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Movie Maniacs Jaws

As part of the new Movie Maniacs 4 series from McFarlane Toys, we are treated to another cool deluxe boxed set.  Last year we got King Kong - this time it's the shark from Jaws.

With all the media publicity over shark attacks this last summer, this toy is likely to be extremely popular.  I picked mine up on-line at Toybliss.com for $14.99 plus shipping, which ended up being very close to the $22 I've seen at local Meijer stores.

 

Packaging - ***
The box was smaller than I had anticipated, but that's not really the fault of the box, eh?  The graphics are very sharp, and has some great shots of the toy set up.  The blue sky insert comes in handy for display, and if you want to keep it in the box you can see the shark and boat very well.

Unfortunately, Quint is packed off to the side, and the mast needs to be put on and hooked up, so for the MIB collectors they'll lose some of the attractive qualities.

Sculpting - ****
For McToys, sculpting is their trademark.  Once again they've done an excellent job.  From the details on the shark and Quint, to the flotsam in the water, and the broken glass littering the desk inside the cabin, the attention to quality and detail in the sculpt is fantastic.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops aren't *quite* as nice as the sculpting, but they are still pretty sweet.  The only area that I thought was fairly weak was the paint work on Quint, particularly his face.  Considering the size though, that's understandable. For a piece of this nature and price, the paint ops were far better than average.

Articulation - ***
The shark has no articulation, as you'd probably expect.  That's not too much of a problem.  Quint, who I actually consider an 'accessory', has more points than many 9" Spawn figures - with shoulders, waist and hips, he has five points.

Technically, the waist articulation isn't articulation.  He comes apart at the waist to show his bloody innards, a nice touch I hadn't noticed in the promo shots.

There are a couple other 'points of articulation' you could call out.  The door on the cabin of the Orca opens, and the dish mounted on the mast can turn.  There aren't too many other moving parts, but that's still pretty decent for this type of playset.

Accessories - ***1/2
Like I said earlier, I consider Quint the only accessory here.  The machete is made of a rather soft material, but the rest of the figure seems pretty sturdy.

The 'chopped in half' feature is nice, and gives you added display possibilities.  You can fit the entire body into the shark's mouth, or you can separate him at the waist and fit only the top half in.

Of course, if we'd have gotten Hooper and/or Brody as well, this would have been an easy ****.

Value - ***
It looks like you're going to pay around $20-$25 for this at most locations, and that's higher than past deluxe MM figures, or even other general Spawn deluxe figures.  I had figured around $15, but I must admit that this diorama has far greater detail than usual.  That detail and quality helps make up for some of the extra cost, but it still seems a little high to me.

Overall - ***1/2
This is a very nice piece, and certainly will look excellent on your shelf.  It was a little smaller than I had anticipated, but it's not really an issue.  The detail and sculpting are what really make it stand out, and fans of the MM line, and Jaws in general, should give it a look.

Where to Buy
The only bricks and mortar store I've found these at so far is Meijers, which is only a mid-west retailer.  They are about $22 there, but some on-line stores can meet that.  A lot of stores appear to be out of stock however.

- Toybliss.com has them for $14.99 plus shipping, which came out to about the same $22.  I ordered mine through them, and although this is the first time I've used them, I was very happy with the service and speed. 


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford

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