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Futurama Series 3
Kif

 Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami

The next Futurama direct to DVD movie is scheduled for June 24th, and it's titled "The Beast with a Billion Backs".  This is the follow up to the hilarious and successful "Bender's Big Score", released earlier this year.

Toynami has just released their third series of action figures based on the television show, this time including Bender and Kif.  I skipped Bender - I have the MAC version, but there's good reasons to get this one too.  He has interchangeble eyes for different moods, you can pop his head off and put Nixon's on, and he does have the top hat and cane for the Robot Devil.  Now I have to go find him!

You can pick up Kif (and Bender) for around $13 - $15, depending on the retailer.  I have some terrific online options listed at the end, and Hot Topic stores picked up the first couple series so they may have this pair as well.  Expect to pay more there though, as HT tends to be one of the most expensive retailers around.

Packaging - ***
I like the colors and graphics, which draw heavily from the show.  The pseudo boxes (they have hangers at the top, but they're really boxes), are easy to store for the MIBers, and they are even collector friendly.  Just cut a piece of tape, and everything comes right out without any further damage.  You can slap them back in later for storage.

Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami

Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami
Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami
Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami
Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami
Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami

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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Futurama Kif Kroker action figure by Toynami


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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