Handful of Heroes!
#1
Posted 10 July 2009 - 11:03 PM
Handful of Heroes
by Hasbro
First off, I have to admit I am biased towards the format. I assume if you are reading this, you too are a wee bit biased towards small flexible men.
The figures come packed on a blister card, 8 to a pack. 7 figures are visible, one is hidden. Like the marvel universe 3.75 line, the package tends to get beat up fairly easily. Both packs I bought had significant wear and tear, yet had been freshly pulled from a case. I don't really care about that sort of thing as I am a dedicated package opener, but if you like to keep stuff moc, you may have to be careful. Each pack comes with a 10"x14" checklist / poster.
Dr. Doom, Gladiator Hulk, War Machine
The Figures themselves are quite beautiful. They average about 1.5"/1.75" and are very well sculpted. They are nicely detailed, and more importantly, rather dynamic. The larger figures seem the most satisfying to me in terms of feel/heft. The more "human" shaped figures feel a bit slight. They look proportionate, but for those of us used to the thick anatomy of the average LRG they feel smaller than they are.
Cyclops, Hulkbuster Iron Man, Iron man
Close up, Hulkbuster
In both sets I bought tonight, the hidden figure was Hulkbuster Iron Man in a clear blood red color. I don't yet know if this was random chance, or if he is always there. Chance seems more likely, as having a flock of the same figure as a bonus would pretty much suck, but you never really know with the big toy companies. The figures are made of a fairly stiff pvc. Pretty much the same stuff most action figures are made of these days. I would have liked them to be a bit more rubbery, but it would likely result in warped, unstable figures considering the thin legs some of these guys have.
Absorbing man, Colossus
Although the package quite loudly touts "collect all 120 figures!", there are actually only 40 characters in the set. Each figure comes in 3 colors. However there are more than three colors, so you apparently can't put together complete matching color sets. The basic colors are: yellow, blue, green, red and black. Each color group consists of solid, clear and clear with glitter. The only exception seems to be the deep blood red color. It appears to only come in clear.
Dr. Doom, Spider Man, Thing
The solid colors are by far my favorite. They are very matte, and showcase the figure's details quite well. The clear colors ,as is so often the case, obscure the fine sculpting. I do however like the Kinkeshi connection with the glitter plastic.
Cyclops, Collossus
For the most part I like the figures selected for the first wave. It's a nice cross section of the Marvel universe with definite emphasis on current hot properties. the bulk of the 40 figures consist of Hulk (10 figs), Iron Man (6), Spider man (6), and x-men (12) related characters. The final 6 figures consist of characters who are for the most part Avengers related.
Nightcrawler
Although my 2 pack sample is far to small to draw any sweeping conclusions from, I only got 2 true doubles. One being the earlier mentioned Hulkbuster Iron Man, and a clear blue Absorbing Man. Those odds seem pretty good to me. I have seen many far less "random" distros.
Thing and friends
Overall I'd have to say these are great figures. There are a little pricey at about $7 dollars and change per pack, but you can order them online from the place I just bought mine for $6.75 (scifigenre.com). I haven't really checked other retailers as I had a case preordered somewhere else, and was pretty surprised to find these guys tonight. They are a great fit for any LRG collection.
Cyclops and friends
#2
Posted 10 July 2009 - 11:37 PM
kind of a let down that they're claiming 120 sculpts, but there's only 40 actual characters. also, sounds like a lot of initial criticism regarding the line being hulk heavy has been confirmed. with the way marvel has been doing things lately, i'm surprised that there's not more spiderman and less hulk. does the checklist state whether or not apocalypse and/or juggernaut are in the line?
when you go to the store for more, get a look at the packs and see if they seem to be the same "random" characters like with the muscle 4-packs. i'm wondering, if happen to buy a case, do you get 12 different truly random packs or if they're very similar if not identical.
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.
#3
Posted 11 July 2009 - 06:53 AM
These look great up close though. So there are only 40 different figures, and 3 colors per each? So that means the 120 figures are just 40 figures in different colors? That's lame. I was under the impression that there would be more waves. I'm very iffy about this line now. I don't want another Fistful of Power fiasco on my hands.
#4
Posted 11 July 2009 - 07:42 AM
nice review. when you mention that the plastic used is pretty stiff, do you mean even more so than muscles or about the same?
kind of a let down that they're claiming 120 sculpts, but there's only 40 actual characters. also, sounds like a lot of initial criticism regarding the line being hulk heavy has been confirmed. with the way marvel has been doing things lately, i'm surprised that there's not more spiderman and less hulk. does the checklist state whether or not apocalypse and/or juggernaut are in the line?
when you go to the store for more, get a look at the packs and see if they seem to be the same "random" characters like with the muscle 4-packs. i'm wondering, if happen to buy a case, do you get 12 different truly random packs or if they're very similar if not identical.
