Marvel Universe, MY Universe!

Pretty much as soon as I saw the initial shots of the Marvel Universe 3 3/4” figures, I knew two things: 1) They were going to kill Mattel’s DC Infinite Heroes, and 2) I was going to become addicted to these.

Distribution and access meant I never managed to get a full collection of the 6” Marvel Legends, so the chance to start in a Marvel line from the ground up has a lot of appeal. The depth of character selection in terms of what has already been sold and what has been previewed is very impressive and shows good signs for a strong commitment by Hasbro for the line, while their commitment to the 6” line seems more than questionable. I know that the diehard 6” collectors have issues  with this line because of that, but for me, I can tell this is going to become “my” Marvel line.

My first Marvel Universe lot consists of a mix from Waves 1 and 2. I’m going to try to stay away from multiple versions of characters to keep this habit somewhat manageable. I ended up with Hulk. Daredevil, Human Torch (FF Version), Captain America, Iron First, Spiderman, Black Panther, Silver Surfer, Bullseye, Green Goblin, Ronin and Iron Man. Note I passed on the X-Force Wolverine here because there are versions coming in his more standard uniforms in the Wolverine wave which I have on order.

For their scale, these are simply quite amazing. The detail is outstanding – complicated elements like Iron Man’s armour or Ronin’s costume are done with ease. The paint apps are outstanding, and the level of sculpting for this scale is fantastic, They feel like much bigger figures than they are. 

The articulation is first rate, and this is what is going to set it apart from DCIH. This is alot of articulation for this scale – chest, bicep and thigh swivels as well as articulated ankles and wrists. This is all good, but it means joints need to be tight for it to work. Most of these are fine, although my Black Panther has a loose leg which required a bit of fiddling to get him to stand, however once I got them settled they have been pleasingly stable.

Obviously the characters with masks are tighter than faces, which are challenging at this scale, but these are still well done. Full-on faces like Johnny Storm’s are a bit disappointing and could improve.

One of the major highlights of these is the accessories. Each figure comes with something – from the amazing like Green Goblin’s hovercraft or Silver Surfer’s surfboard to the basics like numchucks for Daredevil. The winner here is Captain America’s shield, which can either snap onto his wrist or strap on to his back. The loser is Bullseye’s gun, which he can’t hold (at least mine can’t). A shame when care has been taken with most of the others to make sure they can hold their stuff very firmly – Green Goblin’s pumpkin even snaps into his hand. Iron Fist and Human Torch have flamey bits that snap on to wrists, Iron Man has a groovy pulsar blast which again snaps on to his wrist which all work well, but Spiderman has a mess webbing which I really couldn’t work out. Perhaps with some more patience I’ll get it sorted.

I think Iron Man could be the winner here because of the detail of the armour, but Cap and Iron Fist are also favourites. There’s no figure in the lot I’m no happy with. To nitpick, I would have liked the FF uniform Human Torch better without “Flame On” hair, and Hulk’s face looks a tiny bit dopey. That’s seriously it.

Oh, by the way, I’ve finally found something here in Oz to provide some levels in my display! They’re from Howard’s Storage World. I think I’ll be spray painting them all white, but I’m really happy with them – thanks to an AFB Forum member for the suggestion!

I could do on about these forever, really. I’ll follow up on these with some comparison shots to DCIH, etc, but for now you can see an expanded photo set at Facebook, and you can discuss this at the AFB Forum.

Until next time!