This is the same review I posted in the Bowen section but I figured it should really be posted here for those that are interested in reading statue reviews.
What's great about this piece?
The sculpt! The face, the body sculpting, it all kicks serious arse! For whatever reason, none of the numerous forum pictures convey the true detail of this piece. Maybe because of lighting issues, who knows. The face sculpt, the wrinkles in the nose, the squinting eyes, the square jaw and cheek bones, the teeth (yes the teeth look damn good!), all of it is a very cool blend of 70's Hulk artists just like Randy said it would be. And the massive arms, wide back and powerful stance of the body sculpt are simply awesome! I'm very pleased he went with such an aggressive, powerful pose with this piece.
What's not so great?
Nothing really, but I have to come up with something right?
There are a few minor things. The production paint job, for one, looks good from a few feet away but closer inspection will reveal some "coloring outside the lines" here and there. It's no different than the paint on any other BD piece but I'm always irritated whenever I find any paint slop on my pieces.
I was also personally disappointed the piece is hollow. I know it's hollow for two reasons: first, it feels a little light to me, but the real proof is one of my statues has a little piece of loose resin that rattled around inside when I took him out of the box. Most of you probably won't care a lick about that but I hoped this piece would be solid and as weighty as it looks. It isn't. After getting the SS Hulk last week I don't suppose any statue I buy from now on will ever truly feel "heavy" but even so this doesn't feel any heavier than the Shifflet Hulk and yet its a much larger sculpt. Anyway, as I said, minor stuff here folks.
So how does this Hulk compare to the SS Hulk?
Everyone's going to compare any new Hulk sculpt to Andy's SS PF Hulk from now until eternity so I figured I should give you my two cents worth too. I've got both on my desk staring at me at the moment. The most striking feature about the BD Hulk in comparison to the SS is he looks pissed! Where Andy's SS Hulk looks angry, Randy's looks berserk! It's not as realistic or detailed a sculpt as Andy's SS Hulk, but as I'm looking at them both side-by-side that doesn't hurt its presentation as much as I thought it would. The attitude and energy of the sculpt, coupled with comic-accurate charm, are really what make it work so well. Randy called it his "classic" Hulk and I think that fits. Before I owned either of these Hulks I had said just based on the pictures that I was glad I didn't have to choose between them, knowing I was getting both. Now that I have them both my opinion hasn't changed. Each has something unique that the other doesn't, and both appeal to me for what they each bring to the table. I've got to say it's a great time to be both a Hulk fan and a statue collector!
