.  But he is just missing that oomph that you get from playing with figures like Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.  Yes, I just named all the top tier guys (and main Avengers) but AA is just that--he isn't a top tier character and doesn't make up for it enough with just his wings.  What I mean is you can't put him on a bike or pose him in a fist fight or even have him lifting another figure above his head.  It would just looks too out of place.

Having said that, he'll look great in your display if you've got some way to suspend him so he can be flying around away from the real fighting. Heh.

Value: 8/10 - Boy, are those wings heavy!  They're so big his packaging has to be bumped up to large figure size and even then he can't "wear" them.  Major points here for the paint too.  There are a lot of pink lines and light blue patches that can't be done any other way than be painted, lest they risk it looking bad.  He also comes with his standard HAMMER File and figure stand.

All in all, a great buy at retail if you find him, otherwise a good buy if you have to pay a little extra like I did. ;)

Overall: 7.75/10 - A decent figure which would've made it well into the 9s if he had a better buck.  The slim buck works but there needs to be better articulation!  They've already done it for some of the medium to large characters like Modular Iron Man, Thor, World War Hulk and Thanos, so time to complete the "better buck" set and do it for this slim body type as well!