If anyone had told me a year ago that my last review of 2021 would be me reviewing a Marvel Legends Armadillo Build-A-Figure semi-blind, I’d have thought they were crazy on all fronts. But here we are, so let’s begin. Collectors will need to buy almost the entire Marvel Legends Spider-Man No Way Home figures series of 6″ figures to get all the pieces for the ML Armadillo BAF. Is it worth the expense to build this relatively obscure pro wrestling supervillain?

For those who don’t know him, Antonio Rodriguez was genetically transformed into a thick-skinned, clawed armadillo-man by a criminal scientist while trying to secure a cure for his dying wife. Eventually his wife would divorce him anyway, but Antonio’s career as a quirky powerhouse super villain (and later pro wrestler and MMA fighter) would continue.

Perhaps not the most memorable backstory ever, but it takes all types of characters to fill out the massive Marvel Comics universe—and the corresponding Marvel Legends collections on our shelves! And so, let’s get to my review of this sad sack 80s villain…

Despite being a low-tier character, Hasbro went all-out for this 8” Armadillo Legends figure with what I believe is a 100% new mold. I can almost visualize a Marvel Legends Stegron the dinosaur man BAF being made from some of this tooling, but I guess we’ll see what plans Hasbro has up their sleeves for these new parts in 2022 and beyond.

This is the modern Armadillo design, so he looks a little more formidable and a tad less doofy than some fans might expect. I take my armadillo-themed menaces seriously, so I’m glad to see the vicious expression on the portrait, personally.

The upper “armadillo shell” is a sort of removable soft backpack that plugs in firmly, and has a plethora of sculpted textures on it to make it look and feel just right. Unfortunately, if you raise Armadillo’s arms too high they’ll force off the shell, which is really annoying when trying to set up a scene.

ML Armadillo’s claws not only look lethal, but are also good for hooking on body parts of normal-sized figures (like Spidey or Captain America). Thankfully, Antonio is heavy enough that he can balance just fine while lifting up other Spider-Man Legends figures.

The constructible nature of this figure enabled Hasbro to mold most of the parts in the proper colors without spending a ton on paint applications, which is A-OK with me; all the colors and deco look on-model and accounted for to me (although Armadillo never needed to be the most colorful toy around).

Lumbering tank villains such as the Armadillo don’t necessarily need craploads of articulation like Shang-Chi or something, but Hasbro has integrated over two dozen points nonetheless, including:

• Ball-Jointed Head and Hips
• Ball-Hinged Shoulders
• Swivel Biceps and Thighs
• Swivel-Hinge Wrists
• Ball-Jointed Upper Torso
• Hinged Elbows and Knees
• Hinged Feet with Ankle Rockers

The single-jointed knees and elbows are pin-less on one side but not the other, oddly enough, likely due to the sheer mass of the limbs. I’m not giddy about the knees and elbows not being double-jointed, but I can cope with the disappointment in the instance of this particular lovable loser.

The articulation scheme is plenty good to execute standard “big guy” power attack poses such as stomping all over a hero or lifting them into the air for a press slam, albeit not enough to achieve out-of-character ninja flex poses or anything.

Overall: Despite being a character that has little appeal to me beyond “rando obscure super villain who always loses”, Hasbro won me over again with another masterfully- executed oversized action figure. A Build-A-Figure Armadillo was certainly never on my list of must-haves, but Hasbro has done well with this bulky, well-sculpted first member of Marvel’s Texas Rangers. The heft, detailing and quality control are all spot-on, and there’s little to complain about beyond single-jointed knees and elbows with this newly-molded brutish bad guy. There’s nothing here that absolutely blows me away, but as a whole this a good, solidly designed action figure.

GRADE: B+