48 replies to this topic

[Gothneo]

I don't know how many people here know or read MWC's toy review site, but IMO he's one of the better reviewers out there. Usually fairly objective and I like the fact that he reviews such a wide range of product, so I think it gives him a great base to comment from.

If I have any criticism, It might be that he can be a bit too generous. I don't think I've ever seen him give something a 1 or 1/2 star rating, and usually, if it rates much lower than 3 stars I find I don't like the product.

That being said, I don't see my self buying these based on the pictures and the scores they received.

At first, when I saw Sallahs picts of Nero, I was thinking this line may be good, but then I saw the rest... Kirk is especially bad, and Nero is obviously the best of the lot.

Worse is this comment...

Without those accessories, or if you aren't particularly interested in one or both playsets, you can drop another half star or more off the figures.

Which means that the overall score on the actual toy it's self breaks down as follows:

Overall - Nero **1/2; Old Spock, Spock, Uhura **; Kirk *

(and that's being generous and only taking the 1/2 star away instead of 1 full star!)

The other thing is, if your hoping to have fun posing these with Star Wars or G.I. Joe... it looks like they are not the same scale so forget about it!

You can read the review here! MWC's Toys

[TheHSBR]

All the stuff he talks about I think are flaws in the 6" line too. I havent seen many comparison pics but the pictures I have seen have the same boxy torso. Its funny that I really havent seen much difference from the initial protos that were released and the stuff we are seeing now on the shelves.

[New Frontier]

I don't actually see the big hoo-har he seems to have over these toys. the pics he presented to show scale between SW and ST are pretty bad - since a storm trooper is always going to be a little bigger, had he displayed it with the Luke sky walker figure or human figures from SW then the scale would have been fine - as for the figures themselves, i really don't see the big problem with them - they are toys meant for kids. I usually respect his opinions of toys but i think he's been a little unfair with these.

[JonWes]

I've got to agree with New Frontier. I don't really get what he's talking about with some of his points. It's a well-structured review but I can't agree with a lot of what he says. Honestly the likeness quality does depend on the paint job so while it is a fault there are good ones out there. I'm very happy with mine. The only dodgy one is Kirk. They are supposed to be working on it for future waves at least. As far as the boxy bodies.... doesn't really bother me. They are more barrel-chested then they should be, but maybe that was to make them more dynamic action-figure wise. I haven't figured out why they don't taper some at the waist though. Unless it's to hold the belt up but there had to be another way to do it. I mean, I do think it's weird at first but once you get them out of the package and start moving them around and playing with them they are tons of fun. If you're looking for a show-piece... these probably aren't going to be your cup of tea. And the plastic on the stands are fine. They are a softer plastic but they do their job well.

I just don't think these were made for collectors specifically. There are collectors who will love them but I can see why some wouldn't. The 6'' and 12'' lines are more collector-focused. I have to say I don't see a problem with the 6'' figures having boxy bodies. I don't own any but in-store they seem to taper down at the waist.

[thecapn]

I read it too...I always visit Michael's site when I get the time, he has interesting things to say and reviews a lot of items I would be tempted to get.

I agree with him that the accessories are a bit light, and the QC on the paint isn't so good. And the Kirk sculpt is pretty bad. I don't agree with the articulation though. I don't know what he's talking about with not fitting them in the chairs, they fit just fine for me. And the articulation is great, I think.

Take a look at this: DST figures have around 16 points on the newer bodies...ball head, shoulders, cut wrists, biceps, legs, waist, pin elbows, feet, and knees.

These guys have 14....cut head, ball shoulders, elbows, knees, cut wrists, waist, legs, pin feet.

Now come on. How can you fault that? I think it's excellent. Now I'm not collecting any other 3 3/4 line, but I think ball-joint hips would have been ugly and ultimately unnecessary.

I do agree that the stands are dumb. I think they should've made them with two holes in the feet and made the stand a clip for the transporter.

But I think he's being a little harsh. Pick one up, and play with it for a while, then pass judgement.

[Gothneo]

Well, It takes a really good figure to get a 4 star rating from MWC, and most of his stuff rates between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2, stars, which he pretty much puts the figures into except for the Kirk. So I don't think he's being too harsh... especially since I know many of his reviews to be a bit generous.

The great thing about his reviews is that he breaks down the paint, the articulation, the cost etc...

So you can see if it's a trend or really just one area that brings his over all score down.

But if you don't like his score that's ok! He's just one reviewer!

I am getting a chuckle though, because I'm now reading such ardent and defensive comments (about playmates) from people who aren't giving any quarter to other manufactures!

As it is, I've purchased many a product MWC has reviewed, and even done my own reviews on product he has later posted reviews for... and I find him to be generally in sync with my own tastes and thoughts.

That being said, toy reviewers are a bit like movie critics! They are all different, and you need to find one that is in sync with your style!

Oh, and TheHasbr, I think your right, from the pictures I'm seeing the 6" look terrible from the waist down!

I don't know if I'll be able to salvage anything from this toy line :-(

Also... MWC has a poll where readers can rate these...

AS of this writing the average reader is giving these sub 2 (out of 5 stars). MWC says his over all score for the set converts to a 3 out of 5, and from what I'm seeing that looks about right. But the average reader is scoring these even less then MWC! Which says they think he's being generous!

[thecapn]

Oh, and TheHasbr, I think your right, from the pictures I'm seeing the 6" look terrible from the waist down!

I agree...in fact I still hate the sculpted arrowheads too, so the 6" is a fail to me.

