UPDATE 12/1/2018: As expected, we didn’t have to wait longer after the packaged photos hit for the POs to begin–singles and full sets of every figure in the Marvel Legends Black Panther Wave 2 M’Baku Series are now up for order!

ORIGINAL 11/27/2018: Marvel Legends collectors have had a somewhat boring last few months, with four waves of figures arriving in stores almost on top of each other in August 2018 and virtually nothing new since. But the wait for new figures is almost over! Hasbro told us at NYCC that they expected the 2019 Marvel Legends Black Panther M’Baku Series to hit by the end of the year, and in advance of that event, packaged photos of the whole series have now popped up!

As the Hasbro Marvel team said at New York Comic Con 2018 that they definitely expected to see the Black Panther Marvel Legends 2019 series ready to hit stores in December, I figured it was only a matter of time until photos of the figures in their boxes turned up. And hey, as we head into the last month of the year, no surprise—here they are!

The photos seem to confirm the case ratios for Black Panther Legends Wave 2, and I think Hasbro has picked the ideal case-pack:

• (2) Black Panther – Pink Vibranium Suit
• (2) Erik Killmonger – Tactical Gear
• (1) Dora Milaje
• (1) Ulysses Klaue
• (1) Unmasked Black Panther
• (1) King T’Chaka

While I imagine some fans are going to gripe over the two new characters (Klaue and Dora Milaje Army-Builder) being shortpacks, I think this is the best assortment we could’ve asked for.

With the Vibranium Armor Black Panther featured prominently in both his own movie and Avengers Infinity War, there’s no question that this is going to be an in-demand figure. Popping the Infinity War logo on the package and double-packing Pink Black Panther is definitely the right move for Hasbro.

Likewise, fans have been demanding a Tactical Killmonger figure with Triceratops Mask since the movie hit theaters (and some even before that). Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger was a breakout character in the movie, his costumed figure has sold consistently, and the Tactical Gear iteration has been requested heavily. Two per case worthy? Absolutely.

The secondary villain of the film, Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue, also makes his debut in this wave. While there’s certainly a collector demand for this character, he’s an ugly dude in a shirt and tie that will have limited appeal to the kiddos. Looks great, but one-per-case status makes sense.

Unfortunately, the Marvel Legends Dora Milaje army-builder figure is also short-packed. It’s unfortunate that there’s not space for multiples of this figure in the case, so hopefully Hasbro will make straight cases and individuals readily available through online stores. With three different heads packed-in, many collectors are going to want at least three of this repaint.

Marvel Legends T’Chaka makes a surprise appearance in this wave to steal some of the Hot Toys King T’Chaka figure’s glory. This was an easy figure to make with existing tooling and a new sash, which gives us an all-new character Hasbro has never done before. Thumbs up from me.

Rounding out the case is perhaps the most boring selection: a plain movie Black Panther figure with a new T’Challa Unmasked Chadwick Boseman Head. For those who missed the first release and don’t want the new pink powered-up version, I suppose this is fine as case-filler, albeit a bit dull.

The Marvel Legends M’Baku Build-A-Figure pieces will be spread out among all six figures in the wave, so those who want to assemble the leader of the Jabari Tribe will have to buy the whole set. With Shuri arriving in 2019 in a different series, M’Baku was the obvious best choice for this wave’s BAF.

The M’Baku BAF parts will be split as follows:

• Tactical Erik Killmonger – M’Baku Head
• Ulysses Klaue – M’Baku Body/Torso
• The two versions of Black Panther Himself – M’Baku Arms
• Dora Milaje and T’ Chaka – M’Baku Legs

The Marvel Legends Black Panther M’Baku Series is now up for order, and should arrive at the beginning of January at the latest. I have a very strong hunch that we’ll begin seeing these figures in December 2018, though. It’ll be fun to both begin and end 2018 with Black Panther Legends!

Having seen the final packaged photos, how are you feeling about this M’Baku Wave, ML collectors? Are you planning to pick up the whole set and build M’Baku, army-build Dora Milaje, or perhaps skip this set altogether?