Marvel Universe 3.75" Ultimate Gift Set 5-Pack

The Rangerlord and I stumbled upon this great set of your classic heroes at OG Orchard one day.  There were loads (more than 20) of this pack on sale at S$36.90 (down from $59.90), but no one was biting and they had been left lying there for a couple of months.  So when we both came upon it I had said, "Yeah, there it is.  The most expensive Captain America shield."

I was referring to when I had first seen this 5-pack on sale and told the Rangerlord, prompting him to say he wasn't going to pay that amount for the one thing that most would want from the gift pack.

The shield is translucent, you see, and all the figures in the sets were very basic-looking re-releases.  But more on that later.  I wasn't really batting an eyelid at the pile, until RL turns one of the sets over and says, "Hey, they're $15 each."

Suffice to say that caught my attention.  We both snagged a set each after pouring through the boxes for a nicely painted Cap each.  (And Thor.  And Iron Man.  And Spidey.  Wolverine, not so much...Haha.)

After passing the set by for so long, I was curious to see what it offered.  So here's what I found!

Classic Iron Man

Like: Um...yeah, not much in this department.Maybe that his eyes and mouth are painted black?  But the way they've done it, he looks like he complaining about something so yeah...He does come with a blast effect, though it's of the Mountain Dew spray variety, which looks like something you could drink at best and liquid excrement at worst.

Dislike: Oh, where do I start?  First up, the guy is entirely too skinny.  This was the problem with most all of the Marvel Universe Iron Men released before the IM2 movie line took it to the next level.  Here, the classic armour is completely the same as the initital MU release.  But instead of metallic paint, he comes in plastic red and yellow, as in he looks plasticky and cheap.  There are only two colours painted on--the yellow of the face, arc reactor, and hand/feet repulsors, and the black of his eyes and mouth.  Yup, cheap!

Rating: 5/10

Compare with: Iron Man 2 Classic Iron Man

Spiderman

Like: At first glance, I kinda poopoo-ed on Spidey--the first thing I look for is the waist swivel because the very first release had both a waist swivel and a chest pivot.  So naturally, I would assume the sculpt inferior if I didn't see a waist..  And I haven't seen one on a Spidey since the first MU waves.

But a closer look out of the box showed me some good things: the "paint", of which he has none.  All of his colour comes from a blue base body with the red and web design tampographed on.  Even his eyes are done this way, and I like the slightly glossy effect!  I also very much like the head, which I think is a brand new design.  The eyes and nose are sculpted along with the chin, but his Spidey-peepers have a thick rim treatment reminiscent of the 80s and perhaps early 90s.  Nice.

Also, he comes with two nifty accessories--a mass of web sling and a web-bag.  Both are nicely washed to bring out the web effect.  The bag even has paint on a shirt sleeve, camera, and shoe.

Dislike: That he's got the doomed-to-loosen-and-fall-off ball and socket legs.  All of them do!  Argh!  Also, his Spidey symbols could be done better.  the one in the front has a giant butt and looks like a tick, while the one on the back could have been great had the legs not been overly chunky.  It kinda looks like a giant patch of red from far.

Rating: 7.5/10

Compare with: Marvel Universe Spiderman (Old Rating System aka when I rated everything in the 9s.  Lol.)

Captain America

Like: That awesome translucent shield!  Exclusive to this set, this is the full Marvel universe version compete with a clip for the wrists but not with the elastic from previous releases.  It does have four catches where you could tie on elastic bands if you chose to do so, though.

I also believe this is the first time Cap has been released in full classic uniform, with wings on his head and a black belt with a silver buckle--it's a good thing for Cap fans and completists, I guess. ;)

The one other great thing about Cap: his more-than-standard MU articulation.  He's got a waist swivel as well as a chest pivot, and he's got boot-top swivels to go with hinge ankles.

Dislike: Something about the wings on his head bug me.  But I'm thinking it's more because I never liked this look.  And to top it off, he's got a dress belt to hold up a pair of tights.  Tights, people.  Who does that?  Lol.

Rating: 7/10

Compare with: First Avenger Movie Captain America, Marvel Universe Commander Rogers

Wolverine

Like: Another Wolverine?  Lol.  To be fair, I'd want one in this set if I were just beginning my Marvel Universe collection.  Seeing as how most of us aren't, this guy is just there for the kids.  What do I like, though?  Well, that he's the brown and yellow version...he's got a great chest pivot too...Ok, ok.  His overall articulation is really pretty flexible.  He does use the much dreaded lower torso of tubbiness that was initially used in one too many figures like Daredevil and Bullseye.

Dislike:  The broad red belt with the gold buckle for starters.  Again, a belt for tights?  I don;t much fancy that his claws are straight either.  The need to curve in a little at least.  i also do wish his hands were closed--why does he need to be holding anything when he's claws are out?  They also gave hima katana, which he'll never use.

Rating: 6/10

Compare with: Back Road Brawl 2-Pack Wolverine (Again, the old rating system--don't believe it!!! ;P)

Thor

Like: That they've re-issued this version from the Classic Avengers 3-pack.  The body is the same sculpt as that and the Secret Wars release but the head was new when the did the 3-pack.  And it looks like classic comic Thor, all right.  I do so love the wings, which are moulded and left in pure white.

He does so verily still come with Mjolnir, his cape is still removable and they've given him a less blonde treatment, with his hair, belt, and boots moulded a slightly deeper yellow than in the Classic 3-pack.  He's also got a more-than-standard waist swivel and chest pivot, so that's nice.

I am Tho--Ooh, ant!

Dislike: That they tried to give him the classic bare-sided look with paint. The problem here is that when you swivel his chest pivot, the paint goes out of alignment and he looks like a tapir.  A soft rubber layer would've been nice a la Colossus and a cloth good garment would have been perfect.  But that definitely would've not costed out.  Boy, we fans are a hard bunch to please, eh? ;)

Rating: 7/10

Compare with: Classic Avengers 3-Pack Thor, Secret Wars 2-Pack Thor, Thor Sighting

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - An above average set with obvious flaws - meaning that there are better versions of these characters out there.  But if classic is your thing, or if you know someone who's a fan of Marvel Universe but hasn't gotten their claws into some sweet 3.75" lovin' yet, this would do nicely.  Eventually, they'd probably find higher quality versions of these characters and get them.  If you have a nephew or niece who's into superheroes and wouldn't really care about which Avengers they get to bash against each other, so long as they are Avengers, this is again the set to get.

And if you're a customizer/kit basher, you'd find some nice bits in the 5-pack too.  personally, I got this set because of the Spidey and his web + bag and Cap's shield.  The rest is custom-fodder, with things like heads, lower legs, torsos and arms likely to come in handy some time down the road.  I might even be able to use these guys to bribe the kid as he gets older.  Haha.  :)