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Packaging - ****
Okay, McToys has finally done it - given me a clamshell with enough text about
each character to earn that extra half star. Here we actually get a
paragraph explaining each of the mutations figures, and the graphices are top
notch as usual.
Sculpting - Spawn ***1/2; Mal ****
I can't complain about the sculpts on either of these figures. McFarlane
no longer seems capable of doing bad work. Okay, that's not completely
true - neither the Neo or Trinity head sculpts were very good. But when it
comes to big, ugly, nasty looking beasties, McToys knows no boundaries.
Mal gets a better score here though, because his
pre-posed sculpt works a little better with the limited articulation than the
Spawn figure does. It seems like they put a little more effort into
considering how the articulation would work with the particular sculpt.
And although he's really just a conglomeration of other figures, his sculpt
seems more unique and interesting than Spawn, who seems a little too much like
past work.
The other nifty feature is the real metal chains
for Spawn. These are high quality metal, and aren't going to break
easily. They look great, and really add to the character.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint application on both figures is above average, certainly, but the large
amount of drab colors make for less visually appealing characters.
The detail work on the eyes, teeth, and bony
horns and nails is well done, with the usual quality and consistency.
Articulation - ***
Mal has a decent amount of articulation, at least from the waist up. He
has ball jointed horns, ball jointed shoulders (with good range of motion), left
elbow, wrists, hips and waist (limited movement). You'll notice the lack
of neck, due to the sculpt, and nothing in the legs. You will be able to
get him to stand fine on his own though in several poses, and the arm
articulation really adds to the overall appearance.
Spawn's articulation is a little more
restrictive. He has ball jointed shoulders, but with much less range of
motion, elbows, wrists, waist, neck and hips. He actually has a couple
more points than Mal, but seems a tad more restricted. While the
articulation on both is okay, neither is a stand out.
Accessories - Bupkis
While the other three figures in this set came with a variety of items including
some very cool bases, these two larger figures had zippo. Perhaps it's
because of the larger size that they couldn't hit the same price point with any
additional items, but it still hurts the overall figure.
While the back of the package shows graphic
images similar to the background images that came with the other three figures,
I was surprised to not even find these included.
The one horn of Mal's does come packaged
separately, but that's simply because it was the only way they could have gotten
the figure to fit in the bubble.
Value - **1/2
I'll assume you paid $10 each for these, and that's not terrible, but no great
shakes. With no accessories, and no cool bases like the rest of the
Mutations series, they aren't quite as good of a value. Sure, they are a
little bigger and heftier in the plastic department, but you definitely don't
want to spend $12 or $13 each on these.
Overall - ***1/2
While the sculpting is top notch, the lack of any sort of accessories and
the less than ideal articulation knock them down slightly. Still, out of
the set of five I'd rank these two as numbers 2 (Mal) and 3 (Spawn).
Where to Buy -
I haven't found these at retail yet, but they should be hitting any
day. I'd assume Electronics Boutique, Kaybee Toys, Gamestop and Media
Plays will be getting them in. On-line:
- Aisle
Sniper has the of 12 for $100 plus shipping. That will keep you under
$10 a figure, but you'll have to find a partner to share.
- Beans Toys
has a great price for the set at $45. Look under their McFarlane Toys
section.
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