Vulcan is here! The start (and end) of an era for Marvel Legends

Welcome to our first official blog here at Memphis Emporium! We're excited to have the opportunity to talk with the community about the toy lines & figures we all know and love.

We felt it fitting to begin with the new Marvel Legends X-Men Vulcan Figure! As many may know, this has been dubbed as the new standard body mold for future male Marvel Legends figures. What does that mean, exactly? SO LONG BUCKY CAP! Stick with us here as we dive a little deeper with comparisons, as well as review the figure itself.

ABOUT THE X-MEN 2022 WAVE

Gabriel Summers was introduced in X-Men: Deadly Genesis back in 2006. At the conclusion of the series, he is revealed to be the younger brother of Scott (Cyclops) & Alex (Havok). The arc revolves around him showing the X-Men just how dishonest and manipulative Charles Xavier can be when it comes to preserving his dream.

It's exciting to get new X-Men characters, especially ones we haven't seen before in 6 Inch form. This wave brings about four new characters (Siryn, Maggott, Darwin & Vulcan) and anchors them with Wolverine, Sabertooth & Havok in different uniforms. I know a lot of collectors have groaned about another Wolverine, but I'm all for it if that's what's required to get fresh characters. Ultimately, I don't have to buy Wolvie (especially since he doesn't come with a Build-A-Figure part) and it gives new collectors another chance to get an A-list character.

THE FIGURE REVIEW

- New Body Mold

- Alternate Open Hands

- Bonebreaker Build-A-Figure Torso & alternate hands

The figure out of the box feels pretty decent. The plastic feels firm and isn't as pliable at the joints like some of the recent figures we've been getting. That means less chance of warping or difficulty standing. Noticeably, the feet are longer too (which is a big point of contention for me on the Bucky Cap Mold).

The pinless joints look great, and having the butterfly joints at the shoulders is pretty much a must have at this point. The head sculpt looks decent with a stoic expression. Vulcan seems to always be angry in the comics, so I think it was a missed opportunity to not include an alternate "angry" head. Then again, if Siryn didn't get a screaming head then there was little expectation that Gabriel would get one.

The paint apps on Vulcan are not without its flaws. Navy on red always seems to bring issues, and this is no exception. The lines on his chest are uneven on my figure, and there also is some red showing through on the left shoulder. I've definitely seen worse paint apps, but this will continue to be a big con for collectors when the "windowless" packaging begins to arrive.

I'm rather bugged by the fact that Vulcan doesn't come with any energy effects or other accessories besides alternate hands. This seems to be a common theme for this entire wave except for Havok, who gets brand new effects and no hands. I'm not at all the loudest voice when it comes to the price increases (Retail price here is $22.99 - $24.99) and I'm always appreciative of swappable hands. But we're talking about an Omega level mutant here! Some flame style accessories would've really been fantastic.

Vulcan comes with Bonebreaker's torso and also a set of alternate hands. Is that what they replaced the effects with??? The Torso is a stark contrast to Vulcan. There are no butterfly joints on the shoulders and his arms have pins. But for fellow customizers, it's nice to have an extra torso come with the new molded figure!

All in all, I'm happy to add this to the X-Men shelf. It's a spot-on representation of Vulcan from the comics. I'm looking forward to picking up Darwin, and hopefully we'll get Petra & Sway sooner rather than later too. It truly is a great figure and showcases a strong step forward for Marvel Legends. For me, even with no accessories I think this is worthy of retail price. But it looks like he's pretty widely available, so no one would blame you to wait for a sale. I'd say anything more than 20% off would be great value, especially for customizers.

Rating: 4.5/5

THE NEW STANDARD MOLD

As talked about above, Vulcan represents the replacement of the BUCKY CAP MOLD that we've all come to know (and hate?).

To say I'm pumped with this change would probably be an understatement. The space between the ab crunch on the new figure is a lot less noticeable. I'm also extremely thankful to be rid of the smaller feet! This is probably my biggest pet peeve of the original figure, especially when it comes to posing and toy photography.

Some have mentioned that Vulcan stands a lot taller, but in hand it's not as apparent as I would've thought. The muscle tone looks more natural too. I'm looking forward to see which figures will get the re-release nod first! Daredevil or Cyclops, maybe?

This is not to say I'm not appreciative of all the figures we've been given thanks to Bucky Cap. It's been a serviceable option for many years. But with prices continuing to climb, it's hard to not demand better. Thankfully it looks like better has come just in time.

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Thanks for taking the time to read our first blog post & review!

We'd like to give a special shoutout out to our friend, Eric Johnson. He is responsible for making the ground display you see in quite a few of our pictures! This particular piece is made from insulation foam and then designed and painted by him! He has been open to the idea of commission work, so if there is any interest to have one for your displays, please send us a message!