12 Attachment(s)
Max Factory's Figma ROBOCOP
"Come quietly or there will be... trouble." - RoboCop
RoboCop's not known for his agility, but if he could move like a gymnast, he'd most likely resemble this exciting action figure import. Max Factory's answer to Kaiyodo's Revoltech, Figma takes the world of anime, and more recently, hit motion pictures and turns them into 6-inch tall, hyper-articulated playthings loaded with accessories. With the Figma RoboCop action figure, Max Factory sheds the crime-fighting cyborg's stiff zombie-like shackles and injects him with superhero spryness; an included display stand even allowing RoboCop to fly. Tack on an abundance of fan-expected gear - data spike, thigh holster, battle damage - and you have yourself a RoboCop figure that should please the most discerning RoboCop collector.
Packaged in a small closed window box, Figma RoboCop instantly impresses like only a Japanese import toy's packaging can. Max Factory's love of their product is readily apparent in the box design: the RoboCop figure and his slew of accessories are all in clear view, while the back shows off a sampling of what the figure comes with and can do (oddly, the data spike hand isn't shown). Best of all is how everything is collector friendly; RoboCop and his parts slide out on several stacked plastic trays for easy removal and storage.
Once free, collectors will no doubt spend several minutes poring over the figure's many included components. Don't worry, RoboCop comes out of the box fully assembled, it's how you plan on displaying him that's going to take some time to decide. Here's the breakdown of extras:
- Figma RoboCop action figure
- Five (5) sets of hands: open, pointing, weapon grasping, fisted, data spike and an additional weapon firing hand (extra?)
- Figma display stand with articulated display arm
- Figma storage bag. Yes, a plastic baggie to keep all your parts in - neato!
- Auto 9 pistol (properly scaled) with optional firing blast effect
- Alternate battle damaged head
- Open thigh holster parts. Sadly it does not actually open, more on this later.
Rather impressive, heh? I spent over a good hour playing around with numerous combos, from packing heat to duking it out bare-handed, to sailing overhead on his display stand to posed ready to pull out his holstered Auto 9. I must say that the more I fiddled around with this figure, the more amazed I became with it. Figma RoboCop is truly a joy to *gasp* PLAY with.
His alternate hands pop on and off with ease with no fear of posts snapping. The compact ball joints insure that won't happen. For swapping heads, just slide off the upper half of his chrome dome and insert the new battle damaged piece. It's not the most complex battle damaged sculpt I've seen and the lack of any damage on RoboCop's body makes this extra head piece seem out of place. Perhaps Max Factory could have included a battle damaged chest plate as well?
As mentioned earlier, RoboCop's thigh holster doesn't really open up. Those early press photos can be deceiving. Instead Max Factory gives collectors the components to assemble his open thigh holster. To create this look, pop off RoboCop's thigh and insert the two holster parts into their corresponding slots. One piece has pegs and the other grooved pieces, so figuring it all out shouldn't be a problem. Once built, the Auto 9 can be stashed inside and RoboCop posed to look as if he's about to draw it out. It's a cool feature that should please most fans, but lets face it - an actual opening thigh holster is what we Robo-collectors really want.
Last but not least is the included Figma stand and parts bag. The latter took me totally by surprise. I have a parts bin, like I'm sure most collectors own, but how often are we left digging around later for that alternate hand or head? Having something to put all this bonus gear in - right out of the box - is incredible fan service. The display stand was another shock. Items like this are usually sold separately or only included with high-end 12-inch figures. Does Figma RoboCop need it? No, but damn if it isn't a lot of fun to use. Plug one end of the articulated display arm into RoboCop's back (it's a small hole hidden on his black torso) and let your imagination run wild. RoboCop isn't an anime property, but the over-the-top poses you can achieve with the display stand certainly had me thinking he was.
That reminds me, RoboCop's articulation. This cool cyborg features:
- Ball-jointed head
- Ball-jointed shoulders
- Hinged elbows
- Ball-jointed wrists
- Ball-jointed upper AND lower torso
- Ball-jointed thighs
- Hinged/ Swivel knees
- Hinged feet with working pistons!
RoboCop's sculpt and paint work are also top notch. The armor sculpt looks like it just stepped out of the movie and it's made phenomenal with one of the nicest metallic paint jobs I've seen on a RoboCop figure. It's not chromed or electroplated, but the paint used is highly reflective and has just the right amount of purplish/blue shading on it - a hard thing to pull off correctly on a RoboCop toy. The only part of the sculpt that I felt sub-par was the visible human part of the head. There's no Peter Weller there, just a small slit for a mouth - further lending this RoboCop figure that anime vibe. It's not a bad thing, and on this smaller scale hardly noticeable, just throwing it out there for all you Weller purists.
In closing, Max Factory's Figma RoboCop isn't perfect, but it goes a long way in meeting the needs of critical RoboCop collectors. For starters, it is the most articulated RoboCop figure on the market, the display stand elevating it above Hot Toy's 1:6th scale version. The abundance of accessories is incredible. Even if the battle damaged head isn't all that, the many hand gestures more than make up for it. And the thigh holster? It's not the opening wonder of the Hot Toys piece, but it's there. To be honest, I don't know how Max Factory could have pulled it off on such a small scale; their solution works and looks great.
So how much does it cost to own one of the best RoboCop figures ever made? $48 through BigBadToyStore.com, where Figma RoboCop is currently in-stock and ready for your collection. That's $9 off the list price and certainly not bad for an import toy of this quality. If you consider yourself a passionate RoboCop fan, then Figma RoboCop is a must-have for your collection. For everyone else? As RoboCop would say, "Your move, creep."
Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor
Review Sample Courtesy of BigBadToyStore.com
