Vault’s been pulling all the MOTUC duties so far this year, but Jitsu called out to me as I was looking across the pile of unreviewed toys today. He’s an interesting figure – in some ways I love him, in others not so much. Come to think of it, that might be why Vault’s been reviewing all the MOTUCs lately.
I didn’t have a Jitsu as a kid, but I still have a lot of affinity for him as Fisto’s nemesis. I think that association, shared by many, set me up to have higher expectations for the figure. Fisto was downright amazing. If I had had time to write up a Best of 2012 article for IAT (you guys think March is too late for one of those?), then Fisto would have been in my Top Five. And I don’t I mean Top 5 MOTU, I mean Top 5 figures overall for the whole year. Fisto was a great example of what I want Classics to be – a solid vintage update with great accessories that let a collector customize the look of the figure.
I really hoped that Jitsu would receive the same treatment. Jitsu has a fantastic MO2K Staction and I would’ve loved to see those elements make their way onto the figure – the red-eyed, long ponytailed visage might have been “too MO2K” as alt heads go, but I was sure that costume details like the belt could’ve easily been included. That “Ultimate” Jitsu took up residence in my mind over the year between his reveal and Fisto’s.
So when Jitsu popped up as a mostly vintage figure, I wasn’t too blown away. There is a staction influence – the two kama blades (I think that’s what they’re called; hold that thought for the accessories section), but overall Jitsu just doesn’t give off the “ultimate” feel. And, I already know what most will say to that – Fisto was a misnomer. Jitsu is much more in-line with the other figures and I’ll keep that in mind as I put the rest of this review together. I mean, it’s probably not fair to compare just any figure in the line to one of the best ones…
Anyway, don’t think I’m hating on Jitsu. It’s true that I’m often less fond of the Classics figures that lack and modern touches, but Jitsu has plenty to offer. One thing I did enjoy was the snippet in his bio – he rules Snake Mountain during the New Adventures time period. That’s pretty cool and gives me a good sense of his characterization in the new bios. It’s a shame we can’t get media for all these time periods.
But that’s the bio. What do I like about the figure after I’m already a few hundred words in with mostly nitpicking? Well, there’s the head sculpt. It might be a tad small, but it’s fantastic and it was probably the most fun thing to photograph this time around. The level of detail makes it a really cool piece and it’s a great companion sculpt to Fisto.
Under the head, Jitsu features the standard MOTU buck, needing only the new armor and his unique karate-choppin’ hand. The armor itself is a great update – I love the mix of flat red plastic and glossy red paint juxtaposed with the gold. The hand is also a nice piece. I still miss the vac-metal, but it looks sharp. My figure does have a strange deformity in the plastic. You can see two small indentations on the wrist in some of the images. I’m not sure what caused those holes, but it’s not a big deal.
I’m still a little disappointed that Mattel didn’t make either of these hands (Fisto’s or Jitsu’s) compatible with the Trap Jaw, Roboto, & the gang. I know that I can’t hold that against Mattel – it’s a completely extra and superfluous thing, but it woulda been cool. As it is, I can swap the gloves on these two figures (and on any other basic figure if I remove the hand) because they were both made for the same fit, slipping over the basic arm. Continue to Page 2…
Great review and pics, and the rock/paper/scissors had me laughing out VERY loud! You’ve just brightened my Wednesday a great deal!
Now it’s a matter of how long will this guy take to get to England . . . .
By the way, I think you might just have a poorly-cast chopping hand on yours, rather than a “design choice.”
Scott has been saying that MOTUC subs have been down from last year and the year before, so cost-cutting measures such as unpainted bracers and lack of extra stuff is likely in the offing. Maybe Jitsu’s additional gear will show up in a future Weapons Pak?
