First off, I’d like to apologize, we really were going for 11 days, 11 reviews but HasbroToyShop.com and Fedex had other plans, so I am sorry for the delay.  11 reviews in …12 days still isn’t anything to sneeze at.

And now! The moment I’ve all been waiting for! (Yes, I said that right), the 2012 SDCC Exclusive Marvel Universe S.H.I.E.L.D Super Helicarrier with Maria Hill and Captain America action figures.

I’ll start by saying, I don’t intend to keep this Helicarrier, that is, not for myself.  I’m going to review it, keep Hill, rebox it, and then I’m giving it to my son, who is 2, for Christmas…I may wait till Christmas next year, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to because once he sees it he will…probably crap himself, is my best guess and I can’t wait for that.  Just the kind of dad I am.

The Good:

Helicarrier – 

  • It is MONSTROUS
  • A lot of attention to small details, Stark Industries logos all over it, on one of the front flaps SDCC 2012 shows up.
  • A good chunk of figure pegs.
  • It’s kind of modular, each of the turbines pop off, the front antennae, the mid-ship battery, they all pop off.
  • Spring loaded ‘rockets’ have some reasonable distance to them, and guess what, the launchers all come off too!
  • Great spin on all of the turbines.
  • Lots of flaps and hatches to play with, some of which I don’t fully understand (the hatch at the back with a hinged cover…is kind of like an ash tray).
  • The only nice thing I have to say about the packaging, the Joe Quesada art that we have all seen before, it’s sick and huge! When I finally give this to my son and unbox it for good, I may posterize the back of this box.

Maria Hill – 

  • Brilliant figure, articulation for DAYS!  Ankles, hips, shoulders elbows..but some things are missing.
  • Excellent paint app.
  • Excellent head / face sculpt, she seems like a hybrid between Cobie Smulders Maria Hill and Comic Maria Hill and that certainly isn’t a bad thing.
  • Dual Holster (with a but).
  • It’s Maria Hill!

Captain America –

  • Bright colors.
  • Has a shield…it also says S.H.I.E.L.D. on the box…

The Bad:

Helicarrier – 

  • I’m going to try not to rant here but if I have to cut one more piece of black paper string I’m going to lose my flippin mind.  This thing was so needlessly tied down that it took me over an hour to unbox.  There were things tied to other things that weren’t even parts that could move or fall off, it was inexplicable and obnoxious.  I haven’t bought a vehicle since I was probably 12, and if this is where things went since then there is a good chance it’s going to be another 20 years before I buy another vehicle of any kind in a toy line for the soul reason that packaging is brutally obnoxious.
  • But wait! There was more string!  We are also graced with a mass amount of instances of the clear rubber band ties.  These were needlessly holding the rocket launchers in place.  My garbage pail was half full of rubber bands and black string before the end of the night…and those little black clips.
  • While it’s a modular Helicarrier (as mentioned in the good), it could have been more modular.  This is a monster of a vehicle and there are 3 main connection points that appear to be screwed together.  If clips or clasps were used this could have collapsed really nicely for storage.

Maria Hill – 

  • The only negative I can throw at Maria Hill is that she has no waist or torso articulation.  I don’t care though, awesome figure.
  • Oh wait…she also cost me $129.99 plus shipping.

Captain America –

  • This is not even really a repaint of a Cap from the Cap movie line, it’s just taken off a card and put into this box.
  • Really limited articulation, can’t even lift his legs at the hip.

The Rest:

Taking this thing out of the box was truly one of the worst experiences of my entire life, but it’s an outstanding item, well made, well put together and for the most part really well thought out.  The Maria Hill figure is outstanding and her biggest con is really more than the above, that I couldn’t just buy her on a single card.  Captain America is kind of a throw in and not really something anyone doesn’t have anyway.  I was planning at the start of this to give this to my son for Xmas 2012, but he’s still only 2.  While he loves the Marvel Universe line and always wants to play with a different figure, you’ve got a ton of small parts, a ton of parts that pop off, and darnit if this thing doesn’t look like one mean skateboard to eyes that don’t understand it.  The Maria Hill figure will stay in the main collection, the Cap will go back in the box, the carrier, back in the box, the box, back in the shipping box, and that box is going in the attic till 2013 / 2014.  When the little guy gets hands on though he’s going to love it.  I start my little guy young because I know what he’s capable of, and I monitor him whenever he’s playing with something not necessarily age appropriate, otherwise I don’t think I’d give this to a kid under 6.  The age on the package is probably above that.  Side note – final note – do NOT try to put a 2 month old on the deck of this helicarrier, the strut supports on the bottom will buckle out…:)

The Pictures: