Welcome to another installment of Knockoff Nation. This is a (semi)regular article on HiddenLevel where I (OgelBlockHead) will review toys that come from the Far East, typically China, that are off-brand versions of more popular brands. In the past this usually indicated poorly made toys; cheap plastic, castings from lousy molds, sloppy paint, mismatched parts, etc., this is no longer always the case. If you know where to look, you can find some really nice toys at a great price.
Today's review is of Lego knockoffs of the Incredible Hulk(s). There are a few Lego sets that currently include the green Hulk but not of the gray or the red. The prices that I have found for this set are fairly reasonable. I bought them on Ebay for about $5. If you look around, you should be able to find it for about the same. At that price it's less than $2 each, which is more than reasonable for a regular sized minifigure, never mind these large figures. As always, you can usually save by bundling with other figures.
 |
| Knockoff on the Left, Lego on the Right |
When placed next to a real Lego minifigure, the knockoff (called KO from here on out) figures come pretty close to matching the original. The Hulk I have is from an Avengers movie set so I am not sure if the ones from other sets have a different face print, but it is a bit different from the KO. The other difference that I can tell is that the KO is a little shinier than the Lego, not by much, but you can tell by the photos. Other. than that, I think these 3 figures could pass as Legos.
The look of the Hulk figures is great. The scale works well with other characters, depicting them as appropriately larger.The articulation isn't quite as good as the typical minifigure. There are only joints at the wrists and shoulders.
First up we have the green Hulk. This figure is of Dr. Robert Bruce Banner's alter ego that he turns into whenever he becomes angry. He's a really nice shade of green that matches how he is usually portrayed. These torn pants appear to be khakis as opposed to the typical purple color.
Next up is the Red Hulk or Rulk as he is sometimes referred to. Unlike the other two Hulks, this character is not Bruce Banner. This figure is of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. He is a long time rival of the original Hulk that became his own version of the monster in order to even the playing field. The colors on this figure all match the way he is usually depicted although he is sometimes shown as having gray hair.
Speaking of gray, last up we have the gray Hulk. This Hulk is usually depicted as a repressed personality of Banner's called Joe Fixit, a Las Vegas enforcer and tough guy. The transformation is usually triggered at night as opposed to when he is angry. Although this Hulk would often wear tailored zoot suits, this figure represents the character after an unplanned transformation. The paint on this one, like the others, is nice and crisp. It's great that none of the main colors were repeated between any of these figures.
This set, unlike some others, did not include any bases which is fine because the figures stand great on their own. The only accessories are 3 wrenches which are totally unnecessary, but still nice to have.
I have to say that I was really excited about this set and it didn't disappoint. The not-so-minifigures add a nice variety in size to my collection and they represent characters that I love. If you do too, I highly suggest seeking them out.
-OgelBlockHead
Check out these links for other HiddenLevel toy reviews:
The opinions expressed by the HiddenLevel Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of HiddenLevel.org or anyone involved in the running of this site. HiddenLevel is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the Bloggers of this site.
The HiddenLevel Blog was founded as site for contributors to be able to express their opinions and share news about the interest they enjoy. The main purpose is to have fun.
Other sites are welcome to use the information found on this sit as long as credit and a link are provided. For and questions you may have or for further information about the site, please contact hiddenlevel.team@gmail.com
French LEGO builder, Nicolas “icare” Picot, has constructed one the the coolest LEGO "action figures" I have ever see. I think it's the sheer size and ambition of the articulation that really impresses me. The subject of the build is DC Comics superhero, Green Arrow and he stands at a height of 50cm (just under 20") and has a a whopping 44 points of articulation! His bow and arrow also look stellar. This makes me want to make one of my own. 
If you're a fan of Lego and Game of Thrones then Citizen Brick has something your're going to love (and if you're willing to spend a chunk of change, you're going to want to buy). They have made some custom minifigures of the television versions of the characters from the epic fantasy saga. Citizen Brick doesn't have the license to make official GoT merchandise, but it is very clear as to who each figure is meant to represent. The line is instead given the name Dragon Sword Fighter Force.
This is something that made the rounds on the internet a few months back, but somehow I missed it entirely. When I came across one of these images yesterday I was completely floored by how completely awesome it is. The idea of combining to of my favorite toy properties, Lego and Masters of the Universe, nearly made my mind explode. For those of you that haven't seen this before, don't get too excited. This is not something that is really being made, {BOOO, HISSS} these are custom figures and illustrations made by artist Gregos Thomas. Simply an amazing job. 
From now until Jun 29th at the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, an exhibit called LEGO MEMORIES (Or A Man-Child's Recollection of the 80's Through Lego) will be on display. The artist responsible for this work in this show is Dan Shearn. The work itself consists of prints depicting different 80's era pop icons as Lego MiniFigures. Simply put, these pieces are stunning!
The BRICK Works store in Taipei, Taiwan commissioned Alex Jones (Orion Pax) to make some great looking dioramas, base on The Simpsons: Tapped Out video game, out of LEGO. These displays came out great and really capture the look of the game and the Simpsons in general.
This Lego bust of Neil Gaiman's Morpheus for the Sandman graphic novels is truly a work of art. The artist in question goes by the name The Deathly Halliwell on flickr. The bust itself shows an incredible mastery of brick building. The hair alone is not something you typically see achieved with lego pieces. Having light-up eyes is just the icing on the cake for this showpiece.
Check out more info here and keep a look out for me there, I'll be trying to build a better wall, maybe even a curved one. - Kevshiro
