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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of John Wick - One:12 Collective
Exclusive Deluxe Action Figure

Mezco Toyz
Date Published: 2020-08-07
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Introduction

John Wick is a tremendously violent, action packed, romp fest that has produced three flicks in the franchise. They just announced two more, to be shot back to back to speed things up. I'm a fan, and when Mezco announced their One:12 deluxe exclusive action figure, I was down.

He was available originally only through the Mezco store, and this 'deluxe' version has a ton of accessories...and a price point to match. At $120, he's one of their more expensive figures, and lacks the size or special features to really sell the price point.

He just started shipping in the U.S. over the last couple weeks, and with the current situation it may take awhile for everyone to get theirs.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Packaging - ****
I really love the tin boxes, and this one is perhaps their best. Attractive and sturdy, it includes the 'exclusive' sticker on the front. Everything inside is held in a collector friendly way, and you can easily pull it all out and set up the figure, and then return it all to its resting place without nary a scratch.

There's no instructions though, which might have been helpful with the crate. Not necessary - you'll figure it out - but basic instructions would have been useful this time around.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Sculpting - ***
There was much wailing of voices and gnashing of teeth when the first crappy cell phone photos of this guy started showing up. I was concerned.

Turns out, it's not nearly that bad. This isn't the best work we've seen Mezco do in this line, but the sculpt is far better than many of the whiners would have you believe.

The slicked back hair head is probably the one most folks will go with, and honestly, it looks more like Keanu in general. The nose is good, the hair has plenty of detail, the beard is softly defined, and the skin texture looks good. The squinted eyes give him a pissed off, angry look, quite apropos for this character most of the time.

The second portrait has mussed hair, beat up face, and an extremely pissed off expression. While this one is less Keanu - I'm not digging the nose, and the face seems too wide overall - I think I prefer it. You can just barely see his teeth, it has less of a 'fivehead', and paired with the dog, this is a look I remember distinctly from later in the films. It's not as character accurate, but it does work for me.

The sculpting on the accessories and hands is terrific of course, following their usual trend. Wick stands about 6 3/4" tall, making him a little bigger than the usual 6 1/2".

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Paint - ***
Another area that got a lot of undo hate was the paint job. Again, this is not the best Mezco has done in this series, but it's far from bad.

The regular portrait has a nice skin tone, with a little translucence that gives it depth. The eyes are looking off to one side slightly, but are straight with each other and clean.  The hair looks good, but the beard could be slightly darker, and the eyebrows need some help.

The mussed hair portrait has some added cuts and blood, and the work on the eyebrows and beard is slightly better. Again, the squinted eyes look great, and the skin tone is even and realistic.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Articulation - ***
This is an area where I do have some concerns relative to other releases.

No, this body isn't as articulated as it should be.  The ball neck works reasonably well, but the shoulders, elbows, and wrists are pretty restricted by the multiple layers of clothing. I'm also worried about the elbows, as both of them seem a little weak and could potentially break.

The torso and waist work well, and the hips, knees, and ankles can manage shallow to deep stances. You can get a natural, relaxed look too, and he can hold the various guns in two handed poses. Still, he's not as posable as I'd like, or as much as some of their other figures.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Accessories - ****
One place where you really can't complain is the accessories. Here's where a ton of the big price tag ended up.

I already mentioned the two portraits, which is a key driving factor with One:12 figures.  While neither are as awful as some have claimed, they are not Mezco's best work.

There's also ten hands in total. He comes wearing tight fists, and there's a set of gun grips, a set of wide grips, a set of tight grips, and a 'karate chop' left and 'palm strike' right. These swap easily, and I had no worries about breakage.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

There are a variety of weapons, and to go with them are four 'blast' effects.  These can attach to the barrels of the different guns. There's one with three bullets, perfect for an assault rifle, two with single bullets, great for the handguns, and one that's just a huge blast. The posts used to attach these to the barrels are quite tiny, so take care when inserting them.

And yes, there are guns. But before we get there, let's start with the wooden trunk. It's sculpted plastic of course, but the wood grain exterior looks quite realistic. You can use this crate to hold many of the weapons.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

There are two plastic trays with rubber inserts. You can place the two small pistols (Glock 26's), two large pistols (H&K P30L's), four extra clips, and four grenades in one. Oh, and the knife as well - don't forget the knife!

In the other you can rack up a bunch of gold coins, perfect for those times you have to bug out suddenly.  These two trays sit on the inside top of the crate. Under them is space for all three larger guns - the 12 guage shotgun, the big ass Kel-Tec shotgun, and an assault rifle. The sculpts and detail work on all the weapons is excellent, and the scale is just about perfect.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

This layout in the trunk looks great, the overall scale is good, and it is quite screen accurate.

In the 'so tiny you can easily lose it' category is his wrist watch, as well as a clip to hold the two assault rifle clips together.

John is a true dog lover, and he comes with his second pooch, the pit mix he rescues. The scale is decent, and the overall sculpt and paint are good. It's not exceptional, but paired with John he looks really good.

Of course, there's also the Mezco One:12 stand, with the large clear plastic support rod system for jumping and leaping poses, or the simple foot peg.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Outfit - **
The one area where I have some real problems with this figure is the costume. It is not tailored with the same care and quality as most One:12 outfits.

There's several layers, including a shirt, vest, and jacket. The outfit also includes a belt, pants, shoes, painted on socks, and a tie.

The shirt, vest, and pants are all decent enough. The tailoring here is good, especially the pants. The belt and shoes are pretty much what you expect, and painting on the socks works fine.

But the tie is pretty ugly, with an oversized, cheap looking design.  And then there's the jacket. Do you watch The Umbrella Academy? This puffy, weirdly cut jacket makes John look like Luthor, with oversized shoulders and a hunched back. Or if you're into old tv shows, think Herman Munster. They added padding to the jacket at the shoulders, and I have no idea why.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
While I'm concerned about the articulation, particularly the elbows, this was still a fun figure to work with. Having this many guns and other accessories makes it more likely that posing and re-posing will be a regular event.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Value - **
While there are a ton of extras, it's still hard to go with the average score of **1/2 here. At $120, this figure was a premium price, and while the many accessories are well done, the quality of the suit doesn't seem to live up to the cost.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not much to worry about. As always, the tiny posts used to attach the blast effects to the guns are quite thin, so take extra care inserting them.

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Overall - ***
While the sculpt and paint on this figure is not their best work, in hand it is solid B stuff. The accessories are great, but sadly, I do have several issues with the costume.

Still, the extreme negative reaction, often from people who do not actually own the figure but are merely looking at photos, is bizarre. Perhaps the One:12 line has reached the point of popularity where the trolls are outnumbering the fans. Or perhaps the $120 price point set an expectation that was out of reach. In any event, this release will end up in the bottom third of the pack for me, largely because of the poorly tailored jacket.

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

John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- is at $160 for the deluxe exclusive.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 releases include Captain Marvel, Warriors, Moon Knight, and Cable.

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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John Wick One:12 Collective action figure by Mezco

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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