Review of Armory sets
Shining Gold, Toxic Glow and White

Introduction

Everyone loves it when the little guy gets a break. It's great when a small company comes out on the scene, and does well not because of luck (although that always plays a part) but because they produce a great product at a great price, and the fans react positively.

That's the case with Spy Monkey Creations, a small company getting its feet wet with some very cool action figure accessory sets. I reviewed their first small release last year, and their big splash back in January. They've followed up with the same accessory packs in three new color schemes, each designed to fulfill a new need.

Remember, these accessories are designed to be broken down and rebuilt in just about any combination. They come with extra posts and pegs to attach pieces in unique ways, as well as extra spikes, buttons, handles, and connectors. If you see a piece, it's probably removable, including those cool little skulls on the side of the ax.

The connectors and holes are also designed to work with the Outer Space Men, using the Glyos standard. I reviewed the OSM at one point as well, and I've included a shot of one of the figures with the two sword blades used as wings. Since these weapons are much larger than the OSM, they work better as additional armor pieces than actual weapons with that series.

These sets are currently available directly through Spy Monkey at their site for $15 - $20 each depending on the set.

Packaging - *1/2
The packaging is very basic - simple clear bags with small stickers. I have no problem with that, but I dropped the score a bit because two of my three bags had popped small holes or rips in transit, spilling the tiny pieces into the outer shipping box. That's something Spy Monkey will want to look into with future bags.

Sculpting - ****
In each package, you get five pre-built accessories - the War Shield, the Master Blade (large, straight sword), the Dominar (the large hammer), the Demon Saber (with the blade that looks like a bat wing), and the Falcon Saber (with the blade that looks like, no surprise, a bird's wing). 

In the first group photo you'll see the color scheme 'Shining Gold'. This is a combination of gold plated pieces and clear plastic. This first photo also shows the weapons as they come, with the exception of the two spikes and two buttons I put on the front of the shield.

In the next group photo is the "Toxic Glow" set, done entirely in glow in the dark plastic. In this photo I've swapped in some white parts to add a little color, and combined a couple of the weapons into one deadly armament.

In the third group photo, you'll see the final new color scheme, simply called 'White'. I did a bit more bizarre mixing and matching of parts in this set, including a funky helmet. Yep, there's the option to do whatever your little heart desires, even if it's stupid.

These are scaled to work well with figures in that 7" range, like the Masters of the Universe Classics. They also have a medieval, fantasy feel to the designs, which works well with a number of licenses.

These are the same sculpts that we got earlier in the year, but that doesn't mean they still aren't just as good as they were then. I particularly like the Master Blade, but the Dominar is pretty damn cool as well.

Paint - ****
There's not a ton of paint here - it's mostly molded colors, but that's still extremely well done, with a very consistent color and no swirls or obvious deformations.

The White set is...well, white. The Shining Gold are a  combination of gold plate (done very well) and translucent plastic. That's a terrific combination, and the gold is once again consistent in its coverage.

Finally, there's the Toxic Glow set, the glow in the dark weapons. The glow feature is very bright, and lasts quite a long time.

Fun Factor - ****
These are cool weapons in their own right - add in the ability to customize them to your needs and desires, and that ups the fun scale immensely.  They also are scaled to work well with figure in that 6 - 8" range, perhaps the best general size for action figures that are actually toys, and not just collectibles.

Value - ***1/2
Because these are really 'repaints' of a sort, with no new sculpting, the price dropped from $20 a set to $15 on the White. Most companies would have just charged the original price, pocketing the extra profit. The fact that Spy Monkey did not says volumes about their business model and customer focus.

Things to Watch Out For -
Some of the plastic - especially on the white set - was a little soft, so be careful popping the longer handles together. Otherwise, it's all good to go!

Overall - ****
I loved these the first time around - no surprise that the new colors are just as cool. Even better, the price dropped for the one set, a win-win no matter how you look at it. If you're looking for some extra accessories for your MOTUC figures, or some doodads for the armor of your Outer Space Men, then these sets are just the ticket.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - *1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
The place to go to pick these up is direct from Spy Monkey, where you'll get the full set of 5 weapons made up of 42 interchangeable parts, all for the price of $15.

Related Links -
I reviewed some of Spy Monkey Creations' MOTUC extras last year, and their first full set of these accessories earlier this year.

You'll also want to check out their website. Plus, if you like these than you should take a look at both the Glyos figures and the Outer Space Men.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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