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[Universal Ruler Supreme]

MARVEL UNIVERSE: SECRET WARS Wave 2
Featuring: Hulk, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Magneto, Cyclops, and Iron Man

Well, this isn't so much a review. Since all the figures really are nothing more than reused body types again with only a few newly sculpted parts I didn't think it was necessary for a full fledge review. So this is more of a quick peek at what to expect with the Secret Wars second wave of Comic 2 packs. I apologize for any blurry shots.. I was taking a lot of pictures that day.

 SWCREW.jpg   173.55K   20 downloads

So here we have the entire crew up on display! I tried my absolute best to pick out the cleanest figures with the least amount of flaws... I think I did pretty well. If the store only had a few of each pack I don't know if I would have bought them immediately. Cause there honestly were some grotesque paint apps happening there.

 SpiWo.jpg   91.92K   19 downloads

Here we have Spider-Woman. Same exact female body as Firestar and the Ms.Marvel figures. I've mentioned it already, but I really hope we get a better Female body soon. Don't get me wrong I love the frame the sculpt provides, as well as the scale. But it can be kind of archaic in design. no arm swivels or side lean on the torso. I can absolutely understand why however. The poor girl would probably fall apart with those extra cuts in the body. There were 2 figures I can recall of Spider-Woman in the store that had good paint apps, but one had glue running down her forehead, so that was an easy choice. The rest were hideous looking, so be patient and prepared for some poorly stenciled lines. Even this one is somewhat sloppy. I think the hair and head sculpting is very nice though. Not that bad of a figure if you can score a cleaner one.

 Hulk.jpg   143.74K   12 downloads

Next we have the New Hulk! Classic colors with the light green skin, and purple trunks. The new head sculpt is fantastic! I have to say I was a bit sad that they opted to skimp on the black mouth outlining, but after having him rampage with my other Hulk figs I started to really like him! I hope we get a Gray Hulk with the new head sculpt. The Hulk figures are probably my absolute favorites, and I can't rightly put my finger on it...I used to be completely terrified of Lou Ferigno's Hulk back when I was a kid. The paint washes were nice and light as well as even on the one I picked out. However there were many others with oddly placed washes, and black paint spots on the nose, face, and body. The biggest concern I had with this figure was that his neck swivel was stuck! Interestingly, and to my surprise the only stuck joint out of all 6 figures. I had to heat him up under a very hot tap for quite some time and move and pry his head to get it loose. I discovered something interesting about the way they attach the head. At first I thought it just pegged into the body, but they plug the head peg into a plastic washer, then cement the washer into the socket of the body. So that explains why it was stuck. Fortunately the peg is nice and rubbery when heated up.

 Raging.jpg   186.11K   21 downloads

 IM.jpg   108.71K   8 downloads

Here we have Good ole Classic Armored Iron Man. The same exact body type as Wave Three's Classic IM. There weren't any real noticeable issues with any of the IM figs I saw, so just focus on that Pesky Spider-Woman. Personally I like this IM more than the Wave 3 version. The SW one is a lighter metallic color, much closer to the actual comic yellows and reds. He is also better painted I think. All the Wave 3 IMs gold paint has been weird. The gold on the mask, lower legs, and forearms were deeper than the gold on the upper arms and legs of the figure for some reason..and I hate this. The SWs version is much more consistent, and overall I think looks nicer. No problems or complaints here.

 IMCom.jpg   117.52K   15 downloads

 Mags.jpg   99.21K   15 downloads

Magneto! I have to say this is a pretty impressive figure. He reuses the DareDevil/Bullseye body type, but has new forearms and lower legs. I couldn't find anything wrong with the sculpt. He has a removable cape and a belt as well. There were many things to look out for with this figure. I saw some with sloppy flesh paint on the face running up the helmet. Some where the Purple trim was runny or not completely filled in. This is more distracting on the helmet. And some had poorly cleaned capes and belts. Personally I opted to focus solely on the paint quality of the face. I can live with lower grade body paint, but the faces of these figures are what sets them apart, so a clean face with good helmet trim was a must. I found one that was decent enough. Can't say I have much to complain about with this figure. I think he is tops. I certainly hope we get a mask-less version of Magnus single carded some time! An Age of Apocalypse version would be sick as well.

