THOR Week Reviews
Marvel Universe’s Wrecking Crew

Rounding out the team is Bulldozer. Visually, he’s my favorite. He’s got a bright orange costume with silver gear. The silver is nice and bright and the figure ended up looking sharp on the shelf. Bulldozer almost deceptively uses the same bulky MU buck as Thunderball and Piledriver, but his costume specific details – the collar, bracers, belt, and boot tops – are all separate pieces added to the buck! It simply blends together for a nice looking figure. No paint issues here on Bulldozer, but most of his pieces are molded in the appropriate colors. With the buck body, he features basic MU articulation.

As I said earlier, most of the Wrecking Crew were only available via two-pack. Vault was surprised to find that I wasn’t planning on reviewing their two-pack partners, so I thought I’d better throw them in to at least acknowledge their existence. I wasn’t buying the two-packs for any of these characters per se, but I can report that all three are decent figures. Hawkeye (packaged with Piledriver) is the best of three with a lot of add-on pieces that captured his unique look. He also included three accessories (bow, arrow, & quiver), but his defining feature is his trademark smirk. The Thing is satisfying if you’re looking for a pantsless version, but I was surprised that he was so short (shorter than his 2pk mate, Bulldozer) and his swivel neck joint. He’s not bad, I did have fun with him in the pics, but he just doesn’t seem to be on par with the rest of line. Finally, buying Thunderball netted me a Spidey. It seems like a fine Spidey figure, but as an earlier MU figure he’s lacking some key articulation I think every wallcrawler needs. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a better Spider-Man somewhere else in the line.

Each figure featured in a Secret Wars 2pk also came in with an issue of the series. If you were buying all twelve 2pks and hadn’t read Secret Wars, that could’ve probably been a pretty cool setup. Unfortunately, with the relative obscurity of some of the characters, I doubt there are many MU collectors that fall into that category. Still, comic packs are a fun part of Star Wars & GI Joe, so I applaud their use here. Thunderball did receive his trademark wrecking ball in his 2pk. It would later be painted better and given to Absorbing Man, but it looks okay here. It has some surface features which makes it look like Hasbro intends to paint it into an inaccurate globe at some point though. It has a swivel joint where it connects to the chain. It’s an okay accessory, but I find it difficult for him to hold and to find a pose that looks good given its shape.

As he should, Wrecker included his crowbar. Yes, it looks huge, but I assure you it’s in scale. Kirby draws his crowbars real big, okay? It looks great with him and fits in his hand, thus fulfilling all the basic requirements of a great accessory.

Overall, these were interesting figures for me. I had no real knowledge of the Wrecking Crew a few weeks ago, but the figures were calling to me ever since they were released. I know that sounds odd. We live in a time where we know everything or at least have an affinity for the Creeper or Gladiator before we pick them up as a toy. The prices are high and there’s so much to choose from, that I hardly ever buy or have interest in figures that I don’t know something about. Yet, in the case of these guys, there is something appealing about their basic costume and generic looks. While they are a great representation of Marvel’s Wrecking Crew, they also have a ‘blank slate’ quality to them too.

Also, I have to applaud Hasbro. I have a complete Wrecking Crew in a line just getting into its third year. As a DC collector, I can rattle of a whole list of teams Mattel has yet to complete (like, all of ’em) in roughly the same time frame. I love completed teams and am always sad that it seems to be something companies almost fear handing out.

For more Marvel Universe reviews, check out our
Marvel Universe Collector’s Guide.

20 thoughts on “THOR Week Reviews
Marvel Universe’s Wrecking Crew

  1. you know, in an interesting sub-note, and as a burgeoning thorophile, you too will soon join us noisy… no ulik. not in MU, not in ml, not even in the retardedly expansive 90’s TB line… ulik is an often-relied-upon villain, and a good one at that. this would be like the FF never getting mole man, or iron man never getting titanium man, or the x-men never getting mister sinister… and yet, here we are. really, thor has had consistant cock blockage on his rogue’s gallery, almost as egregious as hulk’s… no, wait, strike that, i just remembered, hulk has had wolverine, wendigo, juggernaut, abomination, red hulk, and absorbing man. thor’s gotten loki. just loki. no kurse, no hela, no set, (i suppose we’ve gotten galactus, and thanos in MU, so those count…)

    1. I’ll keep an eye out for Ulik in the comics. It’s unbelievable that the 90s line didn’t even bother to get into Thor? I know a lot of one-off and “G” list X-men villains because of that line.

    2. Thor’s also got almost zero supporting cast members. There will finally be a few of them in the movie line, but there’s little hope of ever getting a comic-based Sif, Odin, Heimdall, Balder, or Warriors Three (I don’t think we’re even getting half those guys I just listed in the movie line).

      Thor’s always going to get the shaft in the figure line department, it seems.

      1. Destroyer had the ThorBuster IM variant, and is getting a couple figures from the movie line, too.

        as for the Crew, I had to pass, as the 2pks came out with no announcement of a Wrecker coming at that time. Now, I can’t find ANY of these guys, Wrecker or the 2pks. sigh…

      2. I wonder what’s up with that too? Even the movie line is not helping in that department. If you want characters from the movie, very little offerings in the first wave really.

  2. I love that fight pic at the end!!

    I’ve seen all these guys at the store except the orange one, they do look interesting, but I only buy figures of certain characters I follow so these were an easy pass.

    1. Thanks, I was really happy with how that one turned out!

      I think Bulldozed was the one I saw the least throughout the last year.

  3. Great review! I still can’t believe these guys never got Marvel Legends figures. I hope that Hasbro rectifies that in the new line. There’s tons of great Thor characters.

  4. Just a minor nitpick the three members of the ‘Crew don’t have the exact same body as Bulldozer has different boots. Great review though!

    1. Thanks, I glossed over that a bit. I suppose I should’ve thrown in that the bucks are the same with one minor difference. 😀

  5. I really enjoy your reviews. For the most part I have the figures you are reviewing. I can see all the things you speak of first hand. I just enjoy reading your commentary that blends character history with how much you enjoy the figs. It is a fun read every time. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Whatever the cheesey appeal was of this mob they were always a childhood fave of mine – they always talked tough, looked badass and got their teeth handed to them – usually in a single issue and even by the likes of Spider-man. So getting this neglected corner of the MU into …well….MU was pure gravy. Until I saw Bulldozer. They didn’t make the guy squat enough by half and he looks pretty underweight compared to the comics. The Juggernaut buck would have been a little too tall, but that’s the kind of build he needed.

    And it’s ironic you pulled Piledriver up on his hands because withe the number of figures that have stupidly oversized left/right mitts in this line (guardian anyone?) I’m thinking maybe they only made them that size so they could get an accurate Piledriver out of it someday!

    That aside it’s a great team and another terrific review. Definitely more Thor please.

    1. Doh. I should’ve looked into scale. I saw a few pics that looked like they were all about the same size and ran from that. That’s a shame if they didn’t do him quite right.

      LOL on the hands. I didn’t think about it until after the pics were done or I could’ve had some of the shots where the widest part of the hand is turned flush with the thinnest side of the arm. It can look pretty bad in some poses.

      There will be more Thor in the site’s future…

  7. Probably some of my favorite Marvel Villians, they lose all the time but are tough and can showcase the heroes ability to win. While they lose it’s not like they lose by much.

    Great Review.

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