With the new sculpting being limited to a couple of new heads and the costume details relying on the paint, it’s going to be crucial that you find a well-painted set. The only area on my figures where I wasn’t happy with the paint was the thicker black lines on Sue’s thighs. It’s hard to see in the small photos but the lines are fuzzy here and there. All these lines on the costumes aren’t really paint friendly though, so I was happy enough with that little fuzz on the figure (plus, this was the only one they had). My Sue also had her tri-hexagon symbol merged instead of having all the hexagons be separate as they are on Reed. I think they’re all going to be that way, which is a real shame.
Articulation is what you remember if you’ve been collecting the line since the beginning as these are some old bucks. Reed includes a ball-jointed neck (limited), shoulders, torso, hips (limited), and ankles (limited), swivels at the biceps & wrists, hinged elbows, and double-hinged knees. Sue includes a ball-jointed neck (limited), upper torso, shoulders, hips (limited), and ankles, swivels at the waist & wrists, hinged elbows, and double-hinged knees. Thing included ball-jointed shoulders, torso, elbows, hips (limited), knees, and torso, swivels at the neck & wrists, and single hinge ankles.
I think the main problem is that I had to say limited that many times when describing articulation, but what’s more is that these are solved problems. Hasbro has made MU into a much better line since its first year, but this 3pk provides little evidence of it.
That said, I still lament the Hasbro hips every time I buy a Marvel Universe figure – they just don’t work very well and I’m not sure why Hasbro hasn’t tried something different even with newer figures. The thigh swivels do help the newer guys, but those aren’t present here. It’s not always the prettiest joint, but it does comes in handy. Anyway, the articulation here is serviceable, but like those thigh swivels – I just wish the updated articulation was here – bicep swivels for Sue & Thing, new neck articulation for everyone, etc..
The set also includes the aforementioned H.E.R.B.I.E.. Herbie was a cute addition to help give the three-pack some value and also kinda poke fun at the fact that Johnny Storm wasn’t included. He’s got a cool sculpt, but mine keeps tipping forward and falling over. I’m not sure if it’s just mine; that his “legs” are bent in some way and I need to reshape ’em, or what. He does make sure I notice that cool little plug-in on his back when he falls over though. It’s a cute touch, but I’m having a hard time really liking it as a piece. I have no real memories of the old cartoon, so I can only appreciate him as a nod to a long-running Fantastic Four in-joke and as something to add value to the pack. It might’ve been cooler if Hasbro has been allowed to go a little off-the-rail and create a Future Foundation deco for him now that I think about it.
Even though it probably sounds like I’m having some regrets over buying the set, I’m not. I only paid $2 over the Wal-mart price since I bought it at my LCS and I did get three figures for the $22, so I’m still feeling like I got a deal. Playing with the figures and posing them for the pictures though, I definitely wanted more – better artic, new hands, something to make them more fun. But I keep two things in mind – one, these are serviceable figures. If you’ve been buying and enjoying the line (a few quirks aside) since the beginning, then you’re going to enjoy these figures. I passed on the early offerings and have been picking up newer figures, mostly with better articulation. To me, this is kinda like being hit by a temporal rubber band.
Two, I really bought them for the look. Not every figure I buy is for crazy fun like Lion-O or sheer awesome toyness like the Frost Giant. I bought these guys so they could be hanging out on my shelf years from now and remind me of that brief period when Johnny Storm was dead and Hickman actually got me to pick up a Fantastic Four comic. They serve that purpose exceptionally well. The new sculpted pieces are nice and the paintwork is intricate and pretty sharp. H.E.R.B.I.E. is probably destined for the accessories bin, but the team is going to the shelves proudly while they wait for the forthcoming Spider-Man to round out the core quartet.
That said, I wouldn’t mind Hasbro taking another crack at these guys in 6″…
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I totally agree with you on MU hips. The inclusion of thigh swivels on some of the newer figures makes them better, but they still are seriously in need of a different approach.
They’re like the modern equivalent of o-ring hips!
They can’t release a completely unflamed Johnny or a Classic looking Sue, but they can do this!?
Am I the only one who sees a penis on Reed Richards’ insignia?
(Probably)
That FF Spidey would look cool in plastic form…
If the mods deem worthy to edit/delete my comment, it’s OK, my bad…
Spam filter caught it, though I have no idea why. 😉 I fished it out for ya. 🙂
Ha! I haven’t been following comics for a while now, so to me this set made sense because it seems the Human Torch has been made available several different times so he’d be redundant in this set. 😀
LOL They do go pretty heavily on the Torch at first, maybe they didn’t want to be ‘morbid’ and make a dead guy. 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Oh, Noisy, I am endlessly entertained by your reviews and even on a product I really have no interest in, you make me want to buy it.
So, since I have nothing of actual value to say, I will proceed to rattle the cage!
Why do I get the idea that this costume change was mandated back when the first FF movie was made and somehow it kept churning thru process and nobody had the guts to say “um, guys, no, wait WAIT movies tanked NOOOO”
(see also current DC relaunch and the push to ‘movie style’ costumes including pantless Superman)
One of the running memes out there is what a dick Reed Richards can be. His symbol…well. Let me just say it seems a little…unfortunate. 🙂
Mr. Grimm has a package he wants to deliver very very badly, it seems. Do we blame the Hasbro Hips for that? 🙂
OK, speaking of the uniform symbols. WTF? When they were the Fantastic Four they didn’t have a ‘1’ on Reed’s chest, a ‘2’ on Sue, etc. And to be consistent shouldn’t Spidey have, like, three empty hexagons or three filled or something? Hexagon with spider legs?
