Incredible Hulk :: World War Hulk

I originally posted about my Marvel Universe World War Hulk figure waaay back in 2011. But you probably don't remember that far back so here he is again.

I just love this guy. As if Hulk weren't badass enough, give the guy a sword and a battle axe and you've got one bad mamma-jamma!

I don't really follow The Incredible Hulk, but somehow over the years I have amassed quite the 3 3/4" collection of figures related to the Hulk. World War Hulk here, as well as Red Hulk, Abomination and A-Bomb.

Ironically this is the only Banner/Hulk I own of the bunch. There have been some pretty good standard Hulks in the Marvel universe line, but somehow they have all eluded me to date.

Someday I'll have to pick one up, but until then World War Hulk is my 'go-to' traditional Hulk in this scale, and that's just fine by me!

It looks like A-Bomb went off in here :: a Marvel Universe A-Bomb that is!

During the Red Hulk storyline, otherwise pointless teen sidekick to the Incredible Hulk Rick Jones was transformed into a Hulk/Abomination type character aptly dubbed A-Bomb. Which is a great name for a Gamma-irradiated beast with Abomination like powers. Rick Jones aka A-Bomb, like Abomination, was unable to transform back to his human counterpart but retained all of his original intelligence. Things may have changed since I last read a Hulk comic book, but that's at least how I remember it.

I thought the Red Hulk storyline was fun and of course Ed McGuinness' art is fantastic on these type of steroid infused characters, so after getting the Marvel Universe Abomination I knew I had to have the 50/50 variant A-Bomb figure too!

This Rick Jones aka A-Bomb action figure is officially Marvel Universe Series 23 figure #019. If these are still appearing at a retail location near you, keep your eyes peeled. I found mine at a local comic shop, but the 'must-have' fever has apparently passed for these; I was able to get him for a tiny bit over retail cost, and not the inflated eBay prices I had seen in the recent past.

Patience pays off, ladies and gentleman.

The most recent Marvel Universe Abomination, A-Bomb and Rhino all share the same body. The body was developed for Rhino, so it isn't the most perfect representation of A-Bomb or Abomination, but it works and it is very fun to have these guys in this scale to match wits...I mean 'fists'...with my Marvel Universe Red Hulk.

The head sculpts and the fist sculpts are unique to each Abomination/A-Bomb variant, and each has feet that are different from Rhino's. A-Bomb has the added feature of scalloped/armored wrists which also help him to stand out among his similarly sculpted counterparts.

I'm tempted to get Rhino as well, as he is an excellent looking figure. But my primary goal here was to gather together a handful of Hulk themed beasts for an epic battle to be photographed some time in the future (when I am able to track down my World War Hulk and Hulk Buster Iron-Man in the same scale!)

Until then, enjoy the card art of Abomination and A-Bomb duking it out.

One Abomination Under God

I have this Marvel Universe Abomination thanks to Boy Wonder of Super Duper Toy Box fame. I still have not seen this latest wave in any retail establishment near me, but when I heard Abomination was a part of it, I had to have him! And BW came through and found him for me. Thanks Boy Wonder!

This Emil Blonsky aka Abomination action figure is officially Marvel Universe Series 23 figure #019. He is one of two Abomination variants, the other being the Rick Jones A-Bomb modern version, whom I also really want but have not seen at retail yet.

But nothing beats the classics. And the original Abomination is a favorite of mine, so I couldn't not own this one! Unfortunately, he doesn't have any shorts. The body is from the Marvel Universe Rhino, so they didn't bother to give him a speedo like the original, which is a little weird but you get over it. And let's face it, a pantless Abomination is better than no Abomination at all!

Uh-Oh, here comes Red Hulk...

FIGHT!

SLAM!

PUMMEL!

CLOBBER!

DISCUSS WORLD POLITICS!

Feels Like the First Time

Other than needing to someday re-acquire a Secret Wars Wolverine action figure, I was pretty sure I had all the Wolverines I needed in my life. Then I saw this Marvel Universe First Appearance Wolverine and just had to add him to the collection!

I'm no big fan of his yellow and blue costume, preferring Wolverine's brown costume over any other. But I have to admit I do prefer the look of his original cowl over the hyper-exaggerated ears of subsequent cowls. The nose and whiskers are a neat touch as well.

Not much else to say about the figure; you either love this look or can do without it. I'm pretty sure all of the figure besides the head are previously released Wolverine parts, and he comes with nothing more than a base (which is nice...ARE YOU LISTENING MATTEL?!?!) He's as good if not better than most Marvel Universe figures quality wise and looks good on my desk at work.

One final note, his lips also look sort of Michael Keaton-esque to me. Imagine if Tim Burton had made a Wolverine movie in '89 instead of Batman? I'd like to visit that alternate universe someday!

Hulk Smash Puny Skeletor!