I never had Fisto or Jitsu as a kid but if I had gone back to collecting MOTU at the time, these guys would have been the reason. They look like warriors and Jitsu always had that cool samurai look about him, even more so now that the 4H have re-envisioned him with an ever edgier head sculpt. This is probably going to be my favorite MOTUC figure of 2013 along with Rammy.
the problem is clutch, the price hike was supposed to balance the downed sales numbers. remember the “which would you rather have, a price hike or a simplified fig w/ fewer accessories and fewer paint aps?” well, we bought into the price hike, so stuff like that still shouldn’t happen.
it’s no worries noisy, not every toy can be the best, and fisto is truly the highlight of the motuc line. he updated the classic fig, but gave you a TON of elements to re-create the 200x look, more pieces than even whiplash did. that was cool, it gave fans of both eras/looks a reason to buy the fig. the only motuc i’ve seen that might usurp fisto as the most effective update will be mantenna, but as he’s not released yet, it’s fisto’s world, we just live in it. and so does jitsu. he’s fun, but he’s got some illogical choices happening there and some cost cutting choices that just mean he doesn’t shine like the crazy diamond you want him to. no harm in that. as you say, he’s not the best figure ever… only one figure can be, right? jitsu, if you were ranking the figs by the quality execution of the update, is a solid B class fig, not quite wild enough to score an A rating like fisto or man at arms, but bouyed up by the djordje head, he’s certainly better off than a dud like spikor.
the grand question is, what kind of longevity does the line have when even the B and C grade upgrades cost like an A grade fig in other lines? example there, mantenna can easily justify his increase in pricetag from where i sit, king he-man is going to feel like a complete screwjob. icer looks like a total dud for that price, he’s translucent plastic and a neckbeard for 27 bucks???? and they’re trying to sell subs on that? oh, but don’t forget, he comes with an accessory for another figure… that that figure can’t hold. OOOHHHH! that’s a sweetened pot, eh?
I have a few people say that about Icer’s “beard”..I’m pretty sure thats an furry hood and not his actual hair. Also Stratos CAN hold accessories…I have mine rocking a sweet SMC hammer for weeks now.
oh yes, it’s a hood, but it looks like a dramatic neck beard.
as for stratos, well, he may be able to hold a weapon, but that’s by guile, not intent, he doesn’t come w/ the sculpted “gripping” hand. the staff could be forced into his hand, by rubber band or blue tack, but it’s certainly not there in any kind of permanent way by virtue of intended sculptural element. it’s rather like arguing that jitsu could hold both kamas because you wedged one between his thumb and palm… you’d have to secure it with outside aid to be able to “play” w/ the figure.
ok I didn’t know if you really thought it was a beard or not.
As far as Stratos..I really think that is a bit of a stretch..sure he doesn’t have the full kung fu grip that most guys have, but he has been holding onto a pretty heavy SMC hammer for weeks now (while perched atop a wind raider slanted downwards on the stand holding on with his other hand)so to say you would need a rubber band or blue tack isn’t really fair. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the staff will be far lighter than the abs and pvc hammer I have given him. I’m not sure what play entails other than posing him around…if you mean flying him around the room then no he wouldnt be able to hold it, but if he can pose with it it is good enough for me.
Other than the visual impact of fur hood + mukluks = person you would find in a cold-weather environment, I never understood why Icer wanted his head and feet insulated like that. I suppose it’d be better than him going around buck-nekkid, but still . . . .
5: “Does he still have that rubbish beard?”
10: “No, we//…he was married.”
I may be the only guy who likes the Jitsu figure better than Fisto. I loathe the smooth ab piece. That part ruined (for me) two of what would have been favorites, Fisto and Hordak. If Fisto’s armor was handled like Jitsu’s, he would be my favorite figure in the line. As is, not so much. I only bought him because he is Fisto. I won’t buy any more figures that use the smooth abs. As it stands now, Jitsu may be my favorite MOTUC figure.
Cool pics & nice review.
Sweet review as always.
I really like Jitsu, and I think it’s criminal that he didn’t get the Millennium treatment like Fisto. The only saving grace for him is his head sculpt.
Oh my gosh you did a “paper, rock, scissors” joke thats priceless.
Had the pair as a kid so have to look into both when out at local things. Agree on hoping to see Stridor and Nightstalker down the road.
Man, how cathartic to see one of the best figures of the line (Fisto) clobber the hell out of one of the worst! 🙂
I think the kamas can “work” if you imagine them as throwing weapons instead. Toss one, grab the other . . .
My main beef is how goofy they look in orange like that. Somehow Fisto’s Tri-Klops sword doesn’t really bug me in purple. Maybe a metallic orange Trike sword could be in a weapons pack to further solidify the Fisto/Jitsu connection. 😉
As long as we get that sword in 200x (aka realistic) colors I’m good.
