Hasbro Avengers Hawkeye & Capt. America

I guess you saw in my last post that I finally scored the Wal-Mart Exclusive 6" Hasbro Avengers- I wasn't going to get the whole set, but my new job pays better, so I don't care  :D  We'll start by looking at Cap & Hawkeye, the two I intended to purchase, as well as two Avengers who go together like peas & carrots. The bases on all these lock together so you can really impress your love interest other with a geektastic Avengers shrine in the living room! The Avengers logo is stamped on it so everyone's sure that movie made a bazillion dollars.

I was mostly interested in Capt. America for a decent rendition of the new costume, which looks a lot like classic Capt. America with it's bright coloring. These are, of course, a lot like the Marvel Legends line in size, detail and articulation.  Cap has a hinge/ball combo joint in his neck so he can look up & down, double-jointed knees & elbows, and a torso/abdominal joint that moves forward & back a little and does a 360.  A swivel joint at the glove tops is repeated at the top of his bicep where his shoulder connects with a hinge/swivel with good range. Cap has a hinge/swivel at the hips, and those swell new rocker joint ankles. Great articulation!

 

The surface textures on this sculpt are outstanding, from the raised symbols on Cap's helmet, through the fabric on his body armor, down to his pouched utility belt. his large area of bright coloring looks slightly plain without any paint washes, but he at least had some areas of a different blue peeking around the main body armor sections in his torso. This should have been applied at the cheekbones to be more like Chris Evans under layer in The Avengers, which I feel may be partly to blame for his lack of similarity to Evans' likeness.  The detail in his suit extends into Cap's incised shield sculpt, which is molded in a slightly metallic red plastic.



I like that he can wear the shield on his back, but the straps are somewhat laborious to wrangle into a secure position. I like the look of it with the straps over the shoulders, but the Marvel Legends Commander Rogers shield works more smoothly. Like the new Marvel Legends figures, I find these harder to pose than Mattel DCUCs, in spite of or maybe because of their joint construction. The new Legends figures seem to be made of a slightly less rigid plastic that the 6" Mattel figures, making them feel less sturdy to me. Whether I just imagine that or not, they are pretty cool, all said.

 

Marvel Legends Commander Rogers with Hasbro Avengers Capt. America...

Hasbro Avengers Capt. America with Super Combat Capt. America and Paratrooper Dive Capt. America 3 3/4" movie figures...

The star of this pair is probably Hawkeye though, who really looks like Jeremy Renner! He only has a ball joint at the neck, but has swivel/hinge wrists. The sculpt throughout the entire figure is extremely detailed with some nice paint apps on the tiny buckles. I was initially bored with Renner's outfit, so different from the classic Hawkeye, but his performance in the movie was great and this action figure rocks!
 

They didn't give Hawkeye any arrows to lose, but his quiver looks like in the movie, a rotating model which dispenses the right trick arrow for each task from individual barrels in the mechanized housing. And his compound bow has is as detailed as the outfit. I managed to get Hawkeye into a few poses drawing the bowstring using the hooked fingers in his left hand.

He has a somewhat flat skin tone, but his shades and face/hair sculpt give Hawkeye a very realistic look. While the paint apps are probably no more than on Cap, Hawkeye has a deeper, less flat look all around, likely due to his coloring.

So, yes- Hawkeye & Captain America make a fun pair here! $15.96 each seems like a lot when buying more than one, because it is, but that's the going rate nowadays. I felt lucky to find them, and wouldn't be surprised to see them sell out quick. The movie-accurate costumes both have great texture but Hawkeye's Jeremy Renner sculpt seem to make him the winner.

More Later- Make It FUN!

Hasbro Wal-Mart Exclusive Avengers

Hey Mr. Postman!

It's been awhile since I received toys in the mail, these sent by blogging buddy Dan over at the Toy Museum! Knowing what a big Green Lantern fan I am, Dan sent me a couple JLUs missing from my Corps, Kilowog and Tomar-Re. Originally released in a 2006 3-pack with Green Lantern (the bald/bearded version of John Stewart), Kilowog and Tomar-Re have a silver circle behind their GL chest emblem.

 

Kilowog is the beloved, burly Kilowog, Drill Sergeant of the Green Lantern Corps, and Tomar-Re was a pivotal Honor Guard Member and one of the first to guide Hal Jordan as a rookie Lantern. He left his power ring with John Stewart before he died, who then gave the ring he'd been using (originally the ring of Abin Sur) back to Hal Jordan- Hal then became an official Green Lantern once more. Time for BIGTOY/littletoy:  JLU Kilowog and Tomar-Re with their DC Action League Kilowog and Tomar-Re...

