Web of Webhead

One of the more under the radar releases from Hasbro’s Marvel line is the new Handful of Heroes product.  I picked up a couple of packs to have a look.  There had been talk on some of the boards about these being good “mod fodder” for games like HeroClix, which is what put these on my buy list.  I wanted to check them out, see if they were worthwhile.  Herein is my review of Marvel’s Handful of Heroes…

Handful of Heroes (HoH) are largely the equivalent of little green army men for Marvel.  This is not a bad thing.  Each figure is a single mold in a single color, which tends to create “flatter” poses, however, the detail in the figures is very good.  On the World War Hulk figure there is detail down to the teeth.  The scale of the figures may disappoint hardcore HeroClix modders, as the figures are a bit smaller, particularly the oversize Hulk type characters, of which there are many.  After fiddling with some comparisons, I found that the figures are more in scale with Star Wars minis than they are with HeroClix, or to be more (or less) specific, more fitting to a 1″ base than a 1 1/2″ base.

L to R: 'Clix Sabretooth, HoH Hulk, SWM Stormtrooper, 'Scape Venom

The figure assortment includes 40 different sculpts, each sculpt can be found in one of three casts – opaque, translucent, and…let’s call it glitter.  This number gives you the 120 figures to collect total…though those just looking for sculpts need only look for the 40 I suppose.  The figure assortment is interesting, with Hulk and Iron Man figures heavily represented alongside the usual Spider-Man’s and Wolverine’s.  The villain choices run the gamut of obscurity, with no less than two U-Foes (yay!) and a fellow named Armageddon whom even I’ve never heard of.  There are no female characters.  Some figures look spot on in their given color…Black Panther in black, Thing in Orange, Hulk in green and red.  Figures tend to be close in size, regardless of internal scale…Juggernaut is no “taller” than Nick Fury, but conveys heft well with a thicker sculpt.

The figures are sold in 8 packs, with one of  the figures hidden in the box, and the rest visible.  This makes collecting a bit easier if you have a chance to sort through a number of boosters like I did.  I did notice that hidden figures are found unhidden in other packs, so as opposed to being exclusive in some way, they appear to be more of a mystery pick instead.  Packs were found for about 6 bucks retail, making the figures less than a dollar a piece.  With near perfect collation, you should be able to complete a set of figures (one of each mold at least) inside of say, 6 packs or so.

The target audience for this product is clearly younger kids.  The packaging indicates ages 4 and up, I would go as young as 3 for kids not prone to putting these in their mouths.  In theory these are to be used in a game best described as flick bowling, as evidenced on the playmat on the reverse side of the poster that comes with each pack.  Much like little green army men, these little figs would make the perfect targets for nerf guns and rubber bands shot across the room.  Thinking back as best as I can…I’m thinking I would have LOVED these as a little kid.  As many others have noted, they are reminiscent of the M.U.S.C.L.E. men we used to collect when we were kids.  Because of the relative inexpensiveness and distribution of the set, these would be the perfect little toy to trade amongst ones friends at lunchtime as well…jamming your pockets full with a Handful of Heroes before heading to school each morning…etc.  For older collectors, you might find figures with detail worthy of repainting and using in your miniature game of choice, or you might just find a nice little inexpensive collectible.