Review of Diabolik Action Figure
One:12 Collective

Introduction

Twenty years from now, people will be discussing the One:12 Collective, probably writing a book about the 'vintage' line, and discussing the rarest and most sought after releases. Of course the Toy Fair exclusives will be right up there, and smaller run figures like Popeye and Frankenstein will always get a mention. In that latter group, I predict we'll also hear about Diabolik.

Who? Yea, I figured you'd react that way. Diabolik is a master thief, the ultimate cat burglar, ruthless and cunning. He is the star of a tremendously popular Italian comic book series that started in 1962 and continues to this day.

He's not exactly a household comic book name in the United States, but clearly someone at Mezco is fond of him. They've just released their version of the character in the One:12 Collective series, and I can guarantee he's a small run situation. You can pick him up for $80 at most retailers.

Packaging - ***
I dinged them slightly this time for a specific reason. More on that in a minute.

The packaging is all collector friendly of course, and I particularly like the use of the black cover blended in completely with the mask. The lack of additional details looks terrific, and the overall design fits with the rest of the series.

However, there is my one nit. The interior plastic trays hold everything safe, but the tiny knives are covered with a piece of somewhat sticky plastic, rather than a separate smaller plastic cover. It doesn't work particularly well - I had a couple knives floating around the package with him - and using the solid plastic cover is a much smarter move with a high end item like this.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The figure, like most One:12 releases, comes with two heads. One is wearing his form fitting mask, while the other is bare.

Both portraits have some nice detail work, particularly in the skin texture and eyebrows. The mask itself is quite smooth, but thanks to the large cutout for the eyes, you can see a fair amount of skin and the full, arched eyebrows.

I was a bit unsure how I felt about the way the mask fits the nose, mouth and chin when I first pulled him out of the box. There's 'form fitting' and then there's 'painted on'. There's a lot of definition to the covered features, which struck me as odd at first glance. However, this isn't a fault of the figure. It actually matches the way he was drawn, and does it extremely well.

The unmasked head might seem Bruce Wayne-ish at first, but again, they've matched the source material quite well. The full lips and heavily arched eyebrows, along with the widow's peak and excellent detail work in the hair, set this portrait apart. He's even got a bit of a Namor vibe going.

He's 1/12 scale of course, coming in just shy of 6 1/2" tall. The hands are sculpted to work with the various accessories, and the feet have a sculpted sole and singled out big toe, Ninja style.

Paint - ***
The exposed head, on its own, would garner another half star here easily. The paint work is very clean, including the eyes, eyebrows, and pouty lips. The skin tone is even, consistent, and appropriate, and there's very little slop anywhere.

However, the masked head shows a little blip here and there. There's some black slipping on to the skin tone along the edge, something I'm not accustomed to seeing with any One:12 release. They've set the bar extremely high for the market and themselves, which makes me a tad pickier in this category than you might be.

Articulation - ****
The underlying body is the usual, so there's no surprises. But the tight, stretchy body suit does very little to restrict movement, allowing this guy to be much more poseable than most releases.

The head and neck are a two piece design, and you get a ball joint at the jawline and at the torso. Plenty of lean and tilt are possible, and you can keep the head upright in fairly dynamic stances.

The shoulders, elbows, and wrists, are somewhat exposed by the tight suit, but not restricted. Natural arm poses are easy, and the hands swap without too much trouble.

The torso is another highlight, with good crunch and twist movement. Again, the suit is less restrictive than most, although it does do some funky wrinkling in more extreme poses. Of course, the hips, knees, and ankles work well, but this is one of those times where I'd like a little more rocker movement for the feet.

Accessories - ****
This is clearly a favorite figure for somebody at Mezco, and they've shown him lots of love in this category.

As I mentioned earlier, there's that second head, a staple of the line. The heads swap easily, and both look great. Getting multiple heads is a huge plus for this series.

There's also extra hands. He comes wearing fists, but there's a set of round grips, tight grips, and open hands. These swap cleanly, and stay in place pretty well while posing.

He has several devices useful by a smart burglar. There's a set of night vision googles that attach over the top of the head, as well as a very detailed watch. And when he has to climb a glass windowed building, he can use his suction cup dealios. These are real suction cups, and in the final photo of this review he's actually hanging from a piece of glass.

He's also a pretty brutal dude, and likes knives. He comes with three large daggers, and one can be placed in a holster that fits on his left hip neatly. He also comes with six smaller daggers, two of which can slide into the sheaths on his wrists. The extras come in handy when you lose them, trust me.

He's a successful thief too, and comes with a large diamond and large jeweled egg. The egg looks great, and both are properly scaled.

To hold all these extra goodies, he has a hard shell backpack. It opens up, and you can store a large number of extras within. It's not too hard to get on his back, and the fit is tight and clean looking.

Of course, he also comes with the standard display stand, with either the small foot post or the larger clear support rod that's great for jumping and leaping poses.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit is basic at first glance, but he has some nice accoutrements to add some flair and functionality.

The basic body suit is tight fitting, but very stretchy. There's a few large stitches, particularly in back, but overall it looks great. The tight fit does mean some of the joints are a bit obvious (particularly the shoulders), but the clean look makes sense considering the character.

There's a set of sculpted gauntlets that include a sheath for the small knives. They fit inside tightly, and don't fall out with normal handling. That's good, because these knives are really tiny.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
With good articulation and a ton of extras, you have lots of potential to pose and re-pose this guy. He'll also make for a good addition to other displays, like Batman, since for many folks he can take the role of 'generic' evil doer.

Value - **1/2
At $80, he's at the usual price point for a One:12 figure. I have no idea how expensive the license was, but I doubt the production run was huge. There's some very specific items here too, like the egg, pack, and the portraits, making re-use less likely. I have no trouble calling this an average value, even at the usual price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
If you put the knives in the wrist sheaths, be careful when swapping hands. If you squeeze the hilt against the wrist, it's possible to bend or even break them.

Overall - ***1/2
This isn't a figure for everyone. Of course, if you're a completist he's a must have, and for those folks that love the character, it's great to see a collectible of this quality produced. But for most collectors, at least those in the U.S., this won't be a must have.

Which leads me back to my opening paragraph. You watch, twenty years from now this guy is going to be on many a 'grail' list for One:12 fans.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $80, but with free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 figures include Vigilante Netflix Daredevil, Sovereign Knight Batman, Ghostbusters, and Blade.

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