Diamond Select Toys has been on a bit of a hot streak over the last year with their Marvel Select figures series. Not every figure has been a winner (I’m looking at -you-, Miles Morales), but by and large there have been a lot more hits than misses. And this week, I’ll review a few of those hits, starting with the subject of today’s review! The Marvel Select Vision figure is classic as can be—is he a must-have for your classic Avengers lineup?

Although we’ve had a variety of official Marvel Legends Vision figures released all the way back to the Toybiz days, it’s downright surprising how few of those toys have captured Viz in his iconic comic book costume. Lots of MCU Vision and costume variants of Ultron’s offspring, but relatively few releases of Wanda’s main squeeze in his most recognizable yellow, green and red look.

Luckily, Diamond Select Toys is swooping in and hoping to deliver a definitive hit version with their Marvel Select Vision action figure. Do they succeed with this long-requested new addition to their Avengers lineup?

Featuring a bunch of cool accessories and all-new sculpting for under 30 bucks, I think DST has really succeeded in giving us the best toy of this version of the Vision ever made.

There’s no cheaping out by Diamond Select here: from the Diamond on his chest to the angular boot-tops, all of the important details of Vision’s costume are fully sculpted and three-dimensional, not just painted on. The folds and wrinkles in the cape and Vision’s undies also give them a real feeling of being cloth.

The joint construction and quality control is also tops. Every joint is tight but moves smoothly, and none of the plastic feels cheap or rubbery.

There isn’t as much articulation as you’d get on a Hasbro Marvel Legends figure (that’s not DST’s jam), but I feel like all the points I really need are present, including:
—Ball-jointed head (with an outstanding range of motion)
—Ball-Jointed Upper Torso, Hips, and Shoulders
—Ball-hinge elbows
—Swivel Waist, Biceps and Thighs
—Swivel feet with rockers

I sort of miss double-hinged knees and elbows, but The Vision isn’t exactly a ninja needing that stuff. I am spoiled by the new-age pin-less Hasbro articulation and miss it here, though.

There isn’t a ton of actual paint on this Vision Marvel Select figure, but the colors all pop and the paint that is present is largely well-done. Some of the yellow paint on the hand pegs flaked off while swapping Vision’s hands, but you can’t really see that while they’re properly attached, so I won’t fault DST too much for that.

My favorite paint on the figure is shockingly on the rear side, where the wash really gives the yellow cape a lot of depth. The painted teeth on the Aggron head also stand out a lot, as I’m not sure we’ve ever seen that detail on a Vision action figure before.

Speaking of that alternate head, let’s talk accessories: Vision Select includes a spread of almost a half-dozen worthwhile accessories, including interchangeable hands, an unusually expressive angry head and 3 different energy effects pieces (one of which attached to an alt hand).

The aggro head with teeth showing is not only unique and distinctive, but also features perhaps the easiest to lose accessory of all-time: a removable forehead gem that’s every bit as minuscule as you might think. That’s okay, though, because removing the gem allows a forehead blast effect to plug in that looks visually stunning!

Seriously, I love this forehead blast beam. I do wish it was compatible with the calm and placid-looking head as well (I generally picture Viz as a less crazed-looking dude), but I’m glad DST included this treat at all.

The other two effects I’m a bit more mixed on. The hand with blast coming out of it seems to have the effect at an awkward angle, and I rarely envision The Vision doing hand blasts like this. The energy ring effect that fits between either wrist and forearm is really neat, and quickly grew on me as I posed the figure for photographs. I think this Marvel Select Vision figure shines best when he has the forehead blast and energy ring attached, as the bright translucent effects add a ton of visual flair.

The packaging is about the same as it has been for two decades now: an oversized plastic bubble and a cardboard backer with awesome spine art and a bio on the back. It’s nothing flashy, but it is consistent and allows collectors to easily see all the contents.

Overall: While the removable forehead gem is all but doomed in my house and I don’t fully love the hand effects, I think this is a pretty terrific Vision action figure overall. It’s shocking how few classic Avengers are represented in the Marvel Select lineup, but this classic Vision figure blows away any from the Marvel Legends series. DST may not have made some characters like a comic Scarlet Witch yet that you’d want to display with this synthezoid, but in a vacuum this Vision Select figure is a swell one.

GRADE: A-