DSC_5888
Well, the surprises never end.
Being December 28th, I figured that there probably wasn't going to be much in terms of preplanned items actually showing up before 2020 - or any new items in general seeing how my options to run around and buy stuff are pretty limited when I'm traveling with my kid. However, just yesterday Canada Post finally delivered to me my sole Black Friday purchase, the Mezco Justice League Wonder Woman figure, purchased from HLJ and shipped the second cheapest possible option, SAL.
Hey what can I say.. I'm cheap.
Released in Fall 2018, I never did initially buy this figure because the price on this was pretty high (as is all recent MAFEX stuff), but at 20% off it was at an acceptable level. But I had always wanted to, as nobody I spoke to did actually own it, and it irked me that in the consideration for fan favourite female figure (FFFF) of the year at this scale, the Mezco one was picked over this or hell, even the Figuarts one, which had a pretty bad face sculpt, but is really, really articulated. So.. just how did things pan out? Read on to find out.
The set comes with the figure itself with "leather" bandolier, two total headsculpts (neutral expression/hair relaxed, focused expression/hair blowing backwards), her sword, her shield, coiled and kind of uncoiled Lasso of Truth, a Mother Box, a variety of hands including those dedicated for holding the accessories, and a dynamic stand.
From an accuracy perspective, I feel that the base of the neck should have been wider to reflect the stupid amounts of exercise she does to get into superhero shape, she needs less of a square jaw, the angle of the eyes needs to be adjusted so they are slanting upwards slightly, and her nose needs to be slightly widened. Of the two sculpts, the focused sculpt is definitely the more accurate of the two.
So.. a bit of history on the available Gal Gadot Wonder Woman 1:12-ish releases. IIRC, here's what has been offered:
Mezco One:12 based on the Wonder Woman movie
S.H. Figuarts based on the Justice League movie
Mafex with three entries - BvS, Wonder Woman, and of course, Justice League
The Mezco and both Justice League offerings were available in 2018, at various points in time, and the Mafex offering being last to arrive on site. While I don't have the Figuarts one, I do have the Mezco one and the BvS Mafex version, so I can speak with some knowledge when it comes to comparison and contrast.
When comparing the Mafex versions, the BvS version wasn't a bad figure, but didn't even have an iota of resemblance to Gal Gadot. The summary of the remaining figures can be stated as follows: other than cosmetic changes here and there (including either whiter plastic or actual paint on the uncovered flesh areas), the biggest most notable change would be that the headsculpts have improved, with the latest iteration being probably the most dramatic improvement due to the use of the face printing technology and a new sculpt (including the inclusion of excellent hair detailing) that actually looks like it was made by someone who cared. The body itself, however, doesn't seem to have shown any actual improvements. So really, the BvS version has nothing on the JL version, and as such there's no really need to dwell much on it any more.
When comparing the the JL Mafex, and the Mezco offering, note that NONE of them have nailed the Gal Gadot visage on the nose, but there's no way in hell anyone who isn't blind can say that the Mezco JL doesn't look far closer to its intended target, especially the angry face. I'm also somewhat at a loss at the number of reviews that claim that if you look at the Mezco the right way, you can see Gadot. I've tried and tried, but my imagination seems to be broken. Proportionally the Mezco does not seem to be in line with the actress either, with a head that is much too large for its neck, something that fortunately Hela doesn't suffer from.
From an articulation perspective, the Mafex body isn't the greatest, but it's still at least more articulated than the Mezco body - Figuarts are still the winners from this perspective, but at the cost of various panels and folds that aren't everyones cup of tea. You can argue that the Mezco body doesn't have gaps in the shoulders and hips like the Mafex, but that's because IT CAN'T POSE. The joints of the Mezco body are pretty basic, and are in line with what you'd get on a Marvel Legends figure, and I'm not sure if I should say Mezco is basic, or that Legends is punching way above it's weight class. I get the lack of upper torso swivel for the purposes of maintaining the look of the armour, but the lack of a waist is just a slap in the face that continues even to this day. Like the Mezco, the Mafex features a skirt made of a more pliable material (in this case a softer plastic) that allows more greater range of motion in the legs. On a related note, the hair on the two sculpts are also quite pliable, allowing for more poses though honestly, sticking with the angry face is the way as the hair is very much a non factor as compared to the neutral sculpt.
