REVIEW: Marvel Universe's Drax

Marvel Universe's Drax

Welcome to our #ThrowbackThursday Review. Today's subject: the 2011 Marvel Universe Drax,  who was originally released as part of a four-figure Guardians of the Galaxy figure set (along with Star-Lord, Rocket Racoon and Groot) and who has now just been re-issued under Hasbro's new Marvel Infinite banner. So is he worth hunting down? Read on and find out!

Drax

Of the four figures in the set, Drax is probably the closest to his movie counterpart, despite also being based upon the character's comicbook appearance. It's a win-win for fans of both incarnations!

Hasbro - never one to miss a trick - have basically recycled the Absorbing Man figure from the Secret Wars double-packs and repackaged it with a new head and paint app. I'm fine with that, as it's a pretty good sculpt, being more muscular and broader at the shoulder than the ''standard'' Hasbro superhero buck and the overall effect is good.

One additional feature - which appears to be borrowed from the line's Warpath figure - is the addition of a couple of knife sheathes on the back of the figure's belt. I say ''sheathes'' but in reality they're little more than loops into which the knives can be slid. However, they're really very effective and it's a most welcome addition. Few Marvel Universe figures feature such storage spaces so it's cool to see them here.

The articulation is again a little hit and miss. As I mentioned before, Hasbro were never able to settle on a standard articulation set-up, with the different bucks using an assortment of differing rigs. This is probably the most ''classic'' of all their set-ups, eschewing the cut thigh and any kind of rocker wrist/ankle joints but it works well. I've never been a fan of the thigh cut joint, so it's really not missed here and, as you can see, he's pretty capable of not only holding neat poses but also standing unaided for the most part. Which is just as well, as he does not include a display base or stand.

The paint app is really what makes this Drax stand out on the shelf. It's more inline with the comic version, where his red markings are more pronounced than his movie counterpart. The red and green combination is unusual but it pops nicely and is very cleanly applied.

As far as I can gather, this Drax is identical to the Marvel Infinite release, so if you like the look of this figure, you can pick him up here.

Final Thoughts

When this figure was first released Drax was a pretty obscure player in the Marvel Universe but, following last year's big screen adaptation, he's become a more mainstream character, meaning there are probably more collectors now interested in acquiring him. The question is, is he worth it?

Of the four Guardians of the Galaxy figures Hasbro has released at this scale, he's probably the one with the most crossover appeal, mainly due to the fact that he didn't undergo such a radical overhaul as Star-Lord or even Rocket did when being translated from page to screen. And as such, I can see him fitting into a lot of collectors' worlds. Comic fans will enjoy him as the comic version, whereas movie fans will see him as the movie version. So it's a win-win for both.

Fans of Drax or completists will be sure to enjoy this figure but if you don't fall into either category then this isn't a toy that's going to convert you to the Marvel line. With that said, though, there's a lot of nice detail and great touches to Draw that really do elevate it beyond many of the others in the Marvel Univere/Infinite line-up. I love that Hasbro went to the effort of including storage space for his weapons. It's a small touch but one I appreciate and that adds a lot of potential for neat poses. Hasbro has certainly done the character justice with this release and if you're a fan of either incarnation then you'll be very pleased with what's here.

I think the best thing I can say is that this is a really good Drax figure. If that's what you want, then look no further.

Image Gallery