Review – Marvel Universe Skaar
“Not many beings can match the raw strength and power of Skaar. The son of Hulk has few weaknesses — his regenerative ability coupled with the Old Power inherited from his mother allow him to keep on fighting no matter the opponent or terrain. Skaar has battled some of the world’s worst villains and has always emerged victorious!”
— from the back of the card
A fantastic companion to the Marvel Universe World War Hulk action figure (review here), Skaar surprised me by being a new sculpt. Where I expected to see parts reuse I instead see Hasbro investing in a new action figure that makes an excellent display piece without being identical to any other Marvel Universe action figure already in my collection.
Articulation
Skaar has effectively the exact same points of articulation as the Marvel Universe World War Hulk action figure (review here) with hinged elbows and knees, swivel wrists, ab crunch, ball-hinge angles (that don’t really work all that well since the sculpt blocks the range of motion), ball-hinge shoulders and hips, and that bizarre ball-hinge neck combo I’ve seen a few times before. While there’s a lot of articulation the figure’s bulk restricts most of the real movement including keeping Skaar from raising his head to look straight ahead.
Sculpt
Comparing Skaar to the very first Marvel Universe Hulk (review here) is a real lesson in the line’s development over the last few years. While the original Hulk still looks great, this newest Hulk-like action figure sports more detail and a much better face. And the accessories add a lot of depth to the toy, with soft plastic scabbard, loin cloth, and a sword giving the toy a look that’s incredible and makes the Hulk look merely passable. To be fair, though, the new character has more going on in terms of design; the original Hulk doesn’t have much that Hasbro could of done in way of accessories.
Paint
Another drastic improvement in the line is in the paint apps, with Skaar featuring a very basic color scheme that’s enhanced with dark airbrushing and those tribal tattoos. The face and eyes are especially impressive; overall I’m happy with the toy’s paint and though there’s a little slopover on some of the accessories there’s nothing terrible and what little mess there is is quite minimal.
Closing Thoughts
For the longest time new Marvel Universe action figures were almost impossible to find here in Austin, but over the last month or so I’m seeing more and more figures and it is renewing my interest in the line. And with Skaar looking great — and making a fantastic addition to the shelf of Hulks — I’m now keeping my eyes open for even more new Marvel Universe action figures.
Skaar isn’t perfect, but he’s great and I can’t complain about any toy that sends me back to the store looking for more in the series. Thanks, Hasbro, for improving the quality of the series and expect me to post more Marvel Universe reviews soonish; Apocalypse and Archangel are both screaming to be set free from their packaging and Skaar has me itching to see just how they compare to his fun design.
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Philip Reed knows he rarely posts two reviews in a single day, but since he got a little extra time off today it felt like the right thing to do. Enjoy!
I really liked Skaar but mine had really, REALLY slack shoulder joints. It almost felt like part of some kind of Super Punch Action! feature.
Still, he’s a great-looking figure.
At first I thought this Juggernaut body was too big for Skaar, but after reading Fall of the Hulks online, I now feel Skaar is portrayed as large as Red Hulk and his father, so its appropriate.