NEEDLESS THINGS' ZENESCOPE WONDERLAND CONTEST!
Be sure to listen to Episode 41 of the Needless Things Podcast for your opportunity to win today's figure, as well as a bunch of other great stuff from Zenescope Entertainment! More details coming soon!
When I
first started talking to the Zenescope rep about covering stuff on
the site I pointed out that our main thing was toys, so if Zenescope
ever put out toys we’d love to review them. Sure enough, Zenescope
is now producing figures. They have a line of Minimates and hopefully
I’ll get to check those out at some point, but they’re also
releasing 6” scale figures sculpted by a guy that’s a true legend
in the field of comic book action figures – Clayburn Moore!
You guys
know I put a heavy emphasis on articulation, but the MAC figures I
own are some of the best-looking in my collection. As an added bonus,
they are made of sturdy materials and don’t explode when they fall
over like some other companies’ products do.
With
Zenescope’s emphasis on sexy ladies, there was no better choice to
design their action figures than Moore.
Personally
I am anticipating a figure of Sela from Grimm
Fairy Tales, but there was
no better way to kick off the line than with Alice from Wonderland.
She’s one of the more easily recognizable characters from
Zenescope’s roster and is a solid choice as a gateway for new
collectors.
FIRST
GLANCE
I
didn’t know that Clay Moore was doing these, but as soon as I had
Alice in hand I recognized his work. There’s just no mistaking his
style and attention to detail. This figure will fit right in with the
older MAC releases.
It’s
refreshing to see the bright colors of the packaging and of the
figure itself. I love my DC Collectibles figures, but visits to the
comic shop tend to be pretty subdued and drab as far as toys go. It
would be nice to see something like this in my pull box.
PACKAGING
I
won’t say that all it takes is packaging to make a good first
impression on me, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction
to have a traditional blister card. When I see clamshells I think,
“Ugh”, and “Ugh” is not the first word you want me to relate
to your toy. The graphics on the card are bright, clear, and
eye-catching. The comic book included with the figure does a nice job
of providing character-specific art. The blister itself seems
unnecessarily gigantic, but otherwise this is a solid box.
Since
many toy collectors might be unfamiliar with Wonderland
and this iteration of Alice, I think it might have been a good idea
to include a bio on the back. But the blurb about Moore was
definitely a good call. And I suppose the included Wonderland
#1 should do a good job of explaining the character. I am happy to
see there are plans for Sela. A visit to Moore’s
website
reveals that Calie and the Queen of Hearts are on the way first,
though.
LOOKS
Rather
than specifically adapting the art of the comic book, this figure is
done in what I would consider to be the “Moore Style”. This isn’t
a bad thing, as it faithfully represents the character while allowing
it to be compatible with previous Moore figures. This makes both fans
of Zenescope’s comics and collectors of Moore’s figures happy.
And you definitely want to chase both demographics.
The
head sculpt looks great. The hair has a clear style and definition.
Alice’s face is pretty heavily made up, but retains the innocence
the character should have. The paint is fantastic.
The shading on the hair is well done and the placement of the apps is
precise. There are plenty of companies who do a fine job of putting
the colors in the right spots, but the details on this figure’s
head are truly noteworthy.
The
rest of the figure is a cleanly sculpted combination of anatomical
and wardrobe improbabilities. Alice’s body is a trademark example
of the aesthetic preferences of both Moore and Zenescope. Only cut
joints are used, so everything is smooth and rounded – unbroken by
the usual kinds of articulation.
The
detail in Alice’s clothing is just as precise as that of her head.
All of the lace, ties, and panels are well defined. Even without the
paint the details would be clear. I appreciate it when sculptors
don’t leave the details to paint. The clothing also has a nice
thickness. The points where it lays on Alice’s skin are
significantly raised. Again – Moore wasn’t leaving it to the
paint to define things.
This
is the part where I have to talk about panties. Because there’s no
way to look at this figure without thinking, “Well, you sure can
see her panties”. These, too, are clearly defined and have enough
of a coat of white paint to work. White on top of any color is a
tough thing to get right because it just never seems thick enough. In
this case the paint app got the job done.
The
stockings are solid too, except for a bit of missing paint at the top
of the right one. It isn’t hugely noticeable, but in the process of
taking pictures it did become apparent.
The
shoes are simple and the black paint manages to not slop over onto
the stockings. I’m also impressed with Alice’s glossy, red
fingernails. They are tiny details, but they add a lot and look good.
ACCESSORIES
The
Alice figure includes a copy of the first issue of Wonderland,
the white rabbit, a croquet mallet, a stand, and a “Drink Me”
bottle.
Mrs.
Troublemaker was quite happy with the croquet mallet. She said that
it’s an important part of the story and that Alice figures rarely
include it. As for me, I think it looks exactly like a croquet
mallet. Good job. Also, it’s molded from a rigid plastic, so it
holds its shape.
The
White Rabbit looks great, which you cannot tell from this photo. I
have problems taking pictures of white things sometimes. Somebody buy
me a new camera for Black Friday.
The
“Drink Me” bottle has a beautiful paint job. The letters are
precise and the wear on the bottle looks really good.
The
stand is nicely sculpted and has a great paint job. It’s good that
it looks so nice because it is a necessity. Alice isn’t standing on
her own. She does fit securely on the stand and the pegs go deep
enough into her feet to provide good support. I don’t think she’ll
develop the “NECA lean” over time.
I
was surprised to find that the figure can interact with all of the
accessories. At first glance it seems that those hands aren’t made
to hold anything, but they can securely grip both the mallet and the
bottle.
FUN
This
is a great looking figure, but it’s not exactly meant for play.
With
five points of articulation – neck, shoulders, and hips – there
isn’t a whole lot going on. The head doesn’t move much because of
the hair and the hips joints seem to be mostly there just because.
The shoulder joints allow for different arm poses, none of which look
particularly natural without elbow joints.
The
accessories add a bit of play value, but this figure doesn’t do
much more than just stand there looking pretty.
OVERALL
This
is a fine representation of the Alice character from Zenescope’s
Wonderland
series. She may not be my cup of tea (so to speak), but fans of the
comic will be happy, as will fans of Clay Moore. The thing to
remember is that this is a collectible figure, not an “action”
figure. It accomplishes exactly what the creators intended and will
look great on the shelf.
5
out of 5
Having
said that, I really am looking forward to a Sela figure.
If
you’d like an Alice of your own, buy one from Amazon and help out
Needless Things!:
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