Packaging - **1/2
Once again we get clamshells, and once again I'm all for it. They've got
everything a guy (or girl) could want in a sturdy package.
Unfortunately, this is one of the most uninspired inserts McToys has produced
to date.
Sculpting - **1/2
There's certainly no surprise in the sculpt if you've seen their big
brothers. Still, this scale is a very interesting idea.
The sculpts are decent for the scale, although not as nice as the larger cousins. Most
McToys are sculpted at a 2-up size, twice the size of the actual figure, and
then shrunk down with a pretty nifty high tech scanning doohickie. That
means that a moderate amount of detail in the two up turns in to a ton of cool
detail in the 6" - 8" version.
Unfortunately, that doesn't work quite as well when they take it down even
further. Here the sculpt has a rough appearance to it, and isn't as sharp
and clear as the normal scale. There are also a few quality issues, such
as Kidd's left hand, which is quite deformed. I'm not sure if it's an
issue with how the figure was removed from the mold or some other process
problem, but it's pretty obvious.
Neither of the head sculpts look as much like their real life counterpart
either. Wallace is a little better than Kidd, but neither would be
immediately recognizable if not for Wallace's unique 'fro.
Still, they look better than the usual 3" figure on the shelf, and I'm
intrigued by the scale. Will sports fans who are uninterested in the
larger scale be drawn to these? And can they convince collectors who
already own the larger ones to plunk down some more cash for the same
sculpt? It will be an interesting experiment that I'll be watching
closely.
Paint - **
They've made every attempt to keep all the paint detail in this scale, but
ti was really a job that was beyond them.
There's lots of detail missing, especially on Kidd. There's no way they
could get the facial hair to look right, and somehow Kidd has gotten mighty tan
since his previous figure.
Wallace is better, but there's quite a bit of slop around the stripes of his
uniform and the white, and even between his skin and the white of his socks and
arm bands. The photos show the tattoos, but you'll have a tough time
making them out with the naked eye.
Articulation - Bupkis
These are simply PVC's with style. The term 'action figure' won't ever be
used in the same sentence as these little buggers, but whether that matters to
you or not will determine how much this counts in your overall assessment.
Accessories - **1/2
Each comes with a base, and a wire support to attach them to it. Nothing
particularly fancy, with stickers on top instead of any sort of sculpted floor.
Value - **1/2
At $3 each, these aren't bad. Sure, they are just PVC's, and maybe a
buck more than I'd like to spend on them, but overall you're not getting ripped.
Overall - **1/2
These are intriguing, if not the greatest. I'll be very interested in seeing
how the collectors react to them, and how well they sell. I have a hard
time believing the buyers of the larger figures will have any interest in these,
but they may be able to suck in some additional folks who didn't collect the
larger figures because of either price or space.
Where to Buy -
I picked these up at a local Target, and in my neck of the woods this set is the
only one that's tough to find. You can also find them at Wal-marts and
Meijers, and most other retailers that carry the Sports Picks will probably pick
them up.
|