The Mezco does, however, flex its superiority in the smaller details, specifically the detailing of the armour and accessories, and the paint finish including glossy eyes. All the more infuriating, as all this potential wasted on a figure that is very much a statue. We'll come back to this in the appropriate section. First, articulation.
The Mafex Wonder Woman body (and I'm going to guess female body) offers the following points of articulation: rotating ankles with some pivoting function, double jointed knees, hips with a pull down joint to improve range of motions, waist, mid torso, ball joint/swivel joint combo shoulders to allow for rotation function as well as chest collapse and bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, hands on a rotating joint with peg connectors, and a double ended ball joint for connecting the head to the body, which allows for a wide range of pivoting, twisting, and tilting. Range of motion on the figure is pretty good, though, as mentioned, not as good as the Figuarts offerings in the shoulders and the elbows. But, as the photo shows, the Mafex offering is freaking Gumby compared to what the Mezco can do.
Paint wise, I have to admit, I'm somewhat disappointed in. As mentioned above, the paint work on the Mezco overall is admittedly much cleaner than on the Mafex, which aren't exactly known for their paint quality The good news is that the overall paint isn't bad on the Mafex. She generally has an even complexion across her body (though unfortunately it's not the bronze that Gadot actually has) though there are stories through the years about changes like this to make the figure more appealing to the Japanese and Asian markets. The glossy red on her armour is fantastic, and is applied cleanly with no overspray observed. Even the major gold and silver paint apps aren't too shabby either. At this point, however, is where things start to go downhill. Paint masking is hit and miss, and when they miss, it's immediately noticeable. There's the slits on her boots, where the gold eagle meets her bust line, the various leather straps (though to be fair, at least these are poor masking jobs on moulded details as opposed to just a paint app).
My biggest beef would be the face sculpts themselves. The good news is that the actual sculpt itself, along withe hair, made it intact from prototype to finished product. There is loss of intensity in the eyes, the bright red lipstick was dropped, along with the gold and silver headband, opting for just gold, which is doubly odd to me because other areas of her body feature the silver/gold combo. But, I will give credit for, as mentioned, giving her an actual complexion. Despite these short comings, like with Figuarts Widow sculpt, I feel they capture the actor and I'd be proud to tell people I travel around with a mini Gal Gadot in my pocket.. or at least I would if I wasn't so paranoid about paint wear.
Build quality is an interesting one to talk about. Mafex are made by Medicom, who are not exactly known for having the best materials in their 1:6 figures, which also is an issue here. Plastics used aren't as soft as the North American figures such as the NECA stuff, but it is softer than say a Figuarts. A good example of this would be the back of her right knee, which is warped. Not that it would affect articulation or stability, but it looks terrible. On the other hand, I guess I should thank Medicom for using such soft plastic because if you look closely, half of my photos have a left foremar that is backwards, and I had to rotate the entire piece to get it back in place, something that only the pliability of the plastic made possible. Assembly seams are readily seen, such as on the thighs, which is indicative of a poor job. Fortunately, there's no issues with the figure falling apart, joints failing to hold poses, or uneven limb lengths. Weapon gripping hands do their job, with the sword holding hands better made than the ones meant for holding the uncoiled Lasso of Truth.
So overall, the figure isn't perfect, but I firmly believe that it's a better offering than the Mezco release for articulation and resemblance to the actor, both which are kind of important for an action figure based on a live action movie. It's certainly a move in the right direction for Mafex, and gets me excited for what offerings and improvements Mafex may offer for the upcoming Wonder Woman 84 movie releases. If I can figure out a way to transport her without worrying about damage, you can be certain to see some adventures involving Nat and Wonder Woman in the future.
Lets see if I can get in another one or two reviews before the new year.
