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My favorite thing about Hasbro\u2019s Marvel movie toy lines has been the cross-pollination of the comic figures. I\u2019ve enjoyed the IM2 movie figures, but the comic figures have helped enriched this line and I find myself looking forward to them most. After a good deal of searching, I\u2019ve finally completed Comic Series II.<\/p>\n
I was able to find this wave in spurts. I found the Proto & Oversize armors<\/a> a few weeks ago at Toys R Us. They had a Guardsman, but he wasn’t painted well enough to buy. I found a Titanium Man at Target a couple weeks ago, but also left him behind due to poor paint. I had been enjoying the hunt, but I was starting to lament the paint that was keeping me from bringing these guys home. I wished Wal-Mart would get Comic Series II cases as that would greatly improve my chances (within 30 minutes of IAT there is 1 TRU, 1 Target, and 7 Walmarts). Last week, that’s exactly what happened. After weeks of drought, I finally had my pick of Comic Series 2 figures. <\/center><\/p>\n According to the bio on the card back, this Guardsman represents its first bearer, Kevin O’Brien. O’Brien had impressed Stark with his inventions and, as a result of becoming a trusted ally, was given an emergency suit of armor. Unfortunately, the armor caused him to become mentally unbalanced and he turned on Iron Man in a jealous rage. Other men would wear the armor, Kevin’s brother for one, and the correctional officers of the superhuman detention facility, the Vault. That background expands the possibilities for this figure. It can be utilized as an ally, a villain, or even as an army builder.<\/p>\n I’m starting with the Guardsman because I misjudged him. Based on the initial images of his amazing<\/em> physique, I thought this was a guy I could pass on. Even at the store, I was sure I didn’t really need to pick up the seemingly naked green man. But when you have a coupon for $5 off a $20 Iron Man purchase, you need three figures. So Guardsman came home with me, six-pack and all.<\/p>\n And on the comfort of my desk, he somewhat flourished. I still can’t speak to his anatomy (I’m not sure what’s going on with his lower back; it looks questionable), but I do like his helmet and I really love his paint and articulation.<\/p>\n As you may have noticed, this guy is green. His paint is really nice, largely because it doesn’t have to do much work. The body is the solid bright green and the dark green is on separate pieces like the boots, gloves, and head. The paint apps that create his de facto tank top, briefs, and arm bands are all sharp. The details on the helmet are similarly well done and the overall metallic look really helps out.<\/p>\n The articulation is somewhat perplexing, but in a good way. His articulation is mostly standard for the line: ball joints in the head (limited), shoulders, elbows, and hips; swivels at the forearms, thighs, and boots; double hinged knees, hinged ankles, and the chest pivot. The main difference here is the boots which are swivels with hinged instead of balls. Despite being standard, this guy really feels like he can move better than most of the other figures. My guess would be the lack of add-on pieces like shoulder pads, bulky details around the hips and chest, etc. He’s unencumbered and pretty fun because of it.<\/p>\n Guardsman included the standard yellow repulsor blast. I’m glad it’s there to help value, but I\u2019m starting to wonder how many of those things I’m going to have by line’s end.<\/p>\n <\/center><\/p>\n This might not be the Titanium Man you were looking for. I’m not as well versed on the modern happenings of Iron Man as the old, so I’m not sure what there is to know about this new streamlined Titanium Man. The armor has the look of the Gremlin armor from Armor Wars, but if I recall that suit was entirely or mostly green (easy repaint, anyone?). Interestingly, the card back bio describes the origin of Boris Bullski, the wearer of the original tank-like Titanium Man armor. I’m still hoping we’ll see that in the line somewhere.<\/p>\n The most striking thing about the figure is his height due to the long, thin torso. You can look at him and think it looks okay or it looks a little off, it exists right at the edge of that perception. The sculpt is entirely new and looks to be an accurate representation of the latest armor, including some nice features. I really like the ribbed costume overall, but the raised paneling throughout makes the figure stand out. In the end, I think what’s best about this figure is that he’s not like many of the other figures and their muscled exteriors. This figure looks like a guy in an armored suit. If I had a direct line to Hasbro, I’d say “more like this please.”<\/p>\n The main problem I had in selecting a Titanium man was the paint on the visor. It was tough to find one that had the yellow stamp centered. Past that, I didn’t have many problems. I enjoy the green\/grey combo quite a bit, but I do wish he had a more metallic look like most figures in the line. Still, the grey helps distinguish the figure, particularly being released so close to the Guardsman. Most of the green\/grey cuts are crisp, but keep an eye on the two small green patches under the arms when purchasing.