Avengers Infinity: Hulkbuster

Well, here we are with another addition to my collection! This is going to be an Infinity series in the form of the Hulkbuster from the Age of Ultron movie! So, going off the fact that this is more of a 'mini-statue' than anything else so it won't be a very long review. In fact, it will be more the pictures doing the talking. So, moving on.

We've only really seen this in my collection on other time and that was during the first edition of the Infinity series (second or first? I don't know). Regardless, here's the box. Not bad at all. Can be displayed mint in box if one wants. But ....

The details are good; now it's not going to be 100% accurate since it is more a cartoony version of the Hulkbuster that we saw in AoU. Just from the two I own, Infinity figures seems to have this 'monotone' coloring work to them and it works. It looks like the Hulkbuster that we saw Iron Man use in the movie so with all that said, I'm not complaining.

And since the Hulkbuster is more of a ground and pound/juggernaut (no pun intended, Marko!) armor, this figure has a fighting stance that mirrors its purpose. It sure is ready to beat the crap of the next Hulk around the corner, is he not?

And my only other Infinity figure is Elsa. They don't really stand in scale if we are talking about the 'canon' idea, but hey! Works!

And there is my Infinity Hulkbuster standing in my Iron Man Shelf! He can kind of get lost in the fray of Red and Golds. But he still kind of stands out somewhere in there!

All in all, I expected what I got out of this figure. Honestly, he is as impressive as he was in the package. There was nothing 'surprising' about him. He wasn't lackluster or great, but he is still a great addition! 

S.H. Figuarts: Iron Man Mark XLV

It's been some time since I've jumped into a review, so here I am! What a better figure to get acclimated back into the groove than a brand new Iron Man figure form the AoU line up! Iron Man Mark XLV from Figuarts! I have to admit, the moment I saw this armor, I knew I was going to like it so I had to get a figure of it, glad Figuarts delivered! So, let's check him out!

The box is pretty familiar since one of my last few reviews involved S.H. Figuarts as well. Imports always have that nice box that shows off the figure and the capabilities of it. It's a nice box, suffice to say.

And of course! One of imports' most well known perk for their price: accessories, variant hands, and effects. Iron Man does not fall short of these and he gets 4 set of hands, two pairs of repulsor blast effects, and then some jet boots effects. Could have used a flight stand, but you know, that probably would have elevated the price to my disliking(this wasn't a bad price for what it is, honestly). And it would definitely have increased the rate if they had a Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jr alternate head.

Now the details of the figure is of course astounding. Now my main qualms with the Iron Man suit in the movies is that they all look almost identical. The changes are so miniscule that one can hardly tell the difference. One thing that Iron Man did do was always make his changes known; if anything else if they didn't want to go that route, at least they could have changed the helmets in all his different armors; okay in IM3 he had different armors and helmet, but still. Mark XLV is the first armor that showcases a far more comic recognizable design and a different helmet(small change, but bigger than the last few they have given). So as far as the figure goes, this one definitely captured the fine details of all the red, the touch of silver, and the subtle but very elegant gold all over his armor. The paint is of course very well done as I would expect. Partner that in with the details in the nooks and cranny of the armor, it's definitely an astounding piece of import.

Just studying underneath his armpit, there are little details in there that is definitely appreciated. The mold itself is always a unique feeling since I either don't buy enough Figuarts to know a recycled mold or it's just a completely new mold every time(which I'm willing to gamble it is). It is kind of hard to reuse the same parts for this particular armor since it is the most unique out of all of the main armors Stark has worn. It has a very durable feel to it to, diecast metal legs and all. If I was to make my complaints on the figure's aesthetics is that the hand guard is a bit too large; makes an awkward poses at certain angles(as this Type V3 Review pointed out). The arc ray and the repulsor hands don't have much paint details making them a bit bland for my taste. Small little mishaps, but still a greatly detailed figure with plenty of things to appreciate.

Articulation is of course highly in depth. An import usually has high standards when it comes to this department as well and I'm glad Mark XLV does not really disappoint. As you can see, if an Iron Man figure can do the Cinematic Universe signature pose, it's going to have a few good points of articulation! And him performing this said pose doesn't look awkward like some of the MLs either! He can vary with his poses and copy some of Iron Man's known figures like flight, repulsor blasts, and just simple posture that is all Iron Man like.

