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Sculpting - ****
I've pointed out before that I'm not an old school fan of MOTU. So for
me, the characters that have the most unique and unusual designs are
likely to be my favorites.
That's
the case here, where we get the funky cat-like Mer-man head sculpt.
This head sculpt is very much like the original, but done up with the
usual exceptional detail that we've come to expect from the Four
Horsemen.
Even better, we get a second
head sculpt that looks
just like the old card art. This is important, because while the card
art looked more like this mutated frog, the figure never did. It's a
really nice touch that they've given fans this unique head sculpt as a
nod to the old artwork.
Of course, much of the body is
re-used
from other figures. You'll recognize the feet and armored legs from
Skeletor, who also had the same gauntlets. But Mer-man does get new
hands, and I really like the splayed fingers on the left hand. I
suspect some folks would prefer another gripping hand to hold both
weapons at the same time, but I like the gesturing pose.
While
Mer-man's loincloth is the same old same old, his chest and shoulder
armor is brand new. It looks very much like real bone, even with the
funky corn color. It's easy to remove (you don't even have to pop the
head off), but most folks are going to leave it on.
It's also worth noting here that
they've added a fish-like neck
piece to Mer-man, which you can clearly see in the very first photo. It
restricts the neck articulation a bit, but I like the looks of the
addition.
Mer-man stands great on his own
of course, and the sculpt works great with the articulation.
Paint - ***1/2
Out of the figures released so far, Mer-man has the most detail and
best paint work, no doubt about it.
Both
head sculpts have plenty of fine detail, especially the extra head
that's sculpted to look like the old design art. It does have one
eyebrow (if that's what it is) slightly rubbed off on mine, and it
could be a smidge cleaner around the eyes themselves, but it's still
great to see this level of
detail on these figures. Those itty bitty white teeth on the cat head
look amazing!
While
most of the body and armor pieces are merely cast in the appropriate
colored plastic, at least these various parts are consistent in color,
tone and finish. To add some pop to the body, there's a black wash
that's been added. There's a dark wash added to the chest armor and
loincloth as well, and while I think they might have gone overboard a
bit with the amount, I'm happy to see it included. It certainly brings
out the detail in both of these pieces of his outfit.
Mer-man has the most paint ops
of any of the series so far, and it's much appreciated.
Articulation - ***1/2
Like the rest of this line, Mer-man has excellent articulation.
The
ball jointed neck is a bit more restricted this time, due to the
sculpt. It turns alright, and tilts back and forward a bit, but tilting
to the side isn't something that works too well.
The pin/post
ball shoulders and hips work great though, just as always. There's
single pin elbows and knees that are a bit restricted, but still allow
for better posing than most other figures out there in this scale. The
cut wrists give you basic hand articulation, and pin ankles finish off
the legs.
There's a cut waist and an ab
crunch to complete the
overall articulation picture. The basic body, which is being re-used
over and over in a variety of ways with this line, is extremely well
designed. The few issues that are here are fairly minor, and there's no
need for Mattel to change a thing.
Accessories - ***1/2
The figure that had the best set of accessories previous to Mer-man was
He-man, but the double M beats him out...at least for me.
He
comes with a truly unique sword, with serrated edges like shark's
teeth.
The blade itself has sort of a corn cob look, because of the square
pattern down the blade and the corn yellow color, but it's still pretty
damn deadly looking.
He also has a cool staff, which
has a bony
claw-like appearance. The sculpt detail on both these weapons is above
what we've seen on most of the other accessories in the series so far,
and hopefully we'll see this kind of work in future accessories.
But
while those accessories are great, it's his extra head that has me
sold. I already talked about the sculpting and paint on both in the
previous sections, but the inclusion of such a cool extra gives this
category an extra boost.
I wanted to point out that his
chest/shoulder armor is removable as well. I don't count it as an
'accessory' because you aren't going to pose him without it - it's an
integral part of his appearance, just like the cat-like head sculpt.
But if you're so inclined to consider it an accessory, than you'd be
even happier than I in this particular category.
Fun Factor - ****
These are sweet toys. In fact,
there's almost no lines at your
local Toys R Us that are as good of toys as these are. It's unfortunate
very few kids will ever get their hands on them, or that other lines
they will get this summer won't be of a similar quality.
Value - **
As much as I love these figures, I can't ignore the twenty dollar price
tag. That's a hefty price for any action figure in this
scale,
specialty market or not. Add in the fact that there's a TON
of
reuse across this line, and the value isn't there.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Not a thing.
Overall - ***1/2
I was *this* close to going four stars here, even with only the Sculpt
and Fun Factor getting full marks. Why? Because this figure is my
favorite of the series so far, and in hand, really impresses me with
it's quality and design.
But
in the end, it's still tough to say it's worth a whopping twenty bucks
plus shipping. Getting full marks at that price is going to be tough,
although it is possible with the right group of accessories.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Usually, I have to tell you to
hit ebay at this point, because these sell out so fast. However, Mattel
has a second batch arriving that will go on sale at Matty
Collector on Wednesday the 29th. They usually go up at 9am PST, so you best be ready!
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