DSC_5888
Well, the surprises never end.
Being December 28th, I figured that there probably wasn't going to be much in terms of preplanned items actually showing up before 2020 - or any new items in general seeing how my options to run around and buy stuff are pretty limited when I'm traveling with my kid. However, just yesterday Canada Post finally delivered to me my sole Black Friday purchase, the Mezco Justice League Wonder Woman figure, purchased from HLJ and shipped the second cheapest possible option, SAL.
Hey what can I say.. I'm cheap.
Released in Fall 2018, I never did initially buy this figure because the price on this was pretty high (as is all recent MAFEX stuff), but at 20% off it was at an acceptable level. But I had always wanted to, as nobody I spoke to did actually own it, and it irked me that in the consideration for fan favourite female figure (FFFF) of the year at this scale, the Mezco one was picked over this or hell, even the Figuarts one, which had a pretty bad face sculpt, but is really, really articulated. So.. just how did things pan out? Read on to find out.
The set comes with the figure itself with "leather" bandolier, two total headsculpts (neutral expression/hair relaxed, focused expression/hair blowing backwards), her sword, her shield, coiled and kind of uncoiled Lasso of Truth, a Mother Box, a variety of hands including those dedicated for holding the accessories, and a dynamic stand.
From an accuracy perspective, I feel that the base of the neck should have been wider to reflect the stupid amounts of exercise she does to get into superhero shape, she needs less of a square jaw, the angle of the eyes needs to be adjusted so they are slanting upwards slightly, and her nose needs to be slightly widened. Of the two sculpts, the focused sculpt is definitely the more accurate of the two.
So.. a bit of history on the available Gal Gadot Wonder Woman 1:12-ish releases. IIRC, here's what has been offered:
Mezco One:12 based on the Wonder Woman movie
S.H. Figuarts based on the Justice League movie
Mafex with three entries - BvS, Wonder Woman, and of course, Justice League
The Mezco and both Justice League offerings were available in 2018, at various points in time, and the Mafex offering being last to arrive on site. While I don't have the Figuarts one, I do have the Mezco one and the BvS Mafex version, so I can speak with some knowledge when it comes to comparison and contrast.
When comparing the Mafex versions, the BvS version wasn't a bad figure, but didn't even have an iota of resemblance to Gal Gadot. The summary of the remaining figures can be stated as follows: other than cosmetic changes here and there (including either whiter plastic or actual paint on the uncovered flesh areas), the biggest most notable change would be that the headsculpts have improved, with the latest iteration being probably the most dramatic improvement due to the use of the face printing technology and a new sculpt (including the inclusion of excellent hair detailing) that actually looks like it was made by someone who cared. The body itself, however, doesn't seem to have shown any actual improvements. So really, the BvS version has nothing on the JL version, and as such there's no really need to dwell much on it any more.
When comparing the the JL Mafex, and the Mezco offering, note that NONE of them have nailed the Gal Gadot visage on the nose, but there's no way in hell anyone who isn't blind can say that the Mezco JL doesn't look far closer to its intended target, especially the angry face. I'm also somewhat at a loss at the number of reviews that claim that if you look at the Mezco the right way, you can see Gadot. I've tried and tried, but my imagination seems to be broken. Proportionally the Mezco does not seem to be in line with the actress either, with a head that is much too large for its neck, something that fortunately Hela doesn't suffer from.
From an articulation perspective, the Mafex body isn't the greatest, but it's still at least more articulated than the Mezco body - Figuarts are still the winners from this perspective, but at the cost of various panels and folds that aren't everyones cup of tea. You can argue that the Mezco body doesn't have gaps in the shoulders and hips like the Mafex, but that's because IT CAN'T POSE. The joints of the Mezco body are pretty basic, and are in line with what you'd get on a Marvel Legends figure, and I'm not sure if I should say Mezco is basic, or that Legends is punching way above it's weight class. I get the lack of upper torso swivel for the purposes of maintaining the look of the armour, but the lack of a waist is just a slap in the face that continues even to this day. Like the Mezco, the Mafex features a skirt made of a more pliable material (in this case a softer plastic) that allows more greater range of motion in the legs. On a related note, the hair on the two sculpts are also quite pliable, allowing for more poses though honestly, sticking with the angry face is the way as the hair is very much a non factor as compared to the neutral sculpt.
