Review of Punisher - Special Operations
Exclusive One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

Mezco has done exceptional work with their One:12 Collective series. Yep, I know there are still haters out there, but it's to be expected. This series is outstanding overall, but one character has been particularly well done - The Punisher.

I'm checking out the Mezco store exclusive Special Ops Punisher tonight, the fifth figure released based on the Marvel character so far. They started it off with a Toy Fair exclusive version all in black, and followed that up with a regular release version with the white skull on the chest, done as a separate vest. Then they released a 'deluxe' version, with a ton of extras (the only one I bought but didn't review), and finally, they did a 'classic' version.

This new version has a number of differences in the suit, pulls together a ton of the various accessories across several of the other releases, and was originally $85.  Like it's predecessors, it sold out in a heart beat, and your best bet to find one now is the secondary market.

Packaging - ***
Nothing unique here, if you're familiar with past releases. The graphics are simple but elegant, and the box itself is quite sturdy. There's a couple plastic trays inside that hold the figure and all the accessories safely, but in a very collector friendly manner. This release has the Mezco exclusive sticker on the front, of course.

Sculpting - ****
We get three portraits once again with this figure, two from previous releases and one brand new rendition.

The standard head has a grim, determined expression, with some damage and scarring. It's an excellent all purpose look, and the level of detail in the skin texture and wounds is amazing. Remember, these figures are just a hair over 6 1/2" tall, but could easily be confused in photos for sixth scale versions.

The second re-used portrait is the screaming, open mouth expression, perfect for mid-battle scenes. Again, the level of detail is impressive, especially in the teeth, tongue, and lips. I've seen much larger figures do much worse with these critical areas.

Finally, there's the new portrait. This one is covered in a tactical style mask, also bearing the skull emblem. The eyes are visible under there, and the separate but non-removable nature of the mask makes it far more realistic in appearance. There's plenty of sculpted damage on the surface too, implying many a battle fought and won.

The other sculpted areas - belts, boots, hands - all look terrific, as usual. The hands are properly scaled, and they are designed to work well with the majority of the accessories.

Paint - ****
One of the key features of the overall series is the high quality paint work, unusual in this scale. It starts with the portraits, where the skin has a translucent, life-like appearance, and every detail - from the eyes to the hairline to the lips to the scars - is immaculate. The well sculpted mouth and teeth are highlighted with excellent paint work, right down to the wet look of the tongue. The eyes are sharp and even on every head, and the emblem on the masked version has the perfect fuzzy appearance, like it was spray painted on by hand.

A great sculpt can be ruined by bad paint, and a mediocre sculpt can be elevated by great paint. This is one of those situations where a great sculpt is improved by great paint, the perfect marriage of the two most critical aspects.

Articulation - ***1/2
The base body works great, and looks excellent in the tight fitting costume. The ball jointed neck allows for enough tilt and lean to give every pose some additional personality, and the shoulders, elbows, and wrists work together to create convincing arm poses. He can do one and two handed gun holds, and the larger weapons don't create any problems.

The hips, knees, and ankles can produce natural short stances, and even in deep stances he looks realistic. The ankles could use a little more rocker movement, but the two piece boot sculpt does allow some.

The torso is a bit restricted by the plastic emblem on his chest, but it's a minor nit. You can still get some good left to right movement, and a little bend forward and back.

The heads and hands swap easily but remain in place while posing, always a key feature with a figure like this.

Accessories - ****
Every Punisher has been well outfitted, but only the deluxe has had more than this guy.

I already mentioned the three different portraits. While one of the extra heads is a re-use - assuming you've bought other Punishers - the masked version is a terrific, valuable addition.

There are also three additional sets of gloved hands. He comes wearing fists, but you can swap in a set of gun grips, a set of wide grips, or a knife-strike right and a medium grip left.

Did I mention weapons? Yep, he has a few. There's the large knife that fits in the sheath on the back of the belt, the handgun, the small machine gun with silencer, the automatic rifle with grenade launcher, the larger Gatling (mini) gun, and the even larger rocket launcher.

He has three 'blast effects' as well. Two are single shot effects that can be attached to the end of the three smaller weapons. The third is a triple shot effect, perfect for the fast firing mini gun.

The three smaller guns also have an extra magazine included. There's no place to put them on his body, but they are handy in the event you lose one. There's six grenades to go with the launcher, and even four hand grenades.

*whew* That's a lot of ordinance. The sculpts are excellent, and the paint reflects weathering and wear. You can load all that stuff up into a large duffle bag too, which is another re-use from the deluxe release.

Finally, he has the usual Mezco display stand, complete with small foot peg or large, translucent support rod.

Outfit - ***1/2
One of the features which makes the Punisher releases stand out is the effort they put into creating different outfits, not merely through paint but with design and sculpt. This one isn't quite like any of the others.

The tight fitting body suit has the 'tactical' look, with various pads and patches tightly attached and a high tech texture. The stretchy material allows for posing and applies little restriction on the articulation.

You've seen these boots and gloves before, but this time they went with larger pouches on the belt, although the sheath for the knife is still included on the back. This is re-used from the first regular release version, but stands out more here thanks to the white color and tight body suit. My one nit with the entire costume centers around this belt, or more specifically, the fit of this belt. It's tight, which causes it to ride up higher on the hips than I'd like, even in straight up stances. I might try to find a way to soften it up a bit to stretch it out a smidge, just to get it slightly lower on the hips.

This tight fitting belt caused the only real issue with the earlier costumes on the regular and Toy Fair versions. In those cases, it pushed the chest armor (which was a separate piece) higher up on the shoulders. That's not a problem here thanks to the brilliant way they managed the emblem this time, but the belt still looks wonky this high on the hips.

Which brings me to my favorite aspect of this costume - the emblem. They've done the emblem two ways in the past - as a separate piece of chest armor, and printed directly on the costume. They got really smart this time, creating a rubber emblem that is tightly attached to the shirt, almost like a printed version...but thanks to the use of a different material and the addition of belts and straps, it still looks like separate armor! They've added a very cool pocked texture too, and this just might be my favorite emblem design of the bunch.

Fun Factor - ****
All these accessories, all these poses...this is a really fun figure to work with. You'll find a million ways to display him by himself and with other figures, and you'll be drawn back to him over and over again.

Value - **1/2
Regular readers know that a **1/2 here means the price of this figure, and the related 'value', won't affect my Overall score up or down. In this case, $85 was the usual exclusive price, and you're getting a ton of extras, several of them setting this figure apart from the pack.

Things to Watch Out For -
The blast effect attaches to the barrel of the guns via a small plastic post. Be very careful inserting this post, as it is possible to snap it. If you have it lined up properly, it should slip in without requiring much force.

Overall - ****
Considering the quality of the previous Punisher figures, it should be no surprise to see this one rank right up there. Sure, there's a lot of re-use, but you are getting a very cool new suit and a great head sculpt to go with it.  Add in all those extra goodies, re-used or not, and you have a winner.

Is he the best? Hmmm - it's a tough call. I think my personal preference is still the Classic, but there's an awful lot to like here as well. He's well worth adding to the collection, but you should probably assume that about every release, considering how difficult they can be to obtain once they sell out. You don't like a particular figure once you get it, odds are pretty good you can get your money back when you sell it.

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

Where to Buy 
Your options are pretty limited at this point. This guy was originally a Mezco Store exclusive, where he was $85. Your best bet now is the secondary market, and you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've looked at their 'classic' Punisher, the regular release Punisher and the Toy Fair exclusive version.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page to find a lot more One:12 Collective reviews, and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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