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Review of Mars Attacks Martian action figure

Mezco Toyz
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Introduction

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the original Mars Attacks trading cards from the famous Topps company. The images were pretty graphic for 1962, with lots of blood and more than a little sexual innuendo. You know the rest of the story, since it plays out over and over - parents get upset, company tries editing them, ends up forced to pull them from the market.

Since then, we've seen comics, new cards, and even a movie based on this sketchy early concept. Mezco picked up the license for the anniversary, and they are producing this sixth inch scale figure based on the original card designs.

He's just starting to ship, and you should be able to find him in that $16 price range depending on the retailer.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Packaging - ***1/2
While these are pretty standard bubble/card back packages, they do emote the original style and feel of the cards themselves. With a similar font and graphics lifted right from the early release (that image of the Martian on the front is from card #1), they do a great job selling the nostalgia of the license.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Sculpting - ****
I tried to find something to complain about here - I came up with almost zero.

But you know me - I can always find something. There are a few annoying mold lines from the manufacturing process that mar the otherwise excellent green costume. That's it though, and that's not much.

I love the head sculpt, and the bulbous head and bulging eyes look amazing. The overall appearance is a little different than the film version, with skinnier arms and legs, and a bit more height. But it's a great look, and does match up with the Topps cards extremely well.

The hands are sculpted to hold the accessories, and he stands great on his own with little effort.

He stands almost exactly 6" tall, which means he works pretty well with most 6 - 7" figures from other lines, especially Marvel Legends.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Paint - ***1/2
The colors on the face and head look great, with a nice transition between the various shades. It's a smidge gloppy here and there, but it's fairly minor.

The suit is pretty standard. Mostly green with yellow boots and gloves, the red breathing tanks really stands out.

While the cut lines are quite clean, there are a few rub marks and stray spots on the body. Still, this is an above average paint job, and better than average for the price point.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Articulation - ***
Mezco did a nice job hiding the articulation on this guy, giving you much more than you might realize when he's still in the package.

The neck is a cut joint, turning left to right. The entire head and helmet turn as one to accomplish this.

There's ball jointed (pin/disc style) shoulders and hips, and these work fairly well. They were a little limited, but I was able to get most poses that I wanted.

The pin elbows and knees went a long way toward that, and three's also cut joints at the top of the gloves and boots.

This is enough articulation to get some good poses, and he stands just fine on his own. I do wish the arms had some sort of cut joint either at the elbow or the shoulder to allow the hands to come closer together in front of the body. That way he could have held the rifle in both hands. It's a minor quibble, but one worth noting.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Accessories - ***1/2
As I mentioned, these figures are based on the original trading cards, and that's evident in the weapons. There's three - the small blaster, rifle blaster and 'ray stick'. You can see a card showing the rifle blaster here, and I'm betting if you go through them all you'll find examples of the other two as well.

While these weapons aren't as funky or detailed as those that were in the movie, you have to give Mezco credit for sticking with the classic look. They are a good match to the card set, with nice sculpts if somewhat basic paint jobs.

The guns fit in his hands just fine, but as I mentioned in the articulation section, the lack of any turning joint on the arms means he can't hold one gun in both hands at the same time.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
Kids love monsters - that was the problem with the original series. The gore and mayhem, along with the cool creature design, was a bit TOO appealing to kids, or so some parents felt.

This is still a great creature design, and while few kids today will be familiar with the cards, they might have a familiarity with the Tim Burton film. 

The somewhat disguised articulation works well too, and the various guns adds that necessary conflict aspect to the figure.

Value - ***
This is a nice change of pace - you're getting what you pay for with this guy. I'm assuming you won't pay more than $16, and at that price point you're getting several accessories and a very well designed 6" figure. It's tough to get all that even at Wal-mart for this price.

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***1/2
I have to admit it - it wasn't the cards that got me interested in this license. And while I really do love the goofy Burton flick, it was actually the Dark Horse comics that enticed me.

This figure is an excellent representation of the Martian, and because of his scale he'll go great with the general horror/sci-fi display. He's also a solid value, with much more useful articulation than you'd expect.

I do wish we could get a couple more characters, but that's more from a movie perspective than a card perspective...guess it's not too likely.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has him at $16.

- Entertainment Earth is at $16.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Mezco isn't the first to do action figures. Hot Toys did perhaps the very best (certainly the most expensive), and they did cute Cosbaby figures as well.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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Mars Attacks Martian action figure by Mezco

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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