Marvel Universe 3.75" Wave 14 Skaar!

The idea of Hulk having a son he didn't know about born from the destruction left behind on the planet Sakaar was an intriguing one.  And I have to say that despite the distraction that was the whole Red Hulks saga, Skaar's story was the more important one, both to the continuing saga of Banner's struggle to rid himself of the Green Goliath and to the Skaar character himself.

Basically, Skaar's got abandonment issues with Dad and wants to kill him for leaving him and Sakaar to die.  So Skaar cones to Earth and locates his father.  But it's the Green Scar he's looking for and not the Savage Hulk so Skaar says he'll return when King Hulk does.

When he next meets Dad, Bruce Banner's been robbed of the ability to transform by the Red Hulk.  But Banner is confident that the Hulk will find some way to return n decides to train Skaar for that eventuality.  Banner is forced to absorb radiation from a gamma bomb in the middle of a city to save lives.  But the radiation triggers his transformation into the World Breaker--father and son fight.  After handily beating the young upstart, the Hulk remembers how Banner's Dad abused him.  An instead of finishing Skaar (who's reverted to his childlike human form) off, he embraces him as his son.

So long story short, we get the Marvel Universe version of the character and one of Hulk's new crew!

Like: His head sculpt.  Though he's not as youthful and has a squarer jaw than he is usually drawn, you know it's not the Hulk.  His hair is also especially well done.  It does get in the way of him looking up but thanks to the wonderful swivel/hinge his got, he can even look straight down at his chest.

Like: The tone of pale green for his skin.  His Old Power tattoos are also well done, a light enough shade to indicate they are tattoos but not so light that they seem like they've faded over time like some old tats do.

Like: His kickass sword. To bad the blade is a dull plastic looking gray.

Like: His sheathe!  Nice and wide, sculpted to look like bound leathers.

Dislike: Lots of his leather aren't painted or washed--his sheathe, the loincloth and belt combo, his boots.  They're excellently tooled, so it's a pity they look glaringly plastic.

Like:  He's got two gripping hands.  Like Dad (WW Hulk version) he's able to be pimped out with more than one weapon or a weapon and shield.  Or you can make him grab things just as easily--he's got Dad's hands!

But unlike Dad, who's got two spindly weapon grips he can't quite hold onto, Skaar's sword's got a thicker handle so that he can grip it firmly.  All he better to hack 'n' slash with!

Dislike: That he only comes with one weapon. They gave WW Hulk two weapons and a shield so maybe an additional spear or axe would've been cool.

Like: The small but important parts they've added to set Skaar apart from other chunky figures.  Make no mistake, Skaar is a Juggernaut body except for he head, the hands and the lower legs (and feet).  But separately and remarkably sculpted armor and clothes make him very much unique.

Usually , toy makers can change the color on a figure and you'd still be able to tell which character he originally was.  But Hasbro are the kings of color variance, intricately tooled parts, and figuring out which parts have to be changed to make a figure unique.  And a great job they do of the latter because those parts they re-tool for, like heads, are usually completely brand new!

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9/10 - Skaar's really wonderful to look as.  Yes he's got a few issued with the underpainting/lack of washes for his harness/sheathe/loincloth/boots/sword, but detail on these are so sharp and well-tooled it's easy to close one eye and let it slide.

His loincloth, bracers and harness are all separate pieces, showing that Hasbro are willing to go that extra mile to make what is a generic big-guy sclpt unique. Skaar's also got a great stern face and nicely tooled hair, so the figure looks excellent all round!

Poseability: 9.5/10 - Thigh cuts, big feet, and a good chest pivot form the base of good poses in most all figures and Skaar has them.  Throw in a swivel/Hinge head with neck swivel and a big ass sword and you got quite a bit of "pose" on your hands.  Then there's the usable sheathe for his sword and the attached removable harness...for those bare-chested times...

One thing he doesn't have that similar sculpts like Thanos and Juggernaut do: boot top swivels.  It's not a big deal though, unless you absolutely must have his feet flat on the ground in every pose. Lol.

Fun: 9/10 - He's part of the Hulk family and one that's truly rated to Bruce Banner.  In fact, only he and Jen Walters are truly blood relations.  Yeah, he's got that other son but ya know, one son we can take.  Two sons?  I dunno...

What truly intrigues me about Skaar is the character itself.  That by extension really makes me dig the figure.  He's the one character that changes the Bruce Banner/Betty Ross relationship because he's a constant reminder that Hulk got it on with his alien queen and produced offspring, something that Bruce and Betty never really had the chance to do.  That he found Hulk found true happiness with someone else hasn't really gone down well with Betty/ (***Spoiler Alert***) Red She-Hulk.


Toy-wise, while having a sword is great, I find myself wanting to give him a spear or Dad's shield or axe.  He needs a little more to make him truly great in terms of having fun with him alone.

That said, he does pose well with any of the Hulks, Red Hulk, or even the other large figures like Juggernaut, Thanos, or Thing.  And as long as Hasbro keeps giving large MU figures thigh cuts, I have to say the level of fun/playability has gone up a couple of notches!

Like father like son...

Value: 8/10 - Not one of the value for money figures in terms of accessories. He's also missing the Fury/H.A.M.M.E.R Files and ID card since the 'Bro has stopped printing them with this wave.  He is a large figure though and does come with one accessory and  stand, so overall he's god value.  He ain't no WW Hulk, of course, but then it's always tough to live up to your super famous Dad's reputation.


Overall: 9/10 - I'd take your arm and leg (non-plastic) for this figure.

Like father like son II

As far as large characters go, Marvel Universe has not dropped the ball at all.  In fact, since the days of the first Hulk figures, they've gone from strength to strength, be it in the head sculpts or the articulation.  I can understand many people passing on this guy because he's a rather new character and a Hulk B-Lister at most.  Others may not even know who the heck he is.  But as far as I can tell, it seems like he's here to stay.  So picking him up for a reasonable price may not be a bad thing at all.  Maybe he'll do something awesome in one of his future stories and you'll get to like him loads. :)

Meanwhile, all that's left is for Hasbro to roll out their large-sized female characters--She-Hulk has already been revealed but Red She-Hulk, Titania, Thundra, and Savage She-Hulk (just to name a few) come to mind when thinking of sculpt re-use.  From what we've seen so far from their SDCC reveals. the 'Bro have shown they can do a great large-sized female as well as improve the current female buck.  Check out Scarlet Witch!  Or you can just enjoy the rest of these Skaar v Hulk action shots! ;)

Who's your Daddy now?