{"id":14485,"date":"2011-09-19T03:57:51","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T08:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14485"},"modified":"2011-09-19T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T15:50:22","slug":"marvel-universe-fantastic-four-future-foundation-3pk-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14485","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Universe Fantastic Four
Future Foundation 3-pack Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>I might just be the type of comic fan that long-time comic fans hate. While I love a well written story above all else, I also enjoy changes to the status quo. New costumes? New powers? New torchbearers? I\u2019m there. As such, I\u2019ve found myself drawn to the new Fantastic Four. <\/p>\n

One of my earliest toy memories was of a family trip to nearby Springfield. I had to be around five at the time, but I\u2019m not certain as the memory is a little fuzzy. After a trip to the zoo, we hit up the local mall. They had a Kay-Bee there and while I was already told we weren’t going inside, there was a Secret Wars display visible from the hallway. I already had some Secret Wars by that point, but what caught my attention was something new. It was a Spider-Man like the one I had, but he was in this amazing black costume. I didn\u2019t read current Marvel comics as a kid, so this was my first exposure. I absolutely had to have it and thankfully my parents obliged. Little did they know what they were getting me into…<\/p>\n

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Two-and-a-half decades later, I have to tell you that I still think Spidey’s black duds are about the coolest damn costume in the history of comics. I still appreciate that classic red-and-blue, but I don’t have a little corner of my collection reserved for that costume. Similarly, I\u2019m more than happy to see my favorite heroes switch up their threads now and again. I love the many armors of Iron Man<\/a>. Hooked Aquaman. Electric Supes<\/a>. Heck, when I got older I realized my Secret Wars Doom was in a unique costume and I\u2019m still waiting for a Marvel Legend. And I\u2019m still bummed I don\u2019t have a Dick Grayson Batman yet (what\u2019s up with that?). As you can imagine, I was more than ready to snap up some Future Foundation versions of the Fantastic Four. <\/p>\n

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If you haven\u2019t been following along in the Marvel Universe, Johnny Storm \u2013 the only founding member of the Fantastic Four to have not died at least once – died. The three surviving members received new looks, a new book, now titled FF<\/em>, and, along with Spider-Man and a rather large supporting cast, have been kicking ass for the better part of a year already. I’ve become a big fan of Jonathan Hickman, and his take on the characters, which naturally translates into my needing little plastic versions. It’s a compulsion, I know. But that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? <\/p>\n

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This set is essentially a repaint set of the Fantastic Four 3pk that was released earlier this year. The original set featured Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman (finally<\/a>), the Thing, all in a blue\/short sleeve deco along with a H.E.R.B.I.E. for good measure. Ths pack is the the same except the costumes are now the current Future Foundation versions and Thing has traded in his short for full-on pants. I picked up this set at my mega-chain LCS, so I’m not sure when it will officially hit retail or at what store. I’ve seen the regular 3pks (Fantastic Four, Avengers, & X-Force) at only Wal-Mart so far, so I imagine if anywhere will be getting this case of the 3pks beyond your local LCS, it’ll be there. <\/p>\n

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While I was happy to pick up the set, I still have some misgivings with most of the figures. I all but hate the original lanky MU buck when compared to the better proportioned, better articulated bucks of late. Unfortunately, Mr. Fantastic here utilizes that original buck. The lankiness works better for him than others because we can pretend it’s simply his powers at work, but the missing articulation still hurts the figure. The head sculpt appears to be a new, better version than the one from the Ultron 2pk, so we’ve got at least one new piece there. The costume details are all painted on, but it works – though those patches on the top of the hands appear to be slightly out of place from the original design. <\/p>\n

I got my first MU Thing figure when I was putting together the Wrecking Crew<\/a>. I was pleasantly surprised by the figure even though Hasbro could use to give him some newer neck articulation. Thing did’t receive any new pieces in this pack, but this version has swapped out covered legs to better approximate his Future Foundation look. The Thing has appeared sans his pictured tank top, so this figure is accurate, but I do lament the loss of his little “tri-hexagon” designation (I’m a nerd and I appreciate consistency, okay?). <\/p>\n

