Monday, May 4, 2020

LEGION TOYS: Happy Meal Toys (Legion of Super-Heroes)



Released in 2007, McDonald’s created a series of Happy Meal Toys for the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series. There are eight figures in total. Superman (who could not be called Superboy due to legal shenanigans), Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, Lightning Lad and Timber Wolf make up the Legionaries. Representing the villains of the show are Tharok, Validus and Mano of the Fatal Five.





Here is McDonald's official press release of the set:
Legion of Superheroes began as a comic and is now an animated television series! The story takes place in the 31st century where a group of teenage superheroes go back in time to recruit the greatest super hero of all....Superman! This collection features 8 figurines that are delivered in comic book styled containers featuring scenes from memorable episodes and exclusive collector card!


















Sculpt: 
The sculpts do their best to approximate the animated character designs from Derrick J. Wyatt and Glenn Won, given their small size and stature. However, the reality is that these are non-poseable PVC figures packed in book-shaped cases. If they aren't in the case they came in, they don't stand up except for maybe Bouncing Boy or Brainiac. Characters like Superman, Lightning Lad and Timber Wolf are in airborne poses and need to rest against diorama-printed blisters to hold them in place with clear clam shell halves. Otherwise, I guess you are just supposed to hold them in your hands and make swoosh noises while pretending they are all using their flight rings. Most of the figures don't balance particularly well, and probably need something along the lines of the flat 'stand' piece green toy Army Soldiers have to maintain their action stances.











Articulation:
Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. They can't even stand up, much less articulate.


Paint:
The paint is fine. Most of the colors are fairly vibrant, but also pretty straightforward and flat. I imagine the smaller details on faces, such as Lightning Lad's scar or Superman's eyes and eyebrows would have been the most challenging.



Overall:
I've seen feedback that even little kids didn't care for these figures. They are small and have no action features what-so-ever. The press release says they come in 'comic book shaped' containers, but really they look more like a tome of a book. The main reason I picked these up was for a bit with my DC Universe Classics Imperiex review, which I think turned out pretty well (if I do say so myself). On the plus side, this is the only instance of Bouncing Boy, Tharok, and Mano ever getting action figure representation.

For Condo Arlik's take on this line of figures, visit his review here.


2 comments:

  1. Also note that no female characters are featured in the set--no Phantom Girl or Saturn Girl or Emerald Empress.

    The way I've chosen to display these figures are with the Fatal um Three standing triumphant over the fallen (i.e., can't-stand-up) Legionnaires, with Brainy off to one side figuring out how to defeat the villains.

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