|
NFL Sports Pick
 |
Matt D joins us again today with a review
of the McFarlane NFL figures. Take it away, Matt!
The figures are NFL SportsPics by McFarlane Toys. McFarlane has
previously issued professional baseball and hockey figures. In the past
he did not have licensing agreements with the leagues and therefore
could only use the correct uniform colors but instead of logos had to
use the player's names or cities. This time Todd has gotten the
licensing rights for NFL teams and can make the uniforms 100% accurate. However, McFarlane is up to his usual
tricks. He is short packing "chase" figures. He is sticking in
figures with different jersey colors and even packing some with the
helmets off and packed separately. These are apparently pretty hard to
find (except at internet auction sites). Series one featured figures of
Randy Moss (Vikings), Eddie George (Titans), Warren Sapp (Buccaneers),
Edgerrin James (Colts), Kurt Warner (Rams) and Emmett Smith (Cowboys).
Series 2 has just hit the shelf and features Marshall Faulk (Rams),
Daunte Culpepper (Vikings), Brian Urlacher (Bears), Marvin Harrison
(Colts), Wayne Chrebet (Jets) & Mark Brunell (Jaguars). What??...No
Brett Favre??? C'Mon Todd!!! He's a three-time MVP!!! The 6" figures all come with a "grass" display base that
supports the running and catching poses with foot and body pegs.
I picked up the Faulk and Sapp figures as my first two....sorry AFC
fans, but the NFC RULES!!
|
|
|
Packaging - ***
The package is a large blister card with built in J hook. The card
is fully enclosed plastic with one of the "welded" seams all
around, instead of a blister on cardboard type card. The packaging allows
total viewing of the figures from all sides. They have great photos of the
figures and great team and NFL logos and designs. I don't know how you
could ever open these without ruining the package so purist would probably
rate them lower.
Sculpting - ****
From every little wrinkle of the jersey, to unsnapped belts, to the
laces on the football, no detail, no matter how small, is overlooked. This
is just excellent...but what can you expect from McFarlane toys?
Paint -
****
Hey...when you have such detailed sculpting, you need equal detail
in the paint. besides great painting on the uniforms in general, the
figures have grass stains, dirt stains, even skinned elbows. The detail is
accurate down to the miniscule team names below the jersey collar. It is
less than 1/4" but is 100% legible. Articulation
- *
OK, here's where we lose some points. These guys are more
"statues" than "action figures". Faulk has 3 points of
articulation (arms at jersey and neck) while Sapp has a whopping 1 point
at the neck. My guess is none of the other figures fare any better. Accessories -
**
The sole accessory is the "grass" display base. It is as
nice as the figures but there's nothing else included. But then again,
what more could you realistically put with the figures?
Play Factor - *1/2
Hey they look great on my shelf but other than posing them up against each
other, there isn't much you can do with them.
Value
- ***
I got these guys for $9.99 each, which is pretty much on par with
McFarlane toys and similar figures on the market. If you happen to be a
fan
of any of these athletes, I'm sure you'd be willing to pay quite a bit
more. When you compare these figures to the similar sized porcelain
figures made by the Danbury Mint and figures by Savino, these guys have
equal if not greater detail than them at 1/5 the price.
Overall - **1/2
As much as I like these guys and their incredible detail, I can
only give them **1/2 because of the incredibly poor articulation and
lack of play value. If I looked at the detail alone they'd be a **** but
these guys are still meant to be toys and a toy isn't a toy unless it's
played with!!!
|
|
About the reviewer:
The Rater: Mark D is an avid action figure collector old enough to have
gotten vintage GI Joes for Christmas as a kid, but still young enough to
play with his toys. He collects mostly vintage AT GI Joe stuff but still
likes to grab the cool stuff that comes out now, especially law
enforcement figures
and accessories. He's been a regular at The Sandbox (alt.toys.gi-joe)
since he first came on line about five years ago. He's always looking to
swap with other Joe-head and assist them in finding the hard to find
stuff. You can contact him at mmdals1@aol.com Where
to buy -
These figures can be found at most retailers, particularly Toys R Us,
Target and more expensive stores like Media Play and Electronics
Boutique. That's your best bet right now, and cheapest considering
the extra cost of shipping. |
Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford
|