I guess I am a little defensive, for the simple reason that I LOOOVE this 3 3/4" scale. The TNG Galoob figures are among my favorites all-time. So I'm a bit defensive about these guys. And Michael does generally sync with my own thoughts most of the time

Here's something interesting for you guys - the Scotty that came with my Transporter's belt is a slightly different material than the ones in the packages...it's less tacky, so it doesn't hold up on the waist very well. I wonder if it's something across the board on the playset figures?

[JonWes]

Well, I wouldn't say asserting a different viewpoint is the same thing as being defensive...

As for Michael Crawford, that's why I said I think he's a good reviewer. He breaks it down and always has some reasoning behind his ratings. I just don't agree with his final assessment. BUT, to be fair his reviews are always from the mentality of a typical collector. Paint apps/articulation and such. And from that standpoint I think his criticisms are pretty valid though I do think some of it just comes down to personal preference. But to me I think of the audience these are meant for and the playability factor and I think that makes them successful. But I'd never try to convince a collector who wasn't into the look of them that they should buy them because I'd totally understand how some collector's wouldn't be into them.

I do wonder if this will be a situation reminiscent of when Hasbro brought Star Wars back with the barrel-chested Luke and monkey-faced Leia. Even they had a bit of a learning curve. Hopefully these will be successful with kids (as they will have to be to survive) and when later waves come out or the figures for the new movie come out Playmates can address some of the issues with this line and make something that both kids and adults can get into more.

[Gothneo]

Just be sure to vote on the reader poll and get the score up to let him know what you think!

I don't always agree with his reviews either, but I'm usually in the ball park! Like I said, it's one reviewer, and you can take it for what it's worth!

My big fear is that Playmates won't get any "Learning Curve" either they do well or they don't. If they don't and the next movie comes along in a year or two, it will be a tough sell to the retailers.

[sallah]

I think Crawford can be way off sometimes...and this is one of those times. I mean, he gave the UQS Indiana Jones 3 stars! That's one of the worst mainstream figures I've ever seen, and it's over $60. Plus, it got 3 stars in the sculpting department! The UQS body doesn' even look human!

Most of his complaints hinge on the body proportions it seems. I've seen alot of complaints from people saying 'the limbs are too skinny' and stuff like that. I really don't see that. I think that toy fans have gotten so accustomed to the hugely inflated, overly muscled body sculpts on figures these days that we've lost touch with how big a 'regular' person really is. I think the body proportions are pretty right-on with these... That being said, Kirk is definitely the worst of the bunch when it comes to the barrel chest, so please check out the other figures before judging by that one!

And just like any toy line, a good paint job goes a long way with likeness. I picked through a bunch and found really good likenesses on all, especially Spock and Scotty.

Sallah

[knightone]

I am getting a chuckle though, because I'm now reading such ardent and defensive comments (about playmates) from people who aren't giving any quarter to other manufactures!

I'm getting so tired of these Playmates apologists!

[Gothneo]

Ha! that made me laugh out loud Knightone!

Oh and Sallah, thanks for making my point on how overly generous MWC can be on his reviews sometimes!

No way would I rate the Indy UQS a 3 out of 4 stars...

[sallah]

Ha! that made me laugh out loud Knightone!

Oh and Sallah, thanks for making my point on how overly generous MWC can be on his reviews sometimes!

No way would I rate the Indy UQS a 3 out of 4 stars...

Maybe that backfired

What I mean to say is that he can judge one figure incredibly harshly (like I think he did with Trek) and go WAY easy on something that deserves a harsh review (like the UQS Indy). To call out the $7 Star Trek 3 & 3/4" for bad proportions (in his eyes) and give that horrendous $60 Indy a pass just baffles me.....

Sallah

[s8film40]

That second to last picture really says it all. Those figures all look great together, and I know there are going to be lots of Star Trek/Star Wars fans out there buying these up just to create some fantasy crossover scenes.

[Gothneo]

That second to last picture really says it all. Those figures all look great together.

I agree that they look fun together, especially with the Storm Trooper at the ENT controls! Very funny!

Oh and Sallah, I was pretty sure what you ment, but I couldn't help to make a whimsical jab at ya!

I haven't actually seen these in person yet, so, (as I've said all along) final judgment is reserved for that, and I talked with other friend who's opinion I highly respect, and he said they do look better in person then the picts.

He also gives the nod to the 3 3/4 scale, even though the detail and sculpts aren't quite as good in his opinion as the 6".

Still as a whole a 3 out 4 stars for these (which is what MWC rated them at overall) is pretty good on his scale...

He promises more reviews and picts all week, so lets see how he breaks down later waves!

...then you can hang him... burn him or whatever!

[Whirlygig]

He promises more reviews and picts all week, so lets see how he breaks down later waves!

Is he going to review the 6" versions? I am anxiously awaiting the day when all the negative nancies see that they are no worse than, if not better than, the 3.75". 6" are my top pick, and the thing I like most about them is the sculpted shirt pattern that everyone else hates. Without that, you have nothing to separate their uniforms from TOS.

[Gothneo]

Yep. Sure is... I think he posts reviews twice a week, so maybe wend or Thur we should see some more?

[bgiles73]

Have any of you noticed on the 6" figures that if you roll up their shirts you can see their abs? I'm just thinking about the custom Kirks that will be possible!

[sallah]

I'm just not getting some of the bashing on some of these reviews...I love these figures! I mean, check out Scotty in action!











I really don't see anything wrong in his sculpt or his proportions....maybe I'm just blind...

Sallah

[bgiles73]

There's nothing wrong with these figures at all and I'm sure once that movie hits theatres these will be making some cash for Playmates. I think the sour grapes thing going on is just people not wanting to buy another scale. I personally think this is the best thing yet and I know I will be buying multiples of all these. Just like I do with Star Wars. I know a few other collectors who are big into Star Wars that are now very interested in getting into Star Trek with the new movie and the 3 3/4" figures!