I think that, like many children of the 80's,
Indiana Jones is one of my favorite movie icons. As an action figure collector, I've always wanted a great plastic representation of this adventuring archaeologist. With the last, better off forgotten movie,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, we got a bunch of Indiana Jones merchandise including stuff from the older movies. As far as action figures, a bunch of 3-3/4" and 12" scale figures were released. That's all well and good, but as a 6"-7" collector, this just didn't cut it. More recently, the Good Smile Company produced a 6" Figma action figure, but due to some negative reviews and a high price tag, I've held off on getting it. There was however, another option.
In 2007-08, if you were willing to travel and go on an adventure, you could track down what was at the time, quite a treasure. By going to
Disneyland or
Walt Disney World and visiting the gift shop at the Indiana Jones stunt show, you could buy your very own exclusive 7" Indiana Jones action figure. Not having a time machine or a ticket to a Disney Park, I lucked out and came across my figure at a local collectibles/toy store. At a fair price of $25, which is twice the original price in parks but less than half the Figma price, I just had to pick it up and add it to my collection.
Does this still hold up as the great figure I was hoping for, or will I have to keep searching? Let's find out.
Package: This is one heck of a large toy package, although it's about the size of the Marvel Selects packages, but with a little less cardboard, so it's not that unusual. Considering everything you're getting, a lot of the space is being taken up, but it's still bigger than it needed to be. The package consists of plastic bubble and tray mounted onto a cardback. None of it is all that exciting, you have the Indiana Jones and Disney logos along with a sketch of Indiana on the front and a big picture of the figure on the back. There is no text with a description or information anywhere on the card.
If you're one to keep figures in the box, you'll at least have a clear view of the figure, if you take it out, you probably won't be able to reuse the package. No big loss, it really isn't that great.
Verdict: 3/10
Sculpt: The sculpt on this figure was handled by Gentle Giants, so that's usually some good news. They have a track record of doing a lot of really great sculpts for action figures and statues. When looking at this figure, there is no question as to who it's meant to be, but there are a few things that are a little wonky about it. The proportions just seem a little off. His feet are really big, at full scale his shoe size would have to be a 20 (in the U.S.) at least. His arms are maybe a bit too long and his stance is a little wide. The head, especially the chin, doesn't look quite right in profile. None of the proportions look terrible but they do throw off the look of the figure.
Other than those issues, the figure looks pretty good. The clothes hang well on the figure and have all the appropriate details and folds you would expect loose fitting clothes to have. That's not to say that his outfit looks too big on him, it's just that typically the action figure characters tend to have more form fitting garb.
Verdict: 7/10
Scale: At a 6.75" tall, the scale for this figure comes out to be 7"(1:10) scale. Since there aren't any other characters from this series (although there are other figures of Indiana Jones), there are no other figures to judge him against accept those from other toy lines. He fits in fairly well with most Marvel Selects, DC Collectibles, NECA, and Mezco 7" scale lines. It's obviously going to vary from figure to figure, but I don't really think he could have been sized any differently to fit in better.
Paint: The paint on this figure is all very well applied and looks good. For the most part all the color choices are perfect. The only real issue I have is with the skin tone. It's not as obvious in the pictures, but in person the skin has a lot of yellow to it. Side by side with some other figure it really stands out. Other than that, his clothes are all painted properly and there don't seem to be any important paint applications that were missed.
Verdict: 8/10
Articulation: There is quite a bit of articulation on this figure, but it could have used some more useful joints. Here is a list of what you get:
- Hinged neck
- Hinge and swivel shoulders
- Hinged elbows
- Swivel wrists
- Swivel waist
- Hinge and swivel hips
- Hinged knees
- Swivel ankles
The neck being just a hinge rather than ball joint, means that Indy is only able to look up or down, but not side to side. I have absolutely no idea why they would have designed a figure like this, 99.9% of all the figures I have come across have necks that allow for left to right movement over front to back, yet this one doesn't for some strange reason. It could have easily been done if the neck peg was round instead of square. Just bizarre.
The arms would have benefited from a swivel joint at the biceps or the elbows. The torso could use a ball joint or hinge, but I'm alright with out it. The legs definitely need another swivel joint at the hips or thighs, with what the figure has, it looks like he's playing hacky sack when his leg is lifted. The right leg is limited by holster, so you can't really bring it forward at all. As for the ankles, you can only turn them side to side a couple of degrees. Even with all these issues, you can still get quite a few nice poses out of this figure, it just could have been so much better.