<\/p>\n Articulation is standard on this figure: ball joints in the head (limited), shoulders, elbows, hips, and ankles; swivels at the wrists and thighs; double hinged knees, and the chest pivot. Again, we see the ball-jointed head being placed so low on the neck as to only be given side-to-side movement and the ball shoulders are limited from going upward due to the bulk of the armor.<\/p>\n Titanium Man includes a yellow energy blast that can be added to his hand for a powered-up punch. It’s a great piece and really adds dynamic to action poses. The only thing is, I would’ve like to see two of them since it’s a relative small energy piece. Continue to Hulkbuster Armor…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/center><\/p>\n In the hall of Iron Man armors, I have a couple favorites. The aforementioned War Machine, the Modular Armor, and its best module – the Hulkbuster armor (named precisely for why it exists, to bust a rampaging Hulk). There have been a couple imitations over the years, namely the Thorbuster and the Hulkbusterbuster (what was that WWHulk brick called again?), but none have been as a cool a design as the original Hulkbuster. That may have raised my expectations a bit for this figure because I’m a bit let down by it.<\/p>\n The sculpt looks pretty good, enough to get me excited in the preview images. I love the detailing that can be found just about everywhere on this figure. The problem for me is the size. I don’t know how big the Hulkbuster armor should be, but it just doesn’t feel right at this size. He’s shorter than War Machine! A few pics below, in the group shot, you can see that the Hulkbuster doesn’t stand out. That’s just not right. The other problem with the sculpt is the fixed, hard plastic shoulder pads. I’ve been a big fan of the hinged pads throughout this line, but for some reason Hasbro went a different way here. Ironically, the shin and forearm guards are flexible, but that school of thought didn’t extend to the shoulders. The good thing is they’re up and out of way for the shoulder movement, but they don’t look so hot up there when the arms are down.<\/p>\n The figure still has a high level of detail with vents and panels throughout, so he looks great. The shoulders are a minor annoyance, and the size is only noticeable when in a group. By himself, he has a great sculpt and I could see myself learning to be happy with the figure.<\/p>\n I have great paint on my Hulkbuster. The gold areas are crisp and the white details are similarly sharp. The only issue this figure has is that the body and limbs are cast in two different shades of red. The red on the torso is what I’d like to see throughout. It’s more vibrant, while the softer limbs are a duller, flatter shade. Sometimes I look at the figure and it doesn’t really bother me, while other times it’s distracting. The pictures here make it seem particularly different, but in the soft light of my collection room, it blends in a bit better. It’s something each of us will just have to look at and judge for ourselves.<\/p>\n Despite the original figure the articulation is not much different that most IM2 figures: ball joints in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and ankles; swivels at the head, wrists, and thighs; double hinged knees, and the chest pivot. The main issues here are the previously mentioned lack of articulation in the shoulder pads and that they block the arms from going up and that the wrists are swivels. I think this armor would have really benefitted from ball wrists. The head is purposefully a swivel cut only, but that’s a good choice for this armor. I’d expected there to be no movement at all and the slight head turns here enhance the posing.<\/p>\n Hulkbuster included no accessories aside from this base and three armor cards.<\/p>\n All figures include the standard grey base with three interchangeable armor cards. The cards are a neat accessory, but aren\u2019t terribly exciting (though there is some fun mixing the Hulkbuster armor cards with the other armors). Since the movie’s been out for awhile and there’s still no support at ironmancards.com, that may be a feature we never see.<\/p>\n Overall, this was a strange wave to pick up. The one I didn’t want turned out to be fun and the one I really wanted was a bit of a letdown. Nitpicks on the Hulkbuster aside, I still had a fun time with all the figures. The level of detail and articulation is great for this scale and the figures are fun to pose and play with (Iron Monger and Hulkbuster duking it out on my desk or finding that HB pick up the Red Hulk and still stand makes the different shades of red seem particularly unimportant).