You wouldn't like me when I'm angry/
You wouldn't like me when I'm mean/
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry/
I'm a big ugly lump of green.
While working at a nuclear research facility, scientist Bruce Banner was accidentally caught in a gamma bomb explosion. The blast transformed him into the monstrous, rampaging Hulk, a creature with childlike intelligence and superhuman strength, which he often directs against those that would threaten him or other innocent beings. Ever since, when enraged, Banner turns into the Hulk and stays that way until the raging giant calms down and reverts to his normal human form.
Ah, the Hulk. Long have we waited for a figure worthy of his insane mass. Not even an Incredible Hulk cartoon in the mid-90s could manage to produce one. The best we'd ever had was the "Smart Hulk" figure, though it lacked articulation. Most Hulks, however, were barely bigger than whatever line they were coupled with, and looked more "bloated" than "behemoth." But ToyBiz finally delivered on the promise with their initial Marvel Legends line.
Breaking off from the Spider-Man Classics (as that line broke off into a so-so line of its own), Marvel Legends follows Spidey's lead; wonderful sculpts, scads of articulation, ornate bases, and free comics all encased in that most despicable of packaging, the clamshell. Only difference is that the scale has been upped.
No longer blending in with more than 15 years of scale-tradition, the figures tower over most everything ToyBiz has released before, and Hulk towers over even the other figs in this line at 7 1/2" tall.
Looking just like Hulk in the comics, this figure is wearing shredded purple pants. His muscles are wonderfully exaggerated, looking as if you could hear them scraping against one another as he moves. Veins snake across his ripped physique, and he's got a look of pure rage on his face (right down to individually sculpted teeth). The real wonder of this Hulk is his articulation; he's got more than 20 points of movement, from multi-directional ankles to doublewide foldout shoulders.
Hulk's base is the shattered remnants of the cinderblock wall through which he has seemingly just burst. The base has two brackets by which you could hang it from the wall, but I certainly wouldn't recommend doing so - Hulk's a big bruiser. Personally, I gave his base to Wolverine and stole Lo's desert cliff to give Hulk a bit of comicbook authenticity. He looks great on there, and his useful ankles let him balance perfectly.
The figure (the U.S. release, anyway) includes a reproduction of Incredible Hulk #314, which sees John Byrne drawing all sorts of Hulk villains in some sort of psychodrama, which suits the figure. Personally, my favorite was the Peter David/Dale Keown 'smart Hulk,' but that's not what this figure represents. Bonus points for having Juggernaut in there.
As a bit of a bonus, you can download an MP3 of the song whose lyrics open this review here.
Do you think Ang Lee will do a good job with the Hulk movie? Which version of the character do you like the best? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.
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