Gladiator Hulk

Marvel fans around the globe are already anticipating the third installment of the movie Thor. Entitled Thor Ragnarok, the trailer boasts of a newly-dressed cast, which to brick fans mean a whole set of collectible Marvel characters in new elements.

The movie is set to adapt the plot line of Planet Hulk, where Hulk crash landed to Sakaar when his allies banished him from earth; coincidentally, Thor was held captive in Sakaar without his mighty hammer Mjolnir, and has to face his "friend from work" head on.

Undoubtedly, Hulk's gladiator form is an exciting twist for brick fanatics. Being used to Hulk's bigfig in various colors (Red Hulk, Gray Hulk, Yellow Hulk, etc.) and in various pants, the character suffered from inflexibility and commonness. In this new form, all is not lost; it seems that creators have stretched their imagination in replicating the movie version of Hulk. Although the bigfig used the old mold, the left arm mold and face-torso printing are good signs of investment.

(L) Hulk from Planet Hulk 2010 movie and (R) Hulk bigfig from Thor Ragnarok

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 654
Condition: Bought without box in a clear plastic bag

Character
Name: Hulk (version from Thor Ragnarok movie)
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Avengers (banished)
Superpowers: superhuman physical ability, berserker strength, agility, healing
Paraphernalia: hammer

(L) bird's-eye view
(R) overhead shot

Hulk bigfig consists of 28 pieces – 1 head, 1 torso, 2 arms, 2 hands, 1 standard baseplate, 1 helmet, 1 panache, 16 hammer parts, 1 head connector, and 2 arm connectors.

I'll give you an arm!

Gladiator Hulk bigfig features a bad ass left arm. The brown, layered form replicates the leather feel of the animated version, while the blue layers in the shoulder area are supposed to match the theme of the much-awaited film. Take this arm and give it a red and silver look, then you will get a bad ass Colossus bigfig arm.

(L) side view of the helmet
(R, T) front view
(R, B) back view

The common Roman helmet adapted for this bigfig looks so Gundam-y and Alphonse-y (the latter from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood) to me, which is cool. It could be the head to shoulder attachment, without too much room for neck, that gave this illusion.

(L) weapon in upright position and facing front
(C) upright and lateral position
(R) inverted

Harley Quinn would actually love this lamp post-looking hammer. Its beauty lies in the slanted sides of the hammer, where a brick with three connectors holds the elements together.

(L) torso with tattoos of digital or alien writings and printings of  straps connecting the armor elements
(R) baldy Hulk's face with similar tattoos and angry face

Hulk bigfig's printings in the torso and face are thematically-aligned with Thor Ragnarok. No arm printings, no alternate face, no printings on pants, and no printings in the back.

Get ready to rumble!

In three to five years, this bigfig might get extinct, so do yourself a favor and get a set. It's definitely a must-have! ;)

The Sub-Mariner

One of the underrated Marvel superheroes, Namor, has a minifigure produced by Xinh. Hurrah to the bootlegger community! I'm fortunate to have bought one from my Divisoria brickhunting.

Unleash the Kragle! errr, Kraken! 

No official minifigure has ever been released (as far as wiki sites are concerned). I'm not also aware if Namor appears in any official video games.

I got re-acquainted with this character when I read Avengers versus X-men, where Namor turned into one of the Phoenix Five.  Yep, waterman on fire!

Rumor has it that the film rights were bought and returned to Marvel, but no film has ever been produced. It would be cool to see him in the big screen along with his fellow X-men.

The Atlantean

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 285
Condition: Bought without box in a clear plastic bag
Price: ~0.75 USD

Character
Name: Namor McKenzie
AKA: Namor (the Sub-Mariner)
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: X-men, Illuminati, Phoenix Five
Superpowers: Superhuman strength, aquatic adaptation, telepathic control over sea creatures, longevity
Weapon: Trident of Neptune

Namor minifigure consists of 13 pieces – 1 head, 1 hairpiece, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 torso, 2 arms, 3 hands, 1 trident, and 1 basic baseplate with 4 studs.

Butchered Sea Creature

The printed face captures Namor's signature eyebrows. Unfortunately, he has the angered expression only. The head has no dual face.

As Namor constantly appears naked, as opposed to his DC Comics counterpart Aquaman, the front torso has printed chest and abs outlines only. The back torso has outlines of muscles only.

