In 2008, Hasbro's Marvel Legends line was all about the comic book figures, and the MCU as we know it now was nothing but a concept. 2008 saw the release of both Iron-Man and the Incredible Hulk movie. Hasbro would produce a number of figures for Iron-Man, but managed just one for Incredible Hulk - an exclusive at Target stores in the US
Packaging 3/5
The Marvel Legends of 2008 were being packed on blister cards, but for this Target exclusive Hasbro devised a different format. The Hulk comes in a an oval clear plastic tube, with artwork inserted as a circular card piece to frame the figure and create the back of the packaging.
The colour scheme is green obviously with a large Incredible Hulk movie logo and image of the transformed Hulk to one side. To the other is the confirmation this is a Limited Edition. We can just see the Marvel Legends logo behind Hulk's raised left hand.
Round the back is a full image of the figure on one side, and on the other an in depth bio of Bruce Banner and his lab accident and how he now transforms into the Hulk. Under this is a stat card of sorts which lists a number of facts. This includes the Hulk's height as 9ft, and his weight at 1400lbs. Oddly it states that Hulk's real name is Doctor Robert Bruce Banner, and then lists underneath his Identity as "Secret".
"Pursued for years and driven to the ends of the Earth, Dr. Bruce Banner carries the burden of his secret dark side. A lab accident exposed him to gamma radiations that unlocked something dark within, a primal force of rage so powerful that, in times of great stress, it alters his mind and body into the monstrous creature known as The Hulk! Responsible for untold destruction, The Hulk is a curse Banner chooses to bear alone. While seeking ways to control his emotions, he is tirelessly searching for a cure. But the stress and anger of everyday lift are a constant threat. No matter what Banner does, The Hulk is always with him. Where The Hulk goes, destruction follows."
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
Out of the pack Hulk is a solid figure. The head sculpt remains rooted in the comic book but has a passing likeness to the transformed Hulk from the 2008 movie. The body is solid with rippling muscles and veins. These are all coloured green which is the base plastic and then highlights added in a varying green shade. The issue is that the arm plastic is a different shade to the torso, the joints also go unpainted.
The proportions of the body are not quite right, and Hulk's arms are very long while the legs are quite short. Overall he stands just 7 inches tall, which is not quite that 9ft stated on the pack realised into 1/12 scale - he'd need to be 9 inches tall to meet that market. You can see how short he is vs a more modern Hulk in the final image as we line him up with the Age of Ultron Hulk figure.
The trousers are sculpted and painted with rips around the knees and shins. The upper area shows a ragged line which I assume has to be the remains of Hulk's shirt or similar it has not been painted and is left the same colour as the trousers
Accessories N/A
There are no accessories with Hulk
Articulation 2/5
Hulk boasts an impressive 19 points of articulation, although some of these joints are not as extensive as we see in more modern figures.
Head : ball joint neck
Body : torso swivel, waist swivel
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint elbow, wrist swivel, hinged fingers
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single joint knee, ankle rockers
The head and body movement is minimal, and the body joints are quite loose so there is a bit of wobble in the lower body area. The arms can move quite a bit, but with only a single elbow joint that does not rotate there is only really one position to put the arms in when raised or extended. The finger joints are neat, but don't really add much as they cant close to make fists or similar.
Legs do pose well, but the sculpt and single joint knees do kind of dictate only a small number of positions they can go into to keep Hulk standing.
Summary
I must admit it was curiosity and a need to try and get a figure from each MCU movie that led me to track this one down. Despite its age it remains reasonably priced, and that is most likely down to it not quite meeting expectations against modern MCU Legends releases.
The sculpt is good, but more comic book inspired than the screen. Proportions are all out with long arms, short legs and the overall height 2 inches too short vs the height listed for Hulk on the packaging fact card.
There are some good points to Hulk, with fairly decent articulation and he certainly looks good in certain poses with that angry growling face. He makes a good talking point in an MCU collection but I can only score him 2 out of 5.