 Clops.jpg   95.2K   14 downloads

Another Member of the X team joins the MU ranks! Finally a decent Cyclops sculpt! I have to say I am loving this figure. Despite the problems that appeared to be rampant at the store, he is just cool. Cyclops reuses the new stronger build Male body type that we saw on Guardian and Sub-Mariner for Wave 5. I think it is a perfect Body type, and see it being used for quite a while I'm sure. Now aside from that, and as I mentioned earlier. Cyclops was probably the biggest upset as far as paint quality that I saw. Yellow smudging and running was everywhere. Poorly stenciled Xs on the belts. Runny visors and face paints! TERRIBLY placed and distributed washes. I actually happened to get one of the best ones that was there, but since I opted for the best looking Hulk first I was taking a chance. Most of the paint wash appears to be on the arms and legs, with very little on the body. I don't know what they were doing.. Maybe holding the figure by the arms while spraying them. But the paints are the only complaint. He is a pretty sturdy figure, with great motion! I love the new hand, and his head has plenty of movement.

 Clopscom.jpg   123.41K   14 downloads  ClopsBeam.jpg   113.05K   10 downloads

 BCSpiMa.jpg   129.39K   4 downloads

Finally, and probably of least concern to me is the Black Costume Spidey. This figure is pure black plastic with only the symbols, eyes, and back hands painted. To me this figure jut feels cheap and brittle. I'm not sure if it's because he virtually has no paint on the body, or what. But he feels like a cheapo dollar store figure in your hand. This is my least favorite figure from this Wave. I would focus on Magneto when buying this pack, cause there isn't much to mess up on Spidey here, although he can have poorly stenciled eyes and spider symbols. Of a commendable note is the new Spider design! It was designed to look more like the first appearance symbol from the Secret Wars Comic. Which was really cool of Hasbro to make some effort on a figure that would have been a basic variant. Personally I prefer my Wave 3 Black Spidey, but this one isn't all that bad.

 BCSpiCom.jpg   116.32K   14 downloads

 BCSpiFront.jpg   108.53K   3 downloads  BCSpiBack.jpg   110.46K   3 downloads

Overall I'd say this Wave trumps Wave one in quality control and coolness. We got 3 new characters on our roster compared to only 2 from Wave 1. So that's a little better. None of my comics appeared to be jammed all the heck like Wave 1, and the paint apps were slightly better. The figure quality is nice as well, only one stuck joint to report, and all had tight limbs! I did notice something interesting on the packaging though. And it makes me think Hasbro was thinking of the problem reports from the first Wave. There is a sticker on each of the backer cards with Made in China, Comics printed in Hong Kong stamped on. Now I don't know how much it cost to make a comic book these days...but is it really cheaper for some factory in Hong Kong to print and then ship the comics to the packager than it is to have either the same factory or an American printer print the comics? That's just crazy weird.

[dankingery]

first of all, your hulk crew pic makes me jealous. when i read your first reactions to the secret wars hulk i was worried that it'd be a stinker. i'm glad to see that it was much ado about nothing. he looks great and despite some lesser details than the proto pics i think he looks worthy of top of the heap in wave 2.

why the eff did i bother buying the wave 3 iron man? the differences are negligible. i blame hasbros hype machine getting me all horny for more marvel universe. had i only waited until wave 2 secret wars came out i would have the same damn figure. damn you hasbro!

is it just me, or does it look like magneto's face is too big for his head? aside from his facial elephantitis he looks pretty cool.

the biggest surprise of this is how cool cyclops looks. i've always thought the guy was a douche but this figure is cool. the special hand sculpt is what really makes this figure. without that, he'd just be boring and bland like the origins fig. i will actually give hasbro some credit on that one.

now, it's time to kill spider-woman. what the eff were they thinking? those look horrible. i know for the most part that the problems are the paint apps but the entire method of execution looks flawed. the legs should have been molded in white plastic and painted black at the top. it seems they did that with the arms. the body paint apps are the worst i've seen yet. the head is very plain. i'm saddened that i'll still have to pick up this figure just to get the set. once again, damn you hasbro!

and lastly, how about some credit where credit is due. everytime you post new pics of figures they look better and better. i can really get a good sense of what i'd be getting into if i were to buy these figs (as if i wouldn't). i liked the review/preview too. sort of like and op/ed piece. sadly, i think i'm going to be going back out this weekend in search of these. i'm sure no one will have them.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

I totally Agree Dan. The Hulk is probably the best and my favorite of all the Wave 2 figs. And I loved my Hulk Group shot so much that it is now my desktop. But as I said there are some stinky hulks out there, so be picky.

