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Packaging - ***1/2
Same old, same old, but thankfully, that same old is sweet. The
packages continue to sport that retro appearance that's makes them so
attractive. They aren't collector friendly, but that's a minor issue
here.
I
do wish that the MOTUC label at the top didn't block TJ's face quite so
much, since it's such a key aspect of the character. They could have
also place the accessories (especially the extra head) in a bit better
location to show them off.
Those with sharp eyes will
notice that
the package did bend down his
little loop on top of his helmet. I've left it that way so a) you could
see it and b) because I feared creating stress fractures by bending it
back up, and having it look worse or God forbid, break off. I suspect
this was a rarity though, and yours will most likely end up fine.
Sculpting - ****
Like Mer-man and Teela, Trap Jaw comes with two visages, both with
exceptional Four Horseman sculpts.
The
normal portrait hearkens back to his origins as a psychotic killer from
outer space. His mechanical jaw opens to show a gruesome, bloody gaping
hole where his jaw once was, and the grimacing expression works great
no matter how open or shut you pose the replacement jaw. The sculpt of
the face, wrinkling of the skin, and damage to the underlying jaw are
all very realistic for the cartoon style of the series.
There's a small loop on top of
his helmet that allows him to slide down string 'ropes' - take that,
Batman!
The
body still has it's share of re-use, but with the swappable mechanical
arms and several pieces of new armor, he's one of the most unique
figures in the series. The sculpts on every additional robotic arm is
great, with sharp lines and clean edges that add to the metallic
appearance.
The second head sculpt (and
additional right arm) are
a nod to the fans of the 2002 series, when his origin was altered
slightly. It was revealed that he was originally a criminal named
Kronis, and the additional head and arm are intended to swap him to
this appearance. Again, an outstanding job by 4H, and the pieces swap
easily.
He stands great on his own of
course, and the overall sculpting is some of the nicest we've seen in
the series.
Paint - ***1/2
Generally the paint work has been solid on the MOTUC line, as you'd
expect for a collector focused online series.
The
work here is clean, with decent cut lines, no sign of over spray, and
almost no bleed. There's also more color and detail than the average
MOTUC figure, making the work that much more impressive.
It's not
completely without issue, and the green face is a little gloppy in
spots, but for the most part it's well above average quality.
Articulation - ****
All the articulation you expect in this series is present with this
figure, plus one.
There's
the usual ball jointed neck, and it has some decent tilt action.
There's ball jointed shoulders and hips, pin elbows, ankles and knees,
cut waist waist, wrists and calves, and probably something else I'm
forgetting. It all adds up to plenty of posability.
The joint
that sets this guy apart from his brethren is the articulated
mechanical jaw. It works great AND looks great in just about any pose.
There's
one more extra point of articulation worth noting - the claw hand. One
of the three arms sports a nasty looking pincher, and this is
articulated as well.
Accessories - ****
This guy comes loaded! There's the additional Kronis head and arm that
I've already mentioned, a very nice addition for fans of the overall
MOTU series.
There's
also three swappable cyborg right arms. There's a pirate hook sort of
contraption, a claw (that opens and closes of course), and a funky
laser/drill looking dealio that's the largest of the three.
The
first couple times it might take some effort to do the swap, but be
patient. Don't force it, and you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.
They've also added hoops to both
sides of his WWE champion belt, and
the two arms he's not wearing at any one time can be attached. This guy
would make J.J. Arms envious!
The Kronis arm is the full arm,
shoulder to hand. You can pop this on and off pretty easily, swapping
it out for the full robotic arm.
However, the other cyborg arms
are swapped from the forearm down. That allows the mechanical arm to
have a pin elbow joint, and keeps the swapping feature from hurting the
overall articulation.
Fun Factor - ****
An evil cyborg that has swappable robotic arms, great articulation and
sculpting, and half his face is ripped off? How could this NOT be fun!
Value - **1/2
In the past I've questioned the $20 price tag, but I have to admit that
with the extra arms and alternate head, this guy really is worth it.
You won't feel like you're getting a great deal, but for once I'm not
holding the price against him.
Things to Watch Out For -
Like I said, take your time swapping the arms the first couple times.
You'll get the feel for it and it will be a lot easier.
Overall - ****
This figure is awesome sauce on cool
biscuits. The character design makes even a non-fan such as myself
stand up and take notice, and part of that may be my inherent affection
for Baron Underbheit.
With not only the addition of
the extra
robotic arms but the inclusion of the 2002 origin Kronis parts, this
guy jumps to the top of my list as my favorite MOTUC figure so far, and
is the first of the year on my short list for Best of 2010.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****
Where to Buy -
This was available at Matty
Collector last month, but your best bet now is to watch ebay
for a deal. But if you can manage some patience, Matty Collector has
announced they will release him later this year.
Related
Links -
I've covered quite a bit of the series:
- I just covered Battle Cat earlier this
week, and prior to that was Adora.
- I really liked Scareglow, although he's
not exactly what you'd call a key character.
- Adora isn't the first girl in
the series - Teela
has that honor.
- before that there was Webstor, one of my
favorite, and Tri-klops,
another one of my favs.
- prior to that was Man-at-arms, Hordak, Zodac, Faker, Mer-man and Stratos, starting out
with He-man, Skeletor and
Beastman together in one review.
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