I usually don’t care too much for proclaiming something “The Best __________ EVER!” because there are so many factors at play, the biggest one being personal preference. And I’m not saying I never do it, I do, but usually there is an air of “until the next one.” When it comes to 1/12 scale action figures based on the last couple of movie appearances by the jade giant though, I’m totally confident calling the S.H. Figuarts Avengers: Infinity War version the best Hulk ever and I don’t see it getting knocked out of the main display for quite a while.
I’ve learned the more specific I get, the less I get called an idiot. Not that it’s a totally untrue statement, but dammit fellas. Toys. It’s toys.
After sitting on the figure for a couple of days (not literally) I can see the complaints about the shoulders. They can be gappy in some poses. But the trade-off would have been limited range of movement. I’m cool with the way they turned out because of the poses. Mmmm, the poses.
I can’t abide the comments of Bandai making the face too cartoony though. What? Crazy talk. Listen, I love my figma MCU Hulk too, but this thing stomps a gamma soaked mudhole in that one. Better colors, superior likeness, more articulation, and the limbs don’t fall apart when I choose to switch stances.
And the previous SHF Hulk? I didn’t even get that one because it looks like a very specific artist representation of the MCU done for the comics. That’s not a bad thing but it didn’t do much for me. I passed. I’m perfectly okay with that, especially now.
We have a couple of Marvel Legends Hulks. A few Marvel Selects. Those are fine figures, worthy of the shelf. But this one? This Figuarts Hulk right here? The skin texture, the sculpt, the range? The overall piece? I think it beats all of those in almost every way. Hell, because of the size you can also use this as a comic Hulk on your Legends shelf if you so desire. It’s a nice jack-of-all-trades Hulk.
He could be a little thicker. The factory could have painted the teeth and inside of the mouth AFTER printing on the shading of the face. I don’t even care, the overall powerful feel of the figure as a whole, both in look and durability, more than makes up for a couple of tiny shortcomings.
Now I did say that I’ll never need another movie Hulk ever again, and I stipulated that I actually might need one if they drastically change his look in some way. I still feel that way after getting him up on the shelf. There is still a lot of work to do when it comes to some other characters from the movies but Hulk? I’m now totally good. At least until the shininess wears off. (Get it, the rubbing hazard that makes some spots a little shiny? I point it out in the video, you heathens.)
Package:
Figure:
Hand options:
Head options:
Comparisons:
Action:
