Review of Deathstroke
One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

The end of 2017 was a bit of a drought for One:12 Collective fans. There were a couple releases, but with all the figures that had been up for pre-order during the year, the anticipation was killing us.

The floodgates have opened - somewhat - in the last few weeks. I've already covered Suicide Squad Harley, as well as the regular release Red Skull, but I have an oodle more sitting here waiting to be opened, including Red Son Superman, regular Deadpool, and Black Adam.

Tonight I'm looking at the most recent I received - Deathstroke!  This is the regular release, and yes, there's also a comic shop variant out there shipping later.  This version will cost you around $75, and the exclusive runs $80. Finding any of the regular now is tricky, but the variant is still available for pre-order. However, once people see just how cool this release is in hand, I suspect the variant will disappear quickly, so act sooner rather than later if you're interested.

Packaging - ***1/2
The regular release One:12 packages are always really heavy stock, with a plastic slip to protect the outer cardboard slip cover. The quality of materials is excellent, and it will stand up to long term shelf wear.

It's also completely collector friendly, with no need for any sort of damage when opening it up and removing the figure and accessories. If you do decide to toss the box to save space, Mezco provides a cute little plastic bag to store everything in. But you can easily use the box for that purpose, if you have the room.

I also really like the look of the logo and text on the outer slip with this release. The colors really pop, and it's a nice example of beauty through simplicity.

Sculpting - ****
It's always worth noting the scale when having this discussion. These figures are 1/12th scale, hence the name of the series.  That makes them 6 - 6 1/2" or so, depending on the character, and Deathstroke falls on the top side of that range. This are macro photos of very small figures, and I only use photos like this with the One:12 figures. I normally only use this size photo for sixth scale figures, but the One:12 figures are so outstanding, they can handle the extreme attention.

There are two head sculpts, the normal approach with any One:12 release.  He comes wearing a masked version, and the second is a traditional, grizzled, eye patch wearing design. The masked version is smooth of course, but it thanks to the eyebrows and set of the jawline, you can tell he's pissed and you're dead. You don't need to see the face underneath to know that jaw is clenched, and you know what that means.

The unmasked head has the usual skin and hair detail that we've seen with other great One:12 releases, including the Punisher. The sculpted eye patch looks great, and the facial hair is extremely impressive in its detail and realism considering the scale.  The heads swap easily as well, always a plus.

One of the big differences with this figure is the amount of sculpted armor over his clothing. This boosts the score even further, because the shoulders, chest, gauntlets, and greaves look fantastic. There's wear and damage, and while some of that is thanks to the paint, some of it is actually carved into the surface, gouged into his armor. Other areas have detailed textures, creating a different look from area to area.

The hands are designed to work with the different accessories, and they accomplish this well. They swap cleanly, but they stay tightly in place while you're posing and working with the figure.

Paint - ***1/2
As always, the paint work on this figure is exceptional, particularly considering the scale. Lines are sharp and clean, there's no slop, and the wear and damage that's highlighted through the paint application looks extremely realistic.

I particularly like the look of the wear on the mask. The rubs and mottling give it an aged appearance that is really subtle in hand. Other wear is a bit more obvious, and the slashes and gashes are highlighted with appropriate paint.

The unmasked head is another key area of course, and the eye, patch, and facial hair are quite clean. I do think the work on the edges long the patch and string could be a smidge cleaner, but again, this guy only stands 6 1/2" tall at best.

Articulation - ***1/2
Once you get past the basic yet critical articulation at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and knees, you have three areas that I believe are the most important to creating life-like, flowing poses - the neck, torso, and ankles.

The underlying body used by Mezco for this line has great mobility within the arms and legs. You can easily get two handed weapon poses thanks to a good range of movement in the arms, and the legs allow for deep, stable stances.

Where they have improved is in the other three joints.  Here, the ball jointed neck allowed for excellent tilt and lean movement, even with the high collar on the torso armor. There's a ball at the jawline and one within the torso, and working in concert, they add personality and flair to any stance.

The ankles are also critical in creating clean looking stances, and Mezco has greatly improved the amount of rocker movement in the ball ankles.  I was able to keep the feet flat on the ground in most poses, even with the armor around the calf and foot.

Finally, there's the torso. Being able to twist and lean at the middle of the body, a very natural look for real people, is important to action figures as well. This is the one area where Mezco can still improve, and in this situation the armor is a bit restrictive. I can give them that since the cause is clear, but the underlying body design could still use some work around this one joint.

