Marvel Universe: Ultron & Sub-Mariner

I was pretty excited to find two Wave 15 releases from Hasbro's 3 3/4" Marvel Universe line- there is a Wal-Mart across the street where I find cool stuff on a regular basis. Take note of Sub-Mariner's base- it says "Imperius Rex", a battle cry uttered by Atlantean King Namor, the Sub-Mariner (imperious: power, empire.  rex: king). One great thing about buying the single carded versions of these figures is that you almost alway get a base for them, which you need  :D

 Ultron was released in a Secret Wars 2-pack with Mr. Fantastic, but didn't have the green highlights this single carded version has, making him appear "lit up" like a robot- very cool! His shoulder articulation is limited by the cresent shoulder guards attached to his deltoids, and rotation below the hips is limited to the cut ankles, but he has a cut joint at the waist and an upper abdominal joint. He has the same arms/legs as Doom, basically. Created by Dr. Henry Pym (Ant Man/Giant Man), the robot quickly developed its own intelligence and rebelled, constantly upgrading it's own body to an almost indestructable grade of construction.

I never thought I'd find this Namor- too beloved of a character to sit on a peg for long- he'll go great with that Avengers box set I found awhile back- Silver Age goodness!  But Sub-Mariner is one of the oldest superheroes, having debuted during the Golden Age of comics in Marvel Comics #1 along with the original android superhero Human Torch (Timely Comics, 1939). Son of a sea captain & princess of Atlantis, Namor is an anti-hero of unpredictable demeanor, at odds with humanity for it's abuse & disregard for the inhabitants of the world's oceans. He has fought with and against superhero groups the Avengers, the Invaders, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, & the Defenders.

There was another speedo-sporting Namor in the 2009 SDCC 70th Anniversary Invaders Exclusive Set, but this one is beefed up & has more articulation. There was also a modern Namor released in late 2009, but having caught the fever for these so late, I'm lucky a third was released. Namor has the "improved" articulation my 90's Cyclops had, and while his leg didn't pop off, the ball & socket joint somewhat limits the figure's lateral leg movement at the hip. And the cut joints at the upper thigh & below the knee be visually distracting, especially on a nude figure such as this. As I've said before, I prefer the nicer looking, more dependable ball-hinge combination. The rocker joints at the ankles are really great however, and add a lot to this figure.

And now something fun from my old comics: Ultron's page from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe series I had from childhood. Click on the image to read all about Ultron circa 1983...

And from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Book of The Dead & Inactive 1 (1982), defunct superhero team The Invaders, who employed the service of one Sub-Mariner!

*See the Marvel Universe visual checklist at ItsAllTrue.Net

More Later- Make It FUN!