<\/p>\n The Iron Man 2 line continues to be one of great new lines of 2010. I’ve bought fourteen so far (Iron Monger is on loan, I’m waiting for the blue comic one) when I wasn’t planning on buying any. I’m caught up with the ones I wanted right now, so I\u2019m back in a holding pattern. I’ve enjoyed being able to hunt at stores and keep up with a line of good figures. Buying mostly Mattel product means getting most of my stuff online. Hopefully, Hasbro will be quick to release the next assortments because I’m ready to hunt for the next batch. <\/p>\n <\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My favorite thing about Hasbro\u2019s Marvel movie toy lines has been the cross-pollination of the comic figures. I\u2019ve enjoyed the IM2 movie figures, but the comic figures have helped enriched this line and I find myself looking forward to them most. After a good deal of searching, I\u2019ve finally completed Comic Series II.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":7151,"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":[34,10],"tags":[595,594,474,596],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/bustTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-1Rk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11555,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11555","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":0},"title":"Marvel Universe Checklist Updates, Cap & Thor Pages Added","date":"February 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"New pages for the Captain America & Thor movie lines have been added to the Marvel Universe Resource. The Iron Man 2 and Spider-Man pages have been updated with the latest wave information. And a Two-Packs section has been added to the 2011 page. Images have been added for most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6249,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6249","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":1},"title":"ItsAllTrue Review: Iron Man 2 – Proto & Oversize Armors","date":"June 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I finally found some Comic Series II! In the last few weeks, I've been mocked by more Classic and light-up armors than you would believe. I've been tortured by unusable $5 off stickers. I've looked through pegs and pegs of IM2 toys and not found much new... and it's been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11574,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11574","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":2},"title":"Marvel Universe Reviews: Iron Man 2 – Comic Series III","date":"February 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Admittedly, this review is a little late. I had trouble finding this wave when it was released last year and when I did find it I had a ton of DC Classics reviews to get through. I'm caught up now and I've got some time before Bane gets here to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marvel Universe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9689,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9689","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":3},"title":"ItsAllTrue Review: Iron Man 2 Classic Iron Monger","date":"October 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"For the last few weeks, I've been running across Iron Man 2 Comic Series III figures. I've been tempted, but not enough to buy. The modern armor is odd. The Centurions haven't been painted well. The one I wanted was always gone. But I lucked out while on a trip\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17761,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17761","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":4},"title":"Sponsor Announcement: Past Generation Toys","date":"March 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This week @ PastGenerationToys.com DC Direct Batman preOrders We just listed the new statues and busts for the new Batman Dark Knight Rises Movie. Busts and statues are coming for Batman, Catwoman, and Bane! Also listed are the Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze Arkham City Deluxe Action Figures! Star Wars\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sponsors"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5330,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=5330","url_meta":{"origin":7150,"position":5},"title":"ItsAllTrue Review: Iron Man 2 – Comic Series I","date":"May 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm not sure, but I think there might be a new Iron Man movie out. There was something or other about it on television the other day. Oh, and new toys too. I tried not to buy any, but, as usual, I failed miserably. I've bought six 4\" figures so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "@ the Movies"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7150"}],"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=7150"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7326,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7150\/revisions\/7326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nComics Series # 29 – Guardsman<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/reviews\/muimages\/bust2.JPG?w=640\")
<\/center><\/p>\nComics Series # 31 – Titanium Man<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nComics Series # 30 – Mark XVIII Hulkbuster<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nFor more Iron Man 2 reviews, check out our Iron Man 2 Visual Checklist<\/a>.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n