DSC_3949
Moving right along, we have what I would call a typical Hot Toys figure - Antman from Antman & The Wasp.
After the disaster that was the Civil War version of Ant Man, it was hoped that for the sequel to the original movie, Hot Toys would release a figure that was a return to the level of excellence set by the first iteration of the character, which really only had the issue of a restrictive body suit.
I don't remember much about the Civil War toy, but I do recall how bad everyone felt that the head sculpt was. The body suit was better than the first toy, allowing for some sort of posing capability.
Surely they could do it, right?
Well seeing how this figure is old now, if you didn't get the memo before, well spoiler alert - no not really.
Thing start off well enough. AS you'd expect the suit itself is good, visually recreating the on screen character quite well. Paint work is excellent particularly the silver parts, which are obviously meant to represent metal parts. I believe it's a high gloss silver paint, but whatever it is, it looks fantastic and actually has a mirror like finish Helmet features lights that illuminate the interior so you can see the eyes - I think this was present on the other ones as well, but whatever the case is, the batteries certainly last longer than
Articulation is decent. You're not going to pull off any Black Widow style poses, but there's some options. Overall, about what you'd get with Batgirl, which is honestly pretty good for a figure that is enclosed in a non elastic sock suit. The lack of any hoses and such along the back of the helmet I'm confident helped with the articulation as well. You get some torso articulation, but overall it's a padded brick.
The accessories are... OK, I guess. I mean, you get a mini Ant Man figure, two discs (one red, one blue, which I believe symbolize the difference between an expanding and a shrinking activation), and the lab in its travel suitcase form, complete with your choice of long or short handle, but oddly no hand to actually grip it with.
That head sculpt though... wow. Everyone was kind of hoping for something like the first one - partial Paul Rudd face inside an open visor, but it seems that since Civil War the suit was upgraded to the helmet would completely retract when not in use, exposing the actors entire head. When the Civil War head came out, the shape was right, but the facial features were was off, even by Hot Toys standards. Personally, I felt it looked like Joshua Jackson.
Well for their second attempt I think it's safe to say that the overall shape and facial structure isn't bad, and the eyes are off but man.. that facial expression. It truly is something to behold. I'm confident Hot Toys was aiming for that Rudd charm, perhaps a bit of a smirk, but they went full on psycho smile, teeth and all.
It's one of those "so bad it's good" faces that I actually now own two of them.
In all seriousness, I can understand why so many body suited Marvel figures get bought and sold so quickly - once you've tired of a particular look, you've basically said it has worn out its welcome.
And that's the time I strike....
DSC_3949
Moving right along, we have what I would call a typical Hot Toys figure - Antman from Antman & The Wasp.
After the disaster that was the Civil War version of Ant Man, it was hoped that for the sequel to the original movie, Hot Toys would release a figure that was a return to the level of excellence set by the first iteration of the character, which really only had the issue of a restrictive body suit.
I don't remember much about the Civil War toy, but I do recall how bad everyone felt that the head sculpt was. The body suit was better than the first toy, allowing for some sort of posing capability.
Surely they could do it, right?
Well seeing how this figure is old now, if you didn't get the memo before, well spoiler alert - no not really.
Thing start off well enough. AS you'd expect the suit itself is good, visually recreating the on screen character quite well. Paint work is excellent particularly the silver parts, which are obviously meant to represent metal parts. I believe it's a high gloss silver paint, but whatever it is, it looks fantastic and actually has a mirror like finish Helmet features lights that illuminate the interior so you can see the eyes - I think this was present on the other ones as well, but whatever the case is, the batteries certainly last longer than
Articulation is decent. You're not going to pull off any Black Widow style poses, but there's some options. Overall, about what you'd get with Batgirl, which is honestly pretty good for a figure that is enclosed in a non elastic sock suit. The lack of any hoses and such along the back of the helmet I'm confident helped with the articulation as well. You get some torso articulation, but overall it's a padded brick.
The accessories are... OK, I guess. I mean, you get a mini Ant Man figure, two discs (one red, one blue, which I believe symbolize the difference between an expanding and a shrinking activation), and the lab in its travel suitcase form, complete with your choice of long or short handle, but oddly no hand to actually grip it with.
That head sculpt though... wow. Everyone was kind of hoping for something like the first one - partial Paul Rudd face inside an open visor, but it seems that since Civil War the suit was upgraded to the helmet would completely retract when not in use, exposing the actors entire head. When the Civil War head came out, the shape was right, but the facial features were was off, even by Hot Toys standards. Personally, I felt it looked like Joshua Jackson.
Well for their second attempt I think it's safe to say that the overall shape and facial structure isn't bad, and the eyes are off but man.. that facial expression. It truly is something to behold. I'm confident Hot Toys was aiming for that Rudd charm, perhaps a bit of a smirk, but they went full on psycho smile, teeth and all.
It's one of those "so bad it's good" faces that I actually now own two of them.
In all seriousness, I can understand why so many body suited Marvel figures get bought and sold so quickly - once you've tired of a particular look, you've basically said it has worn out its welcome.
And that's the time I strike....