Toy News and Reviews
Kill
Bill
Series 1
Our resident toy fiend returns with a long-overdue review of the action figures based on Kill Bill, Volume 1.� In all fairness to the Toyman, we should note that this review � and the three to follow � were written throughout May and June.� Yes, the Toyman is actually ahead of schedule for a change!� But let's not tell him that, O.K.?
by The Toyman
Kill Bill!� Action Figures!� What more could you ask for? NECA has apparently managed to get on Tarantino�s good side � something other companies either couldn�t do or didn�t put enough effort into.� Finally we have hints at a line of Pulp Fiction figures.� Sure, the Geoms are nice, but everyone is waiting for the real deal.� To hold us over until then, we have the Kill Bill figures.� A great line of figures, even without O-Ren.� But how am I ever going to afford an army of 88s ... ?
Packaging�
Clamshells!� Big surprise.
NECA has come a long way in the packaging department.� Does anyone remember the Christmas Story packaging?� (It looked like they designed it in the dark!)� The insert design for this series is a lot more bright and attractive � there�s no way to miss the Kill Bill logo staring at you in the aisle.
Inside, the figures are nicely displayed.� NECA even shows off some of their other
Kill Bill merchandise on the inserts.� (Anybody know where I can find a P.W. key chain?)� Nothing too original about the overall packaging, but NECA has stepped up their
quality to compete with both McFarlane and Mezco.
Great look, great design � an easy 5 stars.� As soon as someone develops an easy-open tab on these clamshells (like the twist key on Spam), I�ll have to give them 6 stars ... .
Sculpts�
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I�ve heard a lot of debate over the sculpts on this line.� Since the 88s are all the same basic figure, we�ll just review The Bride, Go-Go, and one Crazy 88.
A lot of complaints have been tossed out that The Bride looks bad, that Go-Go is unattractive � maybe some people need to re-watch the movie.� Go-Go has a giant nose in the movie and on the toy.� The Bride looks like Uma Thurman.� Don�t fault NECA for making their toys look like unattractive stars.� In my eyes, the sculpts are almost perfect � especially considering NECA's desire to do things the hard way and steer clear of the Real Scan technology.� (Or at least fix what has been scanned.)
The Bride is sculpted in her yellow jumpsuit.� Posed in mid-fight,
she looks great
up against the 88s.� The folds and wrinkles in her outfit are all there.� She looks
like Uma � maybe a little off from some angles, but without the real thing sitting next
to me to compare, I can�t complain. The only thing that bothers me is her hair.� It doesn�t seem to flow right.� It could be worse; it could be rooted hair.� The
Bride gets 4 stars for sculpting.
Go-Go looks just perfect � from her menacing look to her schoolgirl uniform and even to her white panties.� (You know you wanted to know.)� Her hair is a little off, like the Bride's, but maybe it�s just the mid-action pose NECA is trying to capture.� Go-Go also gets 4 stars.
The
Crazy 88s come in 3 styles:� Basically, 2 heads � one of the heads with two paint variations.�
So you can have your Crazy 88 assassin clean-shaven, bearded, or bald (Johnny Mo).� The head sculpts are
great.� These guys are ready to fight.� The bodies are all identical, and their action
feature in no way detracts from the sculpt.� (But we�ll get to that soon enough.)� The 88s get 5 stars.
Why?� Because I�m the Toyman.� No, really, it�s because they�re great army builders that have just enough of a difference that you don�t feel ripped off buying all three (or more).
Paint�
The paint's a little iffy.
Some of the washes are a little sloppy, particularly on the Bride. And the bearded 88�s painted beard looks pretty silly, almost like a twelve-year-old drawing on his first fake beard.� For the most part, the colors are all consistent.� There is no slop or overlap.� It would have been nice if the swords (and axes) were painted rather than chrome-plated, but what can you do?
So the few little inconsistencies only bring the paint score down to 4 stars.
Articulation�
-
Both Bride and Go-Go have 14 point of articulation (neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, ankles, and legs).� They both stand fine, even without their bases, and you can adjust their fighting stances without the cut joints looking too offensive.� NECA had mentioned giving them more articulation, but they had to cut back because of breakage issues � makes me wonder what could have been ... .
Four stars for these two!� Why?� Because they aren�t as much fun as the 88s!
The Crazy 88s have only 10 points of articulation (neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, and ankles).� Still pretty impressive.
