Hot Toys Bruce Banner figure review
I got my Hot Toys Bruce Banner long after the initial excitement for Avengers wrapped. With flashier and more interesting figures to tackle, Doc occupied a near permanent spot on my growing To Review shelf. Thanks to the rave reviews and excitement coming from Thor: Ragnarok, I figured now was the perfect time to finally check him out. And maybe if I get real motivated, I’ll go back and review all of the Hot Toys Avengers figures.
Packaging: Hot Toys went with a clever two tone color scheme that played into the classic colors associated with the respective characters. Just like the Hulk figure, Banner comes with a green and purple setup. The only difference being Banner has a dominant purple compared to Hulk’s dominant green. I like that subtle distinction.
Likeness: It’s not hard to see Mark Ruffalo in this head sculpt. Chalk that up to the great work with the creases around the eyes, the wide cheeks and short chin. The hair also has some good detailing with lots of visible hair strands to avoid the big lump of plastic atop the head visual.
While this is completely screen accurate, I’ve never liked Ruffalo’s longer hair. The close cropped look he’s sporting in Ragnarok is much more in line with how I envision Banner. If Hot Toys does make another Banner figure, I’d definitely at least try and track down a new head.
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Scale: Mark Ruffalo is about the same height as Robert Downey Jr and taller than Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson. He fits in just about right compared to the other Avengers figures, which is a nice touch.
Paint: Ruffalo’s Banner was road weary as he’s still on the run. Shaving isn’t a priority so he’s constantly sporting a five o clock shadow. I basically just assume Hot Toys is going to knock out the paint work on figures and that’s no different here.
Uniform: Remember what I said earlier about this not being a flashy outfit? Banner comes in a suit. It’s tailored nicely and fits really well. But still, it’s a suit.
Articulation: Banner didn’t really do a lot of flips or action sequences in either Avenger movie. That was all for his alter ego. Banner has the usual Hot Toys articulation treatment, but for screen accuracy, he won’t be doing much exciting.
Banner has:
- neck
- shoulders
- elbow
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hip
- knee
- ankle
Accessories: Again, Banner doesn’t lend himself to a lot of exciting accessories. He’s got practical ones based on his role in the film.
As you’d expect, there’s a reasonable assortment of hands. He has three additional sets. Hot Toys breaks them down as a pair of relaxed palms and open palms, then a left hand for holding glasses and a right hand for holding the scepter.
He also comes with a pair of eyeglasses and a watch. The glasses are fine, but the watch is amazingly detailed at this scale. It looks like a real watch.
To reenact that specific SHIELD lab scene, Banner also has Loki’s scepter. This is nothing new if you already have the Avengers Loki, but it allows for different dioramas. Additionally, Banner comes with an Avengers stand. Like most Hot Toys figures you won’t need it.
Worth it? Hot Toys understood this wasn’t as exciting a figure as some others and priced him at a lower than average cost of $190.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Since Banner wasn’t Hulk through most of Avengers, this figure isn’t the most exciting of the Avengers lineup, but is necessary and done to Hot Toys’ regular superior standards.
Where to get it? This guy is long sold out. But, you can actually get him on Amazon.com for just about regular price.