Review of the Victorious Mongoose
Miniature version

Introduction

Every year at SDCC, I drool uncontrollably at the Weta booth, staring dreamily at Dr. Grordbort's various and sundry weapons. Sadly (at least to me), I'll never own one of these ultra cool retro guns, but at least I can afford the miniatures.

There's been six so far, and tonight I'm looking at the fifth in the series - the Victorious Mongoose. This is based on the larger but much more expensive gun, but both are small for their own scale. They are 'concealable' ray pistols.

This little version will run you just under $50 from Weta, and since it's release there's already another - the Pearce 75.

No announcements yet, but I have my fingers crossed that we'll see something cool in the exclusive department at San Diego.

Packaging - ****
The packaging is terrific, with the same style of retro/modern sci-fi look that the guns sport. It's also completely collector friendly, and has a wrap around top with a magnetic closure. The box is very sturdy, with thick cardboard all around. Excellent!

Sculpting - ***1/2
If you were wondering what the definition of the word 'miniature' is, just check out this gun. Since the full size version is intended to be a small, easy to conceal weapon, this quarter scale version is *almost* (but not quite) small enough to be a sixth scale weapon.

It's metal of course, and has some nice heft. The details are generally sharp, although some areas are a smidge soft. They've managed to capture the look of the large gun with all it's bells and whistles in a much smaller and cheaper package, which is really the point of the series.

Paint - ****
The gun itself is done up in gun metal lead, with a wash to bring out the details. The handle looks like dirty, worn bone, and various pipes and tubes are brassy in appearance. There's even a gauge with a small, small sticker on once side! The paint gives it a very realistic appearance, even at this scale.

Accessories - ***1/2
The only 'accessory' here is the base, but it's very well done. Remember, this thing is damn small, and yet the base has the name embossed in the metal on both sides, and the bottom has the name and production info. The gun fits on the small metal post and larger rest perfectly, and looks great balanced there.

Value - **
Yep, it's a die cast gun...but $50? No, these aren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but considering that the full size versions sport price tags ten times or more higher, I supposed it's not as bad as it could be.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***1/2
One of these days I'm going to hit the Mega Millions lottery. When I do, the full sized Grordbort's guns will be mine. Until then, I'll be happy to settle for the miniature versions, and when they are this well done, it doesn't feel quite so much like settling.

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

Where to Buy
Your best bet is directly from Weta's website, where you can pick it up for $49 plus shipping.

Or you can hit ebay looking for other options.

Related Links -
Other Weta guns I've covered include the full size plastic Righteous Bison, and the mini Goliathan.

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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