{"id":29340,"date":"2014-09-29T02:14:09","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T07:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=29340"},"modified":"2014-09-30T23:26:31","modified_gmt":"2014-10-01T04:26:31","slug":"motuclassics-com-rio-blast-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=29340","title":{"rendered":"MOTUClassics.Com
Rio Blast Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> I know, I know. We just did a whole week on She-Ra: Princess of Powers figures. Yet here we are, kicking off the next week with yet another Masters of the Universe Classic. Normally, I\u2019d opt for a little more variety, but two things. One, knocking out Rio Blast gets me caught up on MOTUC reviews (mostly, I know there are two older items still unreviewed) and because this figure annoys me. It\u2019s been a long weekend, and I\u2019m hoping that annoyance is fuel for me to get this done. <\/p>\n

To clarify, I\u2019m ecstatic that we finally got to Rio Blast. This is the month that the last \u201cbig to me\u201d name gets crossed off my list. I\u2019m still excited for other stuff \u2013 Dragstor, for example, and hopeful for other things like Red Beast to still sneak out. But in terms of nostalgia? Childhood loves? Awesome Favorites? <\/p>\n

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Well, Rio Blast is the last one for me. And maybe because of that, some might say that my expectations were supercharged. So much was riding on this figure being awesome. He\u2019s not awesome. There are things I like about the figure \u2013 heck, even with the perceived flaws this review will laboriously point out, I\u2019m still happy he\u2019s here. But he has problems that have nothing to do with my expectations. And sadly, most that were preventable. As a result, this review is going to feature something different \u2013 a custom. On the left of most of the pictures is Mattel\u2019s Rio Bloat and next to him is extra figure I ordered and put the armor under the knife. I\u2019ll talk more about it towards the end, but Spy Magician from Spy Monkey Creations did an amazing job with his and I did my best to emulate it and slim my Rio Blast down. <\/p>\n

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Like many less-than-awesome MOTUC figures, it tends to be the shat the sculpting and engineering tell two different tales. This site is full of reviews where I praise the sculpt and heap the criticism on how the figure was produced. I\u2019ll do the latter here in a bit, but I\u2019m going to nitpick the sculpt on this one too. When the prototype debuted at Toy Fair, it looked awesome, but the seeds of problems that would face Mattel were evident. The prototype was already bulky. The prototype didn\u2019t appear to offer a solution to what ultimately became a pretty stupid problem with the chest flap. The loose cables running from the backpack to the arms were there right away. And the prototype came standard with those two Stratos hands that prevent him from doing anything but appearing to be about to grab his ejecting pistols. <\/p>\n

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There is still a lot to love about the sculpt. Djordje does amazing work. The level of detail is top notch. The shotgun shells on the belt and the spurs look fantastic. The nuts, bolts, and circuitry all add to the figure. I do long for the nostalgic flare that Treadaway might have given Rio. It recalls Frosta a bit. Treadaway\u2019s women look similar to one another and while I may talk about how I want more differentiation, I\u2019ve always regretted Djordje got the nod for Frosta. Rio is that to a lesser degree. Unlike Frosta, I love this sculpt. I love the hair, the expression, and the general \u201cwild-westness\u201d. It\u2019s like Kurt Russell Tombstone. It\u2019s great, but I kinda wonder what Treadaway would\u2019ve done here all the same. <\/p>\n

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Then Mattel\u2019s in-house team took a crack at Rio Blast. The usual problem cropped up \u2013 the tabs for the armor ended up right under the armpits causing armor bloat. But the armor then presented new problems. The hose doesn\u2019t connect to the flap. The high collars blocks the neck pg. But the real aggravation? The clip-on accessories needed pegs to hold the weapons. The chest flap got a peg for the gun, but there is nowhere for that peg to go when the flap is folded up, so the flap just sticks out. I repeat, it doesn\u2019t even close! I know there are always differences of opinion on everything, but I can\u2019t fathom folks out there who doesn\u2019t think it looks terrible. I\u2019m sure they exist. But it looks awful. It\u2019s a dumb, rookie mistake and it hurts the figure. I can\u2019t believe it got approval. I can\u2019t believe that anyone at Mattel was happy with it. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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The same is true for the chaps. The peg for the guns are inside the flaps. And while the ingeniously fit over the existing knee pegs, they stick out like oversized thigh-high boots at the top. Combined, it just creates a really disappointing visual. <\/p>\n

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And, of course, the armor creates articulation problems as well. The \u201cwhich way to the gym\u201d look is in full effect for the arms, the belly button pops up if you need to make use of the ab crunch, and the neck loses movement thanks to the high collar. He\u2019s frustrating to pose too \u2013 and you\u2019ll see that. I think I ended up just having him stand in all the pictures. Speaking of standing though, the ankles connect at an odd angle. The joint is thankfully tight, but due to that odd angle, both my Rios can be frustrating to stand at times. <\/p>\n

The paint was one area where I was happy with the figure. I love the colors and all the little details Djordje added are painted well on both of my Rio\u2019s. The face does need a paint that\u2019s a little too thick, but I think the face still comes out looking great despite that. The only complaint I have on the paint is actually with the accessories \u2013 Mattel couldn\u2019t budget in any paint for the backpack arsenal, so it\u2019s a cheap grey plastic standing in for silver that appears elsewhere on the figure. <\/p>\n

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Rio included all of his arsenal as clip-on accessories. The aforementioned backpack that also has the big guns and targeting gear that slips over his head, the chest weapon, two pistols for his hands, and two more weapons for his knees. They\u2019re all fine. I know some nitpicks were made about the visor\/targeting array not being flush to his head, but I think it works the way it is. Technically, it looks like he can use it while still being aware of his surroundings. I like that fine. The accessories themselves are fine, it\u2019s just how they connect that hurts the figure. <\/p>\n

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Overall, Rio Blast just isn\u2019t up to par. I hope there are folks out that love him, or are surprised by how \u201cgood\u201d they find him. I think there is a lot to love here, a start. The initial sculpt could\u2019ve used a little more forethought into how Mattel might mess it up (that\u2019s not to excuse Mattel from messing it up, however), but it\u2019s a solid sculpt with a ton of great detail. The basic articulation is there, it\u2019s just blocked by poor engineering. And that idea \u2013 that there\u2019s a good figure under these mistakes is why I bought a second figure and carved him up. I cut off the armor connectors and will eventually just glue down the remaining overlay. He looked a ton better already. I did try cutting a hole in the armor to make the flip better, but it\u2019s still just not a good fit. I think I\u2019m just going to go all-in on my slimmed down Rio and glue the flap down. I may cut the pegs off the chaps as well, basically creating a Rio Blast that has no action feature. It kills me to do that, but I\u2019ll keep my fat Rio Blast unaltered and guns out too. It\u2019s not a great solution, but Mattel has left me with little choice. I just have to hope there\u2019s not another figure this flawed in 2015. <\/p>\n

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Recent MOTU Classics Reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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For all our MOTU reviews, check out our
\nMOTU Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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