Luke Cage - Thunderbolts (Marvel Legends: SDCC Exclusive)

Marvel Legends Luke Cage SDCC 2013

If you had been to the San Diego Comic Con 2013, you've probably seen these Marvel Legends Thunderbolts action figures around, which are exclusive only in that event. It comes with this big Thunderbolt-themed box that has 5 members of the Thunderbolts namely, Crossbones, Moonstone, Ghost, Judith Chambers and, of course, this one here, Luke Cage! Luckily, I found a good price of this figure on eBay... and yeah, I am one of those unfortunate guys who didn't have the right budget and moment to be able to attend the SDCC this year. So, ...gotta settle hunting them online.















Having a body mold of the Marvel Legends Hit Monkey Series Hyperion, Luke Cage stands about 6.9 inches tall. It is an above average-sized action figure and I am glad to see this new body mold as I start thinking about those guys with "above average" body types like maybe... Wonder Man or Avalanche... or Sandman, but there are only two figures I've seen so far that got this body mold, and the picture at the bottom proves that it's totally different from the rest of the body molds you've seen.

The overall paint application on this figure is not that mind-blowing nor something beyond the basics. Like most Marvel Legends, these solid colours just beams right into your eyes too flat and obvious. However, these Thunderbolts logo on both Cage's shoulders are painted/printed with balance and precision over his dimpling deltoids which kinda amazes me. In addition, Cage has a couple of these "metallic" arm guards, which is painted with a non-shiny type of gray colour as well as those around his legs. If you look closely around each elbows, you can see a bit of black paint crossing the elbow-line and it looked as though, if you take off the arm guards, Luke Cage is wearing a long black hoister gloves, which is... I don't know, weird!

Despite having a head, which is kinda bit oversized, I like the head sculpt of this figure; rendering a stern and a "serious-business" look on the character as he should be. He sort of got this The Rock-type of single eyebrow raise, which is pretty cool... I got no issue with it. All the lumps, dimples and cuts around his muscles are very well-balanced, and amazingly well-sculpted. The only gripe I had with this figure is the width of his crotch; I think the crotch should be wide enough so it doesn't look like he is pooping something inside his pants.

Articulation-wise, this figure has a decent amount of joints and swivels. The neck is ball-hinged that can move way high and way low, and can rotate 360. Ball-hinged shoulders that allows Cage to raise his arms to the front and back, and to the sides. He got swivel to the biceps, double-jointed elbows that doesn't perform to a full extent because of these arm guards, and ball-hinged on the wrists. This figure has a ratcheting ab crunch and waist swivel on his torso. Hasbro incorporated the T-joints, which allows this figure to kick to the front and to the sides. Going further, he got upper thigh swivel, double-jointed knees, calf swivel, hinged ankles that moves up and down, and ankle pivots.

For the sake of including him with the rest of the members of the Avengers or New Avengers, and especially the Thunderbolts, I definitely would advice anyone to get him. Not only he is a SDCC exclusive (if you're into collecting "exclusive" figures), but also it's a Luke Cage that has a much modern look with a completely different Marvel Legends body mold; something that is new and unique though rather not entirely unique.