The Mezco does, however, flex its superiority in the smaller details, specifically the detailing of the armour and accessories, and the paint finish including glossy eyes. All the more infuriating, as all this potential wasted on a figure that is very much a statue. We'll come back to this in the appropriate section. First, articulation.
The Mafex Wonder Woman body (and I'm going to guess female body) offers the following points of articulation: rotating ankles with some pivoting function, double jointed knees, hips with a pull down joint to improve range of motions, waist, mid torso, ball joint/swivel joint combo shoulders to allow for rotation function as well as chest collapse and bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, hands on a rotating joint with peg connectors, and a double ended ball joint for connecting the head to the body, which allows for a wide range of pivoting, twisting, and tilting. Range of motion on the figure is pretty good, though, as mentioned, not as good as the Figuarts offerings in the shoulders and the elbows. But, as the photo shows, the Mafex offering is freaking Gumby compared to what the Mezco can do.
Paint wise, I have to admit, I'm somewhat disappointed in. As mentioned above, the paint work on the Mezco overall is admittedly much cleaner than on the Mafex, which aren't exactly known for their paint quality The good news is that the overall paint isn't bad on the Mafex. She generally has an even complexion across her body (though unfortunately it's not the bronze that Gadot actually has) though there are stories through the years about changes like this to make the figure more appealing to the Japanese and Asian markets. The glossy red on her armour is fantastic, and is applied cleanly with no overspray observed. Even the major gold and silver paint apps aren't too shabby either. At this point, however, is where things start to go downhill. Paint masking is hit and miss, and when they miss, it's immediately noticeable. There's the slits on her boots, where the gold eagle meets her bust line, the various leather straps (though to be fair, at least these are poor masking jobs on moulded details as opposed to just a paint app).
My biggest beef would be the face sculpts themselves. The good news is that the actual sculpt itself, along withe hair, made it intact from prototype to finished product. There is loss of intensity in the eyes, the bright red lipstick was dropped, along with the gold and silver headband, opting for just gold, which is doubly odd to me because other areas of her body feature the silver/gold combo. But, I will give credit for, as mentioned, giving her an actual complexion. Despite these short comings, like with Figuarts Widow sculpt, I feel they capture the actor and I'd be proud to tell people I travel around with a mini Gal Gadot in my pocket.. or at least I would if I wasn't so paranoid about paint wear.
Build quality is an interesting one to talk about. Mafex are made by Medicom, who are not exactly known for having the best materials in their 1:6 figures, which also is an issue here. Plastics used aren't as soft as the North American figures such as the NECA stuff, but it is softer than say a Figuarts. A good example of this would be the back of her right knee, which is warped. Not that it would affect articulation or stability, but it looks terrible. On the other hand, I guess I should thank Medicom for using such soft plastic because if you look closely, half of my photos have a left foremar that is backwards, and I had to rotate the entire piece to get it back in place, something that only the pliability of the plastic made possible. Assembly seams are readily seen, such as on the thighs, which is indicative of a poor job. Fortunately, there's no issues with the figure falling apart, joints failing to hold poses, or uneven limb lengths. Weapon gripping hands do their job, with the sword holding hands better made than the ones meant for holding the uncoiled Lasso of Truth.
So overall, the figure isn't perfect, but I firmly believe that it's a better offering than the Mezco release for articulation and resemblance to the actor, both which are kind of important for an action figure based on a live action movie. It's certainly a move in the right direction for Mafex, and gets me excited for what offerings and improvements Mafex may offer for the upcoming Wonder Woman 84 movie releases. If I can figure out a way to transport her without worrying about damage, you can be certain to see some adventures involving Nat and Wonder Woman in the future.
Lets see if I can get in another one or two reviews before the new year.