2021 Marvel Legends Sandman Figure Up for Order! Spider-Man Retro Series!

It’s been nearly a half-decade since Hasbro released their SDCC 2016 Exclusive Sandman (Sand Form) figure and the subsequent Build-A-Figure version, and while both of those were pretty fantastic action figures, they are becoming quite expensive and difficult to hunt down on the aftermarket at this point. But a supervillain as cool and prominent as William Baker will not be denied a spot in newer collectors’ homes: a new Retro Spider-Man Marvel Legends Sandman figure is now up for order! Is this 2021 Sandman a worthy addition to the collections of new and old fans alike?

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2021 Marvel Legends Sandman Spider-Man Vintage Series Packaged

The Spider-Man Retro Marvel Legends series has quickly become one of the most star-studded sub-lines in Marvel Legends history, bringing back must-have characters that were cost-prohibitive on the aftermarket such as Kingpin and Mysterio in value-priced ways that made them accessible to new generations of collectors.

And following up the success of all the previous releases in the ever-expanding lineup, Hasbro is going to the well (or rather, to the beach) one more time with an unexpected new addition to the Spider-Man vintage-packed series: the Sandman!

Hasbro Sandman Legends Figure Killing Spider-Man

I reviewed the sand-form SDCC Exclusive back in 2016 and the Build-A-Figure version back in 2017, and while I was really pumped about both of them, neither was quite perfect. I didn’t like that because he was BAF sized, William Baker was larger than other figures whether he was using his powers or not–and the Sandman Build-A-Figure came with no standard/untransformed arms at all. So there was some room for improvement.

Marvel Legends Spider-Man Retro Sandman Figure Angry Headsculpt

And with this new Retro Sandman Legends figure, Hasbro has made the corrections that I was looking for! If you want normal arms, those are the default! If you want a non-powered William Baker who’s at the usual 6″ size? Yup–this is that too!

Sandman Marvel Legends Spider-Man Retro Vintage Series Figure and Accessories

Using the Hydro-Man body as a base, what we have here is a Marvel Legends 2021 Sandman figure that you can mix up with a variety of sand effect hand attachments as you please–and also has two interchangeable heads, including a rad, all-new “blasted” head.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Sandman Spider-Man Retro 2021 Figure with Sand Mace

We have not had a “sand effects” left hand before, so that’s brand new, but more interesting than that is the cool new “sand mace” right hand.

Marvel Legends 2021 Sandman Retro Figure with Blasted Sand Head with HoleI’ve heard a few people balk that they don’t like that the “gunshot” head that has a hole blasted in it has a neutral-faced expression, but I’m okay with it: we already got an “angry” transformed head in 2017, and I like the fact that Sandman gives no effs about the fact that someone blasted a crater in his head.

Marvel Legends Sandman Figure with Head Blown Off Portrait

The Marvel Legends Spider-Man Sandman Retro figure is now up for pre-order at the price-point of $22.99 ($24.99 at BBTS). I think that’s an acceptable price given the variety of accessories we’re getting here, and it also sure as hell beats the aftermarket pricing for the older versions. I like the scale on this figure and the new head a ton, and the new effects hands are also a total blast. I love my original version, but I am adding this one to my own collection as well. Your need for another Sandman if you have an older one may vary.

What do you think of this new, single-packed Sandman Marvel Legends figure? Is this an upgrade, a downgrade, or about the same as prior versions? And who (Rhino? Eh, eh?) would you like to see Hasbro bring back next for the Spider-Man Retro lineup?

Comments

2021 Marvel Legends Sandman Figure Up for Order! Spider-Man Retro Series! — 8 Comments

  1. My only nitpick is that he doesn’t come with a hammer alternate hand. Other than that, I’m loving it.

  2. I think I was late to the party for the Sandman BAF, or most of the figures were hard to find at retail. Most people know Sandman from Spiderman, but I know him from Silver Sable. I was just starting to collect comics and Silver Sable #1 was one that I first grabbed since it was a first issue. So, I’ve always known Sandman as a hero, instead of a villain. I’d like to see more of Silver Sables “Wild Pack”, like Battlestar, but I imagine the G.I.Joe Classified line will have to fill in for Crippler, Powell, Chen, and Quentino. Glad to finally add Sandman to my collection!

  3. If I didn’t have the BAF, I’d definitely be thinking about getting this one. It’s not as detailed looking to me, so it’s hard for me to go backwards. I love the gunshot head though. It reminds me of the liquid metal terminator in T2.

  4. The one thing I don’t like is that the damaged face looks so calm, the damaged faced should have been the angry one.

  5. My favorite change is that they didn’t make it looks like he was on steroids with a sports illustrated style painted on shirt. His new body image looks more realistic.

    • though his facial expression looks like he just slammed his shin or ate a ghost pepper.

  6. The head sculpt is a big step back from the BAF, but this does scale much better. I am happy to see Hasbro doing this to give fans another option, but for me I still like the old ToyBiz version the best: best head sculpt, best scale, and best texture overall.

  7. I think you might be able to stick Spideys arm through the damaged “hole” head, like he just punched through sand
    And as someone who has the OG BAF all sourced in the wild, not sure that I need this one but gosh does the sculpts look nice, very tempting