Marvel Select Thing

I remember when I first saw photos of the Thing: I wanted to get him--but only if I had a suitable large Hulk to go with him.  But then Marvel Select's Hulk turned out to be less than ideal.  Hulk's head sculpt didn't quite do it for me. Too zombie-like instead of angry.  So I passed on the Thing, happy that I'd gotten Marvel Select Ultimate Hulk, who didn't quite belong to the same Universe.  Anyway, Hulk always strongest one there is (!!!) so he didn't really need a friend.

"You want the Thing, you gotta feed me first, Father's Day or not!"

Until now.

Whoddathunk that I had to get married and become a father first.  Why?  Because the Thing turned out to be my first the Father's Day present!  How?  well, the wife said, "I'm not even gonna try and surprise you because I'm not sure what's the next figure on your list.  So we're gonna go to the store and you're gonna pick out something."

Funny.  SomeThing was exactly what I chose.  So thank you, Mel my dear, and little Christian for a fantastic (Four) first Father's Day gift!

Like: He's a chunk!  The Thing's sheer size and weight is amazing.  It's as if they've not just copied his look, texture and colors but also his weight and reduced it proportionately till he was in 7"-scale.  If you had him displayed on your shelf and he fell on your foot, you'd probably break a metatarsal.

Like: His face sculpt.  He's got a brooding pout, low brow ridge, and fantastically apt blue eyes fer the Ever Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing!

Like: His rocky texture. Marvel have perfected making Things with the right color and feel of rock, not matter how different the look is.  In this case, they've given him a dark undercoat and highlighted over with orange-brown paint for that craggy look.

Like: The size of his meat hooks.  They didn't pull any punches here.  (Get it?  Get it?)  Thing's arms are over-large and each of his fists are way bigger than his head.  If you had him posed with a fist out and dropped him on your glass coffee table, well, good luck to the coffee table! ;P

Dislike: His limited leg articulation.  I did expect limited movement from his legs with the line focused more on sculpt and paint and a lot less on articulation.  But his legs are limited to angled swivels, meaning that he can;t really put one leg forward without it looking like he's kicking a football.  Of course, this rendered trying to balance him with one leg forward pretty much futile.  But not impossible...

Dislike: That they could've given him more accessories than just a fancy stand that looks like some sort of futuristic exhaust pipe and a super small, double-sided cardboard background piece.  (They were so underwhelming I forgot to take a pic!  Doh!)  I don't know that it even works properly behind him because of the figures sheer size!

Like: That he balances well because of his big feet and heavy body.  I just love it when you can pose two figures together like this!

"It's Clobberin' Time!"

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 10/10 - This is the one area Marvel Select was made for--looking good! While not all characters might come off the way you or I might like, the Thing certainly does, I'm sure!  From the rocky texture of his skin, the wonderfully sculpted head and fists to the excellent paint, on to the spray shaded light blue tights and shiny black-painted boots, there's hardly a part of the Thing that is not beautiful to look at.  And the eyes?  Well, that's the cherry on top!

Poseability: 7/10 - Less PoAs and a chunky sculpt usually mean diminished articulation.  The same goes for Marvel Select Thing but he does have the advantage of being super stable and being fantastically good to look at.  However you display him, even if it's just standing square with his arms by his side, his pose will still look great!

Fun: 8/10 - I like Thing figures because I find the character fun.  He's the fun guy on the Fantastic Four despite being the sulky dude and always find time for a wisecrack during combat (or otherwise).  I mean just looking at his mug makes you wanna grin with joy.  And this is just when Thing's by himself.  Throw in another member of the 'Four or another bulky figure and you'll have yourself a hoot.

Value: 7/10 - Large figures are always feel more worth their weight in gold and Thing really takes the cake when it comes to being a heavy hitter.  Add to that the fact that other toys (Marvel Universe, DC Universe Classics) are going up in price but Marvel Select figures have dropped some and you won't regret shelling out for o' Ben Grimm.

I paid S$40 (US$32) for this guy when I would've paid upwards of $50 for him maybe a year or two back for a figure of equal bulk.  Part of it is due to the falling U.S. Dollar but even then the prices could've been hiked up like MU or DCUC stuff.  Instead, they've fallen and I can't see how the Thing isn't value for money!

Overall: 8.5/10 - It's a keeper!  A whole half of a bonus point for Big Ben here because he's just that awesome.  I also enjoyed him a lot more because I'd been wanting him for some time now but have been holding out--he was never a top priority and something else always caught my eye.  But when my wife told me to pick something, anything, out for my first ever Father's Day, I just thought about which figure would be big enough to mark the occasion.  Well, the Thing definitely fits the bill in more ways than one.  Just looking at his pouty mug reminds me of my son's cross lil' kisser when he's uncomfortable about something.  I know!  I just said my 2 1/2 month old son looks like the Thing!  Well, I'll get away with it for the next 16 years or so...Before he gets Thing-sized enough to pummel his old man.  Heh.  ;P