I didn't really notice that with Magneto at first...but his face does look too large in that little helmet don't it? Faces are always a problem for masked or helmeted figures. I think of the first Legends Iron Man figure. His face sculpt behind the mask just looked atrocious. Mags isn't so bad though, but I wish he would have had a removable helmet instead. I had the Toybiz Magneto with removable helmet as well as the AOA Mags, and they really aren't bad, especially for the age. You would think they could do better. A great example of what Hasbro can pull off is the Darth Krayt figure that just came out. I have some pics of my two packs, but really want to do my full scale reviews for Krayt and Lumiya. They deserve it.

And again your right about Cyclops. He kills the Origins version on all counts. Even paint apps surprisingly. The build for the character was perfect, I was really afraid before we saw pics of him, that he would have the Punisher body.

Your right about Spider Woman too. Her legs are black painted white. I can only imagine they did this so there wouldn't be any paint wear on the top of her legs from play. They could have done better. The only problem is the runny lines. The biggest trouble aside from the face apps will be the spider symbol on her chest....big blue chest... They pin stripe the black lines on a fully stenciled spider shape. So the stripes can be either sloppy or crooked. I like her myself despite her flaws...I'm a good boy friend. Just with the flaws she is probably the 5th best of this set above Black Spidey.

And thanks for the props Dan, I continue to try my best to improve on my photos. I've been trying to take better pics lately to not just show cool poses, but to show the details on the figures as well. As for the smaller review, would you say it is less confining? I think I'll be going back and forth, as there are some figures who deserve full point reviews, and others that really don't..I didn't think it was necessary for this crew as mentioned.

[dankingery]

i too believe that if magneto had the removable helmet he'd look much better. like i said, i still think he looks cool.

as for the new review format, i like it. but i also like your other format too. i think you'd be wise to switch it back and forth depending on the subject though. i know sometimes we're excited to review a toy we get because of our undying love for the subject and then other times it's more just to show off a new set of toys that help complete a collection and while there is love, it's more of a one-night stand kind of thing. no matter what, i always enjoy reading what you've got to say and obviously i love the pics.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Your right, it isn't noticeable if your not really looking for it. Even if the body types look the same in structure, your not really going to make a big deal about it. I actually don't mind the body reuses myself, however it's the body choice for a particular character that stands out to me. For instance...I always thought of Magneto as being a tall strong character. So maybe he should have used the Cyclops Body instead. In any case a good coat of paint or a different color makes the difference.

I really think Hasbro has been keeping not only their costs in mind, but they have realized that there is a huge customizer fan base for their figure lines. Simple bodies make for cheaper cost, and easier customization.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Yep, the company doesn't exactly care for the customizers. But I've read and seen interviews where the production teams have mentioned their appreciation of Customizers, and the support there of. I'm sure in some instances they have them in mind when designing a few lines. After all, so far the Marvel Universe line has been pretty much highly manufactured customs due to the constant body reuse. So they have at least taken a chapter from the customizers. All you have to do is pop off the head, sculpt a new one, and then repaint the body, and give them random accessories.

The results just from this year.

#1 = Iron Man body type = 3 x repainted
#2 = Spider-Man Body type = 6 x repainted
#3 = Silver Surfer Body type = 9 x repainted/reused
#4 = Punisher Body type = 4 x reused
#6 = Wolverine Body type = 2 x repainted
#8 = Daredevil Body type = 11 x repainted/reused
#12 = Captain America Body type = 4 x repainted/reused
#13 = Hulk Body type = 5 x repainted/reused
#15 = Green Goblin body type = 2 x reused
#16 = Ronin Body type = 4 x repainted/reused
#18 = Black Spidy Body type = 6 x repainted/reused
#19 = Thing Body type = 2 x repainted
#21 = Iron Man classic body type = 4 x repainted/reused
#22 = Ms. Marvel Body type = 4 x reused
#31 = Guardian Body type = 3 x reused
SW1-3 = Thunderball Body type = 1 used with more to come
Gigantic Battles Bodies = reused Legends Icon bodies.

