Review – Iron Man Hulkbuster Mini-Bust

Line: Marvel * Year: 2008

I’ve mentioned this Bowen Designs Iron Man Hulkbuster mini-bust before (mentioned here), but I didn’t think it would be a statue I would ever add to my collection. Well, I was wrong about that, because frequent supporter Smack6102 totally hooked me up with this awesome bust . . . and now I really want that massive Hulkbuster statue (mentioned here). But let’s not focus on what I don’t have and instead let’s take a look at this heavy, gorgeous Hulkbuster Iron Man mini-bust.

Packaging

This is one attractive box. And with comic covers, a short history of the suit, and tight shots of the statue there’s nothing at all to complain about . . . except the fact that I’ve got too many boxes around here as it is. So how many of you guys have to rent storage units just to store the boxes for your high-end 12-inch scale action figures and statues?

Who Cares About the Damned Box?

Standing at about 8.5-inches tall, this mini-bust may only be part of the Hulkbuster armor but it towers over the Marvel Legends Hulk Buster Iron Man action figure (review here). Taller and wider than the action figure, this mini-bust is every bit as tight and detailed as that excellent action figure . . . but without the hips, legs, and articulation.

If you click on the photo below (enlarge photo) you can get a look at the fine sculpted and painted lines that give the statue depth and make it look so damned cool. As attractive and detailed as the Marvel Legends Hulk Buster action figure is, this Hulkbuster statue takes the quality even further. Which should be expected for a $90 statue, but it’s nice to see that Bowen Designs sunk the effort into creating such an incredible statue.

“Hulk Buster” or “Hulkbuster?”

Which is it, Marvel? I’ve seen this armor titled both ways depending on the manufacturer, and it would be great to get an official ruling on the armor’s name. This HeroClix article at the Marvel site identifies the armor as Hulkbuster — which is the way I prefer the name to be written — so I’m gonna stick with that until someone proves me wrong. Any mention of Hulk Buster we’ll just chalk up as a mistake that slipped past an editor or two.

Awesome Paint

A shimmering, metallic red and gold decorates the near-perfect sculpt of the statue, with the photos here failing to do the paint justice. The photo below does a pretty good job of capturing the bright paint, but a zillion specks of styrofoam — packing the statue protects it, but it’s gonna take a styrofoam magnet to clean it completely of the material — slightly mar the photo. And it’s not just the colors that were chosen; the paint is masterfully applied without any splotches or nasty spots. When you buy a statue you expect the best, and you get pretty damned close to the best with this work of art.

A Great Addition to Our Living Room

Gina and I have been working on cleaning up the game room and redecorating other rooms in the house, but a statue this cool goes into the living room where everyone who comes over can enjoy it. At 8.5-inches tall it’s small enough to fit into the room without dominating the space (the dominator piece in our living room has to be Ashley Wood’s 20-inch tall Large Martin toy) but big enough that it’s noticed. I’m not a major fan of busts, but this design is cool enough that I can overlook the fact that it’s only half of a character.

The Helmet Opens!

It’s not hinged, but you can pop the helmet off and reposition it in order to display the piece either sealed up or with Tony Stark’s head showing. I prefer the sealed look, but I can’t help but be impressed by the quality of the Stark sculpt that’s hidden beneath the helmet. And that painted face is every bit as good as the armor’s paint aps.

The pin holding the helmet in place looks like the statue’s weakest point, but as long as you’re careful when repositioning the helmet you shouldn’t have any problems with it. Dropping the piece may cause it to break, but then dropping it will probably also scuff up the fantastic paint. I recommend not dropping statues or bits of statues. It’s just never a good idea.

Closing Thoughts

While you can’t play with it, this Hulkbuster Iron Man is a great addition to any Iron Man fan’s collection. Just big enough to catch your eye and priced at a point most collectors can buy one if they skip a few $20-$25 action figures, the Hulkbuster mini-bust is better in person that I had hoped.

The price on eBay for this piece is a little high at the moment, but I suspect that once Iron Man 2 drops out of theaters we’ll see the price come down a little. If you can be patient I recommend waiting until you can find this for $60 to $70; the $90 to $130 I’m seeing online is just a tad high for the bust but even then it’s not a terrible price if owning it will really make you happy.

The cheaper way to add a Hulkbuster to your collection is to find one of the 3.75-inch scale Iron Man 2 Hulkbuster action figures (mentioned here). You should be able to score one of those for $8 to $10 — assuming you can find the damn thing — and it will certainly fit better with your action figures than this bust will.

Whatever you do, though, just don’t look at that full-body Hulkbuster statue. Man, that thing looks too cool for words.

Philip Reed still needs to track down his Iron Man 2 Hulkbuster action figure, but no matter how much fun that toy is there’s no way it’s going to be as cool of a display piece as this mini-bust.