Hasbro is definitely in love with the 3.75 inch scale, as most every new item they debut falls right in line. Their new Marvel Universe set of figures is no exception and the Thing is just another Marvel character brought to life in tiny little proportions. Read on to see whether he reaches quite as high as some great previous figures (Captain America), or if instead he doesn't quite measure up.
Name: The Thing
Line: Marvel Universe
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: Second quarter 2009
Price: Retail: $7.99-$10.99, Online: $9.99-$14.99
Scale: 3.75 in. (figure is 4.5 in. tall)
Accessories: None
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys (Single)-$12.95, Amazon (Single)-$13.95
8 / 10 - Amazing details in rocky skin; nice big and bulky body type to diversify the line; crisp edges and thorough sculpting in hands and pants; muscle groups on his legs are hideous; head is too small but otherwise great with accurate expression and features; left hand is posed oddly (is he holding a gun?).
9 / 10 - Impressive color variations in orange skin; great wash to bring out texture in rocks; orange color is perfect, not too bright nor too dull; pants and boots show good color choices too; the wash on his pants might be too much though, as it highlights the ugly muscles; eyes are clear of mistakes; a little overspray on some lines.
5 / 10 - He has a good number of joints; would benefit from a ball neck and rocking ankles; both his elbows and knees are sculpt limited in their range of movement; hip joints are difficult to use; the other joints are smooth and just tight enough to hold positions; he has a really ugly left knee joint (I don't know if this is an assembly error or just a peg size problem), it's functional but looks terrible; hip and knee joints don't complement the sculpt well; hard to find a lot of emotive poses despite variety of points.
8 / 10 - A well known character with a great visual catch; a big figure that will stand out amongst others; has some articulation, but it's frustrating to use and difficult to find nice poses; doesn't include any accessory or build a figure piece; does include a file card insert, along with a fun document to reveal story elements; there is also a code that can be entered online for more cool information and interactivity; card art is amazing and includes fun facts/images; wonky knee is disappointing and detracts from enjoyment.
7 / 10 - He is rather pricey for a 3.75 inch figure at $8-$10 retail; doesn't include any sort of accessory or BAF piece to up perception of worth; has some interesting pack-ins that add to overall enjoyment and time spent with figure; nothing fell apart, and the figure seems mostly sturdy (except for the weird knee, which looks very precipitous); a bigger figure than normal; a necessary component of the Fantastic Four!
Overall Score: 69 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy
Although this figure scored well in most categories, I implemented a stronger than usual negative curve, because the sum of all those scores just don't make this a good figure. It's disappointing and could've been significantly better, but that still doesn't mean it's a bad toy.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one).
-The Articulated One (thearticulatedone@articulateddiscussion.com)
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