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Sue is probably the highlight of the set because it’s the first time she’s been available in either costume. If you’ve been trying to put together a Fantastic Four, it probably drives you crazy that she wasn’t done in her standard uniform to match the others and this Future Foundation repaint probably doesn’t make it any better though. Still, I’m excited for this version and pretty satisfied with the overall look. She’s still using an older MU buck with some drawbacks – the middle torso and lower torso not meeting up exactly being the primary issue – so I again find myself wishing Hasbro could afford to just junk the older molds for the sake of the line. I’ve heard mixed things about the head sculpt, but I like it enough. Like Reed, the costume is all done with paint and most of the details are spot-on.<\/p>\n

When I bought this set, the clerk openly complained about the inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E. and the lack of a Spider-Man. I had to laugh because even though this is a repaint set and Hasbro has revealed that a Spider-Man is on the way, I still felt like he was right. It’s bad logistics to think Hasbro could simply shove a Spidey in the H.E.R.B.I.E. hole (that sounds bad…), but at the same time and even with one member in the grave, a Fantastic Four 3pk is a pretty silly idea. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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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. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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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.. <\/p>\n

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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. <\/p>\n

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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. <\/p>\n

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Two, I really bought them for the look. Not every figure I buy is for crazy fun like Lion-O<\/a> or sheer awesome toyness like the Frost Giant<\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n

That said, I wouldn’t mind Hasbro taking another crack at these guys in 6″…<\/p>\n

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For more Marvel Universe reviews, check out our
Marvel Universe Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I might just be the type of comic fan that long-time comic fans hate. While I love a well written story above all else, I also enjoy changes to the status quo. New costumes? New powers? New torchbearers? I\u2019m there. As such, I\u2019ve found myself drawn to the new Fantastic Four.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[26,34,10],"tags":[626,1175,24,627,2567,726,1005],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/ffTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-3LD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8333,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8333","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":0},"title":"Most Requested Figures: Marvel Universe Invisible Woman","date":"July 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been working on updating the checklists all week and as such I think I've become \"the Living Checklist\". If there were contests to see how many figures in a line you could name, I'd win. But with this knowledge, came a realization. Marvel Universe has gotten very deep into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Requests"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17672,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17672","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":1},"title":"Marvel Legends Future Foundation Spider-Man (Arnim Zola Wave)","date":"March 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m back! Vacation was awesome, but not being in front of my computer all week was a challenge! I jumped right back in, reworking the site redesign, building the SMC checklist, creating a new Vault sub-site, and then I realized... Monday\u2019s review!? Oops. How about Marvel Legends Future Foundation Spider-Man\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Legends"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19665,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19665","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":2},"title":"SDCC 2012 Armchair Coverage Marvel, Transformers, & More!","date":"July 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, Noisy and I are going to take a closer look at some of our favorite non-Mattel lines featured at San Diego Comic-Con. I\u2019ve got some quick write-ups on Transformers, Star Wars, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while Noisy will explore the Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends offerings! A year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18854,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18854","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":3},"title":"Marvel Universe Two-Packs: Thanos vs Adam Warlock Review","date":"May 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Last night I remembered that I run a toy review website. Between a business trip to Kansas City and a quick jaunt to Texas for the eclipse (and a bunch of work in-between), IAT\u2019s been light on my updates the last two weeks. Let\u2019s fix that with a Marvel Universe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9620,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9620","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: Marvel Minimates: Mr. Fantastic & 1st App Dr. Doom","date":"October 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Along with the Universal Monsters, I also noticed a new wave of Marvel Universe Mates at our local Toys R Us. I fell out of Minimates collecting when the DC line was cancelled, but every once in a while I\u2019m still tempted back by certain characters. Looking at this Dr.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12495,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=12495","url_meta":{"origin":14485,"position":5},"title":"THOR Week Vault Review: Doctor Doom & Absorbing Man","date":"May 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I also found it interesting that they chose to give us a classic comic book version of Doom in a Secret Wars pack. I always thought the battle armor that he forged to take down the Beyonder had a great look. Plus it made for a really cool toy in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14485"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14485"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14498,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14485\/revisions\/14498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}