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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of the Man in Black - West World
Action Figure

Diamond Select
Date Published: 2019-10-16
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Introduction

Never let anyone tell you there's no great remakes or re-adaptations - there's plenty of them. That doesn't mean you didn't have a right to be skeptical when HBO announced they would be doing a series based on the Michael Crichton penned movie from the 1970's. It was a classic, written and directed by a master of 70's (and 80's, and 90's) science fiction. To think it could go very wrong would not have been crazy.

But it didn't. In fact, they took the concept and created a better, fuller, richer concept, and with the third season right around the corner, they've added another hit to their long list of terrific shows.

Collectibles were sure to follow. Diamond Select Toys picked up the license and has just released their first three figures - The Man In Black (reviewed tonight), Dolores Abernathy, and Dr. Ford. They just started shipping, and will cost you around $20 each depending on the retailer. There's a PX exclusive 'battle damaged' version of the Man In Black as well, but it hasn't been released yet.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Packaging - **
The package is about as basic as you can get, with little to set it apart. It's also completely non-collector friendly, so you'll be tearing through it to release the figure and accessories.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Sculpting - ***1/2
These figures are relatively small, and the Man in Black comes in at almost exactly 7" tall. He'll fit in nicely with some of the NECA figures in this scale as well.

That relatively small size makes the sculpt all the more impressive. This is definitely Ed Harris, although he does look slightly younger than he does through most of the show. They've got the shape of the bald head, the jawline, the lips, and even the set of the eyes pretty much dead on. The hair lacks detail - yes, there is some - but for the most part, this is an excellent likeness.

The suit has plenty of textures to create a cloth-like appearance and to set the various pieces apart. There's a big issue though, at least for me, and I'm including it with this category.

Why is the gun permanently glued into the holster? What's up with that? It hurts the figure in several ways, and I'm docking them a half star here for the decision.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Paint - ***
The paint work on the face is clean and sharp, but there's a bit more gloss than I'd like to see. There's a smudge here and there on the skin as well, bringing the score down into the slightly above average range.

There's not a ton of detail work on the outfit, but they did use different shades of black, as well as different finishes, to create a more visually interesting look.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Articulation - ***1/2
He's plenty articulated, and the sculpt and joints work well together.

The rotating hinge neck doesn't have a lot of tilt, but it does have some good forward and backward movement. The rotating hinge shoulders are helped by the cut bicep, and the double pin elbows means plenty of bend in the arm. The rotating hinge wrists work about as you'd expect, and the hands swap easily.

There's a rolling chest joint, nicely hidden in the shirt folds, and the hinge hips, double pin knees, cut thighs, and rotating hinge/rocker ankles all work great. You should be able to get shallow natural stances and deep fighting poses without too much trouble.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Accessories - **1/2
There's lots of hands, but I'm not sure why.

He comes wearing a gun grip right and tight grip left, and has a set of fists, a gun grip left, a tight grip right, and a 'pinching' grip left to swap. They swap easily, but without any gun, I'm not sure what the point of the gun grip hands is.

He also has his big Bowie knife, along with a scalp. On the inside of the scalp is the maze diagram, and in case you didn't get it, there's a small replica of the maze included for comparison.

He has his black cowboy hat, made from a rubbery material. It's a bit oversized though, and I wasn't thrilled with the look on his head.

Finally, there's a small display base with a foot peg. You won't absolutely need it, but it's nice to have.

A big negative to this category is the lack of any gun. Humpf.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Fun Factor - ***
Losing the gun hurts this category as well. You can come up with some decent looks with the other accessories - my favorite is the final photo - but taking away his main weapon is a mistake.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Value - **1/2
At $20 each, these fit in pretty well with the normal price point for 6 - 7" figures right now. I doubt the license is particularly expensive, but it was still a risky one for DST to take on.

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
I'm impressed with the design of these figures, and the sculpts are well worth a higher score. I have my nits with the paint - less gloss, especially on the skin tone please - but overall this guy should have gotten another half star here easily.

But gluing that damn gun into the holster is a killer for me. It hurts him in several categories, and makes other extras - like two gun holding hands - moot. The oversized hat ain't helping any, either.

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

Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has them for $18 each, or the set of three for $50.

- Entertainment Earth has the set of three for $75.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first of the Westworld goodies, but I'll be covering the other two figures soon.

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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Man in Black Westworld action figure by DST

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

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