Marvel Legends Face Off Hulk!!!

This has got to be one of the first Marvel Legends figures I got way back when I only wanted to get one Hulk, the perfect Hulk, and the Rangerlord pointed me to this 2-Pack Hulk that came with the Leader.

A few years and quite a few Hulks later, I pull out this guy and realize that he's a pretty damn good Hulk.  In fact, he's probably the best damn Hulk out there sculpt-wise, articulation-wise, and maybe even paint-wise.

So put aside your Marvel Universe Hulks, your other Marvel Legends Hulks, and of course your Megos Hulk, kick back and take a gander at this review!


 Like: His proportions.  His arms are just long enough, his hands are just the right size, his legs aren't overly bent nor does he have too wide a stance.   His torso and chest are not to large, too small or too restrictive to his articulation, and his head is also the right size and width.

These may feel like they are givens if you like a particular figure but on a Hulk he's vital.  There are too many of them out there that have great torsos but poor heads (MU 1st release Hulk/Grey Hulk), great arms that end up to long (Target Movie Exclusive 6" Hulk), and great size and scale to other figs but weird faces or chests that are too big (movie 3.75" Hulks).  So this guy is the best out there in terms of a proportionally pleasing Hulk.


Like: His head and face.  It's just wide enough, with a flat enough nose and  eyes that are just perfect: not too wide, and not too small or large.  The wide cheekbones stand out nicely without making him look like a baboon.

Hulk's scowl is also angry enough but not so crazy it throws off the eyebrows, which are excellently painted.

What I like best though, is the upper lip to nose distance.  It's larger than a normal person as it should be, but not so large that he starts looking like a chimpanzee.  See these things are important because HULK WANT LOOK HANDSOME AND NOT LIKE APE.

Like: The snarl.  It's just right in terms of how it fits the proportions of his face.  The teeth are painted white but given a dirty brown wash.  It's so dirty it looks great. :)

There's a 'roar' variant to this figure, and I'd pick it up if I saw it for cheap, but I think the snarl fits the figure better because it goes better with more of the poses that this Hulk can pull off.

Like: His articulation, all 27 points of 'em.  I love the Legends heads where they have a swivel and hinge in the neck.  Not only does it give the Hulk a great downward and side to side movement, it does it well. Hulk can't look up very much if at all though, and that's due to how his neck sticks out from huge shoulder and neck muscles.

The other points I love are in his feet.  Each foot has a point/pivot ankle hinge, a rocker hinge, and hinged toes!  It's awesome how he has these and still can maintain his balance without the joints moving under his weight.

Dislike: No Ab Crunch. But this is minor because his hips work well enough to compensate for this.  Also an ab crunch would probably break the torso sculpt enough to make a great looking Hulk body look like crap.

Dislike: No fists, and his hands, while superbly articulated, don't close into proper fists.  He ends up doing a lot of slapping.

Like: The detail and tooling of the sculpt.  Pants has texture.  Skin is leathery and wrinkly where it needs to be and his veins are not overly done. They are still there, but it adds to the powerful body sculpt instead of drawing attention away from it.

Like: His hair, which is just long enough and unkempt enough to frame his face without taking attention away from it.  It's also painted black and given just the right amount of green highlights to look believable or real.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8.5/10 - A great shade of green and a good magenta/purple pair of pants to match kicks off the great look.  Add the wonderful face and the proportionately pleasing sculpt and you have yourself a winner!  If there's anything to fault here it's perhaps that his skin looks a little shiny and that's because most of him is cast is green plastic.  But it's a very, very minor issue considering how well they sculpted him and the great dull/grey green color of the plastic (minus the shine, of course).

Poseability: 9/10 - 27 PoAs, 27 reasons why this Hulk not only looks good but plays well too. An angry but not overly done face also keeps him looking good with every pose he pulls off.   

Special mention also goes to his hips on top of those I mentioned above.  He's got the Hasbro swivel/hinge "ball joints" there which move freely and yet are not loose.  Forward, back wards, side to side, you don't need to wrestle the hips joints into position.  Also, the ball-joints have been given the same texture as his paints, which is rare for a Legends figure, even a new one from one of the current waves.  Most, if not all of those have smooth balls without texture.

Fun: 10/10 - He's the perfect size for all your other Legends figures and can hold onto/grip/grapple other figures readily.  The excellent hand articulation also lets him hold a myriad of accessories, from pipes to steel girders.  Lifting other figures over his head and balancing is

Value: 9/10 - Hulk comes with the Leader, a double diorama base, two figure arm stands (that can plug into the figures' backs for additional support), and a cardboard diorama background depicting robots firing lasers and such.  It's an all inclusive playset and I think I only paid S$30-S$40 for it way back when I got it.  Even all those years back (2006) it's a steal.  Now that's value for ya! :)

Overall: 9.25/10 - It's hard for a Hulk fan like me not to like every Hulk I buy.  After all, I must've first liked how they looked in package before deciding to buy 'em.  But by the same token,being a fan of Hulk means I probably have higher standards than the "average" fan who might or might not be partial to the Jolly Green Giant.  That this guy impresses me, especially after having got him first and going through lots more Hulks, shows that he's gotta be one of the best, if not the best 6 inch scale Hulk out there.

If you have the chance to own him for a reasonable price, don't hesitate!  You definitely won't regret it. :)