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Packaging - ***
Toy Biz continues to have the same style on all of Its Marvel Studios figures. The packaging is sturdy and you can see the whole figure so you can choose more wisely if you are unhappy with the paint or whatever reason. There is a small bio of the character and some movie stills. The top and bottom lids have the Marvel Studios logo on there and its nicely sculpted but they are quite hard to open because there's a lot of tape and then there's those rib bit thingies that you gotta pluck out. It is possible to get the figure out without damaging the box. I would have a preferred a regular 1/6 scale box with the open door but then again it wouldn't
be a Marvel Studios packaging now would it? MOC collectors will like how the packaging and figure looks on the shelf if you choose to not open it. I'm actually giving this three stars because of the stills and bio. In
my view that's important because its info for the beginner and plus it makes the packing worthwhile.
Sculpting - ****
Without a single doubt this is a four star sculpt and this is why I ultimately choose this version over the regular. I loved how Julian was as Doom and I think he is a cool guy. He has a handsome face and Toy Biz captured his look perfectly. I'm not sure how to explain it but one thing I Iike about his face is his eyes because his eye lids are very slightly closed and Toy Biz got it right. His scars are sculpted and not painted on. There are creases in his face so you see and feel that the scars are deep which I think this is neat feature. His hair looks natural. The hands are a new sculpt and they even added his ring on his right hand and its a different sculpt than the rotocast Dr. Doom! The sculpting along with the paint makes his hands look like they are really metal but I'll note something about this in the outfit department. Doom's shoes are a new sculpt as well. There are ties and the outline of them look good and there are even ridges on the bottom. The body I believe is the same that they used for the other figures in the series but don't quote Me on that because as this is the only Marvel Studios figure that I own at this present time but obviously the head, hands and shoes are new. The scale of the figure fits in great with the rotocast movie figures and the other Marvel rotocast figures so that is a dang good treat.
Paint - ***1/2
There's really not that much to paint just on the noggin, the hands and socks. The paint on Mine is very good with very little slop. But if you have several to choose from I would look closely because Toy Biz is noted for different paint applications on their figures so both versions may have a bit of a mess so it varies on each figure but I wouldn't think it would be terrible by any means.
Articulation - **1/2
I know that Toy Biz isn't a company that makes nothin' but 12" figures but what they do make is pretty good but I have an issue with them in this section. He has a very good ball jointed neck, those really odd looking shoulder joints. Double elbows, cut biceps, cut wrists, torso, waist, hips, thighs, double knees and ankles. My issue is not the shoulders. I know that people may not be pleased with how they look but the truth is there is a ton of movement with them which is what you want. The issue I have is the loose joints most notably in the legs. The hips are very loose and he wants to topple forward and backward. His knees and ankles wants to bend down so this makes him almost impossible to stand which is extremely annoying. There is a way to fix this though so here's the lowdown. Get yourself some of those clear rubber bands and wrap several of them around each knee and ankle. You want the long and thick kind. Its much more convenient than glue. The joints will still move and may be a bit loose still but it makes him stand a whole load better! If the joints were much tighter he would have gotten a higher star percentage.
Accessories - *
All he comes with is his coat. They could have included his mask but they chose not to and went with the
variation/you have to buy both of them route. Along with the loose legs this hurts the figure. Since the regular has the mask he also has a different coat. I am disappointed about this. Also an included stand would have helped
big time!!!
Outfit - ***1/2
Now this gets a higher ranking. The tailoring on all of the clothing is good but on some parts you'll have to get the scissors and clip a couple loose strands of threads. The clothing consist of his shirt which has a snap on the front and the sleeves has tiny buttons that are sewn on. Now I mentioned something about this before. The sleeves seem a bit short and you see the good Doctor's arms and to some people it may make his hands look like silvery gloves. The pants seem fine and the coat fits well and has a hood and has a snap but there isn't another part for it to snap into which is odd. The inside coloring of the coat is red and its a nice touch. The socks are not cloth because there're painted on! I would of liked real sock as well.
Fun Factor - ****
Even though I have some issues with him he is a very fun figure to behold. This figure looks so much like his living counterpart its very unbelievable plus he is in scale with Toy Biz's other great fantastic Four rotocast figures especially with Sue as you can see in the pictures. Even though I already had the rotocast Dr. Doom I had to have the Marvel Studios second version simply because I am big fan of the actor and how he was in the film. It's not everyday that you always get different versions of a character if there are more than one major difference in appearances within the same film in the same figure series so I thought that it was terrific to get a figure of the scared but yet still handsome Victor Von Doom! He really does display excellently with the others and its just so much fun looking at them all together on my display!
Value - **
Here's the thing, both versions run the same price at $29.96 and that's original price that I paid. I bought him in the fall of 2005 and there was a ton of them at My local Wal-Mart and very recently there still were quite a few in stock for the same price however, I am not sure of the versions so it may vary. I don't know if the price has changed now or again if it varies per store but at that price I give two stars because of the few issues I have about him. Had he come with his mask, tighter joints, and of course a slightly cheaper price tag like 20 bucks would have been fine for either version. To think that the rotocast figures retails at $9.99 a piece with arguably the same amount of awesome detailing it would have been a more pleasing purchased at twenty buckaroos but whether the price was that or the real one there was no way I was gonna pass him up.
Things to Watch Out For –
Really there isn't any major factors here. Since he always wants to land face first or fall backward I would do the clear rubber band trick I spoke about previously and yes even though that his legs may be much tighter than they once were before I would put him on a 12" figure stand. Oh and at that price I would not give this to a child. In my opinion this a collector's piece only! This is really it.
Overall - ***
This was very hard to give him this rating. He's an excellent looking figure, there's no doubt about that but with floppy joints and no real accessories, it may sound weird that even though I have picked on him I am happy with him because the fact of the matter is he looks just fantastic with My figures and that's the major reason why I wanted him. He looks so accurate. Sure I thought of the no mask included stuff before I bought him but for Me it was more important to own the figure so he can be with my others. If your a big fan you may think similar. However, you may be more picky than Me and if that's so then give him either two or two and half stars.
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