Oh! The brows! 

What to make of this? 

The waist has nice belt prints from front to back, with a shell detail as in the classic version. The only piece of apparel he wears (his swimming trunks) is printed nicely in its scaly green design.

The three scary printings are seen on the legs - one, the knees, which, in my opinion, present Namor with too much body lines from face to legs; two, the troll feet with four toes in each!; and three, the green underwear does not go all the way to the back, which makes Namor look like he's a stripper making money after saving the world!

Troll feet? 👿

@$$?!

The hairpiece is standard, making the face appear heart-shaped, similar to minifigure like Zod I think (at least in knockoff bricks).

Modeled after the classic and original version, I'm missing his pointed ears and wings on his feet. The wings I could do without, as I am not certain how it will be incorporated into the standard elements.

Overall, it is better to have this average minifigure rather than having none in your collection. Perhaps, the manufacturers have not seen any fine moc's online to copy.

Fish out of water

Classic Namor
(photo not mine) 

I'd love to see and have a Namor minifigure modeled after the Phoenix Five. It would be cool!

Namor as one of the Phoenix Five
(photo not mine) 

The final form of Namor minifigure and a photo with the Kraken.

Where's the knife? 

Attack the Kraken! 

Happy 2017!

Posthuman God

Dubbed as the Most Supreme Being of DC Comics, I present to you, Doctor Manhattan, named after the Manhattan Project. A nuclear physicist, who after being deconstructed, his reanimation made him teeming with superpowers. A character created by one of the most celebrated graphic novelist, Alan Moore.

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 388
Condition: Bought without box, but sealed in a clear plastic bag
Price: ~0.75 USD

Character
Name: Dr Jon Osterman
AKA: Doctor Manhattan
Comics: DC Comics
Affiliation: Watchmen
Superpowers: Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Dimensional travel, Precognition, No need for air, water, food or sleep

Going Nuclear!

The blue man consisted of 11 pieces – 1 head, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 torso, 2 arms, 3 hands, and 1 basic baseplate with 4 studs.

Deconstructed Doc Manhattan

The torso is straight forward, much like the character in comic version – just outlines of chest and abdomen.

Blue Mannequin

The head is printed with the eerie white eyes, black eyeliners and dark blue shadows. The iconic bull’s eye mark looks like a third eye. Fans would be disappointed to find a perfect mark where the outer circle should have a dot at the top center. Nonetheless, the head represents Doctor Manhattan.

Don’t stare!

No dual printing in the head and the back torso has simple lines.

Who that?!

The legs have no printing and the connector is plain black, to represent Doctor Manhattan’s creepy beach guy look.

Blue Legs in a Black Trunks

No side arms printing, as well. Overall, an unremarkable minifigure. Nothing special.

Let’s go to the beach!

There is no known official minifigure of Doctor Manhattan to date, so for fans of Watchmen, the Xinh knockoff is a must have.

All Men in Blue (L-R) Electro, Doctor Manhattan, Mr Freeze, and Archangel

Doctor Manhattan Contemplating In Mars

Spider-Man Noir

One of the best finds from my Greenhills haul, Spider-Man Noir is fun to shoot with,  not to mention that the design can be used for any western or cowboy scene set up. In fact, it is reminiscent of Westworld's Hector character, owing to the leather vest and black ensemble.

Every Hero Has a Code.

Web Slinging by Moonlight

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 217
Condition: Bought without box, but sealed in a clear plastic bag
Price: ~0.75 USD

 Character
Name: Peter Parker of Earth-90214
AKA: The Spider-Man Noir
Editorial: Eyes Without a Face
Comics: Marvel
Affiliations: Amazing Arachnids, Spider-Army
Superpowers: organic webbing, spider sense, superhuman agility

The bag contained 14 parts - 1 head, 1 hat, 2 arms, 1 torso, 3 hands, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 cape, 1 pistol, and 1 baseplate. The baseplate has 4 studs.

Dissected Spider-Man Noir

The legs are printed with black-gray color scheme, detailing the pinstripe pants. The toes have extra prints which either create the look of steel toe shoes or that Noir's wearing boots.

Pinstripe Pants

Nothing special with the back of the legs,  no prints.

Basic Black

Noir's torso prints detail a double-breasted leather vest; the brick is not leathery itself -  well,  at least the illusion of cowboy leather is there.

