Review- Marvel Legends series 9 Hulk

FA Hulk from Toybiz's Marvel Legends series 9
by Staff Member "Junkpile"

Well, I finally picked up the last of ML9, and even though they just came out, it felt like forever between finding figures. Just stay hopeful, vigilant, and order from Sandy. Here's the review on the First Appearance Hulk figure from the Galactus wave.

Articulation

Please keep in mind, each joint I list is for one side of the figure, except for the mid-line stuff like waist and neck, etc.

Toes - hinge
Ankle - swivel for side-to-side
Ankle – up and down
Knee – double joint
Top of thigh - cut-joint just below the hip ball
Hips - ball-jointed
Waist – belt-line cut-joint
Abs - cut-joint-ish (OK, I'm still not sure what to call this, but it allows the top half of the torso to slide front to back a bit, and to rotate a little; just like the Savage Hulk from Hulk Classics, but with less range [which is a good thing])
Shoulder - ball-jointed
Bicep – swivel
Elbow – single joint
Wrist – hinge
Wrist - cut-joint
Fingers - hinge (last three fingers)
Finger - hinge (first, pointer-finger)
Thumb - hinge
Neck – hinge (allows him to look up and down)
Neck - peg (allows rotation of 360 degrees)

Sculpt

I was really skeptical about this figure when I saw him solicited, and got an eye-full at Toy Fair. I'm a huge Hulk fan (he's the reason I started reading comics 17 years ago, and the reason I'm into toys now), so I AM familiar with the different artistic interpretations over the years. I know not everyone feels the way I do, but I've always liked the nostalgia of a Trimpe, Buscema or Kirby Hulk, but only the nostalgia. I've always preferred the more modern versions, which look more realistic and more detailed. That said, I'm surprised at how much I like this figure! He's very much like the old Kirby pencils from the comic, which means blocky, light on the detailing, and an old-school Frankenstein-shaped head. Somehow, ToyBiz managed to put all this together and give me a figure that I'm still glad fits nicely with my ML's. He's definately a step in the right direction as far as size goes; standing just a hair over 8", and just about 3.25" across at the shoulders. That kind-of surprised me, since Kirby actually drew him at a more realistic size than the later artists. A little more muscle, and veins, and we're cookin'!! Seriously, it's a really good sculpt overall, and really captures the FA look, but the artic and paint keep him at home with your more detail-oriented figs (think smart Hulk, Ultimate Cap, etc.).

Paint

The paint works really nicely. It's pretty tight, with no visible painting or chipping, and no bleeding. He's done in grey, with blue pants, and some of the muscle on his body is accented (highlighted, whatever...) with green, which actually looks much better than it might sound. It's not only a good way to shade him without making him too dark, but it gives the idea of foreshadowing the changes to come. The detailing on his face is the most intricate on this particular figure, and it's really flawless.

Accessories

Hulk comes with one of the Galactus pieces (I can't remember if it's an arm or leg at the moment, 'cause it went right into my Galactus!!). The Big G has his own review, which does a great job of letting you know what's up with the accessories, so go check it out.

Overall

This particular rendition of the Hulk gets a 7.75 out of 10 from me. If it weren't for the lack of muscle, and that totally bizarre ab-joint, he'd go higher. It's really a great figure, and there aren't any complaints that I could make to ToyBiz. It's a solid addition to the line, I just would have preferred the more modern incarnations (especially at this height or taller). If he'd been in series 1, then he'd have been an easy 9.5, but TB has done so much with fine detailing in the last couple series that it feels like back-sliding a bit (but heck, you get a piece of Galactus!!).

Head over to the Toy Review forum to see more.