Also, I don’t see the small head issue. There’s a difference between “thin face” and “small head”.
Just because other figures in the line go for the chubby cheek detail-free look doesn’t make this one too small objectively.
BTW, did anyone else notice that in michael crawford’s jitsu review, he mentions a lack of paint on the accessories… how exactly does one get a matte orange hilt and a gloss orange blade on a one piece accessory and not credit that to a paint application? is the old man losing his touch, or is the metallic orange on jitsu’s blades really hard to make out under normal light?
Michael is color blind. He might have really missed it. That would be my guess.
Awesome pics for this review, Noisy!
DUDE! In my Jitsu Review (coming Mon on DK) I mention the same thing about the 2 Kamas …its a little silly to have tow identical weapons when he can only ever hold one at any given time.
Great review as always bud!
symmetry? plus, whats to say he didn’t have them before he lost his, erm, hand.
Well I’m assuming in “real life” Jitsu can open and close his hand so its not so much of a question there, but they could have included a different weapon since the figure can only hold one thing at a time….it is a minor complaint of a great figure (minus the lack of add ons). Gotta say though the Faker goes to japan storyline sounds like a winner to me, like a Frnak Miller Wolvie story with Faker
DUDE! that RPS gag killed me! LOL
at least you resisted the Big Pimp Hand joke. 😉
I didn’t even realize Jitsu was (sold?) out until the other day when I started seeing a couple pics on FB. Even then, I thought they were just advance purchases, as they were from the few usual MOTU people I’m ‘friends’ with. I guess blame it on the fact DR doesn’t want my money?
I don’t know anything about the character and never realized he was a villain? I guess he is Fisto’s nemesis, but I always saw him as complementary to the fisted one.
(ok, that can never sound not dirty! LOL)
I do think it’s a shame they didn’t even bother with the paint on the bracer, and the head close-up, you can see uneven paint on his collar rivets(?). As for your “holes” in the hand/gauntlet, it looks to me like there wasn’t enough plastic pellets to melt into the casting. This **should** have been caught at the factory, but Matty isn’t known for their perfect QC, are they? Unless this was a common feature that others also got, then that means the mold was dirty and should have been cleaned out. Even then, they should have tossed the hands into the regrind barrel.
speaking of hands, I still would like Matty to include a couple extra hands in their next weapons pack for these, uh, “hand”icapped warriors. (sorry.)
Well done as always, Noisy. The third pic on the 1st page looks like Jitsu’s showing Whiplash and Spikor a cheat sheet.
Yes, the deficiencies are glaring. If nothing else, couldn’t they lose a kama and give us the staction’s massive katana and/or a longer alternate topknot? Canonically, they could be explained for Jits’ look during his Snake Mountain reign.
It’s a shame too, because the Horsemen gave us a head on this guy that’s one of the best. This portrait has the distinctiveness, character and emotion that places it up there with greats like Marzo, Keldor and sadly, Fisto.
The thing about long topknots: as cool as they look, they might not only get in the way during battle, it’d also be easy for an enemy to grab it, pull your head back, and punch you in the throat. For example.
Having said that, if they ever do a Millenial-stlye Jitsu, I’d be up for that. I’d probably repaint his eyes, though, unless they come up with an adequate epxlanation why they were glowing red.
Oh, come on. Like getting punched in the neck with a big metal fist is anything this guy ever has to worry about.
Not necessarily a big metal fist, mate. All he has to do is turn his back on one of his fellow villains in the midst of battle, one who he thinks he can trust, but who secretly harbours a burning jealousy, and . . . WHAM! };D
This guy arrived this morning, and I gotta say the paint is more subtle than most reviews I’ve seen so far have mentioned. The gold ring around the cabochon on his belt, the little clasp that holds his topknot in place, and the “stubble” on his scalp took me pleasantly by surprise.
Now, if only he had a vac-metal gauntlet . . . .
Vac metal and would have been awesome really.
>That “Ultimate” Jitsu took up residence in my mind over the year between his reveal and Fisto’s.
I couldn’t agree more. Hopefully they can throw us a bone in a future weapons pak.