By
Phantom Troublemaker
There are way too many Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 toys right now for me to keep track
of. The only ones I’m following are the Marvel Legends, which are frustrating me
to no end.
Of course, Mantis is the build-a-figure, so I’m stuck
buying five figures I don’t have to
have, but whatever. That’s toy collecting. I’ll just sell stupid gold guy and
Worst Death’s Head on eBay or something. Actually, I don’t think Worst Death’s Head
even comes with a part. So that’s not so bad.
My point here is that while I know all about what’s up
with the Marvel Legends, I haven’t kept the closest eye on the many, many other
Guardians Vol. 2 toys. Like this
delightful Walmart Exclusive Groot, for instance.
I bought it when I found the first wave of new Guardians
figures. Initially I thought this Groot was going to be for me, but then I
decided that my son would appreciate it more. There’s still the possibility I’ll
buy a second one for myself, but let’s review this thing before I get too
carried away by its cuteness. And Grootness.
FIRST
GLANCE
I found this prior to seeing the movie, so all I knew was
that it was an adorable new Groot wearing the little Ravagers coveralls that
were in all of the trailers. It’s very obviously a cheaper, simpler toy than
the stuff aimed at collectors, but that in no way means it isn’t a good toy.
I had to double check my pictures when I started writing
this review to make sure this wasn’t from JAKKS Pacific. While smaller than their
Big Figs, it definitely seems more up their alley. But nope – it’s Hasbro.
PACKAGING
I suppose this is the first tip off that it isn’t from JAKKS, because this window
box is much nicer than any of their Big Fig packaging. Nowadays this sort of
toy is usually standing in an open top tray or zip-tied onto a backer. This
fancy box makes the “Exclusive” seem more like it says “Special and Fancy”.
Note that the graphic on the front features “concerned
Groot” and not the “happy Groot” that the toy sculpt presents. SPOILER ALERT:
This is more accurate to the movie.
The back features a picture of the toy and a minor
spoiler for the movie. I say minor, but it was enough that Phantom, Jr. was
annoyed to have read it prior to having seen the movie. It’s only one sentence,
but I have to admit that with it Hasbro managed to spoil several fairly major
plot points. Also, hardy-har for puns.
LOOKS
Standing eleven inches tall, this Groot is larger than
life size. That’s okay because he’s a toy.
Side Note: NECA released a life-size Groot.
It’s fifty bucks while this one is twenty. Choose wisely.
The head is made of a vinyl-like plastic. The sculpt is
very good and captures Groot’s features nicely. The wood grain is well done and
there’s the hint of eyebrows to give him character. His little smile is
sufficiently innocent and bemused. The green paint at the top of his head is thick
and just sort of slopped on – there’s no real artistry here. But keep in mind
that this is a twenty-dollar action figure.
There’s a little bud growing out of the top of Groot’s
head that I like and can’t say I noticed in the movie. It’s a neat suggestion of
the fact that he’s still growing. The paint on it is green and that’s it. The
sculpt on top of Groot’s head sort of looks like a combination of cabbage and
brain and it makes me slightly nauseous. I try not to think too hard about
Groot’s physiology.
From the neck down the figure is hard plastic of the sort
I associate with cheap-o toys with no articulation. That’s okay. This is more a
Groot for standing around than for having adventures with. And the plastic may
seem cheap, but I bet if this guy fell a few feet onto the floor it wouldn’t hurt
him.
The Ravager suit is sculpted well enough that now that I’ve
seen the movie it seems just fine. Maybe there are some details missing here
and there, but when you consider the fact that initial promotion showed Groot in
this getup in the opening scene I’m not too worried about it. The Ravagers are
the dumbest people in the galaxy. I don’t doubt that there are some
inconsistencies in their wardrobe.
There’s tons of sculpted detail all over – differing textures,
ties, zippers, straps and whatnot. There’s just enough paint on the more
significant portions to keep this from feeling like a Dollar Tree toy. The
metallic parts are a nice, bright metallic silver and the oranges are a thick,
deep orange. As dark as the red is, it would have been easy to screw up the
orange and not get it on thick enough. It looks good, though. This is the kind
of figure that Hasbro might have
chosen to just not paint the back, but the buckles and straps back there are
painted, too. They’re all precise, solid paint apps.
Groot’s arms and hands match everything else. I keep
referencing the fact that this could
have been a cheap-o toy, but it is not. The hands are separate pieces made of
the same material as the head. The sculpting is strong and they look great.
The legs and feet are all the same mold as the body, but
that’s okay. The whole figure is sculpted with a certain pose and it looks
good.
ACCESSORIES
This is the sort of toy that
doesn’t come with any extras, but I would totally buy a deluxe version with
alternate heads (or faces). Hasbro could make angry, sad, and worried portraits
and repack this exact figure with them and I’d shell out forty bucks for that.
And that Ravager’s eye. I’d
need that, too. So he can wake up and be like, “Where’s my eye?”
FUN
Groot gets all the adorable points, but there’s not much
fun to be had here. The head is on a swivel joint. The shoulders are hinged
swivels. The hands look like they should swivel, but I couldn’t get them to
move and I didn’t want to tear the hands off of my son’s Groot.
The legs are static, but what could you do with short
little legs like that, anyway? I’d rather have the figure be stable than have
useless joints anyway.
OVERALL
For twenty bucks, this is a great little figure to put on
your shelf or for your kid to enjoy having. There’s not much to play with, but
sometimes that’s okay. In this case, for $20, it’s okay.
I’d love to see what a talented customizer could do with
this Groot. I bet there are some killer paint jobs out there already.
5
out of 5
If you enjoy trees, jumpsuits, or Needless Things you
might enjoy SupportPhantom.com.
Huge thanks to our excellent Patrons Zack, Gary, Lucas, and Beau!
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