All the figures share the same body and I was surprised to find that many of the figures share heads. Normally, I’d count this as a knock, but this line gets away with it. I didn’t even notice until I was really getting into the pictures and taking stock. I don’t know how to explain it, but if you look at the group shot, it just doesn’t stick out to me the way it did with Modern G.I. Joes & other lines that have tried it in the past. One thing that helps is the head sculpts are all really sharp. I like the Black Terror/Amazing Man/Stardust head the best of the four sculpts, but the bald sculpt, and the parted hair sculpt, and the Madman (that guy just needs his own), all look great. And again, the various changes in skin tone and hair color do a great job of disguising the reuse.
The paintwork is fairly sharp throughout and the line barely takes advantage of the leeway nostalgia would provide – a little unevenness or slop would be understandable, but it’s hardly there. The paint turned out really well. Articulation is full throwback, 5 POA with swivels at the neck shoulders, & hips. It’s more for decoration and heavily-imagination fueled play, but the figures all stand and look great, though it might take a little bit of tinkering to stand them up without the “Secret Wars hunch”. It can be done and if you’ve been practicing on SW figures for years, you’ll have no problems.
There are a few extra bits peppered throughout the line to get the details right. Captain Action needed his hat, of course. Mad Man has cuffs for the illusion of gloves. Black Turtle, Champion of Mars, & Green Turtle needed capes and a little more 80s goodness creeped in with cloth capes that use sewn-in c-clips to stay in place around the neck. The capes are a really nice material, easily better than what we would’ve gotten back in the day. A few figures also have add-on armors. Champion of Mars & John Aman Amazing Man share a chest harness while Daredevil has his classic spiky belt. All these add-ons are well sculpted and fit in with the line while giving it more depth beyond the basic buck.
Four accessories are included throughout the figures (most don’t really need anything). Champion of Mars has his sword (accessory, chest harness, & cape – this guy is almost deluxe!), Captain Action his pistol, & Daredevil his boomerang. Again, really nice sculpts, and all three can be held well. There’s also Blank Slate. He includes a white slicked back hair head that can be changed out for the included bald head. This guy I want to draw attention to because I didn’t realize he’s the line’s only villain, loosely based off an old Daredevil issue. I had thought he was just a customizable figure (which he totally still could be).
Overall, I have to say FMF did a really bang-up job capturing the old SW flare and then using some modern innovations to get improved head sculpts and the great packaging ideas into the line. The figures were initially part of a successful Kickstarter, but they are available for pre-order at the Fresh Monkey Fiction store right now and BBTS has a few of Series 1 in stock. And keep an eye out for Series 2 on Kickstarter here soon. Thanks again to the folks over at Fresh Monkey Fiction for sending these along for us to take a look at!
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Not bad, not bad at all. I originally became aware of these over at OAFE, with reviews on Stardust(can’t believe they actually made him. His creator’d be proud) Daredevil and the Black Terror. Very curious to see what Series 2 would look like, but I’m sure it’ll be just as well-made as these are. I’m curious how these guys would look if Fresh Monkey had gone with the Super Power bucks? Or, as one can only dream, the DCUC or older Toy Biz ML bucks.
I really don’t have any love for these sorts of throwback style figures. These, the ReAction line, even those quasi-Mego figures that pop back into style every now and again. I just don’t get wanting modern figures made to seem like they’re decades out of date. I’d really love to see a modern, Marvel Legends style line of figures that included these types of characters. The retro engineering does nothing for me.
ginchy.
I thought the “Blank Slate” character was a blank custom, too. I know I saw a Funko POP! “blank slate” figure at B&N recently.
I also can’t forget the attempted “customize your own figure” that ToyBiz tried out at ToyFair one year, pre-ML. Female buck was the Psylocke/Elektra body with Betsy and a coupe other heads. The male busk was the Iolaus/Angel/Quicksilver buck with several heads, too. White bodies and came packed with four markers. No chain store wanted them and I think the Blade movie figures debuted later that year or the following year and ML was born, kicking the 5″ figures tot he curb.
…can’t seem to find any reference to them at the moment, but I KNOW I saw them in Toymart or Lee’s back then!
I did find a link to ToyOtter’s “unproduced Secret Wars prototypes” however: http://toyotter.com/2010/11/the-best-kept-secret/
#DAZZLER!
I think the “inherent charm” to these figures is just more nostalgia. I’d be surprised if many people who don’t already have a connection to the style would find it worthwhile.