I absolutely love this figure. I never would have guessed that I would hold a Hellcat action figure in my lifetime. Her bright colors and batman-esque headgear were an instantaneous draw for me when I'd see her on Avengers covers in my youth. Patsy Walker has a great comic legacy. She first appeared in the heyday of romance comics in 1944. It wasn't until 32 years later that she donned her current costume and became Hellcat. (Talk about efficient recycling of characters). Her costume originated with Greer Grant in the pages of Claws of the Cat. Greer wore that costume for 2 years before fully "wolfing out" and becoming Tigra. Luckily the Cat costume was able to find a willing subject in supermodel Patsy Walker. I was fairly certain that the impetus for Hellcat's inclusion in this wave is Patsy's role in the upcoming AKA Jessica Jones series on Netflix, but at the same time, I think this figure was probably in development long before that role was cast, so I like to think it was just Hasbro reading my mind :)
The only flaw with this beautiful figure is the paint on her knees and upper shins. The plastic is clearly a dark blue continuation of her boot, but painted yellow to match her thighs. The yellow paint is semi-translucent and looks pretty sloppy and multi-toned up close. I personally don't think this is a big deal. The same thing occurred with the red paint on Captain Marvel's shoulders. I may be the only one who does this, but I judge everything with a squint test. If I squint my eyes and look at this figure, is that flaw still noticeable? I say no.
Hellcat comes with a small bo staff that is made of two separate pieces connected with a peg. As far as I know, Patsy never used a weapon like this. But it makes a nice, albeit non-canonical, accessory.
Here are some images of Hellcat from the comics.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Hellcat has very few figures out there. Here she is with the Bowen mini-bust (I painted her pupils white) and the Eaglemoss lead figurine. Other merchandise includes a full-size Bowen statue that I can't afford and a Heroclix gamepiece.
Here she is with her former sister-in-law Satana.
Cheers!
Nice! I picked up Spider-Girl, Scarlet Witch, and Capt. Marvel on Monday but I left Spider Woman and Hellcat. I might need to try and pick those other two up as they look really fantastic!
ReplyDeleteMarvel Legends is nailing it lately. My Spider-Woman review will post at Midnight.
DeleteSo happy they are doing this b-list characters. Haven't got Hellcat yet (soon i think), buti got Spider Woman today and i just love her. Ever since Moonstone, Satana and Black Cat they are producing the best Marvel females ever. Cant wait for SDCC to see who's next: Polaris, Monica Rambeau, Jocasta and Dazzler would be my pick. Followed by Crystal, Moondragon and Clea. What are your hopefuls?
ReplyDeleteHellcat is great, but her buck isn't nearly as nice as the Moonstone body. I believe her body is the same as Medusa's. The less-muscular look works really nicely for Hellcat though.
DeleteI have so many wants. Polaris and Firestar are my top two. My second tier of hopefuls are more modern with Silk and Spider-Gwen. And after that I would love to see Monica as Capt Marvel/Photon, Namora, Dazzler, classic Psylocke, Meggan, the list goes on and on.
I love your reviews! And I must say your collection is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAs for Hellcat, I thought she is rather good. I haven't fully done my photoshoot so I have yet to fully feel her as a figure. Though Spider-Woman(being my favorite Marvel Gal) is amazing aesthetically! Though the moonstone mold usually hinders agile female poses since their legs isn't the most fitting. Hard to pull off Spider-Woman pose and such. Though I can't wait for your review on Jessica Drew and I want to see your collection on her! =)
And Spider-Gwen and Silk would be a nice addition!
The Moonstone buck is beautiful, but you're right, the body isn't as versatile for "Spidery" poses. My biggest problem with older Marvel Legends figures was that their limbs were too skinny and too articulated. Twiggy legs just don't look powerful. Although the Spider-Girl buck is very poseable, I'm glad they chose to go with a different body style for Jessica and give us some variation.
DeleteAre you taking a photoshoot for a review blog? If so, let me know and I'll follow you.
Yes I do blog reviews on figure and other silly things I am into. =) I just recently finished my review on Hellcat actually.
DeleteI'm just glad we also have variations in female body (the bustier 'adult' mold and the 'teenager' mold). We have that in the male figures as well with Bucky Cap mold being the most used one.
canNOT believe they made a Hellcat... truly the Golden Age of action figures we live in
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a Golden Age. I keep daydreaming that Hasbro will follow suit with Mattel and make a collector's subscription. I would be all over that.
DeleteI was lucky enough to find Hellcat and Spider-Woman the other day and plan to get them up on my blog next week. They are both awesome, but Hellcat is great because she's so unexpected (and so Bat-family like too!)
ReplyDeleteWhat store did you see her in? I got mine from a friend who advance orders several cases. I'm curious to see them in the wild.
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