Watch the video for the short take and then read on for the long drawn out review you know and love me for
(rate and comment if you would so kind as well)
Who it is
Commander Adama from Bif Bang Pow’s Battlestar Galactica line of 8 inch classic style cloth costumed action figures.
Where it Came From
This particular specimen came as a gift from my Mego Museum Secret Santa. Man I love that place.
Why I’m writing this:
I loved this show as a kid. It was Star Wars but better because it was on TV every week! The toys had already gotten a bad rap because of the one kid who just had to choke on a missile but what ya gonna do? Plus outside of the ships which were not in scale with the figures, Mattel really created some boring and bland looking toys. But honestly, had Mego gotten the license I don’t think we would have seen anything much better.
The company had already moved away from the magical 8 inch format and was focusing on the new more cost effective, but poorly detailed, 3 and three quarter inch line as well. But that was then this is now.
Bif Bang Pow has once again fixed this gaff in my childhood by picking up the 8 inch retro ball and running with it. And while all 4 figures released so far (I consider the variant cylons as one figure) the leader of the pack is simply awes
Why it is I have a strange fascination with “Old Guy” figures is beyond me but I dig ‘em. And this particular figure is really sweet. Not only is he the heroic leader of the colonists, with the weight of his entire civilization on his shoulders, it’s also Lorne Greene man, in 8 inch form! But that doesn’t come without some critiques of the final product. But as always I like to look at the positive side of life first…ome to me.
The Good.
Moving away from my fan boy gushing I would like to draw your attention to the costume. If anything Bif Bang Pow does remarkably well is the layered look. As I pointed o
ut in my review of Dr. Orpheus from the Venture Bros. line I really appreciate what all is going on here in regards to really adding value for your buck. With a retail price tag of $22.99 it’s nice to get more than just a hunk of plastic. Let’s break him down shall we?
The Bad
My biggest gripe is the flesh tone. Commander Adama was never this pale. Watching clips from the show you see that Poppa Joe still had his radiant tan that was earned while riding the range at the Pondarosa Ranch, despite being sealed up on Galactica. This pale face look is what I believe takes away from the likeness of the sculpt. Also to note the paint for the hair color is wrong. But then again if the hair was the proper shade of white versus the grey that was used this Adama would look more like a Jedi ghost and we wouldn’t want to open up that copyright can of worms now would we?
The Ho-Hum
he card art is cool but honestly it bores me to tears. Each of the figures uses the exact same card back with the only deviation being the name and UPC sticker applied over the bottom corner. While I understand the need to cut costs to keep these dollies affordable I still feel just a little cheated here. Not enough to not buy the figure but the sameness of the cards doesn’t enforce my compulsive need to purchase two of each (one to keep carded and the other to open). Again this is more of a ho hum gripe than a real problem. One thing I do like however is that the card is compact in size like the latter series of Venture Brothers figures.
During the Shoot
As I was taking the pictures and video for this review a few things popped out. Well actually needed to be popped in. I thought the figures head looked a little odd in the packaging. As if Adama was trying to bury his chin deeply into his pimpin’ turtleneck. During the strip down I quickly noticed that the head was actually not all the way in the body. It was a quick fix and added a lot for the figures presentation.
Also to note there are a lot of threads hanging bout on the sleeves and pant legs of the now exposed cuffs on the body suit. Of course these are well hidden when the figure is fully assembled. Speaking of which, it was a bit of a bear in layering him back up. The sleeves and pant legs were quick to bunch up when booting the boots and overcoat back on.
I did like that you could adjust the cape to lay over the shoulder. Observing the figure from in the package I assumed that it was held in place with Velcro tabs. I’m happy to report that’s not the case. There is actually a strand of the silver ribbon / piping serving as the tie. Nice touch if you ask me.
In Conclusion
This line has taken some hard pot shots on the web and in some cases rightfully so. With that said however I won’t say that you shouldn’t buy this figure. If your like me you can appreciate what all is going right with it. However if you haven’t been bitten by the 8 inch classic style bug then I think you’d be much happier avoiding this line and cutting your teeth on a much more visually pleasing line such as the Venture Bros. Now, Go Play! – Jim 1/2/2012
Get yours today straight from the source at Entertainment Earth! Be sure to tell ‘em Jim sent ya!
Now, Go Play!
Jim 01/02/13
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