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.
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