top of page

Core strength - MCP core boxes side by side


New Ultron and the Ultronettes backing singers


Having just finished the first of several new sets of core minis it occurred to me that it might be an interesting sideline to compare the old and new core box minis side by side. It would then provide a nice comparison site for those who already own the old core set but who are considering investing in the new one. I will not be offering my own opinions on which are 'better' as frankly my opinions are of no value to anyone, I may though make comments from the perspective of a commission painter.

New Ultron

Big fan of cloaks. from a painting perspective cloaks make everything better and this is no exception. The Ultronettes are quite cool but could fall victim to clumsy gamer syndrome as points of contact are not enormous though it is dynamic



Old Ultron

New Spiderman with monster

Old Spiderman with iron girder

I preferred to paint the old Spidey without the monster. I can see reasoning behind the more dynamic styling but for me its a bit like having historical minis with snow bases. Yeah they look cool but if you end up playing on a non snow board every week it can get a bit 'what's going on here then?' On the other hand a ruined iron girder fits anywhere as we all know!!

New Red Skull

Old Red Skull

The Old Red Skull always seemed to me to have the air of a man who is inspecting an Amazon parcel he doesnt remember ordering while suspecting his wife has been ordering yet another pair of shoes. The new one has opened the box and found that it is in fact tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert! ( Red Skull is famously a big fan)

New Crossbones

Old Crossbones

I like these equally. You can put them side by side and it looks like Old has just punched a wall or something and new is rubbing his hurty hand and reconsidering his poor choices.

New Ironman

Old Ironman

Whereas old Ironman has a "STOP, in the name of love" dance move vibe going on the new Ironman actually seems less threatening. Despite the flames which are good new Ironman appears to be waving to Pepper Potts as he pops down the shops for a pint of milk and some teabags. Both are fine in reality.



New Captain Marvels

Old Captain Marvel

This old model was just terrible to paint as no matter what you did she looked like the had fallen out the ugly tree and hit every branch with her face. New ones win by a mile no contest.

New Doc Ock


Old Doc Ock

Had to go way back to find this one after having it pointed out to me I had posted a more recent version, thus the black background. Clearly the new one is much improved in crispness and authority. It is astonishing how technology has moved on so quickly


New Captain Liberia

Old Captain Liberia

New Cap has been in the gym pumping Iron as is a bigger model than the old and has signifiacantly more presence. Details are sharper which makes painting easier. I would just say his thighs now have a touch of the Chris Hoy about them (Olympic cycling multiple gold medal winner)

New Black Widow

Old Black Widow.

Whilst the definition on the face makes the new Widow better to paint almost all the same points I made for Spidey apply here. I would have preferred something more like Lady Shiva from Knight Models which is a sturdy but dynamic build using a tactical wall rather than another creature.


New Zemo

Old Zemo

Old Zemo was not the crispest of minis and had an unfortunate tricky mold line right along his forearm (which is still visible just about after efforts at removal). The new one is a much improved sculpt. I am less keen on the colour scheme which is trickier if you are not using an airbrush. Dynamism pumped up as well.


New Winter Soldier

Old Winter Soldier

New sculpt considerably sharper again with nice edges. Obviously new Winter is much more dynamic in posing but also has better anatomy overall i think. Some people dont like tactical boxes/rocks but I find them better than an actual enemy and less intrusive.


Terrain - No real comments here as pretty similar except you lose the tiendas in favour of a flattened car, 2 diggers and the Roxxon ruin. Is there to be a reorganising of the terrain boxes as I cant see the point of buying the construction site box or the original roxxon box if you already have these.









bottom of page