Review: 76105 The Hulkbuster: Ultron Edition

[kaelthas]

2019 is here and we've seen this set around since March 2018. Marvel LEGO fans are thrilled when the UCS Hulkbuster is finally announced but when it actually arrived, I sensed hatred more than love towards this LEGO mech. So, please leave your comments whether you agree or disagree of the 10 reasons that I gather from the internet.

This set is still available in LEGO.com. 

1. BLUE TECHNIC AXLE PIN AWKWARDLY PLACED AT THE SHOULDER.

All those red and suddenly a blue technic pin showing at the shoulder is quite awkward in this scenario. Maybe a new red coloured pin can be a better alternative? Or we can substitute this Technic, Axle Pin with Friction Ridges Lengthwise coded 43093 in bricklink with a tan or grey coloured part to make it blend into the shoulder pad better than this basic colour contrast of red and blue. 

2. WRONG COLOURED CHEST LIGHT BRICK.

 

The light brick in this set is a great bonus for us all and I understand that LEGO only produce red and yellow light bricks in the past. Why not make a new blue light brick for this iconic set of LEGO mech? I'm sure the exclusiveness of a blue light brick in this set will make this set more popular. 

3. RESTRICTED ELBOW MOVEMENT.

 

To make this pose, I had to remove the arm at the elbow, and then place it directly on the shoulder and fortunately it works quite well for the photo . Now if you notice the right arm (the intact one), the gold plate at the outer part of the elbow is blocking the arm to be moved side way as well as the grey round plate at the inner part of the elbow. This actually defied the purpose of the ball joint at the elbow which suppose to make the arm more flexible. 

4. WEAK GRIP OF THE HANDS.

 

He is holding the fire extinguisher? Or the fire extinguisher is sitting on his last finger? I would say it was a hard time balancing the red can of powder in his hand. Other than that, I like it that Iron man can sit inside nicely without any stud so that he can be easily taken out from the seat. 

I'm not a MOCer so I can't really suggest how to make another extra finger for him. Longer finger would help in the grip too I guess.

5. LACK OF KNEE JOINT

 

As you can see, the designers traded the stability of the model with the flexibility of his knees. The long brown technic axle is to be plunged into the lower part of the leg so that the weight of the whole model will be directed straight towards the heel. I think there must be another way out for it to be able to pose better. 

6. RESTRICTED HIP MOVEMENT.

 

 This pose took me 30 minutes to make it balance. As you can see, i removed the knees, and connected only one of the double click ball joints to the hip. The thigh parts are only resting on the lower legs. Luckily the sole of his foot is wide enough to support the 'running' pose. Modification is direly needed.

7. INSIGNIFICANT GLOW IN THE DARK PIECES.

 

Yes! We have glow in the dark parts in this set! But the proportion of the pieces and the size of the model is not right. More pieces or larger parts would be nice.

8. UNABLE TO STAND UPRIGHT.

 

Look at the ball part between the sole and the lower leg, they are suppose to stabilise the model but the space is a little bit too much so the Hulkbuster is kind of leaning on the respective ball part of the leg instead of standing up straight. 

9. TOO SKINNY.

 

Hulkbuster in the movie is very bulky and large to be sturdy enough to fight the Hulk. Here he looks a little bit malnourished.

10. STICKERS!

 

The UCS label sticker is very hard to apply without creating air bubbles. The decals for the model is not very abundant here, why not give us printed ones?

Alright, now that we are done with the downside of having this model, but to me as a collector, this set is still a must get to complete my collection of LEGO Hulkbusters. For MOCers, this set provides a good framework for you to do modification for a larger and better Hulkbuster. Other than the model, the platform build is impeccable with large black 8x16 tiles, lots of 2x4 tiles, and the side builds of yellow machine arms. 

The comparison of 76031, 76104 and 76105 Hulkbusters heads. The prints are very nice gold and they are exclusive to their respective sets. 

This is my previous review of 76031 and 76104.

Mark 43 suit with a transparent head. This looks like an unfinished work of Tony. But the details of the suit is definitely magnificent. This suit is exclusive to this set too.

The accessories of the set. Veronica is amazing with the stand. The fire extinguisher is my favourite here as it looks so similar to a real one. 

A comparison with Smaug. He looks like the gold dwarf statue in the movie. I mean the size.

More to compare with old Hulkbusters. The height of them are just at the waist of the UCS version. 

More buildable LEGO figures. Now Smaug doesn't look that big.

Conclusion

Despite the bad aspect of the Hulkbuster, I still feel that this is a good buy before it retires. As I mentioned above, there are lots of room to make it a better version of Hulkbuster, so this set can become an official collection, or you can modify it to become a bulkier, more flexible version of a LEGO mech.

