It’s not very often that I find myself writing a review for a figure weeks after I reviewed its exclusive repaint, but such is the case with tonight’s subject: the Marvel Legends Abomination Build-A-Figure. Not only was this figure released after its own repaint, but this Abomination BAF is actually selling for more than the SDCC Exclusive version! But despite which version seems to be in higher demand, is this really the better iteration of Hulk’s arch-enemy? Let’s take a look…

The Right:

This Abomination review is going to be a little different than usual because, well… I already reviewed this exact action figure with different paint deco last month. If you want to hear about the articulation of this figure and posing potential and so forth, then head over to that review and check out my extremely long-winded comments on the SDCC Exclusive Abomination right there.

If you’re dying to hear me talk about the difference in paint applications between the exclusive version and the mass release version of Marvel Legends Abomination, then this is the place for you…

The Hulk has appeared in many varying shades of green over the years, so why shouldn’t the same be true of his most famous adversary, right? And so, Hasbro opted to give collectors a choice (of a sort) as to which Abomination Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure would fit best into their collections.

Whereas the San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Abomination The Raft figure featured a very forest green-colored Emil Blonsky, those purchasing the Marvel Legends Civil War Wave 3 series have the opportunity to build this more yellow and olive green version of Abomination.

The different greens and yellows that color this version of the Abomination action figure definitely give him a “Killer Croc” vibe that I didn’t feel at all with the dark green version. Based off of the sales of this figure on the aftermarket, it seems like a lot of collectors really prefer this more reptilian color scheme.

The glossy paint wash on the Captain America Legends version of this figure’s scales is actually really glossy and looks a lot more life-like to me than the scales on the back of the exclusive Abomination. The light blue trunks also feel more comic-accurate to me than the navy blue trunks.

In fact, even the mouth and claws/nails of this Abomination figure are different from the con repaint’s. Whereas the SDCC Abomination had ivory claws and nails and a gingivitis-afflicted bright red mouth, the Build A Figure version is sporting black claws and nails and a shadowy black mouth interior.

I think I prefer the exclusive’s color for these particular aspects of the figure, but either choice is authentic to some interpretation of the character from the comics, so this is a matter of personal taste. I think it’s great that Hasbro went to the trouble of differentiating these figures so much, honestly. To try to pick a favorite between these two differently-painted versions of the same mold is really difficult, because it’s going to come entirely down to personal preference.

It’s also worth noting that this light green Abomination action figure is technically the better deal of the two versions, as this version is a “free” seventh figure when you buy the six figures that make up Marvel Legends Captain America: Civil War Wave 3 for $120 MSRP, whereas the dark green version is one of just six figures that you get for the same price as part of the SDCC 2016 Exclusive The Raft set.

It’s not a humongous difference price-wise–you’re paying 120 bucks either way for this figure–but it’s nice that the version that’s selling for much more on the secondary market is also the version that you’re not technically paying for at all.

The Wrong:

When I was reviewed The Raft Abomination, I didn’t have any true complaints to put into “The Wrong”, and settled for nitpicking the lack of interchangeable hands so that the figure could have fists for a knockdown, drag-out brawl with the Hulk. And while that remains true for the Abomination Build-A-Figure, I’ve got one genuine gripe with this figure.

Unlike the dark green exclusive version, this light green Marvel Legends Abomination figure has elbow pins and a neck hinge that are dark green and a very jarring visible contrast from the colors surrounding the joints. As much as I ended up liking the colors of this mass-released Abomination BAF, I find myself not wanting to pose his head at all because the dark green neck hinge looks so disruptive when his head is moved out of the neutral position.

This may sound like a nitpick, but when you’re trying to achieve natural poses for your toys, having very obvious aesthetic differences in the joints ends up really breaking the illusion.

Overall: Basically, everything I said about the SDCC Abomination action figure is true here: this is an excellent Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure despite reusing a lot of existing tooling. The Captain America Legends Abomination figure is large, heavy, and feels like a quality, solid toy. I’m knocking the grade on this regular version of the Build-A-Figure Abomination down ever so slightly because of the mismatched colors of the neck and elbow joints, but this is still an exceptional figure overall. If you can deal with the hinge and pins being obviously different and you prefer this color scheme, this version of Abomination earns a definite recommendation.

GRADE: A-