NIGHTHAWK & BLUR MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO) “The high-flying Nighthawk and super-speedy Blur ally with each other and the Squadron Supreme to defend their Earth” It’s a rarity that I get to return to a Squadron Supreme discussion. Sure, I’ve...
NIGHTHAWK & BLUR
MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)
“The high-flying Nighthawk and super-speedy Blur ally with each other and the Squadron Supreme to defend their Earth”
It’s a rarity that I get to return to a Squadron Supreme discussion. Sure, I’ve brought the team up a few times before, but it’s always about recontextualizing what is inevitably another Nighthawk or Hyperion. This time, I actually get to build on a set I’m already building….albeit with another Nighthawk…but that’s not the point! There are others as well! That’s right, the Not-Batman comes packed with a Not-Flash, The Whizzer Blur! Let’s check them out!
THE FIGURES THEMSELVES
Nighthawk and Blur are the second of the two Fan Channel-exclusive Marvel Legends two-packs based on the Squadron Supreme. While the first set was a fairly catch-all classic take on its characters, this set more definitively dials in on specifically the Squadron Supreme of America incarnation created by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness.
NIGHTHAWK
Hey, it’s Nighthawk! The Kyle Richmond version! Which Kyle Richmond version, you ask? Valid. There’s actually four separate Kyle Richmond Nighthawks, and that’s *just* the Kyle Richmond versions. There’s another four not-Kyle Richmond Nighthawks, but they admittedly get outweighed by Kyle. This latest Kyle is perhaps the most Batman-y of the Kyle Nighthawks, so he’s got that going for him. Design wise, he’s kind of a greatest hits of all the Richmonds before him, which is nifty, I suppose. The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation. He’s built on the Vulcan body, which makes a degree of sense, since Vulcan’s supposed to be replacing Bucky Cap, and that’s what the last 
Nighthawk was based on. He gets a new head and cape piece. They seem pretty in line with McGuninness’s depiction of the character, albeit filtered through the line’s usual stylings. The cape’s a little tricky to keep in place and kind of stiff, but it’s an improvement on the last one for the most part. His color work is a bit darker than the last Nighthawk, which is in line with the depiction in the comics. The molded color work is solid, and the paint application is nice and sharp. Nighthawk is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open, and three not-Batarangs.
BLUR
When the Squadron Sinister first appeared back in the ’60s, their Flash equivalent was re-using the name of Golden Age speedster The Whizzer, and when the Squadron Supreme came into existence a decade later, the heroic equivalent was also re-using the name. It’s a name that’s admittedly a little on the sillier side, I suppose, so the villainous version switched to “Speed Demon,” while the heroic version took on the name “Blur” during Strazinski’s reboot of the team from the early ’00s. Aaron and McGuinness’s version kept the “Blur” name going, albeit married 
to a design that’s a pretty strict update to the Silver Age Whizzer designed. The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation. This figure is based on the 2099 base body, with the upgraded arms and legs to remove the elbow and knee pins. Speed Demon was built on the Pizza Spidey body, and I honestly was never entirely happy with that. This one suits the general character set-up a lot better. He gets a new head and belt, courtesy of sculptor Paul Harding. The head’s a fantastic piece of work, with a nice, fun-loving grin on his face. It feels very true to the character. The color work is pretty clean; the black and yellow works well, and the painted elements are quite nice. Blur is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I honestly didn’t intend to pick this set up. I got the first pack mostly because I just wanted a Doctor Spectrum. These two using the newer designs meant I had less attachment to them, so I was planning to pass. But, then they announced Power Princess, meaning I’d be able to finally have *some* version of the team completed, and the more I looked at the Blur figure, the more I liked him. Blur is the real star here for me; something about his simplicity just really works, and he’s close enough to the classic Whizzer design to work for my collecting sensibilities. Nighthawk I can take or leave. I prefer the Defenders costume to this one, so it’ll remain my primary version of the character. Of course, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a first appearance costume for him.
Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review. If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.