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Mega Muppet
Gonzo

Palisades Toys has just released the third in their Mega Muppets line - Gonzo!  As the name implies, these bad boys are mega-big.  Standing about 10" tall, Gonzo towers over his smaller sized regular figure.  The previous two releases were Animal and Beaker.

The Mega figures are simply larger scale versions of their smaller cousins, identical in every way other than size.  This is the 'tuxedo' version of Gonzo that was released originally in wave 5 with Camilla.  Unfortunately, the mega version lacks his sweetie, but don't fret - the 'mega' Camilla will be released as a Collector's Club exclusive later this year.  Another good reason to join up!

Gonzo's suggested retail is $25, and should be showing up at comic shops, on-line retailers, and specialty retailers this week or next.  As always, I have some suggestions for you at the end of the review.




Packaging - ***
The large blue boxes are nice and sturdy, and sport reasonably decent graphics and text.  They aren't my favorite packaging from Palisades, but they aren't terrible either.  I do hope we see a change sometime in 2004, perhaps to something a tad snazzier.  I think the early red packaging may have spoiled me.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I gave the 'normal' version of this figure four stars in the sculpting category.  This figure is the identical sculpt.  How could it be lower?  Well, it's a scale thing.  Whenever you raise the scale, all those intense little details aren't quite as intense any more.  The work here is still well above average, but the mega figures always loose a bit of extreme detail appearance due to the larger scale.

The scale between the mega figures seems a little wonky to me.  Gonzo seems quite bulky when compared to the Beaker and Animal, but it's tough to be sure that it's not an identical situation with the smaller figures.

Paint - ***1/2
Where you stand on this is going to depend heavily on your opinion of poor Gonzo's snoze.  You see, there has been much debate and gnashing of teeth over what is the exactly right color and look for his beak.  Have they captured it better this time than in the smaller figure?  I think so, but you're mileage may vary.

But in terms of overall quality and cleanliness, you can't find much fault.  The majority of the lines and edges are clean, with good definition between the colors and very little bleed.  In a large figure like this, good consistency across the colors is crucial, especially on something like his tux, and they've pulled that off nicely.

A little more variation in the finishes between the different materials would have added a lot in this scale, but it's not a major nit.

Articulation - ***1/2
Here's another category that takes a small hit when the scale goes up.  The larger version has all the same joints - neck, ball jointed shoulders, cut biceps, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, and knees - but what was amazingly impressive in a small scale is closer to expectation in this scale.

The lack of range in the knee joints also contributes to him dropping slightly in this category, but you'll have no trouble getting him to stand on his own and not shelf-dive - something I've had regular issues with when dealing with Animal and Beaker.

Accessories - **1/2
The only real category where Gonzo takes a hit is in accessories.  Unlike his little friend, he only has one accessory - his horn.  This lack of accessories has been pretty consistent with the mega line, and we will be getting Camilla later.  But even the horn is a weak choice, since he can't hold it all that well or pose with it in any particularly jazzy way.

Value - ***
At $25, he's a decent price, but not a bargain bin value.  I don't expect to see a lot of stores with these on the shelves though, so waiting for the price to drop in a sale or clearance might not be the wisest choice.

Overall - ***1/2
Gonzo is a fun figure, and the tuxedo version is better choice for this scale than the first, cannon/crash helmet version.  With the addition of the Mega Camilla later this year, he's going to look excellent on the shelf, but if you're not a huge Gonzo fan, you might have a tough time convincing yourself to spend the $25.

Where to Buy - 
Specialty retailers and on-line shops should be getting these as we speak. Choices include:

- Southern Island has a great price at $19.95.  Just check under their Muppets section!

- Killer Toys also has him listed at $25.


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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