Sculpting - ***1/2
Kif is a mighty tough character to translate from two dimensions to
three. He has a unique head and face, and it tends to change as he
alters pose and angle.
But I think Toynami has done a very nice job getting the odd shaped eyes,
funky upper lip, and elongated head just right.
My biggest complaint with the sculpt is the ears. They're much too
big, both in length and width.
He stands just under 5 inches tall (these are a 6" scale
theoretically), so he's nicely in scale with the rest of the
line. His hand sculpts are done in basic gestures, and they don't hold
the accessories particularly well.
He stands better than Leela, but his tiny feet do have a tough time with
some arm poses. He does tend to lean a bit too far, but you can find
the sweet spot with a little effort. It's toughest to keep him
standing when you add the heavy cowboy hat.
Paint - ***
There's some slop here and there, most notably with the white boots and
gloves. The lines aren't quite as cleanly cut as you might expect with
a specialty market figure, and the green skin is not quite as consistent in
coverage. I also had some issues with stray marks, including one very
obvious one across his forehead.
Articulation - **
He has limited articulation, but you're only real pose is with his hands at
his side, looking fairly straight forward.
There's a cut joint at the neck, shoulders, top of the gloves and
waist. It's enough articulation to get his center of gravity working
with the big cowboy hat, but that's about it.
Accessories - ***1/2
He does better on accessories, having three main goodies plus the Robot
Devil legs.
Yep, he has both legs, making him pretty critical to completing your
Robot Devil.
He also has that big cowboy hat I was referring to, right out of the
show, as well as a nice photo of the love of his life, Amy Wong. I
like both of these, but the hat does have a very obvious mold mark on the
right side of the brim.
His final accessory is a Spheron from the episode "War is the H
Word". It's about the right size, with a good sculpt and paint
work. It can't levitate on it's own, but I guess that might be asking
too much.
Value - **1/2
I'm assuming you'll pay around $12 - $13, which is about an average price
right now. Kif has the advantage of several accessories, making him an
average value on the current market. But it you start paying $15 or
more,
Fun Factor - **
With limited articulation, Kif isn't exactly the life of the play
party. This is a figure for adult fans, looking for a Nerd Hummel for
the shelf.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. If you can manage to pick them up at the store, watch those
paint ops and stray marks.
Overall - ***
Kif isn't perfect, but he makes a mighty nice looking companion piece to Zap
Brannigan. and a nice addition to the full line up. I really wish we
were getting the Professor, Amy, or Hermes in the next couple waves, but it
looks like variants will lead the pack for awhile. I'll still be
buying, but I would have liked new characters first.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - **
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - **
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***
Where to Buy -
There are a number of good online options:
- CornerStoreComics and AmazingToyz
has the singles for $13, or the pair for just $23. That's a great
price if you're picking up the set!
- Circle Red has the pair for $25
in stock. They also still have both series 1 and series 2 available.
- Things From Another World has
Kif at $12.59, if you're looking to just pick him up.
- Urban-Collector has a case
of figures for $95.
- YouBuyNow
has the pair for $27.
- or you can search ebay using MyAuctionLinks.com.
Related Links -
I have actually reviewed quite a
bit of Futurama product:
- Toynami series 2 included Zap and Leela,
and the first series of these
figures.
- Toynami got their feet wet with the Futurama
I-men.
- there's the series 1 set from MAC,
along with the Toyfare exclusive Leela.
There was also some Christmas ornaments, a
larger scale (8") Nibbler.
- Rocket USA did some cool die cast figures
and the tin wind up Bender.
- there were also quite a few bendies, including Kif
and Leela.
- and if you're looking for the unique, try the Horrible Gelatinus
BloB, or the Brain Slug!
Also, don't forget that you can still order the Toyfare
Zoidberg variant.
Discussion:
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forums where I'll be discussing it!
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