Review Summary
Playability: 6/10 - This model is more of a display model on the platform provided. Playability score actually decreased along with the lack of the ability to pose him properly.
Design / Building Experience: 8/10 - The design is very nice but it can be better. Too skinny. Still a high score because it can be a good foundation for MOC.
Minifigures:  9/10 - Great minifigure! All the printings and the details are marvelous! But why not put a Tony Stark minifigure as well?
Overall: 7.5/10 - This set is still available in store. Get it before it retires.

Hope you enjoy the review, do share your thoughts in the comments! 

[Gorilla94]

Thank you for that great Review! I The pictures are just awsome :D You nailed exactly the points everyone i talked with about had in mind looking at it. Personally the model gets much worse for me because of the parts, on which the stickers are put. There are a lot of Shops, that can print own designs on Bricks and tiles. It isn´t cheap and some work to draw but i can save my favourite sets that way, when the stickers loose connection. The curved parts make that impossible for me so i would not buy it even if i´d love everything else about it.

The funny thing to me is, that the smaller models did a better job in showing the bulky design of the original.

 

[coinoperator]

From a view of "what bricks can I use when I part the set out" :  JUNK
Same for buying it as a display model.

Maybe kids like it.

[Jim]

I just finished building this set and I actually do like it, but leaning forward and backward is a major design flaw!

[Cylo]

Thanks for the great review! It certainly shows many flaws in its designs, especially having it leaning forward and backwards!

[LegoDad42]

- The blue axle pin and the red do different things I believe. The blue technic axle has the smooth pin end, while the red has the axle on both ends. Different frictions I'd guess.

- Making a new blue colored LED light would definitely bring the model up in price considerable. I believe they set the price points/budget in advance of design, etc.

-Perhaps the design and the weight of the arms made them use that particular ball joint? To keep it sturdy.

-The hands for play would be open to use the repulsor rays, then you could also swap out for the'jackhammer' forearm. The fire extinguisher is to be used by the Jarvis hydraulic-arms from the base.

-No knee joints is definitely for stability given the weight of the model. Chubbybots on YOUTube has a great mod for it using the NinjaGo Water Striders legs for flexibility and sturdiness. I'd guess if Lego did his modifications, the price point would be around the $200- range. His mod for this model is a definite improvement. It's great looking too.   www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqLYMi1ShQo

-Again with the restricted hip is for the stability and weight of the model. Chubbybots has the fix in his mod.

-The little glow on the round tiles is to show the mini arc reactors that power the different parts of the suit. It's just a nice little detail they put in. I like it.

-Yeah, again the weight issue. That's why they put those rubber tires under the feet to help with grip and to not tilt and fall over. Could've perhaps designed it with a slight bend in the knee? But again, these designers know what they can push and pull to get the model to market.

-I guess the openings are for the twisting at the hips and the arm and shoulders to have more movement. It is a great play model. My kid loves it. It's a friggin' giant action figure. It's very sturdy for play.

-I'm with you on the stickers. I think Lego with any model with plaque decals to have those printed. BUT, again that'll raise the price.

I feel it's a great model. A giant action figure and there are other great mods out there to definitely improve the kit. But as is, still an incredible design and looks great on display too.

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by LegoDad42

[badgerboy]

Great review. I pretty much agree with all the pros and cons made. I'm still pleased I bought it, it's a fun build and there are a fantastic selection of parts in it too.

[treczoks]

On 1/24/2019 at 12:11 PM, kaelthas said:

he light brick in this set is a great bonus for us all and I understand that LEGO only produce red and yellow light bricks in the past. Why not make a new blue light brick for this iconic set of LEGO mech? I'm sure the exclusiveness of a blue light brick in this set will make this set more popular. 

There is actually a technical reason for this! The light brick has batteries that provide a voltage of 3V. Red/green/yellow/orange LEDs can live with that (their "forward current" is usually in the 1.8-2.6V range). But with 3V you won't get anything blue or white, they need at least 3.3V (if they are extra low voltage), but the more common (and affordable) values are in the 3.4 to 3.6V range.

So basically, without completely redesign the brick (and make it larger) to hold more batteries, a blue or white light brick will just not happen.

[Kevin Flemming]

Overall, I just think it looks weak and pathetic. The design is rubbish (especially the shoulders, and legs), and if it wasn't for the colours and decals, it looks nothing like the Hulkbuster.

[Whovastron]

The in movie armour only has 4 fingures, would be inaccurate to add another.

it is a bad set though, I keep forgetting it exists

[PaddyBricksplitter]

I went to the shop and looked at this.

still haven’t bought it though.

It is cheap for a UCS set, that’s a bonus.

[Dragunov2]

I already changed the orange LED to a blue one, easy!

[kaelthas]

Finally!

[LegendaryArticuno]

^ skipped leg day... everyday