Review of the Marvel Universe Wave 18 Hulk!

*I know Marvel week doesn't start until tomorrow but I'm posting this now in case I won't be able to get on tomorrow.*

It's time to kick off Marvel week and what better way to do that than with a figure that is just flat out above and beyond the others in it's series. Is that a bold statement? Absolutely. Read on, and see just why I feel that way.

The Basics:
Scale: 3 3/4 verging on 4"
Price: $8.99 - $13.99 in store. $11.21 - $39.92 on Amazon.com

Character Bio:
Hulk smashes, Hulk crashes, Hulk is an unstoppable mass of muscle and green-skinned fury. He bears little resemblance to his alter ego (the mild mannered Bruce Banner) save for the selfless scientist’s tattered pants. While Hulk fights for good, his unpredictability and sheer strength make him a big-time annoyance to the world’s biggest governing bodies.
For a more in depth bio on the jolly-green giant, check out: http://marvel.wikia.com/Hulk



Sculpt and Paint:

 

Now I myself am not a rabid Marvel Universe collector. I only went after the figures that I found to either look cool, or were of characters that I like, but I never picked up a Hulk because they never really looked good to me. The body sculpt sure, but the faces were horrible, one looked like it could be it's own meme! That said when I saw this guy on display at comic-con I had to have him. He looked incredible and he does not disappoint at all.

 



 

 The Jolly Green Giant has, in my opinion, one of the best sculpts to come out of the Marvel Universe line. His proportions are spot on for him. He just looks fantastic. The sculpt has the texture of a rhinoceros's rough skin, and the pants have a wonderful sculpt. There are seams down the sides, the rips hang wonderfully around his knees, and the back pockets actually have a "splitting" effect as though they are falling off of the shorts.

 

 

 

The face sculpt, which has always been an issue for me in the past, is amazing. He looks fierce, ready to strike, and just plain pissed. From the front he looks angry, from the side, he looks as though he is snarling. Now that, is a Hulk face!

 

As far as paint goes, it's hit or miss with this guy. Check the ones on the shelf before purchasing. The main areas are the eyes, teeth, and knees. I've seen some with really bad paint apps there but overall, very few. The hair tends to be fine but it never hurts to check.  All along the body and pants he has a black wash/shading effect that really makes him just "pop" on your shelf.

 

Articulation and Accessories:

 

 

Hulk has some of the best articulation I've seen on a Marvel Universe figure of his size. He has a swivel-hinge where the jaw meets the neck, and a swivel where the neck meets the chest. In his arms he has a swivel-hinge shoulder, swivel bicep, hinge elbows, and swivel wrists. He has two points of articulation in the torso, a ball joint above the abs, and a swivel at the waist. In his legs, he has a ball jointed thigh, swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, and swivel-hinge ankles. Now sure that sounds average, but for Hulk, he's always had nothing but a swivel- hinge at the knees, and the same at the elbows with no bicep, and he's never had (to my knowledge), that type of neck joint or a waist swivel WITH a ball-joint torso.

 

For accessories the Hulk has none, which is to be expected. He has two closed fists so he can't hold anything, but for the bigger figures that don't include accessories, I think it would be cool if the came with a personalized mini- display base. For example, Hulk could come with a shattered wall and he could be pegged into the sidewalk of the wall. That would be cool, but for now, I can only dream, or customize, but that's another post for another day.

 

 

OVERALL:
This Hulk is fun. It's a blast finding more and more poses for him. He is without a doubt the most poseable, most comic accurate Hulk to come out of the entire Marvel Universe line. Now there are 3 options when buying him. You can go with the single-carded version which I just reviews, the one in the Avengers Wal-Mart 4 pack, or the one in the First-Appearance Wolverine vs. Hulk comic-pack. The only difference between the three is the one in the Wolvie set is more of a bright green and bright purple. The other two are the same. So it really depends on whether you only want Hulk, or if you want a brighter Hulk. Either way, this guy deserves a spot on your shelf. A brilliant figure from the Marvel Universe line. This may just get me to collect the line more.



Final Verdict: 10 OUT OF 10!