The other Marvel Universe figure I bought myself for Christmas is this World War Hulk:

I absolutely love this version of the Incredible Hulk. The comic story was cool of course, but just the general concept of a barbarian themed Incredible Hulk is something to behold. I can imagine this guy appearing in some sort of Masters of the Universe/Marvel crossover or something.

Not only did Hasbro go all out for this guy by making him an all new sculpt (instead of just adding some accessories to an existing Hulk mold), but they gave him a shoulder armor/sword scabbard, a shield, a sword...

...and a battle axe!

Unfortunately Hulk's hands are sculpted too wide opened to properly hold his weapons, but all things considered that's a pretty small issue for such an exceptional toy.

I like the Hulk, but there are only so many pairs of purple pants in the world, so it's pretty fun to have him in this get-up.

The Mighty Thor!

This, folks, is my first ever Thor action figure!

I bought this Marvel Universe Thor for myself as a Christmas present to, well, myself, a few days before Christmas.

I have an interesting history with Thor. My subconscious tells me that the first comic book I ever read was a Thor comic book. I'm not sure if that is a fact, but I do know that Thor is probably the first superhero introduced to me solely via the comic book medium.

Batman, Wonder Woman, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and even Captain America were all gracing the silver and small screen before and during my earliest years. I was most likely aware of all of them before I was ever handed a comic book representing any of those colorful heroes. Yet I know I saw Thor in comic form long before seeing him in any other format - in fact my only exposure to Thor in 'real' form was when he appeared in a Hulk tv special years after that series' initial run (having never seen any of those cheap sixties limited animation Marvel cartoons until adulthood.)

So as a child I knew Thor and I liked Thor, but I spent my entire youth with him existing solely in the world of comics. If not the first comic book I ever read, he has at least ingrained himself as the epitome of the 'comic book' superhero. Gaudy outfit, huge flowing cape, a strange way of speaking and phenomenal powers. The stuff of pure imagination, without help of special effects or animated magic.

All that being what it is, I have never liked any Thor action figure released before now. None of them could stand up against what my mind molded and fleshed out into a real entity as one of my earliest super hero idols.

I admit that even this Marvel Universe Thor falls a little short, but only a little. I would prefer something more in line with Jack Kirby's earliest Thor art, but this Thor figure is the best yet and certainly the first Thor I ever felt compelled to own: true Viking aesthetics, imposing stature, a rugged and manly yet handsome face, and of course a skull smashing Mjolnir forged by the gods themselves, this Thor is an impressive hero that I am glad to have finally added to my collection.

Random Toy Pic: Seeing Red!

Aaaahhhh - Rulk Out!

He looks a little like Shwarzeneggar, doesn't he? "Budgets make Governor ANGRY!"

Red Hulk aka "Rulk" is a new release from the 3 3/4" Marvel Universe figure line made by Hasbro. I really don't collect this line; don't get me wrong, it's nice, but a) I'm more of a DC guy b) it's a little pricey and c) when it comes to articulation my preferences fall somewhere between McFarlane and Marvel. You can have too little, and you can have too much; Marvel figures tend to have too much.


Even Rulk here has more than you would ever need in a muscle-head like him. Arms for smashing, head, torso maybe, but the leg movement is pretty much useless. I'd be fine with him if his legs were immobile like the old Kenner Doomsday, another guy who won't be needing to do the splits anytime soon.

But he's still an excellently sculpted figure and one I could not pass up twice (yes, I passed on him once, then regretted it, so I am glad and lucky he turned up again in my toy aisle meanderings.)

Red Hulk is a very bulky figure, which makes up some for the price of the Marvel Universe. This much plastic almost seems worth it. Another bonus is that even though I collect mainly DC, Red Hulk's scale is ambiguous enough for me to combine him with DCIH or other smaller figures. Unfortunately most Marvel Universe figures are a slightly larger scale than DCIH, so they don't usually combine well. If they did, I'd probably buy more.

I was reading the Red Hulk comic for a while - I love Ed McGuinness' work and if there's anyone in the comic universe he should be drawing it's the Hulk (whatever the color.) But it became too much of a slugfest and not enough of a story so I dropped it. Who is Red Hulk's alter ego? Damned if I know.

The Marvel Universe Green (and variant Grey) Hulks are kind of cool, and share the same body sculpt as Reddy, but their head sculpt doesn't look nearly as good as Red Hulk's. I hear a two-pack is coming out with a new headed green Hulk that looks similar to this one. I might pick it up, because now that I have a Red Hulk smashing my DCIH they don't stand a chance without Green Hulk's assistance.

All in all I am very glad I got Red Hulk. A solid, well built figure and a great looking sculpt. Of the three MU I do have (Green Goblin and Classic Iron Man) he is far and away the best, and better than any of the others I've seen as well.