The joints are well covered enough so that it truly does give it a more 'realistic' look. Again some of imports' trademark signature is hiding joints so that posing the figure about is as flawless and aesthetic as it can be. Again going back on details, certain part of the joints are highly detailed that it truly does keep pegs and such as discreet as it can be. Speaking of joints and movability, Iron Man's head moves up and down decently; some neck pivoting and such. Ab crunch and swivel is ab it limited and I'm afraid that it might hurt the figure's paint to truly force certain things. Arm and hands are supported with hinges on his shoulder pads and ball joints that allow a great range of movements. The legs have the standard S.H. Figuarts signature; one can pull down Iron Man's leg so that the hip armor design does not get in the way. Feet have decent ankle pivot and some slight toe articulation. Oh yes, die-cast legs which I think I mentioned already.

All in all, I think this is a great package and a decent price. There are some slight things I wish they could have added like more varied repulsor affects and that opened helmet would make for a fantastic addition to fun factor. Oh and flight stand!

Would have been great if Iron man came with a flight stand of his own and I didn't have to borrow a sigma flight stand.

Mark III, Mark XLII, Mark XLIII, Mark VI, and Mark V

Here's Mark XLV with some of the other movie based Iron Man figures that I own. The Marvel Legends somewhat blend in and obviously the Revoltechs are a good comparison to Mark XLV.

And this is my new Iron Man in the "Red and Gold" Iron Man shelf. He just... blends right in doesn't he? He gets drowned out with all the Red and Golds, thus why he is front and center. Can you spot him?

In conclusion, I think this is my favorite import Iron Man figure thus far. Though not perfect, missing some key points to make it closer to perfect figure, I do believe the price point would have been raised if we received more detailed fire power, RDJr head, and flight stand... Though with great paint details, awesome articulation, and the fact that it's Iron Man's best Cinematic Universe armor so far, I think it's a great figure! One can't not enjoy AoU without this guy in your shelf!

Marvel Select: Hulkbuster Iron Man

Well, here's a sight for sore eyes! Iron Man's Hulkbuster Armor had always been a fan favorite as well as my own! Based off one of the most iconic armor he wore in the 90s, the Modular Armor, this bad boy is named to do exactly what it sounds to do: go toe to toe with the Hulk. There are plenty of things to say about this figure, but suffice to say, it's my first Marvel Select review; not my first Marvel Select since I have a few (check out my last The Red review to check them out; they're wall mount displays), but this is the first one I decided to open and let me tell you, it was a good decision!

Marvel Select packaging reminds me of the way back when Toybiz in their 'pre-Marvel Legends' days. Unfortunately, this kind of packaging almost always guarantees that once it's out, it's no longer going back in(there are ways to open it so it can be put back in the case as if it was never taken out. Too much meticulous moments for me though). Though I have kept Marvel Select as wall mount displays because they look good in the case; this one just screamed to be opened though for a few simple reasons; one being more prominent than the others:

I have the Hulkbuster from the rider series still 'mint' in the box. I doubt I will ever open that guy because the price for a MIB Hulkbuster from the rider series is a bit too much nowadays. Had to get one open because of that reason. So moving on to Hulkbuster Marvel Select...

First and foremost before I go in depth I just want to point out that this is a beautiful figure. Again, I'll do some comparison in height, but just by built, it's a pretty steady thing. Solid. Sculpt is amazing and some of the details put on the armor is just breathe taking. So many things sculpted for fine details and not a lot of shortcuts(if any are noticeable). One thing I will say as a gripe is that Marvel Select is known for its details, and details include paint job--I have some minor paint distortions here and there especially on the chest area. Not noticeable, but up close it is. Though for the price of this figure, it's still well made and I can't really complain.

Now it's time to talk about his articulation to which, I'm really really impressed. There was a time when Marvel Select is just a detailed statue with some minor articulation. Well, from what I have seen with some of their recent figures, that isn't the case anymore. Just looking at this figure inside his box, it seems it's going to be limited but again, I'm impressed. He actually has some of the basic articulation that a Marvel Legends has; of course with the way this one is sculpted, certain things are hindered, though not by much.

One of the main things that will probably annoy most people is the fact that his head is so hard to move; it can swivel, but since the joint is so taut, it's hard to move his head. Some of these shots I took, it was hard to get his head to really move so it's not a perfect picture, but it's enough at most times.

