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.