My JLU Green Lantern Corps: Katma Tui, Kilowog, John Stewart, Arkkis Chummuck, Kyle Rayner, and Tomar-Re... 

 

Thanks Dan for thinking of me and helping me build my GL Corps! Kids, if you haven't been to the Toy Museum to see Dan's great videos, then you don't truly love toys!

More Later- Make It FUN!

Project: Comicon

I attended Project: Comicon at the Westport Plaza on Saturday- my first comicon ever! A lot of great talent in the world of comics has come out of St. Louis over the years, including the distinguished gentleman pictured next to me above, Denny O'Neill.   Writer and editor for Marvel and DC Comics in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, O'Neil was remembered best from my childhood as Group Editor for the Batman family of books, which he worked on until his retirement. We also share a birthday  :)

I also met St. Louis native Rick Burchett, artist on the The Batman and Robin Adventures, Batman: The Gotham Adventures, and The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold- all done in that Bruce Timm animated style I love! Rick has also pencilled on Marvel Comics' She-Hulk, as well as titles for DC such as on Blackhawk, followed by titles like Batman, The Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Justice League, and Green Lantern. Rick was great to talk to, looking up from his illustration of Robin & Huntress to answer my questions.

Below are a pencilled page from Rick's work on The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and a sweet colored version of the Classic Avengers!

Joe Dodd has worked for Marvel & DC Comics. He currently works for HASBRO INC. as a concept artist and illustrator! The packaging for all those zillions of Spider-Man toys you see everywhere?? Joe did all that! As a toy blogger, this was really interesting to me, and Joe was a real gentleman. Seeing some of the work on paper, out of context with the packaging, made me really appreciate the great talent that went into it.



Cullen Bunn was also in attendance- another St. Louisan, who has written for DC's "Batman/Superman", Marvel's recent "Hawkeye & Captain America", as well as his own books like The Sixth Gun and The Tooth. I run into Cullen occasionally, and he is always down to Earth for such an up and coming writer of great recent success.

One of my favorite comics retailers, the Fantasy Shop, was also on hand doing multiple raffles...

There were toys at the show, though I wasn't really blown away by what was there. It was all nice, but I have so many toys that taking another one home seemed pointless, LOL! That said, I did see this great Starro the Conqueror set that lit up and made sounds! This was an SDCC 10 exclusive of Mattel's Infinite Heroes scale figures battling a giant Starro in a package that tells the whole story in the voice of Kevin Conroy! While $90.00 may have been a great deal for this highly coveted collectible, I only allowed myself $100.00 for use at the 'Con. Check out Toysof OurYouth.Com!

I'd never heard of artist/writer Chris Giarusso, but his Mini Marvel's book caught my eye with its fun styling. He signed the book for me, which I already read and loved!  Chris has his own book, G-Man, illustrated in his unique and fun style. Printed in 6 x 9" like the Mini Marvels book, these little graphic novels tell the adventures of a boy and his magic cape- I'll be on the look out for that! Chris had a few knock-out posters at his table, spoofs of classic comic covers done in his style. I picked up one fashioned after The of Brave and the Bold #28 cover from 1960, which Chris graciously signed for me...

There were a TON of comics at all different price ranges at Project: Comicon! From 50 cents up to classic issues costing hundreds of dollars, there was more than I could take in during one visit! Paradise!

I filled my bag with the trade paperbacks I found at vendors taking 50% or more off. Though I've done some heavy duty comics shopping while on vacation this past two weeks, I knew there would be some good deals on stuff I hadn't seen at my usual haunts. Along with Giarusso's Mini Marvels: Secret Invasion, I picked up War of Kings, Heroes Reborn: Captain America & Heroes Reborn: The Avengers, Marvel Team-up: Freedom Ring, and Secret Invasion. Yeah, all Marvel- I know. Just turned out that way. I had a great time at this small, yet personal, local Comicon- a great first-time for me, and great way to end my vacation.

 More Later- Make It FUN!