Why does Sue have those big thick lines on her thighs? Yes, I know, it’s a touch of fetish to make her more sexy (giving the look of stocking tops) and it’s maybe even a little anime inspired. Oh wait, I see Reed has his on his shoulders, and he and Ben have belts while Sue doesn’t. Hurm. There’ a bit of odd individuality going on here that just doesn’t fit what I’m used to in the FF.
So, Johnny should be back at any moment, does he get some silver jammies or will this relaunch have yet again another take on the traditional look?
They left Cap ‘dead’ for a few years, so we might have a ways to go before Johnny comes back. I say that means a new relaunch with new costumes and new figures… LOL
Great review, thanks.
I don’t know why people don’t like H.E.R.B.I.E more. I never watched the show he was created for, but I’ve always been a big fan of Franklin Richards (Son of a Genius) and his adventures in that.
They’re fun little non-offensive adventures with tons of great homages and references tossed in.
Plus, there’s a great little synchronicity to the Future Foundation costumes coming with the character that replaced Johnny Storm when they were without him in the animated series.
I think he’s fine in there to be sure, I just wish mine stood up. Is this version based on anyone’s specific art that you know of? I was wondering about that.
I keep debating this one for sue, However I hate the short sleaves but I also hate that thing is the same old thing that (IMO) needs better hip articulation (in other words, any at all). That is what holds me back. I would prefer Sue in a single pack with Herbie to be honest, but we know that even though Hasbro loves reuseing parts they would never bother with something that simple LOL.
Also kind of burns my craw that one of the most consistantly requested females was included in a 3 pack with two previously released figs.
For thing and Reed, the Toybiz MLS versions are still the best for 1:18th scale version of them, Sue however looks like carol channing unfortunatly.
I think, I could be wrong, but if you hold out Sue will get a normal release. I haven’t had time to update the Marvel checklist lately, but Hasbro seems to like to release at least some of the multipack stuff as singles later – like Doom & Absorbing Man – so we might yet get a classic Sue single-carded.
My plan now is to hold out for a bit and see if Sue does get a single release, if not I will backtrack and get her from one of the multi-pack, but I figure that is what will end up happening though, just not got a ton of faith in hasbro these days.
is anyone else kind of wondering why the box art costumes aren’t the costumes in the box?
if it were Mattel it would be an undocumented bonus extra feature! 🙂
I assume (with all the risk that entails) there’s supposed to be some kind of ‘exclusive to our chain!!’ sticker.
Because otherwise that looks a lot more like a ‘chase variant’ then an actual stocked production product.
It’s a version of variants that Hasbro is doing, instead of packing cases with multiple versions, they pack later cases with a new version in the same packaging. This review of Ms. Marvel and Vision explains it.
http://www.itsalltrue.net/?p=12100
Thanks, Braystreet!
Yeah, the packaging isn’t wrong or signaling an exclusive. Hasbro just doesn’t change it when they switch up the figures.
right, but in the digital era, that’s a click and drag solution.
Haven’t we learned that nothing is that simple in the toy industry? It’s run by monkeys!
EVIL monkeys at that.
Yeah, I don’t get this aspect. I really think it’s a desire to create a ‘chase’ variant without actually committing that’s what they’re doing.
I mean, think like a kid here. Somehow he’s gotten interested in Fantastic Four (not that the comics are doing that, for an 8 year old) and you want to give him some toys so you see the box, say to yourself “hey, that looks like what Tommy is liking! I’ll buy that and be a hero!” and because the box in front is kinda schmutzed up you reach in back, grab another box blindly and put it in the cart.
Whereas Tommy busts a vein screaming that these aren’t The Fantastic Four.
Of course, I’m not an evil monkey so I guess the idea of presenting a toy to KIDS is just more crazy talk. Did I make a point there? 🙂
Another great review with funny photos. Any chance of a picture of this Herbie, next to the old Herbie from the ML box set (and not the one that went to Monte Carlo)?
I don’t have him anymore, sorry!
Thanks for the review Noisy – now I’m glad I held off on this pack. Totally underwhelming.
If you’re not a big fan of the FF costumes, there’s probably not much appeal here.
I picked up the normal costume box set and agree with pretty much everything you said about these older figures. I was happy to have the bulk of the FF in one purchase though since I’d held off on picking them up earlier. If I can just track down a burning torch my shelf will be happy!
My HERBIE tips forward as well, seems like the back tri-pod leg is just a smidgen longer than the others. I have him propped up on a stand and he’s staying nicely now.
I think the reason I actually like HERBIE is from playing the Marvel TCG a few years back where he was one of the better FF little guys!
H.E.R.B.I.E. gets a bad rap. LOL I kinda want to repaint him into Kelex… 🙂
I enjoyed those captions a lot more than I did Hickman’s work since this whole Future Foundation business started. The last two issues I read didn’t even mention the FF to begin with! All of a sudden, it turned into an Inhumans revival. Passing on this set with zero regrets.
I’m always interested by how the timing in between comics can affect our enjoyment. I’ve been swamped and didn’t get to the shop for over a month – I had three issues of FF piled up. I can totally see how switching gears to those Inhumans issues would be annoying over a 60 day stretch, but I blew through the last three issues in thirty minutes, so my “let’s get back to the story” feelings were limited.
Anyway, not disagreeing with your assessment – I’m still waiting for Geoff Johns to move on to greener pastures, so what do I know – but FF’s got me wanting to pick up Secret Warriors in trades.*
* – I still don’t totally understand what’s going on in S.H.I.E.L.D. though… LOL
On the H.E.R.B.I.E. balance problem:
I think the issue is his ‘legs’ aren’t a triangle, they seem more a ‘T’ from the pics. It appears they pushed the side units back to simplify the mold, see where the seam goes?
solution looks to be heating and pushing the side units forward, that will create a triangle. But wait, the way it’s designed… hm.
Cut them off and pin/superglue them back on forward of the mold seam? 🙂