Oh yes! Another 90s character and another obscure character. Didn't expect a Marvel Legends of Shatterstar any time soon, but here we are! Let's check him out!
Shatterstar was part of the X-Force grew to know way back when. He definitely fit right in with that team's menacing aesthetics and ways. They were a grittier and lethal version of the X-Men, and with swords like that and raised to be a warrior type of mentality, Shatterstar was at home with the X-Force. Admittedly, back then, I didn't really get in tune with his origins and all that stuff. Truth to be told, I'm not even sure what his mutant powers were back then, all I knew was that he had some kind of connection with his swords and he was stronger/faster/etc than your average human being. Being a genetically raised being from the Mojoverse and set to cause havoc in the battle arena, Shatterstar falls into one of those characters that has above what the norm could do but not too strong, has a set of fighting skills that could do well in close range, and he came from an era where everything just goes... yeah, these days, he's just lost in translation with other characters from those days of X-Force.
What a pretty bland pose for a guy who wields two swords!
Speaking of two swords, aside from the #BAF piece that he comes with for Warlock, Shatterstar comes with nothing else. I was expecting that when he was announced, honestly.
In my young days, Shatterstar had two outfits I remember. He had his one and he also had the red and grey costume that I liked more than his initial first appearance costume. Truth to be told, Shatterstar's outfit does not match what he is supposed to be. He is a warrior from another dimension, trained and raised by the worse, and he comes to our world with a clean look (with the white and all), a headgear meant for a different sport, and a logo that seems to imply that he has some kind of connection with Longshot and/or Dazzler? I'm not sure what they are going for with Shatterstar but he feels like another victim of the 90s surge of just add whatever to a character. At least his first costume felt like that. His second costume had a bit more flavor to it. And although it was still 90s with all the pouches and bullets that he doesn't seem to sue, at least it felt more in-line.
That and the red flared out just quite well. But as for the white costume, Hasbro did an amazing job capturing the likeness of the costume.
Obviously there are plenty of recycled parts like the body, the boots, the gloves--actually, I'm not even sure about the body. The torso is a mold I have not seen before and the arms with all the wrinkles seems new. It might be from a previous and a bit more recent figure that I haven't bought, but seriously, it's not the Bucky Cap mold. Speaking of new mold, the head is obviously new, the shoulder pad, and then the cape. He's got some good things going with him if one is a Shatterstar fan (can't help but think that he doesn't have too many).
My favorite part about Shatterstar coloring is the way the shoulder pad is painted to look like leather. It has a few color variations to make it look that way and mixed with the way his hair is painted/sculpted, it looks rather nice. And despite me not being a fan of his color schemes, the way it is handled as an action figure has some good things to go with it. I love how the dark grey sits next to the white and the lighter grey/heather grey is a bold enough contrast next to the white. Again, some paint shading would have made the white areas of Shatterstar's clothing pop out more, but alas, it is a Hasbro action figure we are talking about.
The articulation is all too familiar and there is nothing to be surprised about. The fact that he only has his two blades an accessory doesn't give him a lot of options for variety, but again, with the modern day Hasbro/Marvel Legends range of movements, one can definitely get some good poses out of him. Still need a base stand though.
Here's Shatterstar next to the Marvel Legends Cable; wonder if they are going to go as far as completing the 90s X-Force?
At the end of the day, I feel as if Shatterstar was just another filler for this wave. He's barely a C-list character and they chose a pretty lame version of him. Still, for those who are purist and really want classic X-Men characters, here's one for ya! Other than that, he's an easy pass. That's about it.
Until Next Time!