Verdict: 6.5/10
Accessories: This area is a real highlight for the figure. There is no shortage of items for Dr. Jones to interact with. Here is what he comes packed with:
- Hat
- Whip
- Revolver
- Satchel (strap goes under jacket and is not easily removal)
- Gold idol
- Journal
- Antidote vial
- Scimitar (curved sword)
- Ruins display base w/ bamboo (separate piece)
All of these items are really great to have and are excellent to display with Indy. They are each very well sculpted and painted with the exception of the vial which went unpainted and just looks like a little brown tube. (It's sure to be lost very soon.) I was a little surprised the base didn't have pegs, but the figure doesn't have peg holes anyway. Luckily the figure has large feet and stands fine on his own. The gun, whip, book, and sword all fit nicely in his hands. I'm disappointed that the gun can't go in the holster though. Overall, a very nice assortment of accessories.
Verdict: 9/10
Quality Control: No real issues here. I wish the hat fit his hat better, but as fare as quality, everything is just fine.
Verdict: 9/10
Overall: Not a perfect figure, but I'm still very happy to have him. Just a few slight changes, especially with some of the articulation, and a would have loved him. For now I will continue to display him along with my other 7" scale figures and just appreciate that fact that I have this figure at all. It's not a one I'm likely to come across again at a reasonable price, so I'm glad I got him.
Verdict: 8/10
Click Here for a review of Marvel Select Amazing
Spider-Man 2 action figure.
Click Here for a review of Warrior Claw
Wolverine action figure.
Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles
Batman action figure.
Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles
Nightwing action figure.
Click Here for a review of
Talon and other action figures.
Click Here for a review of the DC Collectibles
Bizarro action figure.
Click Here for a review of the DC Multiverse '89
Batman action figure.
Click Here for a review of
Link from Legend of Zelda.
The opinions expressed by the HiddenLevel Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of HiddenLevel.org or anyone involved in the running of this site. HiddenLevel is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the Bloggers of this site.
The HiddenLevel Blog was founded as site for contributors to be able to express their opinions and share news about the interest they enjoy. The main purpose is to have fun.
Other sites are welcome to use the information found on this sit as long as credit and a link are provided. For and questions you may have or for further information about the site, please contact hiddenlevel.team@gmail.com
Wow! NECA is really delivering with there Aliens action figures. Next up is the monstrous Xenomorph Queen. This thing is HUGE and awesome looking. Definitely a great addition to anyone's Aliens collection. You'll need this one once NECA finally starts making some Ripley's.
Six new posters debuted this weekend for the Marvel/Disney movie Big Hero 6. In them, we get some clear views of the main heroes of the movie. When combined, the posters make one giant image.
If you're a fan of Lego and Game of Thrones then Citizen Brick has something your're going to love (and if you're willing to spend a chunk of change, you're going to want to buy). They have made some custom minifigures of the television versions of the characters from the epic fantasy saga. Citizen Brick doesn't have the license to make official GoT merchandise, but it is very clear as to who each figure is meant to represent. The line is instead given the name Dragon Sword Fighter Force.
When it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I have a hard time picking a favorite Turtle. I guess it really depends on the version of the green teens we're talking about. From the first movie and 2007's TMNT, my favorite would have to be Raphael. From the original cartoon show, I'd go with Michelangelo. As for the arcade and NES games, as well as the new IDW comic, I'd say Leonardo. With the Nicktoon, Donatello has risen to the top. With any version, I've always loved the dynamic between all four.
This is something that made the rounds on the internet a few months back, but somehow I missed it entirely. When I came across one of these images yesterday I was completely floored by how completely awesome it is. The idea of combining to of my favorite toy properties, Lego and Masters of the Universe, nearly made my mind explode. For those of you that haven't seen this before, don't get too excited. This is not something that is really being made, {BOOO, HISSS} these are custom figures and illustrations made by artist Gregos Thomas. Simply an amazing job. 
The following illustrations, by Rocky Davies, of iconic villains on some new wave style album covers are some of the most awesomely 80's things you'll ever see! I love the pop look that he gave each character, which include Dr. Doom, Joker, Shredder, and an Alien Xenomorph. The backgrounds, the fonts, the colors, everything just perfectly captures the era. 
This very cool looking Transformers Mecha Nations Megatron is available for preorder right now. There is also a Mecha Nations Black Convoy (Nemesis Prime) available. I really love the design of the Megatron, it looks like the classic 80's version. The price for these however is WAY out of my price range at arond $139.99 each for 7" tall figures, but it's still cool to look at. The light-up features for both really look outstanding. Unfortunately they do not transform.
From now until Jun 29th at the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, an exhibit called LEGO MEMORIES (Or A Man-Child's Recollection of the 80's Through Lego) will be on display. The artist responsible for this work in this show is Dan Shearn. The work itself consists of prints depicting different 80's era pop icons as Lego MiniFigures. Simply put, these pieces are stunning!
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trailer and character posters have been released! They give you a much better look at all the characters and gives you more fuel to either love or hate it. These are definitely going to be Turtles unlike any we've seen before.
