Pulp Arcana Studios: Mighty Marvel March- The Greatest Generation

The Greatest Generation: Marvel Legends Wolverine (World War 2 Logan)

Mighty Marvel March moves right along, true believers!

For the month of March, the Pulp Arcana Studios corner of Fanboy Planet has been bringing you some interesting deep cuts from some of the most recent waves of Marvel Legends. Today, we are taking a look at a recent figure with a very distinct look and story: a World War 2 version of that most popular of Marvel mutants, Wolverine.

Wolverine has a rich and complex backstory, to put it mildly. He is far older than he looks and has a habit of being involved in some of the most significant events of the past century. Therefore, it should surprise no one to learn that our boy Logan was active in WW2. Now I am not familiar with the particular storyline that this figure is from, but the idea of a figure that is so set in a particular historical context is fantastic! And something I would love to see more of.

So come with me as we take a step back into history and look at this Marvel Legends Wolverine (World War 2 Logan).

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief:

Artifact Identified:

Wolverine (WW 2 Logan)

Marvel Legends

Hasbro

OUT OF THE CRATE:

For this wave, Marvel Legends is back to its dark box with clear window. However, there are some nice purple accents that play with the black and make the red of the iconic Marvel logo stand out. It’s a nice bit of design that adds to the standard packaging we are used to seeing.

In the clear display window, we can clearly see our boy Logan. The green of his uniform looks great against the black, and when on a shelf with other figures, actually stands out quite a bit more than I would have thought. Again, I am not an in-the-box collector, but it is a good looking package overall.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

Once we get Logan out of the box and in hand, the details of the figure really come through. I have to be honest. I was only mildly excited for this figure. More into the novelty of something from that particular era coming from Marvel Legends. But when I got the figure out and set up, I was really impressed. He looks fantastic.

What looked like a simple, one-note color scheme to his outfit turned out to be anything but. The variation in dark green of the pants with the olive of the jacket is subtle but still catches the eye. With the addition of the brown of the boots and gear, you get a look that is realistic and yet still has that slightly comic book vibe to it.

The figure comes with two heads with very distinct portraits. The first wears a helmet and is yelling furiously. The face looks great and captures a fierce expression that fits Wolverine so well. The second is a more neutral unhelmeted head. The customary super side bangs that are a signature look for Logan are replaced with a more…floppy haircut. It definitely doesn’t look like it meets army uniform requirements, but are you going to be the one to tell him? What I appreciate about both heads though is that, while they are definitely Wolverine still, they also would not look out of place in a display or a photo that was not Marvel-centric. There is a flexibility to this figure that I am kind of falling in love with, and I have a number of shots that I am already thinking of, featuring him.

Accessory-wise, this Wolverine comes with some fairly unique pieces. He has a Thompson submachine gun that is instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen a WW2 movie, a knife that fits snugly into a sheath on his left boot, and a satchel to go over his shoulder. This gives him a fully-kitted out soldier look that works great. I do find myself wishing that the gun had a port in the barrel to accommodate some of the blast effects that come with the occasional GI JOE Classified release. Even a recolor of a Marvel Legends Iron Man’s repulsor blast effects would have given a cool shooting look. It is a small matter though, as the gun, like all the accessories, looks really good.

Now, a Wolverine ain’t a Wolverine without the claws. But this figure does something really interesting. He comes with two hands with the familiar three claws on each. But these claws look artificial, wrapped around the hands like separate weapons rather than a part of his body. It is an interesting and unique variation, and gives this character a distinct feel. The blades are also my favorite version of the claw blades they use across the Legends line. They look great with the hands on the figure, and give him that essential Wolverine look.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

When it comes to articulation, Marvel Legends are fast becoming my benchmark. You don’t get the insane poseability of an Sh Figuarts or a Revoltech, and Legends tend to be a little lighter on articulation than the GI JOE Classified line that also comes from Hasbro. On the other hand, you get more than a Star Wars Black Series or a NECA. Legends articulation never amazes me, but rarely am I disappointed.

This figure is a testament to that solid articulation suite. The joints moved nicely for me out of the box, with no need for heat. Double-jointed pinless knees and elbows keep the look of his fatigues clean and sharp. The upper torso with the jacket has great movement that is not impeded by the sculpt, and includes some decent butterfly joints. I do wish we got a little deeper movement out of these butterflies, especially when posing him holding the submachine gun in both hands, but overall, he moves really well.

The more I played around with this figure, the more I liked the poses I was getting. I think that fierce helmeted head does a ton of work. It looks great in so many poses, and gives a sense of immediacy and fury that kicks everything up a notch. I am an absolute sucker for these little unexpected bits of synergy in a figure, and it kept me posing him long after I had plenty of shots for this review.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

FINAL RECKONING:

Admittedly, this figure may not be for everyone. If you are looking at Marvel Legends, you are likely going to want something bold and brightly-colored. A bit of comic book art brought to life. This figure isn’t going to give you that. Instead it gives you not only a really unique take on a very familiar character, but also a shocking amount of flexibility for the scenes you can create with him. Until Valaverse comes out with their announced Action Force 1944 sub-line, there is a serious lack of WW2 6 inch figures. And as someone who is drawn to pulp story-telling, I can’t wait to see what I can do with this relic of another time.