The figures a little bit stiffer than MUSCLE plastic. It isn't super apparent until you try to flex a bulky figure. I really think it is to compensate for the spindly legs some figures feature. The first wave is surprisingly Hulk-heavy. Although out of the 12 or so Hulk-related guys, keep in mind several are villains. That goes for all the sub-groupings. I agree that the Hulkcentric assortment is sort of odd.
There is a Juggernaut on the poster.
#5
Posted 11 July 2009 - 09:00 AM
So far these are what i expected which is a positive and a negative. The smaller figures are indeed to small for my taste (but they look good) or for my use but the bigger figures might provide a bounty of goodness
Id like to see the Hulk Buster armor up close from every angle and possibly some of the iron man armor. These are a step up from Hero Clix though in the sense that these figures have a bit more weight to them (based upon your review).
So far Hulk Buster Iron Man and Gladiator Hulk are the only big (1.75'') figures ?
Edited by Articulationnut, 11 July 2009 - 09:03 AM.
#6
Posted 11 July 2009 - 06:32 PM
#7
Posted 11 July 2009 - 07:36 PM
I'm a little confused about what you mean by there being 10 Hulk. Is that 10 figures of the Hulk in various outfits/poses, or 10 Hulk related characters? I hate duplicates of characters, so it'll make a big difference to my decision to buy if there's only say 25 characters in 40 sculpts.
The 40 characters are apparently organized into loose subsets. They are pictured grouped together on the poster (will get a pic up soon). The hulk figures consist of Hulk and Hulk related characters.
They are:
Classic Hulk
Abomination
World War Hulk
Gladiator Hulk
Red Hulk
Rhino
Absorbing Man
Iron clad
Armageddon
X-ray
While some of the above villains are not exclusively Hulk related, their first appearances and origins begin in Hulk comics. Also the Hulkbuster Iron Man is technically Hulk related.
Just to make things easier, here is the entire character list;
Cyclops
Nick Fury
Beast
Hawkeye
Doc Ock
Green Goblin
Dr. Doom
Mandarin
Black Panther
War machine
Venom
Nightcrawler
Iron Man mk 1
Wolverine
Thing
Sabertooth
Classic Hulk
Abomination
world war hulk
gladiator hulk
Magneto
Colossus
Dead pool
Angel
Iron Man
Spider Man (crawling)
Classic Iron man
Spider man (standing)
Captain America
Spider Man (standing 2)
Astonishing Wolverine
Classic Wolverine
Rhino
Absorbing Man
Iron Clad
Armageddon
Red Hulk
Juggernaut
Hulkbuster Iron Man
X-Ray
#8
Posted 11 July 2009 - 07:52 PM
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.
#9
Posted 11 July 2009 - 09:21 PM
I think I am willing to go for this. I just got to find the best price tag and swing with it. The sculpting appears top notch, and the colors are awesome! I just hope they don't feel like plastic army men. The size could be bigger I think though...smaller than muscles. That's kind of a let down. Can anyone say Recall.
#10
Posted 11 July 2009 - 10:45 PM
i would like to see multiple waves of this line. i just wonder if collectors are going to go for them as much as the lrg crew is. seems to me that regular collectors favor the super detailed painted highly articulated around 6" figures. they may turn their nose up at these modest, yet, amazing looking sculpts. sure, the marvel universe line has seen a lot of success, but look at the other two similar lines, wolverine origins and wolverine and the xmen. i don't think stores can give these things away. i think unless handful gets a huge amount of success we'll never see a second wave.
the multipose spiderman/men does add a lot of playability to one of the most popular characters. kids will go nuts for them all i'm sure. aside from cyclops, mandarin and absorbing man the line up looks fantastic (i've always hated cyclops and always will. no one can make me like him. he's a douche.).
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.
#11
Posted 11 July 2009 - 10:57 PM
A lack of an Apocalypse sculpt implies to me that they are willing to take this line further if it is successful....And to be honest, that roster doesn't look half bad! My only problem is do we need 3 different poses of the same spiderman? different costumes sure. But when all is said and done, and you get all the color variants you will have 9 spidermans... The Hulks don't bother me so much. Is Gladiator Hulk Bruce Banner? Red Hulk is highly acceptable, and at least Gladiator Hulk has armor to differentiate him.
