Toys R Us’s quick and catastrophic collapse earlier this year through the entire toy industry for a loop, and also left a slew of Toys R Us exclusives stuck in distribution limbo. One such exclusive is the subject of today’s review: a three-pack that managed to hit TRU stores in some regions, but left others (like mine) barren. But online retailers have come to the rescue, bringing us once-lost exclusives such as this Marvel Legends Infinity War Groot, Thor and Rocket Raccoon set I got from Entertainment Earth…

While Hasbro has released a very strong number of toys based on the Avengers Infinity War movie, the sad truth is that there were just too many characters to release in one year—and especially not in the main line.

Luckily, Hasbro expanded the line via various exclusives, including this set that gives us Thor’s primary look for the movie and the sole two Infinity War Legends representatives for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon and Teenaged Groot. Is it worth picking up this three-pack to flesh out your Infinity War Collection…?

Well, if you’re a movie Groot fan, the answer is most definitely “yes”. (And if you’re not a fan of the movie version of Groot, you might as well stop reading now—this set isn’t really for you.)

The Marvel Legends Infinity War Groot figure comes with two accessories, but only
I outright love the face on this Groot Marvel Legends figure. He’s got this petulant frown on his face that pairs perfectly with his piercing, irritable eyes. This is one anthropomorphic tree person with raging hormones who is NOT amused about being a teenager.

IW Groot has some green paint apps added to his arms, upper torso and the top of his head, which adds some much-needed variance to the otherwise unpainted brown plastic on the figure’s body (besides the head). There could probably be a bit more green wash added to other parts of the body, but I’m actually pretty happy with the deco on this figure as it is.

ML Teen Groot comes with one accessory of his own, although two accessories in the pack are perfect for him. Like any angsty teenager, Groot loves screens—and so he comes with a gaming tablet (or intergalactic iPad). He can hold it easily with either or both hands, and I like the wacky colors on the transparent screen. Thumbs up!

The large rifle that’s apparently intended for Rocket Raccoon (at least according to the packaging photos) actually works way better with this Groot figure than it does with Rocket. Groot’s finger fits on the trigger nicely and he can hold the gun in several poses, two-handed, without a hitch.

Groot’s lanky, adolescent tree body isn’t well-suited for the standard ML super-articulation scheme, but he’s got all the flexibility I feel he needs:

• Ball-Jointed Head/Upper Torso/Legs
• Ball-Hinge Shoulders/Knees/Elbows/Wrists
• Hinged Feet with Rockers

The other strong reason to buy this set is that it’s the only place where we have gotten (and are likely to ever get) a movie ML Thor with Eyepatch action figure. Fans wanted a head like this for Ragnarok, but we’re getting it here and it looks nice. Very solid Chris Hemsworth likeness for this scale, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this figure is quite as alluring as the Teen Groot figure. Why? Because the “lightning” paint deco Hasbro went with on the torso is ludicrous. In an age where we get add-on pieces and effects all the time, seeing little lightning blasts painted onto the costume is utterly ridiculous.

While Thor doesn’t come with Stormbreaker (which he never actually holds while he has an Eyepatch), he does got one sweet accessory: Heimdall’s sword. This is a reuse from the Ragnarok two-pack with Valkyrie, but if you didn’t get it there, it’s definitely an appropriate and worthwhile inclusion here with nice sculpting details and the right amount of paint deco.

The low point of this set is sadly one of my top 10 favorite comic book characters: Rocket Raccoon. The big issue here is that anyone who wanted to build the Mantis Build-A-Figure last year already has this figure. It was a good figure and I liked it at the time (as you can read in my review), but with the superior Marvel Select Rocket Raccoon in the same approximate scale available now, I just don’t have time for a Hasbro repack with slightly different paints.

The big selling-point for this Rocket is supposed to be the large rifle that the set comes with, but there’s a problem: it’s too heavy and cumbersome and his non-hinged wrists can’t deal with it at all. He can’t pose it naturally, and the weight of the gun pops his whole wrist off when wielding it. Oy.

Thankfully, Infinity War Legends Rocket Raccoon still comes with his dual pistols from the last release, but that’s small comfort since they’re also just repacks. He can hold Teen Groot’s iPad well, but I really wish Hasbro had done something different for this Rocket Raccoon to make it worthwhile instead.

Overall: This is a tricky set to rate, as there’s a pretty wide disparity between the best and worst figures in this three-pack. While the Rocket Raccoon figure is “okay”, it’s also a figure that most collectors have already paid 20 bucks for by itself last year. But if you want an eyepatch Thor or a teenage Groot Legends figure, then you’re buying this box set.

The ML Eyepatch Thor figure is solid, if not spectacular, while the Teenage Groot figure is an outstanding unique sculpt. I wish collectors didn’t have to rebuy a Rocket Raccoon repack to get them, but I like the other two figures here enough to give this set a thumbs up. If your TRU never got the set, it’s still available now from Entertainment Earth.

GRADE: B