Packaging - ***1/2
Regular readers know I like boxes, and
this one is even ultra collector friendly. No twisties, no
damage
to remove the figures, no problems.
I also really, really like
the graphics and design. Sure, the laughing look wasn't the
most
common for SantaBot, but toward the end of the episode when they were
handing out destruction together, they shared such a moment.
Sculpting - Bender
****; Robot Santa ***1/2
This
is pretty much the same Bender we got from Toynami just recently, so it
should be no surprise that he gets the same sculpting score here.
The proportions are excellent, the detailing is just enough,
and
the scale is great.
Robot Santa is also a fantastic
figure.
He has just the right amount of detail as well, and is the
right
scale too, particularly compared to Bender. As with most
cartoons, the scale of these characters to each other tends to change
from one frame to the next, but at about 8 inches tall, Robot Santa
looks
about right next to Bender.
He does have a couple minor
issues.
His waist could be a smidge narrower, with the belt a little
thinner and more rounded. Both figures also really need the spiky ball
on the hat, but with Bender I can understand it not being there.
His hat is cloth after all. But Robot Santa has a
sculpted
hat, and the addition of the spikes would have really added to his look.
But these are minor issues,
greatly outweighed by all the positive in his appearance.
EDIT - word from Toynami is that
the BAF version WILL hae the spiky
ball (as well as a machine gun), to further differentiate it from the
SDCC version.
Paint - Robot Santa
***1/2; Bender ***
While
the paint work on both of them is better than average, Bender isn't
quite as nice this time around as he was in the regular release.
That's
due to a few more slop issues, most notably around the hands and feet,
and some additional weird color inconsistencies. They didn't
quite manage to match the red cloth hat to the red body, which was
going to be difficult to be sure, but still would have improved his
look. They also went with a darker red on his legs (Robot
Santa's
too), which is pretty obvious to even my color blind eyes.
The
feet are black, which actually fits (black boots of course!), but I'm
not sure why they went with the darker red for the legs. It's
less of an issue for Robot Santa, since his legs are quite short and
well hidden by the large body, but Bender's are pretty obvious.
Bender's
hands are also an odd color, which I suppose was intended to look like
mittens. I don't remember them being this rather odd color,
however, and I couldn't find a reference photo that showed them this
way.
Robot Santa has the leg issue
too, but as I said it's far
less of a problem for him. He has very little slop as well,
with
clean cut lines and consistent coverage just about everywhere.
Articulation - Robot Santa
***1/2; Bender ***
This was the category that held the nicest surprise, at least for me.
Of
course, there were no surprises with Bender. He is the same
figure we previously bought, only with a red body. That means he has
the cut neck, bendy arms and legs, and opening door. The
shoulders and hips are cut joints as well.
That means Bender is fairly
poseable, and the wire armature in the appendages works pretty well.
The
surprise came with Robot Santa. On the box and in most photos
I've seen, he has 'happy' eyes, with the rounded part on top.
That matches his look on the box, but isn't his most common
look
on the show. But fear not - the eyes turn! Yep, just turn
them
around upside down, and you have his 'angry eyes' look!
That's
sure to make plenty of fans happy.
He also has a cut neck, cut
arms, cut wrists, cut waist and cuts at the top of the legs.
Since this is designed to be a BAF, most of these parts
actually
come apart. You can remove the head, arms (and shoulders!),
and
legs quite easily.
The wrist articulation was
another nice touch,
something I hadn't expected that adds to the pose potential quite a
bit. In fact, there really isn't much more you could give
this
figure in the way of joints, due to his portly design. I
suppose
a turning hat would have been nice, but that's about it.
Accessories - Bender
***; Robot Santa Bupkis
Robot
Santa doesn't have any accessories, which was a bit of a
disappointment. Considering his arsenal of destruction on the
show, throwing in a machine gun or flame thrower would have really
boosted his shelf appeal.
Bender comes with the two sets
of eyes
that he had in his regular release version. I prefer the angry eyes for
the Santa look, but you can go with the sad eyes or the sleepy eyes if
you wish. The entire eye assembly pops in and out smoothly,
and
leaves the potential for future eyes to be released as accessories with
other figures.
He does not have the other
accessories that his
cousin came with though. Instead, they added in the cloth Santa hat,
which fits his head surprisingly well.
Fun Factor - ***
While
these aren't really intended as kid's toys - particularly since they
are expensive SDCC exclusives - they could certainly operate that way.
They are sturdy enough to stand up to basic play, and Robot
Santa
certainly adds that critical conflict aspect to any Futurama role
playing!
Value - **
The regular release figures are running around $15 a pop, but this set
cost a whopping $50 at the show.
However,
if you're just looking for Robot Santa, you can buy the six regular
upcoming figures (series 4 Captain Yesterday and Nudar, series 5
Calculon and Cloberella, and series 6 Super Bender and Amy Wong) for
$90, and you can build the Robot Santa for free. Okay, that's
not
necessarily free either, but if you're picking up the full line anyway,
a BAF is always a great value.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Not a thing!
Overall - ***1/2
I
already sang the praises for Toynami's Bender figure, so it's no
surprise that this variant is just as nice. I'm not sure it's
a
variant everyone needs though, but that makes it a good choice for an
exclusive.
The Robot Santa was also a good
choice, since you can
eventually get one through regular release with a little patience. That
version will have a weapon or two as well I believe, making it even
better than this first release.
But if you're like me and the
microwave tries your patience, then getting the chance to pick up the
Robot Santa early - and getting a unique figure to boot - makes this
exclusive well worth it.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - Bender ****; Robot Santa ***1/2
Paint - Robot Santa ***1/2; Bender ***
Articulation - Robot Santa ***1/2; Bender ***
Accessories - Bender ***; Santa Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Obviously, SDCC was the best
place to pick up this set. If you missed out, you'll have to
do
the ebay bop. You can use the sponsor MyAuctionLinks
to help your search.
Related Links -
I've covered most of the
rest of the Toynami Futurama line:
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