I was totally stoked about this guy
from the second I saw him during the SDCC coverage. I am a big fan of
this size and format of MOTUC figures and couldn’t wait to get
another one. Especially one with four arms.
My excitement about Procrustus stemmed
purely from his appearance. I don’t know dick about the character,
and even after reading the bio I’m not too clear about what the
deal is. I think he’s sort of like Atlas and Zeus rolled into one
or something. I dunno. I think he showed up in one of the old
minicomics.
Okay, so back to Procrustus.
He looks like a giant, four-armed mud
Jesus designed by Ray Harryhausen. Also, the picture I took of this
guy for Instagram is my second favorite after this one from the
Cypress Hill show:
I’ll show you the one of Procrustus at
the end of the review.
First Glance: Even though
I’ve had Megator – one of my favorites from the line – and
Tytus standing on my shelf for a while now, I was still impressed by
the sheer size of this figure when I opened it. When is the last time
we had such a range of sizes within a single line? I’m sure there
have been more, but the one that leaps to mind is the Inhumanoids
from the 80’s.
Side Note: A pet
passion that I never pursue is collecting the Inhumanoids line. I had
one of the humans when I was a kid – the yellow underwater guy –
and none of the monsters. I think they freaked my mom out. None of
the toys are horribly
expensive now, but there’s always something modern that I want
more. If there were still toy shops around like there were 10-15
years ago I probably would have made some progress. Someday I will. I
really want those toys.
Articulation: Procrustus
features the same articulation as the other giants in the MOTUC line.
Well, mostly.
Head – ball joint
Shoulders – ball joint
Biceps – swivel
Elbows –pivot
Wrists – swivel
Waist - swivel
Hips – t-joint
Knees – pivot
These large figures have fewer points
of articulation than the smaller ones, but I’m okay with that. Not
only would added joints make them even heavier, it would make it more
difficult to stand them up. The main missing joints are the ankles,
thighs, and abdomen. At this scale those would likely become loose
over time (or even arrive loose) and you would never be able to get
these guys to stand. I’ve got a 12” Captain America from Toy Biz
that is very nice, but has so many joints that have loosened up over
time that he’s now sort of hunched over and leaning on another toy
for support. You can finagle him into standing up, but he isn’t
going to stay that way.
Procrustus’ additional arms plug into
his upper back and actually have quite a good range of motion. They
look good up in the air or simply hanging down in repose.
The rest of the figure’s joints are
tight and functional. His head has a good range of movement despite
the longer hair.
Sculpt: Procrustus
features more new parts than I realized. He has a new head, new
hands, two new arms, a new torso, and a new skirt/belt. He uses Megator’s
hands on his extra arms and uses his legs as well.
The back arms are just the front arms used again, but that's perfectly fine. The angles are different enough that it's obvious at a glance.
Procrustus is a hollow figure, similar
to rotocast vinyl toys (not sure if he’s actually made that way).
The head has thick, muddy layers of
hair with a craggy, bearded face underneath. The Four Horsemen have
once again managed to sculpt a lot of personality into a face, as
this one looks like a powerful and weary titan.
The torso is all crusty and earthy
(eterniany?) and has sockets in the back for the extra arms. Each arm
has its own differently-sized peg to attach to so you don’t get
confused like the five-year-olds that assemble other Mattel products.
It’s interesting to note the slight
difference in proportions between these large figures and the regular
sized MOTUC. Everything is slightly elongated. I’m sure this has to
do with balance. It isn’t good or bad or anything else, just
something I’ve noticed and hadn’t brought up before. Actually,
maybe it is good. It distinguishes these from just being one-ups of
the regular figures. They have their own aesthetics and seem slightly
more alien when compared to the “regular” characters.
Coloring: Procrustus has
a fantastic color. It looks like clay or earth with all kinds of
particulates. I love how this was achieved and give huge props to the
Matty design team for not just making him brown. This coloring is
what makes the whole figure a success. It just looks amazing.
The darker bracers and belt also add to
the look of the figure. They break up the monotone earthen color and
lend the arms a bit more imposition.
The white eyes are absolutely haunting.
They give Procrustus’ face a look of being timelessly wise and
somehow unknowable. In the production photos I was a little concerned
it would make him look too much like a golem or some kind of
inanimate automaton, but it doesn’t. It really works in person.
Flair: Procrustus has
two additional arms and a new skirt.
The arms attach securely to the sockets
on the figure’s new torso.
They look good in pretty much any
position, which is a neat trick for a couple of arms sticking out of
his shoulder blades. They are even designed to be able to hang down
in a neutral position, which I like.
The skirt resembles Procrustus’ hair,
which makes me think that maybe it is supposed to be this guy’s
equivalent of the standard MOTU furry loincloth. It looks good and is
topped by the standard-style MOTU belt. I do think the skirt could
stand to be just a bit longer, as many of the pictures I took ended
up being upskirt shots.
Accessories: Procrustus
comes with the Star Seed.
It’s a translucent yellow ball and he
can sort of cradle it in one of his arms. It looks neat. I don’t
know enough about the character to know if he should or could have
weapons, but I guess a yellow ball is okay. It feels like a solid acrylic and isn't just some cheap-o thing.
Packaging: A nice
Masters-themed window box. Matty’s packaging for the larger-scale
MOTUC items is some of the classiest in the business. Well, among
more standard-priced fare, anyway.
Here’s his bio:
That's a pretty epic bio. And it bums me out.
Value: I have no problem
paying forty bucks for these big-ass figures. Once you get past the
regular figure prices I feel that the rest of the MOTUC line is a
bargain. Thirty bucks for beasts and forty bucks for giants is A-OK
by me.
Overall: Procrustus is
awesome. The Horsemen and the Matty design team did a fantastic job
on him and he’s one of those figures that I think any toy collector
could appreciate. He’s huge and carries a certain mythological
quality that I think is universal.
5
out of 5
You can check out eBay and BigBad if
you’d like to own this guy, but I bet you’ll be able to find him
pretty cheap if you can wait for con season to start. Or maybe even
give it a year. He isn’t an essential figure and may be overlooked
by many.
Here's that Instagram picture:
Pretty cool.
-Phantom
Hmm, never really wanted this guy; until now. I should not read these reviews.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I hear you man! Phantom has a way of making me want MOTUC figures.
DeleteHe's a really great figure. Definitely pick him up if you find one for a reasonable price. And if my persuasive skills are what you say they are I think I should be in another line of work...
Delete