Marvel MiniMates Hulk & Iron Man 2-Packs

I'm still collecting Marvel MiniMates, and though not all the waves are consistently stocked in the area TRUs, I was thrilled to find these Hulk & Iron Man 2-packs. The Robot Hulk/Rescue Armor Iron Man came out of nowhere recently, as did the Marvel NOW Hulk/Iron Man set just a couple months ago.  One of my collecting habits is amassing several versions of a favored character both in and across different action figure lines, Iron Man and Hulk being two who dominate a considerable chunk of plastic within my collection.

I had no former knowledge of Robot Hulk, though we have seen some toys with the same theme over the years- Hulk's massive size and strength seem to lend him to the mecha treatment. He's a super-chunky MiniMate with one of the biggest torso overlays I've ever seen, severely limiting his articulation, particularly in the neck, which seems immovable with it on. Still, I love a chunky action figure, and he looks great with the silver mechanical parts visible between the seams, and squared off armor paneling. A must-get!

Upon removal of his torso overlay, the image of a mad scientist operating the robotic Hulk is revealed- wonderful!  The back of the packaging says a Soviet scientist called the Gremlin who clashed with Iron Man & the Hulk built the Robot Hulk to defeat them. Kodrati Topolov, enemy of the Hulk and creator of the Titanium Man armor went by the Gremlin moniker, but I knew nothing of his Robot Hulk. The 2-pack came with a lot of extra parts, for whom they were intended not entirely clear to me. The Hulk fists seem permanently affixed, so the silver hands must belong to Rescue Armor Iron Man, but the extra "Terminator" head seems obviously intended for Robot Hulk. Fun! This figure has so much great detail in the deco that I don't mind the lack of range in his articulation. 

Robot Hulk with my Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Hulk...

There have been some MiniMates 2-packs that include a character I was only marginally interested in, this set not being one of those- I was really happy to see this Rescue Armor Iron Man with the Robot Hulk. I recently picked up a bunch of Iron Man 3 MiniMates, but another version of the Armored Avenger is always welcome in my collection...

Beneath the great looking silver & red armor is the ponytailed head of Pepper Potts. So cute! I may love this even more then her mechanical green partner- absolutely darling. And I love everything about the armor deco on this figure, from the extra arc lights highlighted in yellow throughout, to the armored kneecaps. Diamond Select nailed it!

I read about Pepper in the rescue armor a couple years ago in The Invinsible Iron Man: World's Most Wanted, and finally picked up the second & third volume in this story to see how Tony's secretary comes through. Diamond Select took artistic license with the outfit, but she is a great action figure. I've seen some preview images of a forthcoming armored Pepper in the 6" Legends line by Hasbro, which I'd enjoy as well.

We all saw Gweneth Paltrow suit up in Iron Man 3 to save Robert Downey Jr., so this is also a movie tie-in of sorts. I feel it also takes cues from the Silver Centurion armor, and provides an emotional tether for the comics fans with its red/silver color scheme.

Unlike the Silver Centurion MiniMate, Pepper came with a flight stand made of translucent yellow plastic... 

Unable to see his silver pants in the packaging, I didn't expect this to be the Marvel NOW Hulk.  While the interchangeable helmet/head looks slightly different in the comic, this is a reference to issue 11 of Indestructible Hulk (Agent of T.I.M.E.), where he must assist Zarrko the Tomorrow Man in fixing the time stream, damaged by the Chronarchist.

I would have liked the full armor we've been seeing in Indestructible Hulk, with the Tony Stark/Iron Man arc discs throughout, but there is some nice detail on the figure, and the mecha helmet is cool.

More thrilling in the Marvel NOW 2-pack was the new Iron Man armor in black and gold w/red arc highlights! I loved this new armor in the Marvel NOW relaunching of the Iron Man title last year, and was hoping for some action figures with this deco.

This figure has a lot of nice details, and plenty of red arc lights throughout the armor, which is a striking metallic gold on glass black. Very snappy! The bulk of the chest armor overlay restricts the movement of the head a great deal, Tony's grim face neatly painted beneath the helmet. Another great Iron Man MiniMate! The character's mechanical traits lend themselves well to the squared off format of these mini figures.

Like Pepper, Marvel NOW Iron Man comes with a launch/flight base, appropriately molded in translucent red plastic. I could not be happier with the Iron Man figures in these 2-packs- their details are wonderful, and they contrast nicely together.

More Later- Make It Fun!