Buttons Up! 

The back torso printing carries the iconic eight-legged logo in white. It covers the whole back torso which I think can be inter-changed to the front for a touch of creativity in shooting scenes (just cover the back with a cape).

Spider-Man,  Spider-Man

Noir's head has the iconic slanted white eyes,  which imbibe the goggles he wear in the comics. The gray printing in the mouth area passes for the shadowy outlines of the mask, while the thin gray printed lines at the top of the head detail the leather stitches.

Dude,  where's my gun?... and arms!? 

The printing on the back of the head details the leather stitches, similar to the front printing.

Stitches

The assembled Spider-Man Noir minifigure looks bad ass. The fedora hat (the texture is of course, ABS plastic!) and black felt cape complete the awesome look.

Noir Portrait

Draw of the Pistols at 12 Noon

There is no official minifigure release of Spider-Man Noir but the video game has its version. 

Video Game version

I'd say that Xinh knockoff version looks spiffier than the game version, which is also close to the comics version. 

Comics version 

If you're into knockoffs, go and get one. It's a  nice addition to Spiderverse collection. 

Spider-Man Noir Saving the City

You Imposter in Red and Blue! 

Until the next post!  😊

Happy Haul-y Day!

There is a spot I visited for my knockoff haul this weekend, a tip from a fellow blogger (downtheblocks)  - Angelomarcus in Greenhills, San Juan.  The place is heaven for cheapskate collectors!

I bought the minifigs by Xinh and Pogo, and a 12-piece set by Dargo, which the seller insisted them to be a real good buy. Sadly, they don't have Professor X,  Cable and Enchantress anymore; but the white Statue of Liberty lady and bicycles are quite interesting.

I wish I get the time to shoot and post each minifig.

Until the next post.

Haul-ogram for the King

Photo Test - The Flash (err...  not the camera flash) 

The Demon from Azarath

A random pick from my Divisoria stuff - DC Raven!

Raven is a sorceress born of a demon father, Trigon, and a mortal mother, Arella. Raised in the mystic realm of Azarath, the goddess Azar trained her to control her emotions. Her father harnesses her demonic powers to dominate the earth where she serves as a Teen Titans member.

An amateur edit of Raven with floating debris

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 353
Condition: Bought without box, but sealed in a clear plastic bag
Price: Php 35 (0.78 USD)

 Character
Name: Rachel Roth
AKA: Raven
Comics: DC
Affiliations: Teen Titans, Justice League Dark
Superpowers: Soul-self, darkness manipulation, hypnosis, telekinesis, teleportation, empathy

The bag contained 15 parts - 1 head, 1 headpiece, 2 arms, 1 torso, 3 hands, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 2 shield-like, transparent bricks, 1 cape, and 1 baseplate. The baseplate has 4 studs.

Raven deconstructed

The head is printed with black mask (which is actually the shadow of the hood) and a purple Aang-like triangle (an extension of the purple hood, to complete the hooded-form Raven look from the animated TV series). Sadly, this form does not give us the mortal form of Raven, where the chakra is embedded in her forehead.

The torso print is slightly misaligned, but is not as obvious as the prints on the legs.

Raven head and torso

The head has dual printing where her basic demonic form is manifested by the four red, angry eyes.

Raven 4 eyes

The prints on the legs are obviously misaligned. The color scheme in the legs prove that this Xinh version is from the animated TV series, Teen Titans. The comics version has gloved hand and shows the skin of the legs.

Dead legs walking

Behinds

The minifigure is not too bad, but I'm not too crazy for it. Fortunately, there is no official Lego release of Raven, so having a Xinh one is a must.

Raven looks like a host due for interrogation from Westworld

Powered-up Raven!

I have to let loose the hood so that the four eyes are shown; once I put the hood back in its fit, the top pair of eyes are not visible - what a shame!

What are you looking at?!

Having fun with shooting photos of Raven in a scene. The set up is in a ruined Azarath, with the time stopped.

Raven attacks!

The Lego minifigure from the comics version of Raven only appears in the video game, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

Raven by Lego

I wish the Chinese brick brands produce a set of Raven emoticlones. That'd be fun!

Emoticlones

A minifigure of Queen of the Under-realm is a far-fetched idea, but we never know.

Queen of the Under-realm Raven

Until the next review! ;)