Review of Scott Pilgrim action figure

Introduction

Even your grandma knows that there are lots of movies out these days based on comic books. But what she probably doesn't realize is that many of the best are based on graphic novels that don't involve traditional superheroes. The general public often doesn't realize that movies and television shows like 300, Road to Perdition, Human Target, or the Walking Dead where 'comic books' first.

One of those non-traditional comics that made it to the big screen last year was Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The first graphic novel was released in 2004, and the film adaptation starred Michael Cera in the title role.

Mezco Toyz picked up the license to produce action figures, but not based on the film. They released two figures of comic Scott, one in a green shirt, one in a purple shirt. The only other difference between these two figures is in the head sculpt - more details on that to come. When these figures were originally solicited, the purple shirt figure was supposed to wear a yellow shirt and have the jacket, but it looks like sales were simply not strong enough to allow them to include it.

You can find these at a number of online retailers for around $13 each. Buy the pair and you can get an even better deal, which is nothing short of amazing considering the current action figure market.

Packaging - ***
Bright and colorful, the packaging matches up well with the designs and stylings of the comic books. It's not too large either, which is nice for the eco-minded collectors. Obviously, it's not collector friendly, which means that you'll have to destroy it to get at your figure, and there's a handful of the hated twisty ties as well, but overall it's solid work.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Comic book Scott is not Movie Scott - these guys are based on the print appearance.

These are in a 6" scale, each standing just under that size. They stand great on their own too, which means that the sculpted leg pose (there's no leg articulation) was well selected.

While the basic designs are pretty simplistic, they've sculpted the edges of all major areas, like the eyes and iris', mouth, teeth, eyebrows, shirt edging, etc. They could have done some of these in just paint, but by adding them as sculpted features they've greatly improved the overall appearance and added lots of depth to the sculpt.

The hands are sculpted to work with the two accessories, and both can be held properly.

There are two head sculpts here, one for the green shirt and one for the purple. They almost closed mouth, stern expression comes with the green shirt, while the crazy eyes/open smile expression comes with the purple shirt. If you have both, you can easily swap the heads.

My only complaint that holds these back from a perfect score is the amount of seam lines created by the manufacturing process. The figure looks rougher because of it, and a little less like the two dimensional version.

Paint - ***
The paint work is fairly basic, as is the norm for cartoon/comic style figures. The colors are bright and consistent, as is the overall finish.

Some of the cut lines are a little sloppy, particularly on the shirt. The hair paint looks a bit gloppy too, as does some of the skin. The issues are minor, but there are enough to pull him down overall slightly.

Articulation - ***1/2
I figured the few points that are here would hurt these figures, but once I had them out of the package I realized that Mezco had made the most of the limited articulation.

The ball jointed neck is key, and it has an excellent range of movement with lots of tilt and lean potential. There's also ball jointed shoulders, although they are of the disc and post variety. Below that on the arms are cut biceps and cut wrists, with a cut waist finishing things off.

The lack of leg articulation isn't as big of a problem because a) the pose they selected works well with lots of upper body poses and b) the figures stand great on their own.

It's worth noting that the heads pop off, allowing you to put the guitar over his shoulder easily, as well as allowing you to swap expressions with shirts if you feel the need. I've included one photo where you can see them together with the heads swapped.

Accessories - ***
Both figures come with the exact same accessories - his bass guitar and his sword.

These are sculpted and painted to replicate the comic book versions, and they look great, right down to the heart shaped knob on the sword hilt. There's not a ton of detail, but the style is in line with the artwork. Smaller details that could have just been paint - like the bass strings or the control knobs - are actually sculpted, a nice touch. The bass also has a leather strap, and it is very firmly attached to the back of the instrument.

His hands are sculpted to hold these, and he can wield the bass to play it or use it as a weapon.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
While the number of joints might seem limiting, they are all so well executed and designed that the figure poses and plays better than some that have many more joints. I don't know that kids are going to have any idea who Scott Pilgrim is (and let's face it, they'd need some of the exes to have any conflict play), but adult collectors will appreciate the ability to pose these in their own way.

Value - ***1/2
Let me see if I have this straight - I just spent $17 on a 6" DCUC figure from Mattel at my local Toys R Us, but these guys are only $12 or so each? Seriously? That's a Hell of a buy considering the current market for action figures in this scale.

Things to Watch Out For -
If you're having trouble putting the guitar over his shoulder, just pop the head off - easy peasy!

Overall - ***1/2
While there's a few nits here - gloppy paint, seam lines - the price point is shockingly good. How many figures over 4" tall are even available at mass retail for $12 or so? Considering that these are a specialty market release, I'm amazed that they can be had so cheap.

If you're a fan of the comic, you'll be very pleased with the overall look as well. There's enough articulation to give the figures plenty of personality on your shelf, and these are a great way to introduce your friends to the printed version of the character, especially if they enjoyed the live action film.

I do wish that we'd gotten the cloth coat, and if the demand is too low for us to get a Ramona or any of the exes then it will be disappointing. But if you're not buying these for fear of that outcome, then you're creating the very situation you're trying to avoid. Support the line, and maybe we'll get some of the other key characters.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the set for just $24.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Not much - there's been little in the way of collectibles for the comic or film.

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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