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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of the Hulk - Ragnarok
One:12 Collective

Mezco Toyz
Date Published: 2018-12-19
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Introduction

I'm not a huge Thor fan, either in the comics or in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not the character really, and Chris Hemsworth does a fine job portraying him. But the story lines and mythic nature never really clicked for me.

But Thor: Ragnarok was an exception. Maybe it's the inclusion of the Hulk, a character finally given his due in the MCU. Or maybe it's the solid supporting cast, including the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). And having a terrific villain like Hela didn't hurt either. In any event, it was easily my favorite Thor installment, and one of the better MCU entries overall.

So when one of my favorite action figure series - the One:12 Collective - announced they were doing figures from my favorite Thor movie, picking them up was a no brainer.  Hulk has just started shipping, and we should see Thor soon.

The Hulk is a big boy comparatively speaking, but he comes with a big price tag too. The usual price for a One:12 figure right now is $80 for a regular release, or $100 for one with a light up feature.  The Hulk comes in at $125, and his only light up feature is his effervescent personality.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Packaging - ***
One of the things I like about these packages is the heavy, sturdy cardboard they use. The box will stand up to time and handling unlike some others on the market.

It's also attractive of course, although they tend to go with a spartan design for most of them. It's all collector friendly too, and you'll have no trouble removing the figure and the accessories without damaging the packing materials.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Sculpting - ***1/2
This figure has some issues - we'll get to those. But the sculpt itself is not one of them.

As I mentioned, he's a big boy, coming in at 8" tall without the helmet. That puts him at least 1.5" over the usual figure in the line. He has a nice volume and bulk to go with it, but another half inch or so of height and corresponding volume wouldn't have been unwelcome at this price point.

The detail work is excellent. Lots of fine textures here, from the helm to the shoulder armor to the faux leather straps. These varying textures create a realistic look while differentiating the various plastic pieces.

The skin texture looks great as well, subtle enough in hand to be realistic without overdone. The tongue, the teeth, the hair - everything looks terrific.

They went for looks over articulation - it's always a compromise, and the extremes on either side are never going to be completely happy. I'm good with the middle ground they found here.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Paint - **
I mentioned issues - the paint is one of them.

Not the overall quality. The majority of the paint operations are very clean, and the tattoos, eyes, hair, eyebrows, and costume highlights are sharp and clean. The weathering on the armor and straps looks great, and the only real blip is on the teeth of the helmet-less head. It's minor though, and certainly not what leads to the lower score.

It's the green.  Green is a tough color. Different plastics have different absorption rates of things like paint and dye, due to their unique porosity. Green is a color that is particularly sensitive to the effect, and it can alter the color quite a bit. We see that here in three different areas.

The head, hands, and feet, the softest and most porous of the green sections, are darkest. It's most noticeable in hand on the helmet-less head, but you'll see it with the screaming head, along with the hands and feet, if you look close.

The torso, legs, and arms are lighter in color, and less porous. The plastic is harder, altering the color even in hand. And then there's the hardest, least porous plastic of all - the disk and pins of the joints, like the wrists, knees, and shoulders. This creates a VERY different shade of green, one that stands out like a sore thumb.

Sometimes, this is only obvious in photos. We've seen that with lots of green figures in the past - you'll see a photo of it under bright lights and the weird differences in the greens are obvious, but in hand they are much less noticeable. That is not the case here. I'm color blind and I had no trouble seeing the difference when I took the figure out of the box.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Articulation - ***
Articulation junkies will complain, but One:12 were never designed to simply be super articulated. The appearance of the figure is still critical, and they work to strike a compromise with each figure.

The ball jointed neck works well, particularly when using the head without the helmet. The helmet can be a bit restrictive of course, and you'll get more lean and tilt with the second portrait.

The rotating hinge shoulders work great, but the rotating hinge elbows are restricted by they beefy sculpted arms. The wrists work terrific, and the hands swap easily.

The torso has a rolling joint at the waist, hidden by the costume. You can get reasonable lean, turn, and tilt action, and it looks far superior to an obvious ab-crunch.

The hidden hips won't allow for regular sitting poses, but they can manage shallow to deep stances, and the rotating hinge knees look great and give you plenty of mobility. The ankles could use a little more rocker movement, but you can adjust the ball to get the feet in better poses.

No, he's not hyper articulated, but he can take plenty of excellent battle poses and still look great doing it. For comparison, he's better articulated than the sixth scale Hulk from Hot Toys, and that guy cost $300 five years ago.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Accessories - ***1/2
One:12 figures tend to have a big plus in this category - a second portrait. This time we get a calmer Hulk, without the helmet, and with a growling but not screaming expression. The heads swap easily, and the level of detail on both is excellent. There's still that paint issue, but that doesn't affect this category.

He also has two sets of additional hands to go with the fists he comes wearing. One is a set of tighter grips to hold the weapons, and one is a set of wider grips for various battle poses. They swap easily, but remain in place while posing.

He needs his weapons of course, and he comes with the huge hammer and axe. These have great sculpts with lots of texture, and a decent paint job. They fit easily in the supplied hands.

Finally, he has the usual Mezco display base with either the longer adjustable post or the foot peg.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Outfit - ***
One area that gets some flak and doesn't deserve it (or at least all of it) is the costume. I'm counting the armor, boots, straps, and cloth sections around his waist and bicep.

The sculpted pieces are extremely well done, with a ton of texture and fine detail. It's the cloth sections that people tend to focus on, and while these might look 'flat' in photos, there's actually a ton of minute detail here.

The various pleather and cloth pieces around his waist might look simply printed, but there are actual layers of different material of each color. In some cases it looks like these layers have been laser etched to create depth, while in others they are separate layers glued in place. For example, on the front of the 'loin cloth', the silver edging is not printed or painted on, but a separate layer from the brown.  Even the brown is multiple layers, with the smooth piece to the right (his left) sitting on top of the textured brown layer below.

I do have my own nit, however. I think this layered material is great, but I also think it needs a little wear, or at least a less glossy look. A more muted appearance would go a long way, similar to what we see with the plastic straps across his chest. A little more texture to some of the smooth material sections would also give them a more realistic appearance.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Fun Factor - ***
You'll have plenty of fun with this guy, posing and re-posing, particularly once the Thor counterpart is released. And Hela - don't forget Hela!

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Value - *1/2
While this figure is larger than the usual One:12 figure, and this is a one off body (so far) with no re-use (yet), the $125 price tag is still steep.  I think comparing him to the light up figures that are currently in the $100 range is fair, and the extra $25 is hard to justify.

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
If you prefer a completely sculpted plastic outfit, there are some great options out there for you. If you prefer hyper articulation to a realistic sculpt, there are also some very good options. But neither of these things are what the One:12 Collective is about, and this figure is pretty much in line conceptually with the overall series.

My only disappointment is with the paint - the three versions of green is a let down, particularly at this price point. It's less noticeable with the hands, feet, and helmet wearing head in place, but you can't get away from the obvious green discs at the joints.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - **
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***

Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has him for $125.

- Entertainment Earth is also at $125, but has free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first Hulk in One:12 (but probably not the last), but other recent Marvel releases include the Ronin Wolverine, the Special Ops Punisher, and Doctor Strange.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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Hulk Thor: Ragnarok One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2018, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.