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Lights, Camera, Action Figure: Hulk vs Hulkbuster


By now, if you're a Marvel fan you've seen Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.

I'm a fan, but I have to admit, the movie fell short for me. I mean, James Spader voicing Ultron was awesome and the battle between the Hulk and Tony Stark's Hulkbuster was an incredible high point, but other than those two items, the movie wasn't as great as I hoped it would be. But this review isn't all about the movie, it's about Kotobukiya's two statues, that when displayed together, recreate that awesome battle between Hulk and Hulkbuster.

First up, The Hulk. He comes in four pieces and a base. The base is sculpted to look like broken concrete and interlocks to the Hulkbuster's base. There's his torso, with the head attached, his left arm,the right arm, and his lower body. Assembly is easy, it is a snap fit. Push the arms into the torso at the shoulders and push the upper body into the lower body and you're done. He's ready to be attached to his base. Once on his base he measures, from the base to the top of his head, about 8 inches in height.

He is in a lunging position with his arms outstretched, fists clenched and detailed pretty nicely. From the veins and muscles in his arms to his calfs, he looks, well, very Hulk like. The likeness to Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk is spot on. My only complaint with this Koto piece is that you can see the lines where the arms are attached to the body. They are very visible. For this reason I can only rate him a 7 on a scale from 1 to 10 (and also cause he doesn't really look that good, due to his pose, displayed by himself.)

Next we have Hulkbuster. He also comes in four pieces and a base. Upper body with head attached, left arm, right arm and lower body. His right arm is even articulated (it can move up and down) allowing him to grasp Hulk's fist in his open hand. Snap him together and he measures, from base to the top of his head, a little over 10 inches tall. He is also in a lunging position. Now this guy is awesome.

He has incredible detail. There's even "stress" marks on the armor throughout his body. And he's pretty massive. Can't afford Sideshow prices? Want a really great, well sculpted, well detailed, Hulkbuster? This piece is your answer. I rate Hulkbuster a 20 on a scale from 1 to 10. And unlike Hulk, Hulkbuster looks killer, displayed alone.

You can pick up Hulk for $60 USD and Hulkbuster for $185 USD. They look great together but if you can't afford both, I would get Hulkbuster. Hulk, although nicely detailed and sculpted, looks lost displayed alone. Hulkbuster, on the other hand, looks awesome displayed either with Hulk or as a stand alone piece. Thanks for reading, I hope this review was helpful. Now, get out of my attic!

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