Toy Review: Hammer Files’ Colossus

Hammer Files: Colossus

I have always had an affinity for the X-Men. Hulk is my favorite Marvel superhero now, but the X-Men were what really got me hooked on comics. Being a dork isn’t easy when you’re a kid, and I was naturally drawn to this story of a group of outsiders, outcasts, and loners who just wanted to belong.

Now I’m not old enough to have been around when Stan Lee created the team in 1960. I was an 80’s baby, so I know the second team, which is kind of like Picard’s Enterprise to Kirk’s. For the most part, the team of that time consisted of a few mainstays: Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Rogue, and my favorite X-Man, Colossus.

Since I’ve read comics, writers never seem to give this guy a break. In Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin’s first issue he’s plucked out of his family’s farm to fight a living island. He leaves Mother Russia to live in the United States where people hate him not only for being Russian, but also because he’s a mutant (a fact that I equated with being a nerd and living in a country where English was not the first language). He is in love with a girl that all nerds dream about, but he’s never able to seal the deal. He’s beaten to the brink of death by evil mutants, then paralyzed in his armored form. He is given a chance to lead the life he’s always wanted, without superpowers, and it’s taken away from him. He’s taken over by a psychic entity and forced to hunt his mentor. He finds his long-lost brother, only to have him murder countless people and then commit suicide. His parents are killed by the government. His sister is kidnapped by a demon, turns into a demon herself, reverted to a childhood, and then dies of the Legacy virus. His brother returns from the dead only to die again. He loses his faith, defects, and then comes back only to find out that nerd goddess he loved is schtupping some English git. He dies trying to save everyone, then is brought back in the most insanely unlikely way imaginable. And to top it off, all he wants to do is paint pretty pretty pictures and express himself through his art.

That’s as far as I got. I’m sure that there’s been more in the ensuing 5 or 6 years since I quit collecting comics. And that’s just the Earth 616 Colossus. The one from Earth 295 had it even worse. It’s no wonder this guy’s always pissed off. I feel I can relate.

When I heard that the third series of the Marvel Universe (MU) Hammer Files figures would reach the Philippines, I was ecstatic. Colossus isn’t really a big draw for kids, so he doesn’t get a lot of plastic love from the various toy companies that have held the license. Getting a figure of him in this scale again, not to mention in the same series as other X-Men like Kitty Pryde, Archangel and Havok was just too good to pass up.

Unfortunately, it looks like this series will be as hard to find as the Walmart Exclusive War Machine and Mark VI, since they seem to disappear faster than you can blink. Reports are saying that the Toy Kingdom/Toys R Us/Kidz Station branches around the metro are only getting 1 or 2 sets, if at all, and they’re snapped up before you can say “eBay”.

The good news is… Colossus is 2 per case. Along with the AIM Henchmen and Juggernaut. I was able to get this one for Php450.00 at Babes Toystore in VMall, Greenhills Shopping Center. While I was able to buy this seperately, I hear that the extras were sold as a set of 3 the next day, but they’ve since sold out. Other toy stores just got their stocks today quickly sold out of the shortpacked figures, but quite a few still had Colossus.

The package of the Hammer Files hasn’t really changed from the one Hasbro was using during the Fury Files run:

It’s simple and functional, protects the figure relatively well, and is not too hard to open. The window displays the figure very well from three sides, which is a must these days. Hasbro’s quality control has been very very sloppy of late. Looking at the Iron Man 2 line, one can see how important being able to see the figure you’re buying is. That has not changed here. Though I only saw the one example, he’s not perfect. There are ragged register lines between the red and the yellow (though thankfully no bleeds), and some ugly paint clumping where his triceps were resting on the plastic. There’s also some flashing around the back of the joints, though it doesn’t affect any of the range, thank geebus.

Speaking of quality, buyer beware. MU figures are prone to joints that fall off constantly. Colossus isn’t much different. Like my MU Silver Surfer, Colossus tends to fall to pieces rather easily. Both his legs come off at the hip if pressed, as will his head. More of an annoyance really, rather than a problem. You can put them back in easy, and they don’t really seem to be “loose” at all. It’s just that they fall off.

Articulation is stellar. In fact, this is the BEST articulation I have ever seen on a figure in this line or in this scale. That includes all the GI Joe figures I’ve bought, and the 3.75″ anime sets I have. The clincher is the added thigh swivels or cut joints that allow him to take poses with a deeper stance. This allows for a much nicer, more natural look.

It also allows him to do the occasional axe kick.

It’s been pointed out to me that the paint isn’t what you’d really expect from a Colossus figure. His power is to transmute his body into one made of a substance similar to the element Osmium. While he’s been portrayed in the comics as having the color of shining silver, osmium is a hard, blue-gray or blue-black platinum-like metal. The bluish tint to Colossus’ skin is in keeping with this, but it’s a departure from both the Secret Force Colossus and other versions I have.

I like the washes applied to him however. That two tone yellow on his suit is nice, as is the darker silver wash over the armor that seeped into the ribbing. Both really bring out the details and have been executed much better compared to some of the other Marvel Universe figures.

As for the sculpt of the figure, this is one hard-looking mutant. His face is appropriately square-jawed and chiseled, with a nice scowl on it to intimidate bad guys. He’s very much the Colossus from the more recent comics, who’s always portrayed as a brooding, angry guy.

The body is much beefier than the Superhero Showdown figure from a few years ago, and the articulation much apporved. There’s also the other Colossus released during the X-Men Origins: Wolverine line, but that is no where near as well made, being nothing more than a rotocast figure with springloaded arms.

He even beats the Marvel Icons Colossus (but then, I never really liked that figure much anyway).

His proportions are very good, not overly blocky-looking, or overly slim. He stands well over 2 “feet” higher than other Marvel Universe (or equivalent) figures, which would make him the perfect size for the scale.

Another nice thing I found while fooling around with the toy was that the upper part of his costume is a thin sheet of rubber-like plastic. This allows the shoulder pieces to stretch according to the position of his arms. It’s a solution that works so insanely well that I wonder why it wasn’t thought of before. However, it makes me wonder what the figure looks like under the shirt and if you could make a shirtless Colossus to add to your collection.

This really is an awesome figure, and if I hadn’t taken them and just seen these photos on the Net, I would have thought that he’s in a bigger scale than 6″. The level of detail that Hasbro put into this figure is just amazing and if they had done a job like this on the Icons figure, I might have been sold, despite the crap articulation.

So recap: The Hammer Files Colossus is a nicely sculpted figure which has the perfect amount of articulation, is bigger than the standard Marvel Universe figure, and comes 2 per box (so he’s relatively easier to find). I would say that so far, it is the best Colossus figure put out, despite being in the 3.75″. Yes, it even beats out the Marvel Legends version.

The only caveats are the ragged lines between the red and yellow parts of his costume amd the bluish paint which is sometimes isn’t applied evenly. His coloring isn’t for everyone, so if you want him shiny, be prepared to do some painty yourself.

If you’re a Marvel Universe fan, an X-Men fan, or a Colossus fan, I’d suggest you go out and buy one of these now. It is easily the best figure in the line so far for me, topping Hawkeye and Doom. As soon as I get Archangel and Juggernaut, I’ll let you know if he measures up.