And since we are talking about the negative, I do have to say that lack of alternate hands hinders a few of his pose. The open palm on the left makes a lot of sense for the repulsers, but two fists would make a lot of sense too since he is a melee armor to fight a being that is all punching and smashing. At least they gave us a right fist. Well, since this is a Hulkbuster figure, I can't not show him without fending off against the Hulk, right?

Was a really fun time doing all that. As you can see, he is a good size for Marvel Legends Hulk! AoU Hulk fit the spot just right! But what's a Hulkbuster without fighting more Hulks?!

vs AoU Hulk, Rulk, and Grey Hulk

It's probably a bit unrealistic that Iron Man beats ALL these Hulks, but it's all for fan depiction. Again, fun posing him and all. So here's a comparison of this Select with other loose Hulkbusters I own.

He is almost a bigger doppleganger of the 3.75 movie figure Hulkbuster. Almost identical, just obviously bigger. Th other "Hulkbusters" are a far cry; of course I don't have the Toybiz Marvel Legends loose for comparison. But how does he look next to 'regular' Iron Man armor?

I've always loved the Extremis Armor; it being part of the Terrax wave was a bit underwhelming since it was the first wave of Hasbro's 'new' Marvel Legends. So what I'm trying to say is that it's out dated now... but still a wonderful pose next to the Hulkbuster to try and replicate this cover:

One of my favorite comic book covers to date. The Marvel Select Hulkbsuter actually looks a lot like the one in this cover, actually.

Minor paint scuffs, tight joint on the head, and lack of accessories... sounds like Marvel Legends complaint right? Well, it doesn't hurt this figure that much since for the price, it's a damn good figure. It's a damn good figure period. For my first Marvel Select out of the box, it did its magic. Of course adding it to the red and gold hall of armors is a great thing! Love this figure! In conclusion, anyone who is an Iron Man fan(and is a fan of the Hulkbuster armor), this is a freaking must! I think it's a good substitute for the Rider Series Toybiz one. Least you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get a Hulkbuster now!

ML Thanos BAF: Iron Man MK 43 (AoU)

I won't try to tangent off to Age of Ultron but that movie was awesome! So, with a movie with that, of course Iron Man would be out with a new armor! So with that said, here's his new armor! Mark 43! So figure wise, is it as epic as it was in the movie? Let's find out.

Here's Iron Man in the box! Noting new with Hasbro's easy to swap packaging! So let's move on to the figure itself then, shall we?

This suit is exactly the same as his Iron Man 3 armor, the Mark 42, the only difference aesthetic wise is that the majority of it is red; Mark 42 was mostly gold. Function wise, in the movie, it seemed more stable. I think Stark perfected his 'sentry' program. So as an action figure, I think it's actually a bit more dull as mostly red. Now don't get me wrong, I do like the dominant red, but since his armors in the movie are almost always identical, minus a few little difference here and there, to have a strikingly different armor coloring scheme is something accepted. Though the figure does a fine job capturing the essence of the armor's look as how it appears on screen. The mold is something we have seen before so nothing really grand.

The only real difference with this figure and the figure with the exact same mold that came before is that this one comes with an alternate head. We'll take a good look of that later but let's just also take note that he also comes with one of Thanos' legs.

It doesn't really look like Robert Downey Jr. one bit, but at least it is a recognizable Tony Stark head. The one perk about this is that it works adequately with the Mark 42:

Mark 42

It actually looks better on Mark 42 to be honest. Okay so back to Mark 43.

His articulation isn't bad at all, but Hasbro doing nothing to fix the hands(variant hands ya think?!), this Iron Man is as limited as his Mark 42 form. One open palm(which barely represents a repulsor attack) and a closed fist may be ideal, but it restricts him from his signature flight pose, one hand fist takes him out of a lot of fight pose, so what can I say? It really does fall short in this department.

Though there are certain poses that I can get Stark in that really captures the Iron Man ambiance out of him.

There's some comparison pics between Mark 43 of this wave and Mark 42 from the Iron Monger BAF. Again, same mold and paint just inverted; it really does make a difference. 

All in all, he is basically needed for the sake of finishing Thanos. I mean, how hard core is one to be an Iron Man to own this figure? For the sake of having Age of Ultron figures of Iron Man, I suppose its essential. Trust me though, one can't have enough Iron Man armors if one is an avid fan of the Iron Avenger! Though this figure does fall on a 6 out of 10 so that's a shame.