Daily Figure Review #64: Shilkah (with Jeff the Land Shark, Strong Guy Wave 2020) Marvel Legends

It’s hard to believe the Strong Guy wave of Marvel Legends came out four years ago, and I’m just now getting to opening the figure who excited me most when announced: Shiklah! (Gotten half off from Big Bad Toy Store)

My reason for excitement was actually her sole accessory — a tiny, non-articulated Jeff the Land Shark figurine. It’s fair to say more people may want this figure for the Land Shark because, as of this writing, Jeff has been in more comics than Shiklah (per marvel.fandom.com, Shiklah has been in 58 comics while Jeff has been in 65).

Sadly, due to the lack of articulation, the Land Shark is little more than a cute, tiny, plastic statue. I understand that Hasbro can only spend so much when making an accessory like this, but this adorable creature would have been incredible with a hinged jaw and legs.

While Jeff was a bit of a letdown, Shiklah herself is really quite impressive, save for one or two minor things.

In terms of articulation, the figure is pretty standard. You get double-hinged knees, single-hinged elboes, and a bit of mid-torso bend. Shiklah’s long hair is sculpted in such a way that it really does not impede turning the head from side to side, unless you try for an extreme posing.

The best thing about the Shiklah figure is the painting. If you only glance at the figure in the package, you may think it is a figure with black thigh-high boots, sleeves, underwear, and bra, all of which have some gold accents. Then, between the black, there are purple upper thighs and a purple stomach. However, looking at the purple, there is a subtle paint app of dark purple skulls on the lighter background. The detail in these skulls is incredible. Indeed, it looks like an embroidered fabric. Never, in all the Legends figures I’ve opened, have I seen such an accurate, subtle, and excellent paint app.

Likewise, her face has a nice dark purple around her eyes and on her lips. (You’ll notice in the pictures mine has a paint error–a spot of dark purple on her nose, making her look a bit like a clown). Hasbro also applied gold paint to her headpiece. They really spared no details on the paint for the figure.

Shiklah also has a soft-goods cape, much like the one used on Storm figures. A small band wraps around the wrist to attach it, and the cape then flows freely without encumbering articulation. I’m still not a fan of soft goods on Marvel Legends, but this one is not terrible. The gold dots on the edge of the front give it a nice look, though the all-black back is rather plain.

Also, Shiklah has no included accessories, save for Jeff. However, there are some extra pieces on the figure, including the gold-and-red necklaces and belt.

My chief complaint about Shiklah, though, is her high heels. She has bent-toe boots with pointy high heels. Also, the ankle articulation is very tight and difficult to move with exacting accuracy. Due to those two facts, she is near-impossible to stand without assistance. When I do get her to balance, I’ve built houses of cards that were harder to knock over than this figure. A figure stand of some sort is a must if you don’t want Shiklah to fall off your shelf, possibly taking other figures down with her.

So, while Jeff, my reason for being excited, ended up being disappointing, the main figure in this package was worth the purchase!