Review of Gomez - Toy Fair Exclusive
One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

We just had this discussion yesterday - it's Toy Fair, and that means Mezco has exclusives. I looked at their One:12 exclusive Blade...but wait, there's more! This year they have TWO Toy Fair exclusive One:12 figures, and the second one is truly unique. It's their mascot Gomez, done up in his finest.

They did a Gomez as an SDCC exclusive in an 1/8 scale many years ago. He came in two head colors - black or tan - and two outfit choices as well. This new release has but one version, but a ton of extra accessories to give you lots of display options.

Like I said, you had to get him at Toy Fair, where the press that attended Mezco's special event received him along with Blade. Pricing on these guys on the secondary market is up in the air, and I'd wait a little while before jumping on one to see where things settle out. He's not going to be as widely popular as someone like Blade, but longer term could get quite expensive.

Packaging - ***1/2
Another Toy Fair sticker, and there's an "Agent Edition" sticker as well, implying there's going to be a different 'edition'. SDCC exclusive maybe? The basic black box looks good, and is quite sturdy. There's multiple layers of plastic trays inside, and it's all collector friendly. There's even an instruction sheet this time, due to the trick necessary to open the boom box. More on that in the Accessories section.

Sculpting - ****
There are FOUR portraits included with Gomez - four! Just a reminder, Gomez is an international man...er...insect of mystery. He's got the whole Bond vibe going on, but let's not forget his bug heritage.

The standard head is determined, with large translucent eyes and furrowed brown. The antenna are adjustable, and the mandibles look deadly and dangerous.

You can swap in another similar head, also with front facing eyes. This is my favorite head of the bunch, with deeper cuts on the wrinkles and a meaner, madder look. The mandibles are more like fingers than pinchers, but the expression and harsher sculpt create a really bad ass look.

The third insect head is much more a traditional ant look. The eyes are set back on the head, with a long face and widely set antenna. It's a bit too realistic for me, but some folks may find it their personal favorite, and it's definitely a different approach.

These three heads all have great detail work, with a subtle skin texture, folds, and wrinkles. The definition is sharp, especially for this scale. Remember, this guy is just 6 1/2" tall, not including any antenna.

While the head and neck are a two piece design, the neck continues the insect-like skin texture and sculpt. It looks great with any of the heads, and still allows for plenty of head movement.

There's a fourth head, and I'm not quite sure what the back story is on this one. It's a black skull. One of these days Mezco needs to give us a complete back story on this guy.  The skull is human size and shape, properly scaled as if this was a human character. All four heads swap easily too, although you will want to take care putting too much pressure on the mandibles or antenna when doing so.

Paint - ****
All the heads - including the skull - have excellent paint jobs. Again, my favorite is the harsher meaner face, which has a heavier wash to bring out the skin details. But the work on the others is equally as good, with plenty of small details overall and a nice consistency to the color.

A highlight is the translucent black eyes, which catch and reflect the light beautifully. They have that deadly look of a shark, and there's a surprising amount of emotion in the expressions.

Articulation - ***1/2
There's no surprises with the underlying body, and you should have no trouble finding great, natural poses.

The two piece head and neck allow for lots of tilt and lean, allowing you to add plenty of personality to any stance. The arms and legs are unrestricted by the suit, and the torso can turn nicely. I wish there was a little more crunch action - the joint seemed inhibited for some reason - and the ankle rocker movement could be a bit better. But overall the body works well, and I have no serious complaints.

Accessories - ****
This guy has a ton of extras, more than most One:12 figures in general, and that's saying a lot.

There's the four heads I already mentioned. There's a ton of difference between them too, making everyone of them far more valuable to you.

Then there's the extra hands. He comes wearing fists, but there are six more pairs to swap in. They work with the various accessories, or can be used to create unique poses. There's even a left flipping you off - this is an agent with an attitude.  They swapped easily but stayed in place as I was working with him, and I had no fear of breakage.

Then there's his weapons, including a sword and scabbard, a sniper's rifle, and a funky hand gun. The sculpts and paint work on all of these are excellent, and they fit in various hands nicely. The scabbard has a belt that can be looped around his shoulder, and the sword fits inside tightly.

There's an extra magazine for the rifle, and there are two blast effects. You saw these same ones with the Blade release - one is topped off by a bullet, perfect for the handgun or rifle, and the other is more of a wide blast, better for a shotgun or grenade style weapon.

He also comes with his boombox, something he had the first time they released him too. But the sculpting and paint work on this smaller version are worlds above what they did before, and the detailing is really impressive. The handle folds in and out, and there's a secret - you can open the boombox to reveal one of two different configurations!

He comes with two foam inserts for the boombox. One fits the parts of the rifle perfectly. Yes, the rifle breaks down, and there are six parts.  Or you can use the other foam insert, which works with the handgun and a couple of the other items. This is a terrific example of the flexible, customizable nature of this release. There's a trick to opening the boombox - you push the top half backward to allow the hinge to open - so be sure to check out the instructions.

I'm still not done, however. There's a set of canisters, as well as a sticker sheet. The stickers can be applied to various spots, like the back of the boombox.

Finally, he has the black stand with the translucent support rod. Of course, you can use either the foot peg or the larger post for jumping poses.

There's a couple other accessories mentioned on the instructions, including a backpack, a small Mez-itz, and some sort of skateboard. The instructions also imply there is a magnetic feature between the feet and the board. These are not present with this release, further implying a probable second release of this guy.

There's an overcoat included too, but we'll discuss that in the next section.

Outfit - ****
The outfit is a suit, with an overcoat included. The suit includes his shirt, tie, jacket, pants, belt, and nifty shoes.

The tailoring here is impeccable. The pants fit perfect and hang naturally, the tie looks amazing (how can they get the scale right here, right down to the knot, and sixth scale companies still have so much trouble?), and the shirt and jacket are spot on. The collars are in scale, the micro fibers don't bunch or hang weird, and the complete look is as perfect as you can get.

The high top sneakers are a point of note as well. The sculpt and paint look amazing, and the Mezco logo on the side is a nice touch.

The overcoat is super thin, and made from a stretchy leather-like material. Pop off the hands and you should have no trouble putting it over the suit coat, but take your time to get the perfect fit. The coat includes a thin wire inside the belt, allowing you to wrap it or pose it in various ways.

Fun Factor - ****
With this many accessories, you'll spend hours finding the perfect pose - and spend hours more coming up with the next. The possibilities are endless, and he can fit in with just about any realistic series of characters, bug-head and all.

Value - N/A
As a Toy Fair exclusive, given away free to press attendees, this isn't a category that makes much sense this time around. We'll have to see how the price point on the secondary market goes over time.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. While some of the accessories are tiny, nothing was fragile or delicate. You will want to avoid squeezing or crushing the antenna or mandibles while swapping heads, but that's easy enough to do.

Overall - ****
This figure isn't for everyone. It's not some licensed, well known character. It's a company mascot, created with his own backstory, and for collectors that stick to the more traditional items, he's not going to register.

But for fans who are less worried about the licensed character and more interested in the sheer fun and coolness of a toy, this guy is just about perfect. He's a fantastic rendition, with a ton of accessories and a nearly perfect costume. And just like the first time they released him in another format, this one is likely to be very popular as time goes by.

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

Where to Buy 
This guy is a Toy Fair exclusive, and I don't know if we'll see any sort of regular release. That means your best bet to search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 figures include the Toy Fair Blade, Tactical Suit Batman, NOTLD Zombies, and Darkseid.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!