Sunday, March 3, 2013

Are The Brand New Star Wars 12 Inch Figures Already Dead?

Fresh off of Toy Fair 2013, the new Star Wars 12" figures are already dead. And by "dead", I don't mean the line was canceled or discontinued… I mean the figures are seriously dead. On their backs. In a tiny, stiff coffin. 

RIP Anakin.
I can see the appeal on the business side of this. Massive figures that have a retail price of a figure 1/3 of it's size. They'll dominate store shelves and catch the eye of the consumer. How could a parent resist paying $10 for a figure that size?

But in order to get the figures that cheap, everything has been sacrificed. I won't dive into paint or articulation or anything hardcore like that because those issues are irrelevant to the intended audience. There is just one major issue:

These figures are as lifeless as it gets.

Click through the jump for more images and thoughts.

Now, these are called action figures but Anakin has no action at all. Nor is there a single bend in his body. Anakin is posed in such a strict military attention stance that even Kim Jong Un would admire. He's straight up, with his arms straight down at his sides and jam packed into an open casket of a box. A box that's no wider than the figure and looks more like it should be housing an oversized toothbrush than an 12" action figure.


I don't think this looks as bad on a 3 3/4" figure. The upcoming limited articulation line reminds me of the classic 3 3/4" figures. It's nostalgic and simple. But as a 12" figure, the awkwardness at an all time high. Even the classic 12" figures had some breathing room between their arms and their torso.


The first series consists of Anakin and a Clone Trooper (who is also dead), but I noticed that Hasbro has a few more figures in this same 12" style… with some slight and significant differences.


Both Spider-Man and Iron Man may be dead, but at least it looks like they've died somewhat recently. They both have some tone and shape to their body (particularly in their arms), and they had the decency to give them a closed casket. Unlike the open box Star Wars figures, Iron Man had a plastic covering.

I know that I'm not the intended audience for these and I know that the pricepoint is the entire reason these exist, but I'd rather buy my son a $10 toy that he can actually play with. Unless he wants to take after me and bury his Star Wars toys in the backyard... which these would be perfect for.


3 comments:

  1. They DO look craptastic, but for 10 bucks, I'm sure the kiddies will be on board (or at least their parents!)

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  2. I saw these at Toys R Us the other day. They're $20 here. TWENTY DOLLARS. The Clone Trooper is less horrible than the Anakin, but still not worth $20.

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  3. I'll say this... the clone trooper's helmet is the BEST representation anywhere yet! This had to have come directly from the digital model at lucasfilm. I bought one just for the helmet. It makes the Gentle Giant version look completely stupid. So kudos on that. Otherwise they look like cigar store indians... just like the old ones. :)

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