I think I am willing to go for this. I just got to find the best price tag and swing with it. The sculpting appears top notch, and the colors are awesome! I just hope they don't feel like plastic army men. The size could be bigger I think though...smaller than muscles. That's kind of a let down. Can anyone say Recall.
It looks like there will be more characters. On the flipside of the poster (I JUST noticed this) there is a lame game board. The one panel illustrating the game pictures several guys set up bowling pin style, and other guys being flicked (paper football style) at them. However, the marked spaces for figures on the gameboard feature symbols for characters not included in this first wave. Punisher, Daredevil, Thor (plus a couple I am not immediately familiar with- a swooshy E, and a nuclear symbol... have no idea if they relate to included figures)... so, looks like more are hopefully on the horizon.
As far as the plastic, for a possibly familiar reference, they seem to be made of exactly the same material as the Dino-magic figures I happen to have sitting next to my sofa. It's a somewhat rigid pvc, definitely not army man poly-plastic. Maybe even pretty close to the kind of pvc 25th GI Joes arms and lower legs are made of.
#12
Posted 11 July 2009 - 11:53 PM
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.
#13
Posted 12 July 2009 - 05:39 AM
#15
Posted 12 July 2009 - 02:02 PM
#16
Posted 12 July 2009 - 03:08 PM
i just realized that thor wasn't on the list of the first 40. wasn't there a picture of a thor-like figure in one of the "pre-release" photos? if i'm not mistaken, it could mean that possibly they've already decided which characters will be released and are just going to trickle them out slowly to torture us.
We were probably just seeing part of that figure of Doom holding Mjolnir.
I think these things look pretty sweet, at least in the pictures. Need to see them myself to decide if i'm gonna jump in or not, but i will at least buy a pack with that Dr. Doom in it when i see them.
#17
Posted 12 July 2009 - 03:44 PM
Seriously, though, good review. I've been trying to keep my eyes open for these, and I'll definitely be picking up a pack whenever I happen to chance across one.
#18 Guest_General Veers_*
Posted 13 July 2009 - 12:41 PM
It was cool to see the figures. It's too bad Marvel's counting the (what was it?) 40 sculpts in different colors as ~140 sculpts. I actually have a great sense of relief that these aren't DC figures. If they were DC, then I'd be pretty hard-pressed into buying them. It seems like such a fun, modern LRG toy to collect. Luckily I can turn down Marvel.
#19
Posted 13 July 2009 - 01:54 PM
Nice review! I thought there were only Hulks in the packs.
It was cool to see the figures. It's too bad Marvel's counting the (what was it?) 40 sculpts in different colors as ~140 sculpts. I actually have a great sense of relief that these aren't DC figures. If they were DC, then I'd be pretty hard-pressed into buying them. It seems like such a fun, modern LRG toy to collect. Luckily I can turn down Marvel.
3 colors for each 40 so 120.
Really? I love DC myself, but wouldn't an army of LRG DC heroes and villains be like having an army of M.U.S.C.L.E. #33's? I think Marvel's overall appeal is character appearances and differences. The DCUC figs just about all look the same to me except paint apps, and different heads and a cape here and there. I just don't think DC figs would transfer well to unpainted miniatures. But I could be wrong, and I know I'd be excited about it myself if they made something....Who knows Maybe they will try another copycat attempt after a while if the Marvel ones do well.
#20 Guest_General Veers_*
Posted 14 July 2009 - 05:20 AM
Whatever it was.3 colors for each 40 so 120.
Really? I love DC myself, but wouldn't an army of LRG DC heroes and villains be like having an army of M.U.S.C.L.E. #33's? I think Marvel's overall appeal is character appearances and differences. The DCUC figs just about all look the same to me except paint apps, and different heads and a cape here and there. I just don't think DC figs would transfer well to unpainted miniatures. But I could be wrong, and I know I'd be excited about it myself if they made something....Who knows Maybe they will try another copycat attempt after a while if the Marvel ones do well.
Yeah, some of the DC stuff could look similar. That's where materials and sculpting would be crucial – hell, even the plastic color would matter. I think the sculptors would need to be freed up to really get creative. I though Heroclix did a nice job of incorporating some environmental elements. I spattering of that could really help differentiate figures.
But none of it matters as long as they had good Green Arrow figures and a Detective Chimp.
#21
Posted 15 July 2009 - 08:40 AM
http://www.thefwoosh...p...=96&t=60286
#22
Posted 15 July 2009 - 05:40 PM
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.
#24
Posted 17 July 2009 - 08:53 PM
#25
Posted 17 July 2009 - 08:58 PM
if i encounter the demons in hell, i will kill them all..
vi veri veniversum vivus vici.