Packaging - ****
OK, this is NICE packaging,. Shows the figure, and it looks great doing it. Has that retro futuristic look to it which ya gotta love…at least I do.

Sculpting - Astro Boy ****, Atlas ***
To me, Astro Boy is PERFECT. From that ‘50s style hairdo, to the slightly pissed expression on his face, to the look of the hands, the torso, and the boots, this is a DEAD WRINGER. NO IMPROVEMENT NEEDED.

Atlas, on the other hand, while STILL a really nice looking figure, I just COULDN’T give as high a score to. Why, you may ask- let’s start with the scale between him and Astro. Whilst they ARE in scale with each other, in the cartoon, their heads are the same size as each other. 

Now, I understand Atlas’s had to be a bit smaller since has that huge helmet, but to me, it was still thrown off a bit. The other point has to do more with articulation, but it DOES effect the sculpt of it. I guess THAT I’ll explain later.

Paint - Astro Boy ****, Atlas ***½
The paint job on Astro Boy is next to perfect. Whatever paint bleed there IS it’s in an area you wouldn’t even look anyway, and it’s EXTREMELY minor ( like some underneath his torso plate). Otherwise, everything is nice and clean. The Paint wash job- NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM. It’s just perfect. 

Atlas, on the other hand, while a pretty good job, has several more, and sadly VERY noticeable areas with paint bleed- like all over his boots. Sadly, it IS that noticeable. However, most other parts of his body are nice and clean, so that I was happy about. And once again, NO problems with paint wash.

Articulation - Astro Boy **½, Atlast **
Ok, HERE’S the area that REALLY takes a hit. 

Astro has shoulders, wrist, pelvis, and knee articulation. Now, had the shoulders been ball-jointed, I’d have loved it- sorry, they aren‘t. What about the head, you ask? I’d love to tell you, but it seems so solid, I’m afraid that if I try and turn it, it’ll break off. Well, for the sake of this review, you may ask again, will I be nice enough to break it off JUST for you to prove it to ya? To that, I ask YOU a question- are you willing to pay for another Astro Boy figure for me, to find out? 

Now, remember what I said about Atlas? Ok, here’s the scoop- much like Astro, he has shoulders, wrists, pelvis, and knee articulation. Unfortunately, due to the way he’s sculpted, it REALLY hurts the overall look. I think even Al Gore looked more lifelike, sadly.

Accessories - Astro Boy **, Atlas **½
For once, Astro actually takes a bit of a hit over Atlas. Astro comes with an alternate torso- a transparent torso, If you will. And my question is…why? I’m glad he came with something, but it doesn’t make any sense to me. I WILL confess that I haven’t been watching the show as of late, and maybe it’s something new he got, but I think it’s just overall pointless.

Now, as for Atlas, HE gets some accessories. So why the low score? Well, it’s all about what you THINK of those accessories. Atlas comes with four electric bolts that attach to the transmitters on top of his helmet. Now, on the package, they look great. When you actually put them ON him…well, that’s up to YOU to decide. Part of me thinks they look kinda cool, part of me thinks they just look downright goofy.

Both figures come with a card. Each card illustrates a different tech spec of Astro Boy’s mechanics- didn’t really amaze me, but Astro Boy HARDCORE FANS will probably love it.

Action Feature - Astro Boy ***½, Atlas ***
Astro Boy and Atlas BOTH have a pretty nifty action feature- light up eyes. It’s simple, yet looks REALLY great, truthfully. The thing is, somehow it just seems to work SO much better for Astro Boy than it does for Atlas. Maybe it’s just the way Atlas is sculpted or something, but Astro Boy’s glowing eyes just emit wonder, while Atlas…well, it’s still a nice touch.

Value - **1/2
I paid $6.99 each for them- of course I bought them at Suncoast on a RePlay Triple Point weekend, so I made out better than most will, but I don’t think THESE will be too much cheaper elsewhere, truthfully. I say, knock ‘em down about $2 each, and that’s MUCH more appropriate.

Overall - Astro Boy ***, Atlas **½
I was really looking forward to these figures, and they really DO look great, but they SO severely lack, and that’s why I had to give them the score I did. Kids’ll probably like ‘em- though the figures DO suffer from severe articulation issues. Collectors, unless they’re hardcore completists, will likely pass on them, and I don’t blame them. Seriously, at the price of these figures, it’s really your call- is it worth the $5-6.99, or not?

Unfortunately, Suncoast and the other Musicland Affiliates are the only stores I’ve successfully found the figures at, as of now, so I can’t really give you a heads up on anywhere else to look. But I’m sure you’ll see ‘em elsewhere, soon enough.