The figures stand just
fine.� Which is a good thing when you start playing with them.�
The arms and heads
of the Crazy 88s are removable, just like in the film.�
There can be limbs flying
everywhere, recreating everyone�s favorite scene.� And if you want to have even
more fun, you can hook up the included tubing and bulb, fill it with �blood�
(actually disappearing red ink), and squirt blood from the newly severed limbs.�
Even though the blood-letting is more of an action feature, I'm including it
here because it affects the
articulation.
For pure fun, the 88s get 5 stars!� I�m sick, I know � but it�s so much fun!
Accessories�
The Bride comes with her sword, her scabbard, and a table leg (as well as a second hand, to hold it).� Perfect for swatting Go-Go with.
The Bride also comes with a blood-splattered section of the floor from the
House of Blue Leaves.� It fits nicely against the Crazy 88 bases and makes for a
wonderful effect.� There is a variation of the Bride with a snow base that was
originally supposed to connect to O-Ren�s base.�
Since we have no O-Ren
� thanks,
Lucy! � the second base, while well done, isn�t as entertaining.
Go-Go has O-Ren�s knife and sheath, a second set of hands, and her mace/ball-and-chain.� The mace has a real chain that attaches the ball to a section of plastic chain that fits in her hand.� It creates a nice mid-swing effect.� There is even a second ball so you can display the mace with blades in or out.
Go-Go also comes with a base.� It's not the same as the other bases, so it kind of stands out.� But it is well done.
The three Crazy 88's each come with two weapons and a base.� Each 88 comes with an axe and sword, as well as a bottle of �blood� and the squeeze bulb.� Johnny Mo (the bald 88) comes with an extra (movie-accurate) sword.
The 88s come with more
sections of the floor to the House of Blue Leaves. They fit nicely around the Bride, even if you do end up with a few gaps here and there.
NECA put a lot of thought into this line, and it shows.� For accessories, Kill Bill gets 5 stars.
Price�
With prices in the $13-15 range, the Kill Bill toys aren�t cheap.� The price reflects the property license, the market heat, and the pile of stuff you get with each one.� They aren�t overpriced.� And they're well worth the money (if you like Kill Bill, that is).
While the price could be better, it�s no surprise.� So I�ll give 4� stars here.
Overall Playability�
Anytime a toy company breaks the unwritten rule and produces a line based on an R-rated movie, I�m happy.� And the fact that we finally have figures based on a Tarantino property makes me ecstatic!� Despite all the moaning and groaning I�ve read (and the negative reviews as well), I�m happy.
The whole set looks great on the shelf, and I can�t wait for Series 2.
News:
Let�s see, what does everyone want to hear?
How about that Marvel Legends Series 6 is on its way.� The packaged figures have surfaced in Hong Kong � pics can be found on evil-Bay and various Marvel message boards � so hopefully we�ll have them in about a month.
The Jawa Sandcrawler Hasbro has teased us about for years will finally see release as an exclusive.� The lucky dealer?� Believe it or not, it's Diamond!� So we�ll finally be able to pick up everyone�s most requested re-issue � at the Dragon!
McFarlane has revealed the Conan line in all it�s glory at Spawn.com and is slowly releasing teaser images of the Clive Barker: Infernal Parade line.
Questions and Answers
This week's question comes from Ron, who asks:
What's your favorite toy/line of toys available now?
Well, Ron, that�s a tough one.
I love the new Muppets figures.� The Marvel Mini-Mates are a ton of fun. I picked up the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime last week (the first Transformer I�ve bought since I was a kid) and really think it�s great.� I finally picked up one of Mezco�s Gangsters Inc. figures and was blown away.� The detail's amazing, and the figure is huge!
I�ve become burned out on Star Wars.� And I�m down to only the random Lord of the Rings figures.� (The Witchking figure is awesome.)
DC Direct is so expensive I only pick up my random favs.
So, at this very moment, I�m going to have to say that the Mini-Mates are my favorite.� They have so much playability built into them.� Right now, Spidey is taking Mary Jane for a spin in the Hot Wheels 1/18th scale Batmobile, Green Goblin is harassing the Muppet Newsman, and the X-Men have raided the Swedish Chef�s kitchen.
As for upcoming figures, I�m really looking forward to the Scarface figures!� It�s about @#!& time!
Thanks for the question, Ron!
That�s all for now, toy fans!� See you next time!