Toy News and Reviews
Hellboy Toys
PART TWO:
The Mez-Itz
by The Toyman
This week we continue our look at the Hellboy movie line from Mezco Toys. With the movie opening to rave reviews and packed theaters, we can only hope that another of our favorite comic heroes will be a successful franchise.
Mezco has released a great line-up for the movie. There is a basic wave of six 8” figures complemented by a massive 18” Hellboy and a cute little line of six "Mez-Itz."
It is the Mez-Its we will focus on today. Mez-Itz are
Mezco’s entry into the current mini-figure field. Kubricks, Mini-Mates,
Pocket Super-Heroes, gashapon (Japanese capsule toys), and Mez-Itz — there are
enough mini-figures out to satisfy even the most discerning of toy buyers.
Mezco’s entries into the field have been fantastic so far. Original
monsters, Aliens, Predators, Jason, Freddy, Leatherface, Ash, Austin and more
have paved the way for these great Hellboy toys.
Mini-Figure Scale Chart — Click for a Larger Image
Initial Thoughts
What’s not to like? Hellboy’s great! Mez-Itz are great. We get Kroenen in his Nazi attire for the first time. Is it wrong to love a toy?
Mezco has given us everything we need in a successful toy line. We’ve received a basic 8” line, a gigantic 18” figure, and now a mini-line to round out the set. I couldn’t be more pleased.
But let's get on with the review, shall we?
Packaging
So small, and yet so sturdy. It’s nice to get a toy
that’s not clamshelled for a change. The cards are thick cardboard, and
the bubbles are strong. The graphics are strong, and there is no doubting
these are Hellboy toys. The figures are prominent, and the same characters
from the 8” line are reduced down to Mez-Itz.
The packaging gets five stars. It looks great. It’s well-designed. It’s easy to open for us openers, but sturdy enough for you MOCers. And for the few of us left who haven’t rushed out to see the movie yet, the figures are clearly labelled so you know who’s who.
Sculpts
The sculpts are kept simple and are a little cartoonish, but they are supposed to be. Mez-Itz are stylized figures: Big heads, Lego-styled hands, and round bodies.
Both Hellboys have sculpted hands and heads, with the basic
details painted on a Mez-Itz body. There’s no mistaking who this is.
Rasputin looks great, with his big bald head and a cape. Abe has a
sculpted head but relies mostly on paint to achieve his look. Kroenen is
sculpted in his Nazi attire. His hat is sculpted on, and he has a lot of
added details to the basic body. Sammael’s sculpt almost completely hides
the base Mez-Itz body. It’s necessary to capture the character, but he
looks a little off compared to the rest. Don’t get me wrong — he’s great,
but something’s just not right.
For sculpt, the Hellboy Mez-Itz get a 4. They are basic mini-figures, but Mezco sets themselves apart but sculpting more parts of their mini-figures than most companies do. And after the amazing detail they put into the regular Hellboy figures, I expected a little bit more on these — even if they are supposed to be stylized.
Articulation
Every Mez-Itz has eight points of articulation: Neck,
waist, legs, arms, and wrists. All the joints are also poppable, so you
can mix and match your figures into some really odd combinations. (Nazi
Abe comes to mind.)
Sammael’s sculpt limits his articulation a little. The joints are all there, but his waist seems stuck, either from paint or glue; I’m not sure.
These are not as articulated as Mini-Mates, but you can have a lot of fun with them. For articulation, the Mez-Itz get 5 stars.
Paint
I think this is where I’m let down. Some parts are really well-painted, while others aren’t. There’s a little slop on Sammael’s feet, Rasputin’s beard, Abe’s toes, and Hellboy’s hands. The slop is especially bad on the black-shirt Hellboy: His hand has the brown-painted edge from a coat he’s not wearing. Kroenen is well-painted; Abe’s body is appropriately shiny and striped; and the muscle lines on Rasputin and Hellboy are perfect. Even the BPRD logo on Hellboy’s shirt is perfect.
It’s this weird combination of perfect and imperfect on all of them that makes the Mez-Itz earn only 3 stars in the paint category.
Accessories
Abe has no accessories. Sam has no accessories. Both Hellboys have the same gun, but it doesn’t look like the Samaritan. Rasputin has his glove. And Kroenen has two knives he can hold.
So the obvious and necessary accessories are there, but that’s it. It’s better that nothing — and we could include Rasputin's, Kroenen's, and Hellboy’s coats as accessories — but it only earns them another 3-star rating.
Price
The Hellboy Mez-Itz will set you back around $7 for each two-pack. Not bad at all. It’s about the going rate for mini-figure two-packs these days.
5 stars! I’ve got nothing to complain about here. And for as much enjoyment as I’ve gotten out of these figures, I would've paid more.
Overall Playability
I’ll
give them 4½ stars! The paint jobs
bring them down a little, but I really like them anyway.
These are great toys. They're compatible with all the other Mez-Itz and can take down toys five times their size!
And now for this week's news:
If you still don’t have enough Hellboy toys, you
can
order the Previews-exclusive Battle-Damaged Hellboy and Wetsuit Abe
in the current Previews.
It's official! Playmates has announced that Series 16 of the popular World of Simpsons line will be the last. A fifth Halloween set is still possible, though. For more, head to SimpsonsCollectors.com.
Hasbro used the Australian Toy Fair (Australia has a Toy Fair?) to announce the continuation of the Playskool Star Wars lines. Future releases include two-packs and recently revealed prototypes. Mousedroid.com has all the details.
NECA has revealed the “blood-spraying” action feature for the Crazy-88s figures from the Kill Bill line. A video demonstration can be seen here.
Until next time, kiddies, The Toyman has left the building!
Feel free to ask questions, suggest a
review, or share toy news with the Toyman!