Toy Review: Marvel Universe Hawkeye & Piledriver

Secret Wars Hawkeye & Piledriver

I’ve reviewed the Thor & Enchantress 2-Pack 2-Pack already. I got this at the same time. It was just sitting there on the shelf of Toy Kingdom Express in the department store of SM Megamall and I knew Bim needed one and here was two of them right there staring me in the face. Here in my hand was the current hot item, the toy that everyone and their mother was looking for. I knew if I put them back, if I even let their J-hooks TOUCH the metal peg, the next nerd in line would grab it off the wall and make a dash for the counter. It would then promptly appear on eBay with an insane markup.

Sigh.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m trying to regulate my toy addiction to a few purchases a month. Marvel Universe was one of the toylines I decided to cut from my list of things to look out for, mostly because 1) I really hate this scale for superheroes 2) they’re damned expensive for what they are and 3) they are more miss than hit. The only one’s I was on the look out for were Hulk and Iron Man figures since they are the ones that I have the most fun with.

However, I’ve always been a fan of Hawkeye’s look (since I read West Coast Avengers back in the day) and I’m a sucker for the guys that use a bow and arrow. I was never able to buy the 6″ version from the Marvel Legends line (it’s insanely expensive now since only collectors still have them in stock) and I figured it would be nice to have at least one representation of him in my collection.

Just like the Thor & Enchantress 2-Pack pack, this one comes with a reprint of the Secret Wars mini-series from back in the day. There are 12 all in all, but they haven’t really been released in order. This one is #9. Honestly, I didn’t even read it. It was thrown in my comics box with all the other Marvel Legend reprints. I’m a bad nerd, I know this.

The card serves it’s purpose of protecting the figures, but you’ll need to take a look at the figure inside. The Marvel Universe line has had its share of quality control issues and these sets are no exception. Check paint for scratches and spills, limbs for bent plastic, and the parts to make sure you aren’t getting a figure with two left thighs or something. Both of mine have some kind of scratch/flashing on Hawkeye’s right cheek.

The back has the requisite blurbs and boring product photography.

You’ll notice I haven’t really mentioned Piledriver yet. That’s because he’s the filler in this set. It’s a new strategy Hasbro seems to have for getting us to buy more toys. Pair one really awesome figure with a so-so B-lister and they will buy it. And they will. They paired Forge up with yet another Wolverine and we bought it. They paired Thor with a sub-par Enchantress and we bought it. They paired up those awesome SHEILD agents with boring Ninjas and we bought 3 of them (you know you did, don’t lie).

In this case, they are pairing up heroes with the members of The Wrecking Crew, a group of supervillians who have fought with several of the Avengers over the years. They’re sort of the jobbers of the Marvel Universe. Break out of jail, rob a bank, get caught by Thor robbing said bank, get their asses handed to them after getting caught by Thor robbing said bank, and then returning to jail only to escape and do it all over again with Spider-Man.

We already got Thunderball with the Spider-Man in the first wave of 2-packs, and we’re getting Bulldozer with The Thing in Wave 3. I suppose The Wrecker will be one of the fillers in the Wave 4 assortment.

This time we get Piledriver, or Brian Philip Calusky, who “fights with his over-sized pile-driving fists”. Say what? Basically, he’s enchanted with Asgardian magic and is super strong and highly invunerable. Isn’t “highly invunerable” an oxymoron?

He’s supposed to have larger than normal fists as well, but you can’t really see that on the figure. Look normal to me.

Piledriver is just a plain figure with some paint applications to make him look different from say, Iceman. There’s no really unique tooling, no accessories. If you didn’t really want the Wrecking Crew, you could easily re-paint him into another character. Or a luchador. That would be cool.

Hawkeye is the complete opposite. He’s detailed, well sculpted, well painted, and he’s got a lot of unique accessories. I’d almost be willing to pay the Php 900 for him alone.

Almost.

He’s got his bow, an arrow, his quiver, arm bands, belt, and his loincloth/tunic and shoulder armor. The arm bands and quiver are a great touch as both are easily removable (though I’ve never taken them off after that one time). The tunic/armor is not, unless you want to dismember him. The loincloth portion has sculpted wrinkles in the cloth, and his shoulder pads have scale mail sculpted in.

If you’re a stickler for scale, the bow and arrow aren’t strictly right. They’re both done a little big. However, the length of the arrow is correct, unlike the DCUC Green Arrow’s arsenal. It’s a relief is what it is.

Unfortunately, he can’t hold the damned thing. I had to tie it to his hand with a clear rubber band. faceplam, Hasbro. Epic facepalm.

Articulation is what I’ve come to expect from Marvel Universe; ball jointed neck, ball-post shoulders, bicep cuts, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, ball-post torso, ball-socket hips, double-hinge knees, leg cuts at the boot top, and hinge ankles. The comibination makes for a nice mix at this scale that gives you some good poses.

Honestly, I like this set. Enough that I’ve decided to keep the figures, even Piledriver. Having played with the figure, I’m infected by a wave of completistitis. I now have to get a Thunderball and wait for the rest of the Wrecking Crew.

I’m still hoping that the first revision of the Wave 4 figures will hit the Philippines. That will include every 2-pack in the sub-line except Thor & Enchantress 2-Pack. It’s a great chance to get that Thunderball and the upcoming Storm and Nightcrawler, an Ultron for my Iron Man, and an Absorbing Man for my Hulk. So much for my boycott on the line.

Now if only Hasbro would give us a Mockingbird. That’s one B-lister I would have shelled out for in the Legends line.