Skip to main content

Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

All photos by Mike Fahey

Forget Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park or Independence Day’s David Levison with his sweet-ass grappling hook and energy shield. Now there’s a superior Jeff Goldblum action figure in the form of Marvel’s gleefully grinning Grandmaster from Thor: Ragnarok.

Shame on Marvel and Hasbro for making me wait so long for a physical representation of one of Goldblum’s most Goldblum-iest roles. His portrayal of Marvel’s cosmic gamemaster was one of the best parts of a Thor movie filled with very good parts. But we didn’t get a figure right when the movie came out, so I had feared we never would. Turns out Hasbro was just saving the best for Marvel’s 80th anniversary celebration.

The six-inch Grandmaster figure made its debut this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, part of a two-pack with Benecio Del Toro’s Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy. The team-up makes sense. Both The Collector and Grandmaster are members of The Elders of the Universe, cosmic supervillains of immense power. They’re basically brothers. The duo would make for an outstanding buddy comedy if one of them weren’t dead.

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

Advertisement

The Collector comes with an alternate head, a container for an Infinity Stone, and a cardboard cutout of Cosmo the Spacedog, but he’s not important right now. This is about Jeff, with his sultry makeup, cardboard throne, cosmic staff, and a bubbling blue puddle representing a disciplined (read: melted) subject.

The packaging is pretty sweet; it’s two half-cylinders that come together to form a whole. It makes for an awesome display piece, which I tore apart viciously because I am a monster who plays with toys. Plus that was the only way to get the full Goldblum effect.

Advertisement

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

The figure doesn’t just look like Jeff. He carries himself like Jeff. The way the arms are poised and the shoulders hunch slightly forward, like the figure is interested and appreciative of everything around him. He’s excited to be here, hanging out on my computer. If the computer could talk, I imagine it would be totally into him.

Advertisement

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

Look at that face. No one has ever been more excited about wearing blue face paint and heavy eyeliner. Notice the fingernails? Pretty neat attention to detail, right? It doesn’t stop there.

Advertisement

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

Not only is Jeff sporting blue polish on his toenails, he’s also got on a pair of golden sandals, complete with big toe ring and chain.

Advertisement

There’s another version of Hasbro’s six-inch Grandmaster figure hitting stores now. Available in a two-pack with Thor: Ragnarok’s rocky hero Korg, it presents a more serious, less-Goldblum-y version of the character.

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

Advertisement

Without the grin and the manic look around his eyes, he’s just not my Grandmaster. My Grandmaster is Goldblum at his magnetic finest, drawing the spotlight and attention from everyone around him. He’s irresistible.

Illustration for article titled Marvel's Grandmaster Figure Perfectly Captures Jeff Goldblum's Goofy Charm

Advertisement

Spider-Man gets it.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scythe Board Game Review

Designed by: Jamey Stegmaier Published by: Stonemaier Games Players: 1-5 Playtime: 90-120 Minutes Review copy supplied free of charge by Esdevium Games. You don’t gently put Scythe down on a table like a baby that must be coddled. Oh no, instead you thump it down with authority, the sizable box dominating the space and demanding that all present pay attention to its beautiful artwork! And then you open the lid revealing decks of cards, wooden pieces, plastic miniatures and a variety of tokens, as well as a substantial board and a bunch of other stuff. It’s a veritable feast of components. Despite its size and somewhat daunting visage, however, Scythe is actually quite easy to learn; every turn you choose one of four quadrants on your player board and perform one, two or none of the actions there. Simple. Well, kind of. Scythe is a 4X game – which means it wants you to explore, expand, extort and exterminate – set within a unique world that mixes agricultural farming with towerin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lisboa Board Game Review

Designed by: Vital Lacerda Published by: Eagle Gryphon Games Players: 1-4 Playtime: 60-120 Minutes Review copy supplied free of charge by Asmodee UK Jesus Christ, I have absolutely no idea where to even start with Lisboa, the latest table-hogging, mind-destroying eurogame from the highly respected Vital Lacerda. I’ve reviewed one game from Vital previously and utterly adored its lavish production values and stellar gameplay, but damn was it hard to review simply due to the way every mechanic tied to everything else. To explain one thing meant having to digress into about a billion other things before stumbling back to the original topic like a drunk emerging from a pub lock-in. It was confusing. Lisboa is just as complex and tricky to discuss, so please forgive me as I muddle through talking about Lacerda’s latest attempt to turn my already worryingly overheating brain into a melting pot of pink goo. The entire game is based around Lisbon, which is actually Lacerda’s hometown an...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Bard's Tale IV Review

Platforms: PC Reviewed On: PC Developer: inXile Publisher: inXile Singleplayer: Yes Multiplayer: No   Review code provided by the publisher. I n the village of Skara Brae, where the game opens, there’s a merchant who apparently sells soup. I say apparently because I’ve never seen this soup. The man selling it claims I’m not worthy to taste his legendary broth, and even the loading screen gently informs me that I’ll never be worthy, that I should accept it and just move on. But I couldn’t. Over the coming hours, I defeated evil sorcerers, saved the world, solved a bunch of puzzles and even herded some fairies around the place. I never forgot about the soup, though. Maybe one day I will be worthy. One day.   It’s been some 33-years since the very first Bard’s Tale arrived on the scene, and two sequels followed before the series seemingly died in 1991, the very same year I was born. It’s a little strange to see the franchise suddenly resurrected, perhaps a direct result of th...
Post a Comment
Read more