Accessories - ****
There's the usual nice assortment of extras, including the second portrait. The second head sculpt really boosts the score here for me, as I'm a big fan of the concept. With a figure like Deathstroke it's all the more important, because having the masked and unmasked version really adds a lot of value.

He also has four additional hands. He comes wearing fists, and there is a tight grip set of hands (perfect for the sword) and a gun grip set.

Of course he needs some guns, and he has both a handgun (with removable magazine), and rifle (also with removable clip). The sculpts look great, and while the paint work is minimal, it's quite realistic. The handgun fits within a holster on his right hip, and he can hold both of these guns in a variety of poses.

You can strap a sword to his back as well, thanks to the included sheath on a belt. The fit on this belt is my one complaint with the figure - it's not super tight or clean. Fortunately, the fit around his top shoulder looks great and it's the fit around his lower side that is a bit wonky, where it's less noticeable.

The sword looks terrific, and fits neatly in the sheath. Be careful when working the hilt into his hands though, because the sword is thinner near the hand guard. If you were to push down on the blade to force the hilt into the hands, you could snap it at that weaker point.

He has the usual display stand with clear plastic support and foot peg options. It has the Deathstroke logo, and looks great, giving you some consistency across the line.

Outfit - ****
I've already discussed the sculpt and paint work on the armor, but it's worth bringing up the overall look and design as part of this section as well.

But first, let's go a layer down, where we'll find the tight fitting knit shirt and realistically tailored pants which provide the base on which the armor and belts rests. This layer is thin enough to avoid any bulging or scale issues, and the fit and quality are excellent.

The armor fits nicely as well, with the belts and straps for the torso armor hugging the body. The waist belt and holster look great, and even the greaves and gauntlets are properly scaled. This could have been a figure that ended up cartoony and silly due to the armor, but they created a design that's bad ass and cool, with proper scaling and proportions.

My one complaint rests with the belt for the sheath, but since that's an extra and not a required part of the costume, I'm not including it here.

Fun Factor - ****
Thanks to the poseability and accessories, there's a ton of fun you can have with this figure. There's no end to the excellent poses, and adding him in with a mix of other Marvel and DC figures will create even more display ideas. He's also quite sturdy, which makes handling and posing a more enjoyable, stress free endeavor.

Value - **1/2
At $75, he's a pretty average One:12 price. The quality remains excellent, and there's enough extras to justify the price.  You won't feel like you hit the lottery, but you won't feel like you've overpaid either.

Things to Watch Out For -
I mentioned this earlier, but it's worth pointing out again. On the sword, just in front of the guard, the designer created a thinner section. With normal handling, this isn't an issue, but when you're putting the hilt in the hands, you might be tempted to push on the blade itself. I'd avoid that, and press on the guard instead.

Overall - ****
The Punisher - especially the Classic release - remains my favorite One:12 Collective figure so far. But I have to admit, Deathstroke is mighty close to dethroning him. Mezco does their own take on these well known characters, and sometimes it works better than others. For me, Deathstroke is one of those where they've taken a great idea and successfully made it their own.

Do I have a few nits? Sure, but the good here far outweighs my handful of complaints. With the releases of Harley, Red Skull, and now Deathstroke, this line has been hitting on all cylinders, and I can't wait to crack open the other three I have sitting here and check them out.

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

Where to Buy 
I picked up mine through Mezco's online store, but it's on a wait list there now. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also sold out of the regular, but the variant is $80 and they have free shipping on it right now!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The One:12 Collective is growing quite a bit with recent releases. I've covered Suicide Squad Harley, the regular Red Skull, classic Superman, the Morales Spider-Man. I've also covered the summer exclusive Deadpool, the exceptional classic Punisher, the regular release Punisher the Toy Fair exclusive version, Shazam, the classic Daredevil, the Flash and Reverse Flash, the BvS Superman, the comic based Joker, Green Arrow, the Frankenstein Monster Diorama, Frankenstein Monster, the BvS Batman, the Bvs Armored Batman, Captain America, Star Trek Kirk, the Mirror, Mirror and Cage variants of Spock, Sulu, the Toy Fair exclusive Spock, and the regular release Spock as well. Other One:12 Collective figures released so far include Dredd and his Lawmaster, the NYCC exclusive Judge Dredd, the DKR Batman and Mutant two pack, the Batman exclusives, and the initial DKR Batman.

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

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