I know a lot of collectors groan at the thought of a repainted or slightly redecoed figure. But, honestly, is there anything more retro than a recycled sculpt in a Marvel line? That's actually one of the things I love most about the 1990s Toy Biz line. Noticing how the molds were reused in creative ways to give us more characters was like a toy version of a memory card game. Sue Storm, Jessica Drew, Julia Carpenter, and X-Factor Jean Grey were the exact same figure. Same with Rogue and Polaris, Psylocke and Elektra, and Medusa, Ms. Marvel, and Firestar. There are tons more. Even the original Black Cat was reused for Tigra. So when I see this Moonstone buck reused for yet another character, it actually makes me quite happy. For starters, it's a great body and a great headsculpt. It's already seven years old but it still holds up. A simple modification, like the addition of fur-lined boots and gloves, gives us a great new version of a classic character. Let's check out Black Cat below!
The one thing this figure is missing to be a true classic representation of Felicia Hardy is the white fur along her collar. But I honestly didn't even realize it was missing until I was editing these photos. Thanks to her hair, the general color blocking is still there. Plus a furry collar would effect her head-posing potential.
Black Cat comes with a cat accessory (a repainted Goose from the MCU Carol Danvers) and the same whip as her 2014 figure, but this one is white instead of black.
A few notes on the Moonstone buck. (So called because the first teased release of the mold was the Moonstone figure). Back then, this was the absolute biggest leap forward for female characters. Previous Marvel figures were cursed with spindly, warped limbs and over-articulation that gave them a spider-like quality. Moonstone was like a Frank Cho drawing in 3D. The body was strong and curvy, the face was gorgeous, and the articulation was engineered amazingly to balance visual aesthetics with functionality. I hope we continue to see this sculpt re-used every few years if nothing else than as a tribute to this groundbreaking figure as well as the classic Toy Biz business model. Below are some examples of its use. Note that Phoenix has a lot of non-Moonstone body parts, but the head is the same.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here is Black Cat with her 2014 Legends figure.
Cheers!
I love this figure, she is designed based on the animated show which is why she doesn't have fur around the neckline. I love that this Black Cat is alot less sexed up and true to the cartoon from my childhood.
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