Marvel Select Avengers Hulk

I passed on this guy at least three times, but caved on Friday, unable to resist another big Hulk in my bulging collection  :D   I'd seen reviews of both the Marvel Select and Hasbro Wal-Mart exclusive Avengers Hulk, and this one just looks so much better with much deeper skin tones and a much heftier physique. Marvel Select's articulation has improved quite a bit over time as well, this figure sporting joints I'd not seen in the line before. And at nearly 10" tall, this Hulk makes the Hasbro version look so ...small. While the packaging on these Marvel Select figures is excessive, it does look nice with side panel artwork- a feature I really enjoy.

First thing's first- this Hulk has very expressive rocker joints in the ankles, only seen on Collossus among the Marvel Select line up to this point. This mean he cand stand flat footed in many more positions than before, helping look more natural and hold his pose more securely. We've been seeing more of this from Hasbro lately, but I was surprised to see Marvel Select do it so soon after. After years of fanboy complaints about articulation, Diamond Toys added some more points, which is useful on this thick figure.

 

There's a lot of great stuff going on here, particularly in the paint department. The shading around the muscles give his dark green skin some good depth. His pants look a little more brown in the pictures, but have more of an ashen plum color in person. His whole tone has a unified intensity throughout the figure, and wouldn't be surprised if the same grey used to shade the skin was used in the blend for the basecoat on his pants. There's a little slop around the waist, and his left ankle was scratched, but his coloring is so good. They painted his toes and fingernails, People.

The face looks ugly and great! Hulk,s mouth is amazingly detailed, as are his eyes, and the hairline was carefully detailed. His head is limited in the back, but it's on a ball joint that is otherwise expressive.

Hulk has no waist joint, which could have been an easy addition, but he does have a torso swivel which is fine. The real surprise was his DCUC laterally hinged T hips, another completely new joint for a Marvel Select that usually have a ball-hinge combo. He even has a cut swivel in the thighs like a DCUC. The hips are harder to move, locking into four positions as moved out from the body so far he could do the splits. Seriously. Be careful moving them- they are somewhat clunky to operate, like Marvel Select joints can be.

Hulk has cut hoints at the wrists like the previous Select Hulk which is fine. The Wal-Mart exclusive Avengers Hulk by Hasbro enjoys a hinge here as well, and has a left grabbing/open hand which is different from the more typical two-fisted Hulks we've seen. The Hasbro also has double-jointed knees and elbows, which breaks up more of the sculpt- this is fine, but as I've said before, Marvel Selects go for sculpt over articulation.

Aside from wondering how this Marvel Select Avengers Hulk measures up to the predictably smaller Hasbro version, I was more curious about him next to my other Marvel Select Hulk- a favorite in many ways...

 

As I thought, the Marvel Select is really bigger- no, not taller. Just bigger. But the Avengers Select has a physique modeled after the Mark Ruffalo Hulk, and seems to capture that well, whereas the Select is like the classic comics Hulk. And like the comics Hulk, the Select has brighter coloring to go with his exaggerated features, while the Avengers Select has dramatically subdued tones. While you can see the Select's wider feet & legs, it's really the torso and arms that make him bigger than the Ruffalo Hulk. The Select Hulk finally giving me everything I'd wanted in a Hulk last summer, I've found the new Select Avengers Hulk to be his equal- picking a favorite would be tough. They both do their thing well, and I appreciate them equally for their unique aesthetic. They are both big, deluxe action figures that look killer!

Naturally, this would be an ideal chance to play BIG TOY/little toy here on the Super-DuperToyBox- one of my favorite ways to play! So I've shot both the Marvel Select and Hasbro Wal-Mart exclusive Avengers Hulk together here for comparison. Just kiddin'!  :D  This is actually my Marvel Universe Hulk from the Hasbro 3 3/4" Classic Avengers boxed set I reviewed awhile back, which is slightly shorter than the aforementioned  :D  I love his purple shorts and Cro-Mag looking brow- one of my favorite Marvel Universe action figures! Marvel Select Avengers Hulk will now share the Hulk shelf with the others who guard my rock & roll CDs, a fitting station for the time being I thought. Unlike a great many of the heroes I've come to read about since I got back into comics a couple years ago, I've loved the Hulk since I was a kid! I lived for Friday nights with Bixby/Ferrigno on the The Incredible Hulk CBS TV show, wore a Hulk T-shirt, and had both a twelve and 8" Mego Hulks! It was great to see the character done well in the recent Avengers film  :D

...Oh c'mon- you knew I would do this....  :D

AAaarrgh!! Make It FUN!