|
There are both large and small scale
figures, as well as vehicles for the small guys and some assorted
die cast goodies. I still have my SDCC coverage up for Spin Master that shows most of the upcoming items.
Tonight
I'm looking at one of the 'deluxe' figures, with lights and sounds.
This is Sam Flynn, Kevin Flynn's son and main protagonist in the
sequel. There's also a CLU figure (Kevin) in this scale, as well as one
of the bad guys. I'll be following
this up with a look at the smaller figures in the near future.
Packaging - ***
There's nothing about this standard bubble/ cardback packaging that
will wow you in the store, but it does give enough background info on
the series and the character to be useful. There's also a Try Me
feature, always important with a toy like this.
It
is worth pointing out that the large cardback is likely to get curled
and damaged on the peg, or even in storage later. That's going to get
it an unfavorable reaction from the MOCers.
Sculpting - **1/2
I'm not going to discuss the portrait here, because there really isn't
one. Instead, you'll need to jump down to the Light Up Feature to fully
understand how they gave this blank helmeted face a Sam persona. The
rest of the sculpt is fairly basic, even to the point of plain. There's
a little texturing to the suit, but not enough to give it any true
realism. The helmet looks good, and the proportions are about right
(including the hands), but there's not enough detail work to create any
wow factor. Sam stands about 7 1/2" tall in the suit, which is a
bit of an odd size. They claim he's an 8" scale, but is clearly a
smidge too short for that. He's too big to fit in with most 6" series,
and he's even pushing it with most 7" series. I'm assuming the slightly
larger scale made the nifty holographic feature (more on that in the
Light Feature section) easier to produce, but this is a series you'll
need to display on its own. He does stand great on his own though, and the hands are sculpted to hold the accessories.
Paint - ***
Like the majority of the sculpt, the paint is extremely basic. Most of the figure is cast in black plastic, with some highlight
lines that are variable in quality. However,
the translucent plastic they used for the torso light lines and for the
front of the mask work great, and the general quality of the work is
pretty much on par with what you expect for this price point.
Articulation - **1/2
The worst feature of this 'action' figure is its lack of posability. I
was particularly surprised how bad it is because in package, it appears
to have potential, and the photo on the figure on the back of the box
implies a greater range of mobility. Alas,
that's not the case. The neck doesn't turn, although that's probably
not surprising considering the electronic features. The shoulders are
ball joints, with single pin/post elbows and cut wrists. That means the
elbows can turn inward and out as well as move up and down, but the
wrists can only turn. There's no waist joint either, and the ball
jointed hips are about as useful as a straight V crotch. For me the big
surprise was the ankles and knees, both of which are merely cut joints.
That means even if you did work a bit more depth into the hips, the
knees and ankles couldn't take advantage of it. That means with even a fairly high pure joint count, this figure really only has one pose. EDIT:
I upped the articulation score a bit after a reader let me know that
there is a pin/post knee and ankle joint - you just have to push really
hard to get it to work the first time. I've snapped enough toys in my
day to be careful, but this time I was too careful when handling him.
Still, the joints don't work all that well, particularly the ankles.
Accessories - **1/2
There are two accessories included - an Identity Light Disc, and a baton.
Both are sculpted and painted fairly well, but there's not a ton of
detail on either one. He does hold them quite well in both hands,
however. Sound Feature - ***
One of the two key features with this particular series is the
inclusion of sound. There are three 'button' batteries included,
allowing the Try Me feature to work on the shelf. There
is a button on his side, right below the left armpit, that can be
switched to 'on', 'off', or 'try me' modes. Off is pretty obvious, but
the only difference I can see between being On and being in Try Me is
that when in Try Me, a single button push lights the chest, plays the
sound and lights the face. When the figure is technically 'on', a
single push lights the chest, and a second push is required to light
the face and make him talk. Sam says quite a bit, and it's all quite clear and audible. Included lines are: "My name is Sam Flynn"
"Some things are worth the risk"
"We gotta work together - it's the only way!"
"This is it - c'mon"
"Where am I? Am I on the grid?"
"I'm not a program!"
While the sound feature works well, it's really its use in combination with the next feature that sets this figure apart... Light Feature - ****
The
front of the package announces that this figure is "powered by impulse projection", which sounds
pretty damn intriguing. Turns out, it's pretty nifty too. When
you press the button (once in Try Me mode, twice in regular mode), the
face lights up, revealing a holographic image of Sam. As he speaks the
line, the face actually moves, including the lips! Leave it to a
toy line based on the sequel to a technologically revolutionary movie
to give us something technically new and unique in its feature set. It
is a little disappointing that this feature was paired back a bit from
what we saw at SDCC. There, the 8" figures had lights down both thighs
as well, but those have been dropped in the production figures. Fun Factor - ***
With the limited articulation, this larger series isn't as much fun as
the smaller set. But the projection gimmick is one that is far more appealing
than I expected, and kids are going to find it pretty irresistible.
Value - **1/2
Most action figures are running around $13 -
$15 these days, truly a sad state of affairs. I don't know how parents
can afford to get many for their kids. This guy is $15 as well, which
is pretty average in price and does include the light and sound
feature. Without them, it would take a big hit here, but the projection
face does improve the value.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!
Overall - ***
This isn't a particularly exciting sculpt, and the paint doesn't do a
lot to sell it. The articulation is weak, and the accessories only
average. In
fact, the score here would have been much lower, perhaps a full star
overall, if not for the sound and light feature. The moving holographic
facial image is a lot more interesting than I expected, and while it's
sort of a one trick pony, it's likely to be a pony that sees a lot of
miles from kids and visitors to your cube. If you're looking for
a toy that has more play value, head toward the 4" series. If you're
looking for something high end, hang tight til we see what Hot Toys
does with the license. But if you want a cool, reasonably priced figure
with a unique action feature, this is the one to check out. |
