Review of Bishop - One:12 Collective
Action Figure

Introduction

With the easing of global supply change issues, the floodgates of Mezco One:12 product have opened. I've got three in route as we speak, and I expect we'll see quite a few more hitting over the next few months.

But while many of these are licensed - like Alien or the Crow - there haven't been as many recent shipments in the Marvel and DC licenses...yet. I'm hoping the arrival of Bishop is the start of their own wave.

Bishop was originally $90 at the Mezco site, where you can still join the wait list. However, he's not an exclusive to their site, and others started getting him in stock last week. It's a bit of a price increase as well, considering he has no light up or sound features.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box art work is beautiful, showing the character in all his battle glory. The comic art looks great, but the box is still a bit on the thin side, and might be easier to damage. Of course, the figure and accessories are all packed in a collector friendly manner, and you can remove everything without any damage to the package.

Sculpting - ****
Bishop comes with three portraits. In the box, he's wearing a long haired sculpt with a stoic, serious expression. It's perfect for pretty much any pose, coming in somewhere in the middle range of emotion.

He also has the same long haired look with an angry, gritted teeth expression. This head is excellent for battle poses, and works great in more dynamic displays. The sculpting work on the hair is particularly impressive in both these cases, with fine details in the locks.

The final portrait is bald, another look for Bishop. The shaved head has another of those stoic, serious expressions, but the squinted eyes and angry eyebrows allow it to work with most fighting stances as well.

All three portraits have the branded M on his face of course, but rather than simply painted on, the scar tissue is sculpted, pretty impressive at 1/12 scale.

The sculpted bits of his costume look fantastic as well, with a scarred, rough texture on the armor and all the rights folds and wrinkles to the belts and pouches. It's impressive work overall, and one of the nicest comic characters in some time.

Paint - ****
A great sculpt can be ruined by mediocre paint, while a mediocre sculpt can reach new heights with great paint.  Great sculpt and great paint? It doesn't get better than that.

The skin tone is consistent and even, matching his comic book look in shade and tone. The hair has darker roots with lighter edges, creating a realistic appearance in normal light. The eyes are sharp and clean, especially the whites, and the facial hair and M brand are just about perfect.

The most impressive feature of all is on the gritted teeth portrait. The teeth, lips, and gums are so realistic it's spooky, even in macro photos.

The various sculpted bits of armor have a paint job that gives them a weathered, metallic appearance, and the belts have a wash to highlight the sculpted textures.

Articulation - ***1/2
Bishop gets the royal One:12 treatment here, including the double pin elbows. That makes him one of the more articulated figures in their recent releases.

Of course, the long hair on two of the sculpts, even with the soft material, does restrict some of the mobility in the neck, You can get better posing with the bald head, and add more tilt and lean.

I've heard some folks had issues with the shoulders, but I didn't have any trouble. You can get excellent arm poses with the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and those double pin elbows give you better gun poses.

The hips, knees, and ankles are less restricted by the belts and costume than I expected, and the two piece boots still allow for decent ankle mobility. The torso crunches and leans as well, allowing you to break up those unnatural straight lines in most stances.

The cape has a wired edge, which is critical since there's no latch, loops, or buttons to keep it in place. Instead, you get the look you desire and use the wired edge (and the long hair of the head) to keep it in place.

Accessories - ***1/2
As with most One:12 figures, all those extra heads has a big effect on this category. Bishop has three total, and while we already discussed how terrific the sculpt and paint work are, it's worth noting them here as a big factor.

There's also a variety of hands, and these swap easily. There's three sets - fists, flat, and wide grips, as well as two extra right hand grips for the weapons.

Bishop's mutant ability is absorbing energy, which he can then release back at his opponents. He has two energy effects, one more of a smoldering fire he can hold in a hand, and the other a blast that fits over either fist.

While he has a mutant ability, he's not above using plenty of weapons, and using them quite effectively. He has two of the XSE guns from the future, a rifle and a handgun. The handgun fits neatly in the holster on his right hip, while the larger gun attaches to his back. There's also two extra clips for this larger gun, and these are supposed to fit in the holster. I say 'supposed' because I never did get them to stay properly, and eventually gave up.

I had better luck with two of the three grenades, as well as the small detonator. These also have spots on the belt, and they were much easier to put in place.

There's a deadly looking knife as well, and a sheath on the left hip to hold it. The two additional gripping right hands will work with the guns and knife, but it's a bummer there's no tight grip left.

Finally, he has his display base and the large, clear plastic support rod. This rod is useful for jumping poses, or you can use a simple foot peg on the base for standing poses. Or you can do what I do, and skip the bases entirely in your display.

Outfit - ***1/2
Bishop is wearing a bodysuit, tailored perfectly, with armor over top at key areas like the chest, shoulders, back, and forearms. The two piece boots look terrific and allow for good ankle movement, while the armored vest still allows yo to tilt and lean the body more than I expected.

The entire outfit looks great, although it can be a bit bulky. I particularly like the cape, which at first seemed odd. There's no snaps or buttons to hold it closed, but you can wrap the ends around his neck and use the wire - and hair - to hold it in place. How you position it is up to you, and there's quite a bit to work with. I ended up going with a poncho look that I really liked, particularly the way I had it set up in the very first photo. I hadn't planned on using the cape in my display, but ended up doing so after playing around with it for awhile.

I've heard some complaints about the X buckle being off center on the belt - that's actually accurate to his appearance.

I'm docking them slightly here because of the issues with getting the clips into the belt, something that should have been pretty straight forward.

Fun Factor - ****
This is a really fun figure, with a ton of display potential. He poses easily, and you can use the various accessories including the cape to create different looks. The alternate heads also give you key ways to change up his appearance on the shelf.

Value - **1/2
At $90, he does represent a bit of an increase on their basic pricing. Still, considering the quality of the figure, outfit and accessories, I'm going with an average value rating here. That means the cost won't affect my Overall score up or down.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Everything is sturdy and well made, and I had no issues with swapping hands or heads. If you do manage to get those extra clips in the belt, bravo to you.

Overall - ***1/2
While it's been a long time since our last unique Marvel One:12 release, the wait has been worth it. This is a terrific figure of a character who hasn't gotten enough attention in the past. I'm expecting some great things from the line over the next few months.

Of course, everyone is still wondering when we'll see the 89 Batman...

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

Where to Buy 
If you're thinking about getting this one, now's the time to grab him, since he's available at lots of retailers for his original sticker price. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $90. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping! Just search for Bishop...

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 releases include the Crow, the Predator, and the Death Brokers.

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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