Figures Toy Company has done something that I can’t help but applaud loudly:
They Improved!
While their first series of KISS action figures made me all giddy as you may recall these new figures blew me away. All of my complaints except for one has been addressed and corrected. In a totally backwards fashion I’ll go ahead and start with that one gripe just to get it out of the way.
That gripe? The packaging. Still huge. Takes up too much real estate and the card art is far from inspired. And the reproduction album jacket is still pretty lame. But honestly I could care less about those things because these bad boys demanded to be freed from their giant plastic prisons! I was more than glad to oblige.
The “Alive” series of KISS classic Mego style 8 inch action figures have improved heads and shoulders above the first series I reviewed back in 2012. New sculpts from the incredibly talented Farrow; the wonderfully stylized costumes that capture the essence of the “Alive” stage show; and last but most certainly not least the improvement in the stringing of the bodies. No longer are they twisted and tough to pose. These figures are most certainly ready to Rock N Roll all night and party every day!
Considering each character is its own personality it seems only fitting to devote time to each one Solo album style….Click on the corresponding Solo Album to get to the individual review.
The stress test – These things are TOYS.
In my Sheldon Cooper review I put the Bif Bang Pow body to the test by manhandling the figure. It passed with flying colors all to the Kid’s Bop version of “Can’t touch this”. This time however I had a much better stress tester; my 4 year old daughter. Actually I didn’t have a choice. She really wanted to play with these figures. Being that I’m not an over the top IT MUST REMAIN MINT CONDITION collector these days (and I love watching my daughter play) I said, you know what? Go for it baby! And she did.
The figures held up wonderfully. I’ll be honest I held my breath for the first few poses but by golly they took the playtime like true toys should. And that really, really impressed me. Not only was I pleased with the looks of the figures and felt that those positives alone justified the retail price, seeing my daughter actually PLAYING with them made my purchase completely satisfying.
Conclusion
How much do I like these new figures? So much now I and Kaitlynn want ‘em all! Except the Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer figures. Thanks to Paul I could really care less about those two. They are now scrubs and impostors in my eyes. I will say though that the sculpts do look really good and I’d venture to guess that the quality is up to par overall. For me though the characters have no nostalgic connection. If I want a spaceman I’ll buy another Darth Vader. If I want a Catman I’ll just do a gender swap and get a Catwoman.
Seriously though these figures are excellent and I will most certainly be saving my pennies to pick up the Dressed to Kill figures. Probably some extra sets actually so I can trade out the Love Gun and Hotter than Hell with these new sculpts. Still need the first album figures too. I also hope that Figures will continue the line with at least Dynasty. Sure it was a lack luster album but the costumes were sweet.
Be sure to click out all of the individual reviews including the review of Paul’s new book as well as my take on the KISS / Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Debacle.
Now, Go Play!
Jim 04/ 10/14
Buy via the links below and the Entertainment Earth gods will smile upon me.
8 Inch Figures
12 Inch Action Figures
Carrying Case
Show your KISS colors!
Fun Stuff
PLUSH
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