In this game, the Army of Zin, Maximo must battle the evil Clockwork Army, led by Lord Bane.  They're out to destroy a village, and only the brave, wandering king Maximo stands in their way.

The Soul Gems inside each of the Clockwork Army bad guys gives them their life.  Various other aspects of the game are also shown in the action figures, including the feature that as Maximo takes hits, his armor depletes until he's left in nothing but boxers.  You knew they had to do a boxer shorts version.

Actually, other than the three reviewed here - Maximo, Reaper and Clock Puncher - there are several other characters in the series: the humans Baron and Tinker are his allies, while Lord Bane is the main big bad; there's also two more versions of Maximo, including the boxer shorts version and the battle armor version.  There's also a Mid-Ohio Convention exclusive from last fall.

Packaging - **1/2
Clamshells have pretty much spoiled me on cardback/bubble style packaging, but these aren't bad. The graphics are nice and colorful, and there's a good description of the line and the features.  There's also a little blurb on Susumu Matsushita, the creator of the Maximo characters.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I wasn't expecting much with this series - I was quite surprised!  The monster designs are very much 'junk yard wards', with lots of gears, rivets, scrap iron and metal.

Although these are 'toys', meant for kids more than collectors, they prove what I've said all along - that doesn't mean they have to be cheap, poor sculpts. I do not understand the logic that says "Oh, we're doing this for kids - it doesn't have to be that great!".  Kids aren't stupid, and they appreciate sculpting, paint, articulation and accessories as much or even more than collectors.

Just check out Maximo himself.  The detail work on the armor, and the realistic folds and wrinkles in the shirt and boots are really impressive.  Even his chainmail undies are sculpted!  The head sculpt looks great as well, capturing the source material in a three dimensional form.

The bad guys are my favorites though.  Clock Puncher is the big guy with all the gears, and the large one on his back even turns and clicks, just for fun.  Each of them has what the game refers to as a 'soul gem', which looks more like a blue brain to me.  Puncher's is in his stomach, protected by a metal rib cage.  Clock Puncher s mostly gears, and that's what the overall design centers around.  From his head to his feet, he uses gears as the theme.  The detail work is again very impressive, and kids with a slant toward robots and building are likely to find these designs to their liking.

Reaper is the dude with the big scythe for a hand.  His theme is more metal, especially with sharp points and edges.  He has his share of gears too, but he's less round and more angular than Clock Puncher.  Again, the design is impressive, as is the execution.

I really like how they translated both faces, giving them emotion with a junkpile complexion.  Oh, and if you're looking for Reaper's soul gem, it's inside his head.

Paint - ***1/2
Overall, the paint ops rival the best.  They aren't perfect, and there were a few nits I can pick, but in general they are top notch.

The lines are all very clean, and for the most part the use of wash is done well to bring out sculpting highlights.  The wash on Maximo's skin is a tad too dirty looking, but that's the exception.

There aren't a lot of colors here, since it's mostly metal, but there's enough gun metal blue, silver, bronze and gold to make them interesting and eye catching.  I particularly like the translucent blue of the soul gems, topped off with a snowy white.

Maximo's tattoo on his left arm is in full force, and his eyes are extremely well done for this scale.  This is quality work.

Articulation - ***1/2
It depends on the figure, but overall the series is surprisingly well articulated.

Maximo has neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, and knees.  For a 4.5" figure, that's pretty impressive, and the joints all work well.  His pony tail could have interfered with his neck, but it's made from soft enough plastic to not be an issue.  He stands great on his own, and can take a decent number of poses.

Reaper has neck, shoulders (not at the gears, but at the cuts), elbows, chest and hips.  He also has a cut joint that allows the scythe to turn.  His helmet comes off to allow you to remove the Soul Gem.

Clock Puncher has neck, jaw, shoulders, elbows, right fingers, chest, wrists, hips, ankles, and knees.  His rib cage also opens up to allow you to remove the Soul Gem.

That's quite a bit of articulation, especially for this style of toy.  This really adds up to a fun set of figures for kids to play with and pose.

Accessories - Maximo ***; Reaper, Clock Puncher **
Depending on the figure, the number of accessories varies.  The smaller figures like Maximo tend to have more.

Speaking of Maximo, this version has his sword and shield.  The shield can pop on his forearm, and he can hold the sword in either hand.  The sword also has his trademark 'gem' in the hilt.  The paint ops on the blade could have been a little more consistent, but overall it's not too bad.  He also comes with a small stand.

The larger figures only come with the stands, unless you count the removable Soul Gems as accessories.  Considering their size and the price point, the number of accessories isn't a big surprise, but it's still light.

Action Feature - ***
Okay, this isn't technically an 'action' feature since no action is involved, but I couldn't come up with a better title.  The figures and bases are designed to work with most building block systems.

What that means is that the stands and feet have appropriately sized pegs and peg holes to work with Legos, Megablox, that sort of thing.  It's not a major big deal, but it is a nifty little extra.  Hey, if you're going to use peg holes in the feet, why not have them work with building blocks?

Fun Factor - ****
Kids should really enjoy these, particularly if they're into the game.  They have all the right elements for fun - great sculpts, excellent articulation, and a fun version of conflict.  I'm not sure how popular the game is with the right age range though, and whether it's a good match between the license and the toy.  The kids who enjoy the game might be too old for toys...and the toys might not yet appeal to older collectors.

Value - ***1/2
I'm not positive on SRP for these, but I can tell you that the one on-line store I've found them at is selling them for just $7 each.  That's an extremely good price, and you can't find many licensed action figures in that ball park any more, especially at the size and articulation of someone like Clock Puncher.

Overall - ***1/2
I really like these, and I was very surprised at their quality and design.  No, these aren't hot collector's items, but they are good old fashioned fun toys with a great sense of sculpting and design.

These are a perfect example that toys can be for kids AND look great.  One doesn't remove the possibility for the other, and I'll be interested in seeing what else BMA Toys does in the future.

Where to Buy - 
The only on-line store that I've seen carrying these so far is Terminal Point Toys.  They have the whole series, available individually or in sets.  Amazon.com is supposed to have them soon.