Review – Marvel Universe Hand Ninja

“In a world filled with supernaturally powered criminals and thugs, none are more feared than the ninja warriors of The Hand. Every one of them is a supreme fighter, devoted utterly to the will of The Hand. When they are given a target, they never stop, never rest, and never surrender until it is tracked down and destroyed.”
— from the back of the card

When I picked up The Thing (reviewed here) last month, I also grabbed the only other figure that really jumped out at me: the Hand Ninja. Clad in red, and packed with three weapons, the Hand Ninja was the only other completely new action figure in the latest wave of the Marvel Universe 3.75-inch series that interested me. (We won’t even talk about how I keep looking at the Black Costume Spider-Man figure. The paint looks great on him.)

Wanna know how he stacks up against the rest of the toys in my collection? Keep reading.

Packaging

The back of the card shows the new Punisher figure, one of the two Ms. Marvel figures, and the Black Costume Spider-Man figure. Otherwise, it’s identical in design to all of the other Marvel Universe action figures that I’ve already reviewed. (Like the Hulk review from Green Toy Week back in March.) So read one of those older reviews if you wanna know about the packaging. I’ll be down below the next photo when you’re ready to proceed.

I’m a Ninja!

The Hand Ninja features the same basic articulation as most of the other Marvel Universe figures: ball-jointed head, ball and hinge shoulders, mid-torso articulation, twisty feet and hands, hinged elbows and knees, and ball-jointed hips. His articulation’s just fine but the vinyl coat that he’s wearing (a small piece around his waist that doesn’t appear to be removable) has the same old problem that — while it does look cool — it restricts some of the figure’s poseability options and range of movement. And on a ninja action figure, restricted movement sucks. I like the look of the coat, but I’d like to see Hasbro start using cloth for these types of accessories since cloth won’t hinder a figure’s poseability like this semi-hard vinyl does.

As I mentioned earlier, the Hand Ninja is dressed in all red. His crimson outfit looks great, and there’s even some paint detail with a shade of red that’s darker than the plastic. Studying the figure closely under the light shows that he’s cast in a lighter shade of red while a darker shade of red paint was used both as a wash and to bring out details on his chest and mask. It looks like the lower legs and knee guards were cast in a darker red plastic, but that may also be paint.

The paint job on the face — what little of it is showing — is just fine, but he looks a little zombified or hypnotized. Just a few more cents worth of paint on each head would have drastically improved the figure’s face.

I’m an Armed Ninja!

As well as the usual envelope accessory, the Hand Ninja is one of those rare Marvel Universe action figures that comes with some weapons. I’m no martial arts/ninja weapon master so I don’t know the “official” names, but the three weapons are:

• Big Stick with Blade – About 1.5x the height of the Hand Ninja, this is the figure’s most impressive weapon. My only complaint with this weapon is that the figure’s hands can’t quite be positioned right so that the weapon is held straight. The photo above shows what I mean.
  
• Sword – It’s a basic ninja sword. Not super exciting, but it’s adequate and easily fits the figure’s hands.
  
• Knife – A very long knife, actually. Again, it’s pretty basic but it’s functional.

As always, the most important required accessory — a stand for posing the figure — is not part of the series and is not included. I’m a broken record, but I’d like to see Hasbro start including stands with this series.

The accessories aren’t exciting, but they’re appropriate and appreciated.

I’m a Wounded Ninja!

The Hand Ninja that I picked up has a slight problem with his left leg; just below the knee, the joint’s a little weak so any ridiculous poses are completely out of the question. Balance is tough to maintain when the Hand Ninja has an old football injury, I guess.

Closing Thoughts

A nice action figure, the Hand Ninja’s only serious flaw is his vinyl coat. If I had to complain about something else it would be the lack of a bicep swivel (that’s always a useful point of articulation) because I do miss that joint. Ninja fans will want this figure, but Marvel Universe fans may skip this guy without worrying too much that they’re missing out on a great action figure.

I think the best part of the Hand Ninja is what he represents. Hasbro has demonstrated that they’re willing to produce some fodder figures for the series, so with luck we’ll see S.H.I.E.L.D. agents some time soon.

I’m happy with the Hand Ninja, but he’s not perfect.

Philip Reed is almost completely happy with the Hand Ninja. A “troop builder” (for those who build armies of figures), the Hand Ninja looks great but is hindered by his coat. Still, he’d make a nice addition to your G.I. Joe ninja team.