In a way this review is kind of late, but these guys are still a set of figures that are hard to come by. While some areas are receiving the Comic Pack Wave 2 Iron Man line fairly easily, others are still swamped in wave 1’s that are choking the pegs. A lot has been said about Hasbro’s distribution problems all the way back to the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom wave fiasco. Basically there isn’t much more that can be said besides Hasbro really needs to straighten this mess up or it will be bad for business. Fans are frustrated and losing patients, some have out and left their favorite toylines (many of them friends of mine) rather than have to deal with the infuriating search for figures that never seem to find their way to the shelves. While online is an option, many retailers take it upon themselves to raise the prices nearly as much (or more) than the scalpers on eBay. What is a collector to do?
Occasionally you can get lucky, like I was with this set of figures. I just happened to look on the right day on the right time at Hasbro Toy Shop and managed to get what I wanted, also I added the Dr. Doom/Absorbing man pack that had eluded me to this point. Since the comic packs have similar issues as the Iron Man 2 line with over saturated figures packed in with desirable ones thus creating a “bottle-neck” effect I thought I would add them to this review (NOTE: A miniaturized Wasp is also in the pack but I am saving her for something else).
To begin is the big guy of the wave: Hulkbuster Iron Man.
The figure is massive as he should be. Also he thankfully has a reasonable level of articulation unlike Thing and Hulk of the MU line but it should be noted he has a slight bit less articulation than MU Juggernaught (Although the ball hips work better than the t-bar hips on Marvel Universe Jugghead).
It’s been said over and over again that the Iron Man line has too many Iron Man figures in it, and I agree with that assessment. Some figures like “horned” classic Iron Man and Power Assault Iron Man are exercises in overkill of a good idea. While Iron Man needs several different versions of himself, the idea can be taken to an extreme.
With Hulkbuster though, I honestly feel this is one of the more important Iron Man armors to date. As important as the original, or “classic” armors. As such a big part of me thinks he should have been part of the first wave of the comic series.
Posing this figure with the Marvel Universe version of the Hulk really shows the very weak points of the Hulk mold. The lack of real hip articulation in the Hulk prevent many dramatic poses that should be quite natural. In fact it’s such a difference it makes one want to demand a new Hulk sculpt (more than the figure itself does in the first place). He also has neck articulation which is odd since he doesn't have a neck, still that little extra is appreciated as Hasbro could have gotten away without it.
While Hulkbuster is large, he is not as imposing as some figures like Juggernaught. This works for him in many ways though as the Hulkbuster armor never seemed as huge as some artists have made it seem. However he does blend well with the other big figures of the Marvel Universe line.
I have to say if you see Hulkbuster grab him, he is difficult to find and is one of those figures that looks great in any collection.
Titanium man is up next, and I will be honest that I would have rather of had the classic Titanium man that was destroyed in the Armor Wars storyline and be nearly the size of the Hulkbuster armor. While Titanium Man is tall he is not near as imposing as Hulkbuster. The classic outfit was huge, a figure about the size of Iron Monger from the IM2 movie line would be satisfactory for the figure. This is the more modernized version of the Titanium Man armor. It’s a decent enough look though, but not what I would have voted for given the chance.
Still it works for what it is, it is odd that Hasbro chose this version of Titanium Man but the classic look of Crimson Dynamo. Still he is cool and looks great beside of his comrade Crimson Dynamo. Although not as big as Hulkbuster or Iron Monger, he is very tall which works so that he and Dynamo blend together. However he does look a tad skinny compared to Dynamo, but looks pretty good with the Iron Man figures of the line.
There have been reports of Titanium Man having very loose ankles, so bad that he cannot stand. Mine is a bit loose but nowhere near that bad. He stands on his own pretty well in fact, but the ankles do move a bit too easy, but not so easy his own weight brings him down.
I figure this is our one shot at Titanium Man in this scale so he is a grabber, he is a good figure although not my first choice for the version used.
Next up Guardsman, according to the card back this is the individual Guardsmen that attacked Iron Man and not the guards of the super-villain prison The Vault. Truth is they both look the same so it doesn’t matter which one you want him to be.
Guardsman is built up pretty well, his sculpt is rather buff and in some places he appears to have developed some new muscles. Obviously the suit is just the outer shell and this does not reflect the individual inside.
My first exposure to Guardsman was in the classic Armor Wars storyline in which Tony discovered his technology had been stolen and replicated into many of his arch-enemies. Tony went so far as to destroy even the good guys he had given his technology to. He destroyed the suits at the Vault but the Guardsmen later showed up again as the Guards of the Vault in later storylines. I am not sure if there ever was an explanation as to why or how the suits were remade or if Stark Technology was ever used to remake them.
One thing I really like about the figure is the way the green shines on him. It’s a similar effect that was given to the paint on the Vision from the MU line. It defiantly gives the figure an armored feel and presence.
