Review of Red Skull Exclusive
One:12 Collective Action Figure

Introduction

Each fall, Mezco produces an exclusive or two for the New York Comic-Con.This year they did two from their One:12 Collective series - Wolverine, and the subject of tonight's review, Red Skull.

The regular release Red Skull hasn't shipped yet, but should very soon. This version recreates his original look from 1941, in his green jumpsuit. While many folks will prefer the leather coat wearing regular release - it is the more common look these days, and the one he is best known for - fans of the Golden Age will be after this one.

It was originally $80 at the show or through Mezco's online store.  It's long gone now, but you can still jump on the wait list.

Packaging - ***
The exclusives include the gold seal on the front cover, but they tend to have thinner cardboard as well. They are also less complex, but the interior plastic trays do keep the figure and accessories safe, and it's all collector friendly.

Sculpting - ****
I think I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. When I resize and format photos for reviews, I normally use 500px wide shots for any figures smaller than sixth scale. I reserve 800px photos for only the first photo and last photo when working with smaller scales. The reason is simple - it's pretty unfair to blow up the usual action figure to that size and scrutiny. I use 800px photos throughout when I'm working with something in sixth scale and above, because those figures are large enough to warrant the macro attention.

But the 'rule' gets thrown out the window with the One:12 Collective. Even though they are 1/12 scale - Red Skull here stands about 6 1/4" tall - they can survive extreme scrutiny even with their head sculpts and paint jobs.

As with the rest of the line, Red comes with two portraits. The standard has a look of frowny determination, while the second has an insane look to the eyes and a angry grimace. Both have a tremendous level of detail for this scale, and you'll have a very tough time deciding which one to use full time. Of course, the regular release will include these same two portraits, and with both figures you can have one sporting each. Even if you have no interest in this figure, the good news is that these portraits will rock with the regular release as well.

The assorted hands work pretty well with the accessories, and the sculpted boots, while plain, have a useful two piece design.  He stands great on his own, and swapping heads is pretty easy.

Paint - ***1/2
Mezco wants to bring the sort of quality we see in the high end 1/6th market to the 1/12 industry. They continue to excel at one of the most difficult areas - production paint.

The red color on the head is consistent and clean, and the skin tone neck is hidden in most poses by the high collar of the uniform. Black is used to highlight some of the detail, and the shocking blue eyes are amazing.

The eyes are the real winner on the second portrait too, looking much more like a figure twice the size. My one and only nit that holds him back from a perfect score is the teeth - they're a smidge sloppy. But it's just a smidge, and it's hard to notice in hand.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body is same old same old for the series, and it has all the excellent articulation you expect.

The ball neck is particularly good, with lots of lean and tilt. The heads swap cleanly too, with just the right amount of force.

The soft cloth costume provides very little restriction to the shoulders, elbows, chest, waist, hips, or knees. And thanks to the two piece boots, you get some reasonable ankle movement as well.

My one complaint is with the wrists this time. Swapping hands is hard, and I was never able to get any of the extra hands to pop all the way on without using heat. The fists - which he comes wearing - do pop on and off properly, but the others are too tight of a fit.

Accessories - ****
There's a ton of extras here, something we don't always see with an exclusive release.

I already mentioned the second head sculpt, a huge plus in this category as far as I'm concerned.

He also has three sets of hands - a pair of fists, a pair to work with the gun/cannon, a gesturing left, and a right to hold the Cosmic Cube.

And yes, there's a Cosmic Cube. It's slightly translucent, just slightly, with a milky blue color. Scale is good, and it fits in the proper hand.

There's a handgun that fits neatly in the holster on his belt, or in the gun grip right hand.  The sculpt is great, especially at this scale.

The big extra here is the tanks on a chest harness with an attached cannon. The sculpt and paint are terrific, with a ton of surface texture and detail. The waist belt opens to make it possible to put it on over his torso, but it's easier if you pop off the head as well. You won't get this cannon/fuel tank/harness combo with the regular release Red Skull, adding to the value of this guy.

He has the usual base, with clear plastic support. There's also the small plastic bag to hold your accessories when you toss the box.

Outfit - ***
I'm counting the jumpsuit, boots, and belt/holster as part of the costume with this figure.

The green suit is nicely tailored and fitted, made from high quality but very thin material. Getting these cloth costumes in scale is critical for the series.

There's a Hydra arm band on the left side, and the holster has a sculpted Hydra symbol as well. The belt opens at the back of the holster, so don't be surprised when it pops free when you're working the gun into place. It snaps back easily enough, and you'll need to remove the belt and holster to use the tank harness.

I've mentioned the two piece boots several times know, but even though the sculpt and paint are pretty basic, they still look quite realistic.

I didn't mention this earlier, but the hands are sculpted and painted to look like gloves, matching the jumpsuit. It's a nice touch that works well with the overall design.

Fun Factor - ***
I knocked off a little fun here because of the difficulty swapping hands. But you should have no trouble finding plenty of cool poses to switch between over time, adding to your long term value.

Value - **1/2
At $80, this guy is the usual exclusive price for a One:12 figure.  With imports in this scale running $50 - $100, the Mezco price seems about right, especially when you consider the added complexity of the cloth costuming.

Things to Watch Out For -
Most of the pieces seem very sturdy, but I was a little worried about the connection of the hose to the tanks on his back.  As I was working with the cannon, I had to make sure I didn't crank or twist the cord too hard.

Overall - ***1/2
Another hit from Mezco in this terrific series. Here's the rub - I assumed the leather coat version would be my favorite, but I wanted this one for completeness sake.  Once I got this guy and opened him up, I started to have my doubts.  We'll see just how great the regular release comes out, but he's got to be awfully good to surpass this guy in my book.

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

Where to Buy 
This guy was one of Mezco's 'fall exclusives', available only through their online store or their booth at NYCC. He's on a wait list at their site now, but you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
If you're a fan of the One:12 Collective, check out my reviews of classic Superman, the Morales Spider-Man. I've also covered the summer exclusive Deadpool, the exceptional classic Punisher, the regular release Punisher the Toy Fair exclusive version, Shazam, the classic Daredevil, the Flash and Reverse Flash, the BvS Superman, the comic based Joker, Green Arrow, the Frankenstein Monster Diorama, Frankenstein Monster, the BvS Batman, the Bvs Armored Batman, Captain America, Star Trek Kirk, the Mirror, Mirror and Cage variants of Spock, Sulu, the Toy Fair exclusive Spock, and the regular release Spock as well. Other One:12 Collective figures released so far include Dredd and his Lawmaster, the NYCC exclusive Judge Dredd, the DKR Batman and Mutant two pack, the Batman exclusives, and the initial DKR Batman.

If you're a fan of Red Skull, check out my reviews of the Marvel Legends Onslaught version, the cool Hot Toys version from the movie, the Marvel Select release, or go way back and check out the Famous Covers version!

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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