There are still many figures that I missed out on during those heady mass acquisition days when everything about toy collecting was still new to me. Having jumped on the bandwagon in the middle of the articulation evolution that was the introduction of Marvel Legends, I was far to engrossed in tracking down those hard to find Sentinel Wave figures or saving up money for the earlier figures like Colossus and Gambit to pay attention to other lines. Hence I totally missed out on the Marvel Legends Icons series.
It was too bad, because unlike the Marvel Legends 6" series, most of the figures in this 1/6th scale line were really characters that could be called "legends" as these things go. The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man all got the 12" treatment. I only started dipping into the line when the Icons Colossus and Daredevil came out, so I missed out on a lot.
There were a few that I promised myself I’d get one day. The Incredible Hulk figures were the first (though they’ve been de-prioritized since there’s so much other stuff taking my attention), but I also wanted to get the rest of the X-Men and a Silver Surfer.
I’d passed on the regular version of the Icons Silver Surfer many times before because I was always holding out for this one; the Target Exclusive Cosmic Silver Surfer.
This version came out with the Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer Movie, so the package shares some of the movie line’s aesthetics. The rest of the Hasbro Icons figures came in packages that were mostly clear plastic window and with cardboard backs that were mostly brown (or was it yellow? It’s been awhile since these were on shelf). This one’s more Fantastic Four blue than anything else.
If you’re an mint collector, this one’s a 8!+3# to store. The figure itself is housed securely in the curved tubular (oval-shaped?) shell which is then connected to a cardboard base with a large flat back. The back and base are relatively heavy, so they tend to begin ripping apart and away from the tube as soon as someone picks it up. I got this from Toystash Collectibles, a re-seller and friend of a friend who just got into the biz. Since it’s been passed through several hands already, the package was pretty beat up.
This was fine by me, since I was meaning to rip the ugly thing off as soon as I got it home anyway.
Funny thing about my recollection of this toy: back when I first saw it in 2007 in a store in Greenhills, I was floored. I remembered that it was cast in blue plastic with little silver bits inside that looked like stars (like those little Marvel Universe Handful of Heroes Collectible Figures). When I saw the figure after 4 years when I picked it up from the Toystash Collectibles booth at this year’s Philippine ToyCon, I couldn’t help by feel a little crushed that my memories had played tricks on me. In the weak light of the MegaTrade Hall, the figure just looked like it was a dark blue, almost black, with some spots of paint thrown on.
I was half right. Yes, the “stars” that I remembered were just paint. The application looked like that effect you get with a toothbrush and some watered-down paint. However, the figure WAS cast in translucent blue plastic. It’s just that the plastic was far darker than it was in the picture I had in my head.
Because of the darker shade of the body only the hands of the Surfer really allow light to shine through, unless you place a very strong lamp right behind him. Though I was kind of sad that he wasn’t see-through, I have to admit that the choice of colors really does go well. In the right light, at the right angles, the figure looks as if it’s flying through the cosmos, the darker portions of its skin reflecting stars.
Pretty cool.
Since this is a mass market figure, you won’t find perfection in the paint applications. The big mistake Hasbro did was placing the silver coat on before the “stars”. It would have rocked if the silver portions of his skin were just pure silver (like glare off the nearest sun) while the darker portions had the spots like a star field. However, the sequence of application was reversed, the “stars” going AFTER they’d already applied the silver, which means it appears on TOP of that coat. Boo.
The stars themselves are also a little out of whack. Ever watch CSI when they talk about gravitational blood drops? Yeah, that. Most have been slapped on at an angle, so they’re lopsided or pear-shaped, etc.
His only accessory is his surfboard.
Up to this point, the Icons Silver Surfer has been an exact copy of the Marvel Legends Silver Surfer from the Ronan the Accuser Series in terms of the mold used. However, since a 1/6th scale board is much bigger than a 1/12th scale board, Hasbro decided to just chop the thing in half. You might say, “Why would they do that? It’s packaged already assembled!” but you’d be forgetting that this is a re-released toy. It was originally shipped in the old Hasbro Icons box, which was smaller. So we get a Cosmic Surfboard that you can snap apart. This sucks because a 12” figure, mass-produced or not, is HEAVY. If the board is not supported all the way down its length, it sags.
Grrr…
Another issue is the fact that the board is translucent as well. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work all that well because the plastic is thin and light passes right through it. Instead of getting a nice little halo of light around the edge, you can see right through it to the little beams of plastic that support the underside.
Bleargh.
The articulation is exactly like the Marvel Legends Silver Surfer which was stellar. Like the Icons Daredevil though, some of his parts end up a little less flexible because of the mass of plastic involved. His hips have a little less range for example.
Still, it’s far more than I can say for the Icons Colossus, so still in the win column.
However, I’ve read that many people find this surfer sculpt inferior to the old Toy Biz version. The numerous joints and roundness of the shoulders are a turn off to some. Me, I think this is probably one of the best bodies that Hasbro ever made. It’s small and lanky, but it looks powerfully built. It would look great as the base for a custom Shang-Chi or something. I do wish they’d made it a little taller and changed that left hand.
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with that left hand. It looks great for surfing poses, which is what you’ll have this in most of the time, but when you want to pose him in a standing position or showing off with The Power Cosmic it’s a pain. Of course, if you want him to bitchslap Galactus, you’re golden.
While we’re on the subject of Galactus, getting this figure made me realize how truly impressive the Marvel Masterworks Galactus really is! I’d only tried comparing it to 6” figures, but having this figure stand next to him showed off how much more massive that thing really is. Surfer looks like his shrimpy little brother.
Of course, you probably won’t want to pose the Icons Silver Surfer with the Marvel Masterworks Galactus, but it’s nice that I have the option to put them in lewd positions on my desktop whenever I’m bored at work.
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