On the “blast” thingy, I am just going to say it looks obscene. Really not sure what Hasbro was thinking when they made it that shape. I haven’t mentioned it before (as the same blast came with classic Iron Man) but really that deserves some ridicule.
Stepping away from the Iron Man line for a second, I decided to tag the Marvel Universe Doom/Absorbing Man comic pack on the end here. This Iron Man comic wave has two more figures but I have no interest in them plus I was trying to discern where to put these two in the reviews. Note that I am keeping the miniaturized Wasp out of it for now (she will be popping up somewhere later. That is all I am saying about that plan for now).
Absorbing Man is an unusual figure but he is an unusual character as well. I remember the first time I read Absorbing Man fighting the Hulk. The fight ends when Absorbing Man picks up a mountain but also absorbs the mountain and loses the strength to hold it up (I thought it was kind of weak even back then, but hey it’s not real life). Absorbing Man seems like a loser to the stars in Marvel. Most of his plans go haywire to say the least. Still he is a very powerful villain and the Marvel Universe line is very lacking in those at this point (but is getting better).
His Figure is rather cool though, it appears he is partly absorbed into rock or some other substance, much like the Marvel Legends figure. He also comes with his signature ball and chain (reused from Thunderball, which is ok since there is a reference in Secret Wars to them looking exactly alike). The paint is slightly different giving it a unique look at least.
And last but not least is Dr. Doom who’s presence makes this comic pack so hard to find. Not sure how public knowledge this is but Mark Hamil looked at the concept pictures for Darth Vader and thought he was Dr. Doom. I think it’s a testament to how iconic a character Doom is (and Vader and Doom share a lot of traits like facial scaring and armor). Overall I like this figure, my only knock would be the way the knees bend into each other almost giving him an “I’ve got to go” look.
And last but not least is Dr. Doom who’s presence makes this comic pack so hard to find. Not sure how public knowledge this is but Mark Hamil looked at the concept pictures for Darth Vader and thought he was Dr. Doom. I think it’s a testament to how iconic a character Doom is (and Vader and Doom share a lot of traits like facial scaring and armor). Overall I like this figure, my only knock would be the way the knees bend into each other almost giving him an “I’ve got to go” look.
In comparison to his MLS/SHS version, he is much taller but also much his form is more even than the SHS version. I constantly knock Hasbro in comparison to SHS but this time they got it pretty close to right. There are still aspects I like about the Toy Biz version like the clenched fist and ability to hold his arms straight to his side. But still the MU is overall better than SHS. The MU version also has a much better cape than the MU version, one much more fitting of Doom.
Doom reuses Ultron’s limbs as is very public knowledge by now. This also makes him a great deal taller than expected. Not sure how I feel about this since I have always pictured Doom even with most humans. This puts him way over most of the figures in MU and makes him appear as if in a whole different scale than many other figures. While some will argue this makes him look more ominous, I have always felt part of Doom’s appeal is the fact he did not necessarily tower over everyone he meets.
Of course my general view of reused parts is to avoid when possible, and this time it was defiantly possible. The Marvel Universe line is in no threats at this point and reusing molds comes across as cheap, especially in a line that is so much more expensive than most lines in its scale. However it is also highly noticeable that the comic packs are not nearly as expensive (and are less than the Star Wars packs even though the SW singles are cheaper, very odd). At least in the comic packs some savings can be seen of the reuse of molds I suppose.
Doom’s head sculpt is what ultimately wins me over though. He actually looks exactly like he does in the comic which is very much what I was looking for with Doom. I think an opportunity was blown here though as the Secret Wars armor would have been better served I think. Doom is defiantly a big enough character to warrant two versions and this version could have easily sold as a single. I am not sure the same can be said for the Secret Wars armor. It’s really Doom’s only variation (Unless you count some alternate timelines like Doom 2099, PS a figure I would love to see) and I am not sure if the demand for a single will be there (or if Hasbro believes the demand is there).
Doom also comes with a gun, even though I never remember a comic appearence where he used one (NOTE: Apparently the Marvel Legends version did as well). He also has the room for a working holster but for some strange reason he doesn't. I actually thought he did until I got the figure out and looked at the holster, a very strange occurence there.
I am giving Doom 5 stars but pointing out he is not perfect. Still he is the best Doom in the scale yet and is one of my favorite all time characters.
Overall these are some really cool figures, it is a shame they are still difficult to find. As of this writing none of these have been seen locally around me (but to be fair the Storm/Nightcrawler and Thing/Bulldozer have so Doom/Absorbing Man have been around at least, if only twice). It is my greatest hope that whatever distribution problems that Hasbro keeps having get straightened out at some point in the near future. It would be nice to see all of these at retail. But if you haven’t ordered online and see these, I would say snag them up, they are cool.