Marvel Legends 2013 Hit Monkey series: Red She Hulk, Ultimate Captain America, Hyperion action figure review

Without a doubt the Marvel Legends 6" series has a massive fan following after all these years and still tops the list of sell-outs from pegs when a new series debuts. The Hit Monkey BAF series is the newest wave to hit stores and has six figures in the assortment. Red She Hulk, Ultimate Captain America, Hyperion, Protector, X-Force Wolverine, Archangel, and of course the Hit Monkey baf. I'll cover the first three in this review and the other four in the next. There are variants for this wave but since we haven't even seen the variants from the last one it may be a while till they show up.

Right off the bat we notice two brand new bodies here. She Hulk's sculpt is phenomenal and is hands-down the best female action figure sculpt currently on the shelf. She's tall, toned, and actually has a pleasant if not sexy face sculpt. Everything from her hair down to her feet looks great. Hyperion is the 'medium build' base body Hasbro will be using for characters like Venom and Sabertooth. He's equally as well sculpted for a male body with a perfect amount of muscle tone and bulk without going over the top.

Captain America's sculpt is the body from Drax/Steve/Nick Fury with a new head, lower arms, and lower legs. Everything is of course sculpted sharply and his expression makes him look as if someone has him peeved. His boots and gloves are really detailed with individual seams and laces in high detail along with a brand new belt and removable vest with tons of small detail work like bottles, clips, and pouches. It's interesting to note the height difference between Ult Cap and Steve from the first series even tho they share 80% of the same body type. With the Ult Cap's lower legs a bit shorter the body type still works perfectly.

Articulation for these figures (and all figures in this wave) is top notch and EVERYONE has 45 deg ankle rockers as Hasbro promised they would. Even the BAF Hit Monkey. She Hulk in particular has an astounding range of motion allowing you to put her in all sorts of kneeling, lounging, or even crouching positions if that's your thing. Her upper biceps have the 'spinning meat' deal where there's a joint at both the shoulder and the elbow so you'll need to line them up while posing or glue one into place. It hardly detracts from the appeal of her female form however.

Cap's articulation is the same as the previous molds of this type I've reviewed down to the hands turning at the forearm cuts instead of wrists. Overall he has amazing range of motion. Hyperion no less acting like a scaled-up version of the Bucky Cap/US Agent body with all the bells and whistles. A great neck and ab joint means he can  get a great 'flying forward' pose.

Paint work for the figures is incredibly sharp for what's there. Colors are molded in plastic color when possible but given airbrushed shading and even washes on details like Hyperion's hair and Cap's vest/gloves/boots. She Hulk sports amazingly clean eyes/lips and the metallic purple on her bodysuit is sleek. Details like her glove buckles and Hyperion's chest emblem are sharp. It looks like Hasbro has worked out quite a few QC paint kinks as every figure in the case I received had perfect paint apps.

Accessories come in the form of a Hit Monkey build-a-figure piece for only three out of the six figures, Red She Hulk, Hyperion, and Protector. I assume because Archangel and Wolverine are re-paints from the SDCC set and we already had two Ult Caps before this. No stands are included this time but She Hulk does get a giant curved blade, Hyperion a 2-part removable cape, and Cap with his amazingly shiny metallic shield and removable jacket.

So what's the verdict on these figures? Will you want to bother building Hit Monkey? Get them and YES. Without giving away Hit Monkey's features for the next review let me assure you he is amazingly cool for such a small and obscure character. Customizers will love the modular base-body design of these figures and with Hasbro improving on all fronts the Marvel legends line looks to have some great things in store for 2013. Unfortunately these aren't out in stores yet but are readily available from online retailers. The best deal is of course from our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store with singles, a set, and cases ready. You won't find them cheaper and getting a case will net you an extra Cap and Wolverine for customizing for just $10 more than a set!