Review of 5 Ronin Wolverine
One:12 Collective Action Figure

Introduction

Comics, both Marvel and DC, love to explore the potential of their characters in other settings and timelines. "What If's" have always been a staple of the industry, and one of the favorite concepts revolves around samurai and ninja. Back in 2011, Marvel did a 5 issue series called, quite appropriately "5 Ronin", with each issue starring a different character set in 17th century Japan.  The stars included the Punisher, the Hulk, Psylocke, Deadpool, and of course, Wolverine.

Mezco has tapped into the series with their release of the One:12 Collective 5 Ronin Wolverine. This guy was a Mezco store exclusive, and sold originally for $85. He just started shipping.

Packaging - ***1/2
Most of the One:12 packaging is fairly simple and spartan in design. This time we get a different take, with Wolverine's claws breaking through a 'screen' of Japanese design. There's the usual exclusive sticker, and the box and trays are completely collector friendly.

Sculpting - ****
I'm going to say it right up front - this might be my favorite One:12 Wolverine so far. No, he's not exactly a 'classic' version, but the sculpts look terrific.

He comes with two, as is the norm with One:12 figures.  He comes wearing a more Samurai styled portrait, with slicked back hair and piercing gaze.  It's a stern expression, one that conveys a no nonsense attitude, but isn't extreme or silly.

The second portrait is more Wolverine-ish. The hair is wild and pointy, with a snarl on his lips and one raised eyebrow. It's still the same character, but with mussed hair and a worse attitude.

I like both looks, and they work nicely with this figure. The snarling face can be swapped in on a more traditional comic book body too, making it serve several masters. The detailing is impeccable - remember, this figure is just 6 1/4" tall. The hair is more detailed and realistic than some sixth scale figures, and the skin texture and teeth are really impressive.

Paint - ***1/2
There aren't any major problems with the paint work, and it's once again important to keep scale in mind. My macro photos are showing every highlight - and imperfection, of which there are very few.

The translucent skin tone looks great, and they've given this guy a lot of painted hair, down his chest, his arms, and even his legs. The five o'clock shadow on his chin looks realistic, and the eyes are super clean and even on both portraits.

There are a few blips around the hair line, and the white socks (yes, he breaks a cardinal fashion rule, wearing socks with sandals, but it's the Samurai way) show some sloppy edges and inconsistency in coverage. However, at this scale the paint work is well - well - above the norm.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body is shorter than usual, as you'd expect, with stubbier legs and arms.  However, he has articulation that some of the more recent figures have lost, including double jointed elbows and knees.

The ball neck - with a joint at the jawline and a joint at the torso - has plenty of tilt, lean, and turn mobility.  The crunch and turn torso works well, and the rotating hinge shoulders, double elbows, and rotating hinge wrists work well to create decent arm poses.  The hands swap easily, and I had no fear of breakage.

The billowy pants offer no resistance to the hips, double knees, or rotating hinge/rocker ankles.  You can get deep stances and keep the feet flat on the ground, even in the geta.

Accessories - ****
Yep, he has two portraits, of whom I've already sung their praises. Still, getting multiple heads is always a short cut to four stars here.

He backs them up with a nice assortment of additional extras, however.  There are five extra hands to go with the two fists he comes wearing - a set of Wolverine claws, a set of grips, and one wide posed right hand. They swap cleanly but stay in place while posing.

There are two swords, one short and one long, each with their own sheath.The blades are plastic and quite thin, so take extra care when placing the hilts in the tight grip hands.

He comes with a red scarf as well, which has a wire along one edge for posing.  I didn't really love it, but I'm sure you can find some interesting and creative ways to use it.

Finally, there's the usual display stand, which can use either the single foot peg or the larger, complex translucent support system for jumping and flying poses.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit is almost one piece - the shirt and pants are not separate, although they may appear to be so. That allows them to be better tailored, with a good fit around the waist. I do wish they fit the shoulders and neck a *smidge* better, but it's a minor nit.

There are patches on the front of the shirt, tightly affixed. The belt if also tacked to the waist, but you can slip the katana sheaths in the belt in the front.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
You'll have a great time finding the perfect Wolverine or Samurai pose, and the two heads and multiple accessories give you plenty of options. Let's hope we get more of the five characters in the 5 Ronin to give Wolverine here a bit more context on the shelf.

Value - **1/2
This guy was put on pre-order for $85, pretty much a standard price for a One:12 series exclusive. There's enough value here thanks to the unique look to make the price in line with what you're getting.

Things to Watch Out For -
The blades on the katanas, as well as the blades on the Wolverine hands, are quite thin and made from plastic. That means you should never put pressure on them, either when swapping hands or when putting the sword hilts into the tight grips.

Overall - ***1/2
As I said earlier, I'm thinking this might just be my favorite One:12 Wolverine so far, and that's coming from someone who was a bit lukewarm to the initial concept.  They nailed it in execution, and I really hope we see them go for the other four Ronin characters. You know they need another Punisher, and since they already created the big body for the Ragnarok Hulk, why not use it again!

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

Where to Buy 
This guy was a Mezco store exclusive, where you can still get on the Wait List. Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 Marvel figures include the Special Ops Punisher and Doctor Strange. They've also done several Wolverine versions, including Old Man Logan, and the PX Wolverine.

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

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