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Review of Mars Attacks Martian action figure
Mezco Toyz
Date Published: 2012-12-05
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5
out of 4
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
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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
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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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discussing it!
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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