Review of Marvel Legends Hulkbuster action figure

Introduction

Earlier this summer, Hasbro released the Marvel Legends series that included the Hulkbuster Build-A-Figure (BAF).  I've already covered the rest of the figures in the line, including Blizzard, Vision, Valkyrie, War Machine, Thundra, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man, and tonight I'll wrap things up with a look at Hulkbuster himself.

Why did I break him out individually? Because he deserves it. This is a BAF that reminds me of the BAF's of olden times, when men were men and sheep were scared. He's big, he's beautiful, and he should have his own fan club.

This wave is currently on the pegs at stores like Toys R Us, Meijer, and Target.  You'll need to buy all seven figures this time to obtain all the parts, making his overall cost about $140. Of course, if you want the seven figures anyway, his cost is zero...

Packaging - ****
He doesn't have his own package of course, but rather comes packed in pieces as an accessory to the other seven figures.  I love the collector friendly nature of the 'boxes' being used by Hasbro, but you will want to make sure the piece is actually in there before you head for the check out.  Unscrupulous losers have been known to steal the pieces at the store.

Sculpting - ****
There's a little more assembly this time around, thanks to the unusual design of the torso, but you should be able to figure it out easily enough.  He's a big BAF, much bigger than most of the more recent releases, coming in at a full 9 1/4" tall upright. His bulk adds to this impression of size, and while he could always be bigger, this version is plenty big enough for a 6" scale Tony Stark to fit inside.  He'll also look good paired off against pretty much any Marvel Legends Hulk.

There's also a lot of terrific small detail work on the armor, and the edges and lines are sharply cut and cleanly defined. They've done an excellent job designing a figure that can a) be built from multiple parts, b) looks like it's supposed to, and c) incorporates excellent articulation without damaging the overall appearance.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint is quite clean for a mass market toy, with good edges and bright colors. There's not a ton, but there's enough to keep the figure visually interesting.  There's also several small details - like the eyes - which add a lot to the overall appeal.  There's a blip here or there, and the cast red color isn't perfectly consistent from piece to piece, but the nits are very, very minor.

Articulation - ***1/2
The articulation works much better than I had expected, considering the rather restrictive looking design of the armor.

The ball jointed neck was a particularly nice surprise, with lots of tilt and lean action thanks to plenty of room between the helmet and the rest of the torso armor. The ball hips work well, and the hinge joints at the shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles all have a good range of movement. He can easily take deep stances, and the large feet provide stability for trickier poses.

I did find that the torso joint was a bit sticky, thanks to a very tight fit, and the wrists could use something, but overall I was very, very happy with the design of the joints and their posability.

Accessories - Bupkis
This figure is itself a giant accessory for the entire wave of figures.  Build-A-Figure toys rarely have their own accessories, but when they do, even a small score here gives them a big boost. Likewise, no score here really has no effect on my overall, since there was no expectation of anything additional.

Fun Factor - ****
With his nice, chunky size and solid articulation, this is a fantastic toy.  Kids will spend hours with this guy, and collectors will enjoy coming up with battle poses on the shelf.

Value - **1/2
This is a weird category for a figure like this, so I went with an average score that will end up having no effect on my personal Overall assessment. The problem is that this figure costs somewhere between $0 and $140, depending on your personal situation.  Worst case is that you only want the Hulkbuster, and the other seven figures are a complete waste, making him cost $140. (you could argue that you can sell the other figures for at least something, bringing that down, but this is already complicated enough). In the best possible world, you want all seven figures, making the Hulkbuster a freebie for you.  For most people the answer is somewhere in between, where you want several of the figures, but end up buying one or two just to complete the BAF. Which is exactly why Hasbro (and Toybiz before them) includes the BAF pieces in the first place, so score for them.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ****
There haven't been a lot of companies doing Build-A-Figure (or vehicle, or diorama, etc.) in 2015, but Hasbro has made up for it all by themselves.  But it's the last that's the best right now, and I really don't expect to see a better BAF release before the end of the year. This Hulkbuster is excellent work, with the kind of bulk and size that you expect, and the kind of quality that makes the final sale. A BAF is supposed to convince the on-the-fence collector to pony up and buy the entire wave, and this one will do just that.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - Bupkis
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
The main figures in the wave - necessary to build Hulkbuster - have been on the pegs for a few weeks now at stores like Target and Toys R Us, as well as some Walgreens. Expect to pay around $20 a figure at a local retailer. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the wave of all 7 figures for $160.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
As I mentioned, I covered this wave already including Blizzard, Vision, Valkyrie, War Machine, Thundra, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man.

I let the BAF's build up for awhile this year, and covered a whole bunch at once in this review. Prior to that, I covered the Rhino wave, including Kraven, Chameleon, Misty Knight and Ghost Rider and Scarlet Spider, Superior Venom and White Tiger,  the Ant-Man wave in part 1 with Giant Man, Bull Dozer and Grim Reaper, and part 2 with Ant-man, Wasp, and Tiger Shark. and the Avengers (Thanos) wave, in part 1 with Hulk, Hellcat, and Iron Man MK43, and part 2 with Captain America, Batroc and Spider-Woman. Before that is the 'Hobgoblin' series which I've started with part 1 here, and the 'Allfather' wave, including Captain Marvel, Sentry and Thor and Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Machine Man and Iron Fist. I also checked out the Toys R Us exclusive three pack of Coulson, Fury and Maria Hill from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

There's a lot more reviews than that, and you should also hit the Search Reviews page, to find them. Also, there's likely to be more applicable reviews done after this one was published.

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