With “Iron Man 3” being the media’s darling and at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the main Hasbro Marvel Legends line has really gotten a little bit ignored the past few months. I needed a break from talking about Iron Man, though, so I figured I’d stop and give my thoughts and commentary on the figures coming up in the second Marvel Legends series of 2013: Marvel Legends Wave 5–the Build-A-Rocket Raccoon set…

Jean Grey (Jim Lee): As far as fandom goes, this is probably the true headliner of Hasbro Marvel Legends Series 5. A good Jim Lee Jean Grey has been requested by collectors since before Toybiz even started the original Marvel Legends line, so this figure is well over a decade in the making. Everything about this figure looks terrific, from the paint colors to the sculpt to the hair, with one exception–her zombie-stare eyes make her look a little high. Hopefully Jean Grey looks a bit more human in the final production version of this figure, but regardless this is going to be one hot seller.

White Phoenix: It’s been a long time since we had a Phoenix Jean Grey on the pegs. She’s usually been done in her green Phoenix or Dark Phoenix costumes, so it’s a nice switch to see her in the contemporary white Phoenix outfit just to change things up a bit. I love the shiny gold paint Hasbro picked for Phoenix’s costume, and her face sadly looks a lot better than the Jim Lee Jean Grey’s does. Phoenix figures are always popular and fast-sellers, and I’m sure this is going to be a big hit.

Jean Grey (AOA): In theory I love the idea of a Marvel Legends Age of Apocalypse Jean Grey figure variant. Unfortunately, this figure isn’t based off Jean Grey’s appearance in the classic X-Men Age of Apocalypse story–instead, it’s based off Jean’s recent appearances in the contemporary AOA comic book series. It’s a nice enough looking figure, but it’s based off a short-lived comic series that will already be cancelled and done with before this figure ever even hits shelves.

Scarlet Spider: If anyone had told me I’d be psyched for an action figure of the Peter Parker clone Kaine two years ago, I’d have said they were out of their freaking mind. But Christopher Yost’s Scarlet Spider series has been a delightful treat and a big surprise, making the Kaine iteration of the Scarlet Spider one of my favorite current Marvel lead characters. This is technically the same Stealth Suit as we saw in Marvel Legends Series 2, but the colors are far more appealing here. Let’s hope Hasbro doesn’t blow the paint deco on the final version of the Scarlet Spider figure in the same way as the freakishly-painted Big-Time Spider-Man from last year.

Black Panther: It seems like just yesterday I bought my Marvel Legends Series 10 Black Panther from Toybiz, but I guess that’s just senility setting in in my old age. I actually thought the Toybiz Marvel Legends Black Panther was very good for its time–and a nice representation of Marvel Knights Black Panther–but it’ll be good to get this more classic Black Panther figure. Black Panther action figures typically seem to be slow sellers at retail, but hopefully this will prove to be an exception.

Bulldozer: The first of the two remaining members of the Wrecking Crew, Hasbro has done Bulldozer justice! He’s a character that I’ve read in dozens (if not hundreds) of comics, but I know his appearance far more than this personality (if Bulldozer even has one). It appears Hasbro has had to make several unique-sculpted pieces for Bulldozer, but it was worth the effort–he looks terrific. This is easily the most obscure/undesirable character in Marvel Legends Series 5, but he really does look good. Hopefully that will translate to some nice sales.

The Wrecker: The leader and most recognizable member of The Wrecking Crew arrives! Given how hard Piledriver and Thunderball were to find in stores in Marvel Legends Series 2 last year, I seriously hope Hasbro doesn’t make The Wrecker quite as short of a run. The sculpting and weathering on his signature crowbar look outstanding, and the crazed look on his face is all aces. Not a figure that non-hardcore fans will want, but this Wrecker is right up my alley.

Hawkeye (Modern): I was not a fan of this costume when it debuted in the Ultimate Universe on Ultimate Hawkeye, and I was skeptical when Hawkeye’s movie outfit was inspired by it. Now I’ve come to associate the costume with Hawkeye and accept seeing him in it every month in the awesome Hawkeye comic book series, and I don’t know how I ever lived without this figure. I wasn’t interested at all in this version of Hawkeye the first time Hasbro showed it off, but now it’s an absolute must-have for me (and I’d imagine many other collectors). I’m hoping the purple paint isn’t quite as shiny on the finished product, but otherwise modern Hawkeye looks super.

Hawkeye (Classic): I’ve grown so accustomed to seeing the modern iterations of Hawkeye’s costume that I actually feel kind of embarrassed now when people point at images of classic Hawkeye and ask who he is. I definitely want this long-overdue upgrade of the Marvel Legends Series 7 Hawkeye by Toybiz, but I have to admit that this classic Hawkeye costume is feeling kind of antiquated.

Rocket Raccoon: It’s both gratifying and sort of annoying as a long-time Rocket Raccoon lover to see him getting showered with so much media attention and sudden popularity. I’d have bought this entire Marvel Legends 2013 figures lineup just to get all the parts for Rocket Raccoon, so clearly Hasbro has done something right with their character selection here. He looks eerily similar to his smaller Marvel Universe figure, but obviously bigger and with better paint applications. I can’t wait to hold Rocket in my hands and see just how well Hasbro has managed to execute the best little Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure ever!

As of writing, Hasbro has not announced an official release date for Marvel Legends Series 5 (2013 Wave 2), but it’s expected that the set will be released sometime this summer. I’ll update with the case assortment ratios and pre-order links when they become available.