Not too long ago I covered the Top 5 Hulk figures to grace Hulk Classics or Marvel Legends, and I was met with questions about why I did not choose this figure as one of my top 5. And truth is, this is a figure very worthy of being a Top 5 Hulk figure, it has a great sculpt and good articulation, it is well painted and has all the fixings for being a great figure. But those are also some of the reasons that I hold it back.
I’m not a huge fan of the source material. Hulk is based off Ed McGuinness art. I’m a big fan of McGuinness’s art; his run on Deadpool is still a favorite and I recently revisited it. In that series he took on Hulk and did an amazing job. Later on he would actually take on the reigns of Hulk. This toy is based on the artwork found within those pages. It’s an artist specific sculpt and for those that want an artist specific Hulk based on McGuinness’s art then this figure is a huge success. However that characteristic makes it stand out on a toy shelf, specially one that is not made up of matching artist specific characters. The noticeable areas are the chest and biceps as they really carry the “squared” look that defines McGuinness’s art. If these were less square I’d be all over this figure as a Hulk Top 5’er; the rest of the sculpt is top notch and really is non-descript as a Hulk figure.
The other area that keeps this figure off my Top 5 list is the articulation. And oh how I will be dragged through the ringer on this one. Yes, he has a ton of articulation and comparable amount when compared to previous Hulk figures. He has perfectly functioning ab joint, something previous Hulk figures cannot claim, this is the pinnacle of this Hulk figure. The rest of the articulation is standard and most of the other Hulks have comparable if not better articulation. Where this Hulk loses points for me is in the lack of ankle rockers. A big heavy figure like Hulk really benefits from ankle rockers and the lack of these joints is really a huge mark off.
- hinged ankles
- swivel ankles
- hinged knees
- thigh swivels
- ball hips
- swivel waist
- hinged ab
- ball shoulders
- swivel biceps
- hinged elbows
- swivel wrists
- hinged wrists
- ball head
This figure does make up for that loss with fists. Yes you heard me, no slappy happy hands! And for those of you that will argue slappy or grabby hands are a must as Hulk rips things apart, you also need to take into account “Hulk Smash” and that means fists. It means he smashes with his fists, he punches. The comment isn’t “Hulk Tears” or “Hulk Rips” it is smash. Now I know this is where many of you will now attempt to prove otherwise, some may post pictures refuting my claim, but I will not be turned. Smashing requires a fist or fists. Not slappy happy hands.
I do love the face sculpt on this figure. It is really sharp and while based on Mcguinness’s art isn’t so specific that it can’t be used. In fact I do use it with my “comic Avengers” line up. This is one of the better face sculpts that we’ve had on a Hulk. The hair cut no so much, but then we’ve had some Hulk figures with really bad hair cuts.
All in all this is a really good Hulk figure. It’s not ground breaking or revolutionary, it doesn’t push the toy boundaries in what can be designed with a Hulk, or revolutionize action figures. Hulk is just a good fun solid toy based on some good comic art.
You can still pick this figure up on Amazon.com but it will cost you. These figures are expensive on the aftermarket, good hunting!
You can discuss this further on the fwoosh forums!
