Ok me and a few pals had this come up last night. Player A's SN Vet Thor Charged player B's Crisis SR Spectre. Player B declares that Thor stops 2 away since Spectre is a Giant and therefore has 2 square adjacency. Player A says that Thor flies, and therefore he is allowed to base Spectre outright and smack him.

Well player B disagrees, so he pulls out Hulkbuster SR. Reading the SP Flight Stabilizers, he quotes that Hulkbuster ignores the Giant status of others and can base them when using Charge and RS. His idea is that since Hulkbuster already flies, according to player A's logic, Hulkbuster should ALREADY be able to base Giants when Charging. So if he could do it already, then why would they make a point of printing it as a power on his card? Player B's point was that you CAN'T base a Giant when Charging, even if you're a flier, and that you still stop 2 squares away.

So who's correct?

Player A is correct. Flyers ignore other characters when moving, so Thor can definitely Charge the Spectre without having to stop two squares away.

Now, regarding Hulkbuster's SP:

The SP gives him the ability to ignore the giants' 2-squares adjacency for movement purposes, which is indeed redundant since he's already a flyer, but should he lose flight (because of a feat, BFC, whatever...), he'd still ignore the giants' 2-squares adjacency for movement purposes.
He also doesn't have to breakaway when being 2 squares away from a giant opposing character.
On the other hand, giants do have to stop 2 squares away from him when moving, and they can attack him with a close combat attack when they're two squares away from him (because Hulkbuster is adjacent to giant characters only when he is within 1 square of them, but giant characters are still adjacent to Hulkbuster 2 squares away from him for movement and close combat purposes).

Thanks a lot Drunky. I appreciate you clearing it up. They both asked me what I thought, and I gave my opinion, which was that Thor COULD Charge Spectre. However, I just wanted to double check

Unless the giant is a flier.

This is really the only reason that Hulkbuster has Flight Stabilizers. The only legal thing that I can think of that makes fliers Earthbound is the Aerial Baffler. Otherwise, unless they plan on reprinting Crosswinds or Swingline, there is no way to force a flier to Earthbound status.

Like I said, there may be other ways, but right now all I can think of is the Baffler as far as restricted-play methods go.

In either case of Crosswinds or Aerial Baffler it would be a moot point as Spectre would no longer be a giant figure. His would then put Earthbound on his dial and thus cancel his status.

This is true, but to my knowledge there have only been two fliers to date that are also giants, those being Spectre and Dragon Man. All other giants would be unaffected.

Thanks for pointing that out though.

Super-Adaptoid?

High Evolutionary?

I was about to add Colossal Boy, to which I forgot he's grounded. Something about playing "Doctor" with the other grounded Legionnaire Shrinking Violet. :speechles

Hulkbuster's special power is really only good when a giant bases him, and he can still charge that giant and not have to break away.

Oh, and if your playing unrestricted, and someone get's him with swingline.

Shows how with it I am tonight... I DO know that Dragon Man was the first flying giant though, at least I can say that with 100% confidence!