Magik seemed poised to be the most likely member of the original New Mutants to achieve mainstream popularity back in the 1980s. Four decades later, she finally is doing so, with appearances in multiple video games and her own comic book series. And for her latest foray into plastic immortality, Hasbro is going all the way back to Illyana’s young appearance from the 1985 Secret Wars II event! Marvel Legends Secret Wars Magik is shipping out now, and is the classic teen version of the character I’ve always wanted for my collection. Here’s my review…

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Illyana Rasputin has hit mass retail in teenage form– Toybiz actually released a (bad) figure of Magik May back in 1998 as part of a one-wave New Mutants series alongside wonky toys of classic Wolfsbane and Warlock/Douglock.

I had that figure because I was desperate for classic New Mutants junk as a teen, but it was never really the Illyana I wanted. Nor was the badass modern leather-clad Magik that Hasbro first released as a Walgreens exclusive a couple years back (and later as a specialty store reissue). But this–this–mid-80s Magik is the toy figurine of the character I’ve always wanted.

Mattel never released any females in their vintage Secret Wars toy line, but Hasbro is correcting that with women that conceivably could have been chosen for the lineup—first with Titania, and now with Magik. Illyana was central to the New Mutants Secret Wars II tie-in’s, so this pick doesn’t feel random or out of place to me at all.

Like everything in this Retro lineup, Magik looks phenomenal on the throwback Secret Wars cardback. I don’t have space for an extra packaged set of these figures, but I will be sure to grab a spare of a few of my favorites. The Mattel-homage packaging looks awesome, front and back. I’ll be severely disappointed if Hasbro doesn’t close out this line with the missing characters like Electro and Doc Ock.

If you’re hoping this Magik will match your Walgreens modern Dani Moonstar or X-Men 97 Sunspot, you will be disappointed. This figure is based on a different style and era, and doesn’t perfectly match the look of any previously released New Mutants. Hasbro has confirmed the Target Exclusive Cypher coming this fall will match Magik, however, so fingers crossed they commit to doing the whole original team.

Illyana was never a super light-hearted smiley character, nor a pinup model like Emma Frost, so I think the neutral faced, less “pretty” portrait for the character is very appropriate here. I like it, even if modern fans might be expecting a more fierce or mischievous expression.

For accessories, we get a gloved fist, an open armored hand, a lenticular Secret Shield, the Soulsword and a magic effect to wrap around the sword. I really wanted some sort of teleportation disc effect, but I understand Hasbro not including it here as it would be expensive and mess up the “clean” aesthetic of the carded figure.

The only thing about this figure that really stands out to me as being not all it could be is the articulation. The articulation is all nice and pin-free and has a pleasing aesthetic, but it doesn’t feel fully modern. There’s no butterfly swivels for the shoulders, no swivel waist or ab crunch, no toes (which I don’t like anyway, personally), and limited range of motion on her head and ball-jointed upper torso.

The poseability is still quite good and includes the usual double-hinged knees/elbows and swivel biceps/thighs/boots/ankles, but Illyana still feels a bit more “stiff” than I’d like while trying to pose her.

I have heard one report of some collector getting a defective figure with an arm that ripped off, but my Magik’s joints all feel sturdy and move smoothly. The Secret Shield is a bit tough to get on her arm, but I’m not having any other issues with my copy.

Overall: While this is the perfect look for Magik for someone who grew up reading her earliest appearances, the action figure itself here isn’t quite perfect. The articulation is good, but could still be improved. Any kind of teleportation effect would put this over the top as well. If you buy one Marvel Legends Secret Wars wave 2 figure, it should be the Daredevil I reviewed last week. If you buy another, Secret Wars Magik easily gets my vote and recommendation.

GRADE: B+