Mark XLIV, better known as Hulkbuster was developed by Tony and Bruce as a counter defense against Hulk. It was deployed from the VERONICA satellite in the Age of Ultron when Hulk went under the spell of Scarlet Witch.
There have been some changes to the the final product as opposed to what was advertised before and certain accessories such as VERONICA's parts were not included in the final product. However, Hot Toys made it possible to fit a 1:6 scale Mark XLIII. More of that later.
I have been told by the staff at TFH that I need to open it up for inspection as there has been cases of defects. Lucky for me, this comes in perfect working condition with all LED lights functioning. However, I had this tiny loose piece which I couldn't figure out where it came from. See picture below. It has a 'L' inscription on it suggesting that it's either a part from the left upper or lower limb. Well, it doesn't affect the overall function of the figure so, I'm not bothered where it should go.
The front panel of the packaging reveals other parts required to complete the look of the Hulkbuster.
To fit in the Mark XLIII bust provided, some of the parts can be removed. Once you get the hang of how the suit works, there is no need to remove most parts.
The bust was the initial idea Hot Toys has to display Mark XLIV with Mark XLIII exposed when it was about to face Hulk. Hot Toys went back to the drawing block when other toy companies like Comiccave and King Arts reveal their rendition of the suit.
The greatest improvements made is the space made to fit a full size 1:6 scale Mark XLIII.
However, the original design of using the bust has been kept and there is a slot that holds the bust in place by magnet.
Turn on the lights and close up the suit and this juggernaut looks amazingly fantastic!
There were improvement made to the gauntlet as well which is closer to what it was in the Hulk versus Mark XLIV scene. However, the replacement arm which VERONICA sent down is not included in this set.
Hulkbuster holding on to iPhone X to show how massive this piece is.
The picture above looks like Hulkbuster is capable of a smile.
It was about a year after pre-order that Hot Toys released the news that they will redesign Hulkbuster to fit 1:6 scale Mark XLIII. By that time, pre-order for 1:6 Mark XLIII was closed and I had already got my hands on 1:4 scale Mark XLIII.
However, for better or worse, I got my hands on a 1:6 scale Mark XLIII which came with a bit of issue.
The head came right off but nothing Selley can't fix, right?
The set came with a display base with a destroyed Ultron Mark 1 which is in fact the shell of an Iron Legion.
Other than the decapitated head, the batteries of this set is also failing and that explains the weak LED in the eyes.
Many collectors shun the attempt to put their Mark XLIII fearing it will be scratched due to the multiple contacts when sliding it into the Hulkbuster. Well, since I already have it, it will be such a waste not to do it.
It definitely looks way better than the bust of Mark XLIII.
The internal upper torso parts all attached via magnets and the engineering behind the product is something to marvel about. (oops, I did it again, pun intended.)
I have seen so many collector's review of this suit with an exposed head of Tony that I assumed it was part of the movie (which it wasn't). I used the head from Tony Stark: The Mechanic for the following shots.
The shots below shows how to fit the Mark XLIII into Hulkbuster. the protective sleeves for the legs are provided in the set. They are rather durable and highly stretchable which I encourage you guys to just go ahead and pull.
There are many moving parts on the suit that may not be clearly explained in the manual and one such example is how much the head armor can be pushed back.
There are very limited movement for the legs and there is absolutely no knee joints which is sensible of Hot Toys so the legs are sturdy enough to
1. hold up this chunk of mass
2. not to break the Mark XLIII that's inside.
The hands looks superb and very articulated.
This is a great way to end the year and I do hope I can resist the new Hulkbuster in the coming Avengers: Infinity War.
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