One of the most difficult collecting decisions I had to make last year was ultimately to pass on the Hot Toys T’Chaka Black Panther figure. As much as I loved having at least one of every MCU character in my Hot Toys 1/6 figure Collection, King T’Chaka just isn’t a character I felt I needed a $220 figure of. But while I wouldn’t pay that price for T’Challa’s dad, I was willing to drop 20 bucks on the Marvel Legends T’Chaka 6” figure! At that price, is it worth having the former King of Wakanda in your collection?

I’m not gonna lie here: until the Hot Toys T’Chaka sixth scale figure was revealed last summer, I had completely and utterly forgotten that we ever saw King T’Chaka in his Black Panther costume at all in last year’s movie. While that opening flashback was significant to the story, it wasn’t exactly the Battle of Hoth in memorability.

I just couldn’t rationalize buying a $220 figure of a dead character who just stands around in a flashback, so I didn’t end up purchasing the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series Figure. But when Hasbro announced their own Black Panther Legends T’Chaka figure? I knew he’d be coming home. Here’s my review…

First off, the big thing that sets this T’Chaka figure apart from all other Black Panther (and Killmonger) figures isn’t the Black Panther costume itself at all—it’s the Wakandan Sash add-on piece.

Hot Toys designed an insanely intricate soft goods version of the tribal sash with waistlet, but realistically speaking, there was zero chance that Hasbro could cost out any kind of fabric version of the ornate sash for a twenty dollar T’Chaka Legends action figure.

And so, the Wakandan tribal sash we get here is plastic—but that doesn’t mean it isn’t gorgeous! Simply put, I think this may be the most extravagant add-on costume piece Hasbro has ever created. The level of sculpting detail and paint on this Wakandan sash is absolutely mind-blowing.

From the sculpted strings of beads to the layers of textured “fabric” to the incredible number of paint apps on this sash, this is a thing of purest beauty and a little miracle in the Marvel Legends series.

For all its visual appeal, though, the sash and waistlet are also quite stiff. The plastic add-on piece inhibits both hips and King T’Chaka’s right shoulder articulation, which will cause some real headaches for anyone planning on dynamically posing the former King.

That said, given that we never see T’Chaka fight (or really do much of anything besides stand there) in the MCU—and we’re never going to now that he’s dead—this isn’t necessarily a figure that everyone is going to feel the need to pop into an action pose. That’s not a free pass—but it is something to consider.

While the upper part of this figure reuses the Civil War Black Panther mold, the lower body is totally difference, as T’Chaka prefers baggy pants to skin-tight armor. I like that this further sets the design apart from T’Challa, although I’m a bit bummed Hasbro forgot to paint the gold “claws” onto the feet.

Quality control-wise, I’ve got no complaints about this figure. There’s zero paint on the body, and the head and sash’s paint apps are spot-on. No breakages, no loose joints—QC is all aces.

On the accessories front, T’Chaka comes packed with the left leg of the M’Baku Build-A-Figure and, well… that’s really it. There’s no doubt that the sash was an expensive item for Hasbro to cost out, but I sure wish we got an unmasked T’Chaka portrait or some alternate hands to liven this figure’s possibilities up.

There’s plenty of super-articulation built into this Black Panther Marvel Legends figure, although the lack of any kind of interchangeable parts and the rigid sash definitely decrease the functionality of all the joints.

The complete articulation scheme includes:

• Ball-Hinge Head/Shoulders/Wrists
• Ball-Jointed Hips
• Double-Jointed Hinge Elbows and Knees
• Ab Crunch
• Swivel Boots/Thighs/Biceps/Waist
• Hinged Ankles with Rockers

King T’Chaka shan’t be getting into any extreme martial arts poses or anything, but he can at least claw at the air threateningly and spread his legs into a battle stance. He doesn’t really do much more than that in the movies anyway, so maybe that’ll be fine for most folks.

Overall: I understand that the tribal sash was almost certainly expensive for Hasbro to design and produce, but I really would have appreciated an unmasked head for T’Chaka here. The posing potential for this figure is rather low, and an unmasked portrait (and/or some interchangeable hands) could have really opened up the door for more interesting display options.

Even so, Hasbro has accurately and effectively captured the look of King T’Chaka from the Black Panther movie, complete with a jaw-droppingly complex sash and top-notch QC. This isn’t a character that every MCU fan is going to be hot to own a toy of, but it is a solidly-executed one that should satiate any demand for a Marvel Legends T’Chaka.

GRADE: B-