[ludovicotek]

Marvel Universe Wave 3. I found them at a Target in Miami, Florida the Saturday before Easter. They had two black Spider-Man and Classic Iron Man and one of each other figure.


Black Costume Spider-Man - Figure No. 18. Overall nice figure. I like the paint application with the blue highlights. Body style is nice for Spider-Man. Plus, he doubles as the Dark Avengers Spider-Man.

Thing - Figure No. 19. Great figure. Nice sculpt and bulk. Without a doubt one of my favorites from this line so far. Has the same articulation problems as the Hulk figs but other then that it is a great figure all around. The paint detail on his skin is nice, with some "rocks" being darker than others.

Punisher - Figure No. 20. Although the body is the same the new head does help out a little with the Punisher figure, but not by much. The black gloves and boots are glossy, similar to the Human Torch's, and add a nice effect against the matte black of his outfit. His joints are much tighter than the original release Punisher figure, but he still has problems holding his weapons with those huge mitts he's got.

Classic Iron Man - Figure No. 21. I love this figure. I didn't think I was going to pick him up since I already had the modern and stealth versions but quickly changed my minds when I saw him. Great sculpt and articulation. Tight joints. And he has a really nice metallic finish to the paint. Possibly my personal favorite of the wave.

Ms. Marvel (Modern) - Figure No. 22. Really happy to have some females in the line. Nice sculpt but no bicep swivel articulation. Also, mine has some paint application issues on the leg where her skin meets her boot. Other than that she is a great figure and I am really happy to have her in the collection. Now they need to bring out Spider-Woman and I'll be set.

Ms. Marvel (Classic) - Figure No. 23. Same sculpt as the modern version except for the head and the addition of a scarf. I like this version but nowhere near as much as modern. But, it is great to have the Dark Avengers version of Ms. Marvel.

Hand Ninja - Figure No. 24. Ronin repainted with new head. I'm not too crazy about this figure. It's alright. Nothing more than a lazy repaint, same as they are doing for the Marvel Legends 2-Packs coming out soon. Same articulation problems around the waist due to the sculpted outfit. And some of his joints are loose, very similar to my Ronin. I wonder if this is common with all the Ronin sculpts. Anyway, I only picked this guy up to complete the set.

Overall, I was very pleased with this set. I noticed that the joints seemed to be a lot tighter on all the figures, except for the Hand Ninja. Hopefully as newer waves are released some of those types of issues will be addressed and fixed. Pick these guys up when you see them at retail, you won't be disappointed.

I also wonder if we will be getting the complete Dark Avengers team. Two figures in this wave can be used for that team. And simple repaints of Stealth Iron Man and X-Men Origins Brown and Orange Wolverine will give you two more members.