Thursday, January 30, 2014

TRU 15 Transforming Thing/Herald Silver Surfer


I passed on this one a few times, but with the release of Series 48, that included three other members of the Fantastic Four and Blastaar, a plan started to formulate in my head. Clinching the deal was the Silver Surfer, whose betrayal of Galactus in Marvel Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 3 TPB thrilled me just three years ago. I soon after dug deeper into this character, picking up Marvel Essential Silver Surfer, Vol.1.  These are the books to read if you want to see the genesis of Galactus, the FF, and Silver Surfer coming together. Great stuff! This 2-pack is another with a double tray due to the deluxe accessories included. This should be real fun!   :D



While the Surfer is relatively vanilla, the translucent magenta accessories help out quite a bit. The board pegs onto a clear plastic flight stand Diamond included. His buff physique is tamped onto the torso, front and back, and his clenched teeth and furrowed brow look great.






















Surfer's board-blast accessory is really supposed to fit onto the tail (below), though I had fun putting the blast below his flight stand for photographing. It's a nice touch that Diamond thoughtfully added Kirby-dots to for that Silver-Age feel I really enjoy!



Herald Silver Surfer with his master, Cosmic Power Galactus...


I'm glad I got into MiniMates after the larger characters started getting the sculpted overlays to beef them up, a most especially important upgrade to the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing! The boots on these larger MiniMates are prone to slippage, but they sure look cool. Diamond sculpted Thing's craggy orange hide really well, tamping a serious face on the figure that only his Aunt Petunia could love! He looks great...


Thing with my TRU 16 Indestructible Hulk...


What makes this Thing MiniMate special is the ability to strip off the rocks, and pop on the extra head, feet, & hands to make Ben Grimm. The Thing has reverted to his human form from time to time, adding dramatic effect to this tortured character, and it was revealed later that Franklin & Valeria developed a potion that allowed him one week a year to be his old self again. I love the details on Ben's orange flight suit- transforming him is a job, but worth the effort.


With the Nova Flame Human Torch to keep Ben company, I now have half the team. As Sue and Reed do, Johnny and Ben create a lot of human drama that made the Fantastic Four special in it's time. Trapped in their cosmic ray conditions, the gruff Ben bristles at Johhny's immature showboating and trouble making, but cares deeply for the youth nonetheless. In my opinion, this relationship is a foundational cornerstone of the book that made Marvel the giant it is today.



More Later- Make It FUN!

2 comments:

  1. The more you post about these,the more impressed I am with them.

    ReplyDelete