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12" Battle of the Planets Jason
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Tonight's review is from sixth scale collector Hutt Wigley. It covers
a non-military figure that many may remember from their youth - Jason from
Battle of the Planets. It's all yours, Hutt!
As a 5th grader, I used to ride my bike home after school as fast as I could in order to catch the syndicated episodes of “Battle of the Planets” that were shown every weekday afternoon. My favorite BotP character was always Jason, the pistol-packing, sports car driving, second-in-command of “G-Force”. As a 10-year-old, I remember wishing someone would make “G-Force” action figures!
Fast forward about 20+ years, and thanks to MediCom, I now have a 12” G-Force Jason action figure standing before me on my computer work station!
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Packaging - **
It’s an oblong, window-fronted box. You can see the figure pretty well, along with his lone accessory. There is a minimum of artwork, character descriptions and some copyright information. That’s about it. Nothing spectacular. There just are 5 twist ties and a piece of clear tape holding Jason and his accessories captive.
Sculpting - **1/2
Jason’s helmet is removable, and he almost appears to be suffering from “helmet hair”. The facial sculpt, however, appears VERY close the anime-style likeness of Jason!
Paint - ***
There is very little painted detail on Jason. His eyes, his hair, his wrist communicator, and his belt buckle. It is all minimal, but well done.
Articulation - ****
This was a very difficult score to place. To put it mildly, Jason has got INSANE amounts of articulation! His shoulders alone have 3 or 4 points each! His buttocks have articulation! Even his TOES are articulated! His knee and shoulder joints are VERY similar to those of Ertl’s “Sportsman” line of 12” figures. But his form-fitting costume restricts his movement to the point where, despite all these extra points of articulation, Jason still seems to have the same range of motion of a Classic Collection GI Joe! In the end, I decided to go by the actual amount of articulation as opposed to what the costumed figure is actually capable of!
Accessories - ***
Jason has a harpoon gun-looking pistol, his removable bird’s-head-shaped helmet, and a pistol belt (the latter is not really an accessory as much as it is a part of his costume). The pistol is pretty nondescript, and closely approximates what I vaguely remember Jason wielding against the forces of Zoltar! The helmet… Now the helmet is a work of art! From its beak-shaped visor to its mysterious antenna, it is SO dead-on the look of the G-Force animated series that it should be instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever seen the show!
Outfit - ***
MediCom did a fairly decent job of approximating Jason’s costume. The fabric seems to be some sort of polyester. The cape is made from a 2-sided vinyl fabric. His gloves and boots seem to be molded from a plastic-rubber-vinyl substance. Although his thigh-high boots are removable to reveal highly articulated feet, his gloves can be removed to reveal articulated… nubs! That’s right! NUBS! The gloves actually form the hands, and fit snuggly over the nubs. The effect is that Jason has seamless gauntlet-style gloves that extend just short of his elbow.
Value - ***
I managed to pick Jason up during a sale at toyzz.com for just over $16 (including shipping!) I’ve seen him elsewhere for as much as $60.
Overall - ***
Jason gets this score because: a) I was interested in the subject matter, b) He has MAD GOBS of articulation, and c) I managed to score the figure for under $20. If you are: a) A fan of “Battle of the Planets” b) Interested in an action figure with insane amounts of articulation, or c) Can get this figure for under $20, I HIGHLY recommend it!
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“Are you guys related? I see a family resemblance. You guys know where we can go meet some chicks? You guys DO like chicks, don’tcha?”
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Figures from the collection of
Hutt Wigley.
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