So we have essentially seen 17 body types. I have like 60 figures thus far, so that's nearly a 3 to 1 re-usage ratio.

[dankingery]

last i heard, hasbro still wasn't setting the price on these. it's all been the retailers.

let's see a raise of hands, who's getting tired of the silver surfer body? <hand up>.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

I'm not too keen on the SS body, but it I like the figures who have used it thus far, mostly the Translucent Torch.

Personally I think Hasbro pulled a page from Mattel's book with their DC lines. Those lines have been pretty big hits, and all they have been doing is basically the same figures with new heads, accessories, and paint apps.

I am very troubled over the Price still...not to mention I've been hearing some terrible rumors of yet another price hike on action figures. I hope this isn't true, but my Dad called me today while he was in K-Mart, and he mentioned seeing the Star Wars comic packs for $16.98 each!!! That's just crazy! Nearly 4 bucks more than Wal-mart, and $5 bucks more than Hasbro's online store. I'm seeing a very bleak future for some of our favorite toy lines. I can swallow $8.44 for these right now. But I was disgusted at the $9.50 price mark at my local K-Mart stores. If it goes up to that, I'll probably be calling it quits, and hope death to the retailers. It just seems to me that retailers are planning on gouging until collectors can't afford toys anymore...possibly a tactic to lower the space the toy aisles take up in order to stock more expensive products. Just walking through Wal-Mart the other day I noticed that they have almost virtually cut competitor products in the grocery section to push their own Great Value brands. Cereals, Milk, some canned items...almost 80% were Great Value. I was more than happy to pay the extra $$ on name brands so as not to support their crappy Great Value products. But that's a little off topic.

[dankingery]

sprawl-mart will perish in flames. don't worry. and if your local k-mart is anything like mine they've still got initial wave 3 figs rotting on the pegs. the last time i was in there the marvel universe figs were squeezed down to just three pegs and they only had four figures total. i won't bother mentioning which ones since we all know who the king peg warmers are with these. if they aren't getting anything new, then they can jack their prices up all they want. i won't be shopping there. i've decided that i'm going to take a flame thrower with me from now on and torch any place that is lacking in marvel goodness. damn them all to hell.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Someone just reported finding MU figs for 9.09 at their local Target on another board. I hope that was a mistake.

[dankingery]

that is a mistake. target's mistake. why in the hell are these prices going up so high? fortunately, as of just the other day, the targets around here were still pricing them at $7.99. of course, they've only got wave 4 refreshers and secret wars wave 1. i'm sure they'll follow suit and force me to punch every other employee in the throat as i walk through the store.

[mrjayberry]

why the eff did i bother buying the wave 3 iron man? the differences are negligible. i blame hasbros hype machine getting me all horny for more marvel universe. had i only waited until wave 2 secret wars came out i would have the same damn figure. damn you hasbro!

Ditto, thankfully I bought my Iron Man at Toys R Us when they had the 2 for $9.99 sale so its not a complete loss. I can always give the one I like least to somebodys kids. Or just give him and Spider-Man reapaints out for Halloween

[dankingery]

hey, i was just reading this other guy's lame review (it sucked) about wave 2, and he said something that you didn't mention in your review. were the comics that came with these #4-6 or were they #4, 7 & 8? just wondering if he was a complete moron or if hasbro is trying to piss me off.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Yeah, 4 7 and 8. I didn't think it was important. But it kind of annoyed me too. However we will be getting the next SW wave pretty soon, so it's no big deal. I already read the Secret Wars bound volume once in the last year and a half anyway. But they switched the issues around from their original straight run plan to better reflect the figures being offered in each pack.

[dankingery]

as long as they're still planning on all 12 issues being released. i was worried that they were truncating the series because they weren't going to release it all.

[rotr]

Such excellent figures. With many mobile parts. I could dream only
about such in the childhood. And till now anywhere didn't see at us
in shops. Necessarily would buy one.