Bif Bang Pow Twilight Zone action figures review

[Michael Crawford]

After I looked at Sheldon last week, the new 'retro' style action figure from Bif Bang Pow, I was concerned. He didn't come out as I'd expected, and certainly not at the level that I've seen from them before.

So I'm hitting up three of the Twilight Zone figures tonight, done in the same style - The Gremlin, Bob Wilson, and the Kanamit. You can find the review here:

https://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_082714a.htm

or with the rest of the reviews at the usual:

https://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading!

Michael
MWC

 

[Collector47]

I think the 3 3/4 line in this style will be short lived. It's hard to justify ANY kind of money for something that looks like a dollar store item. The best part about these lines is the backer card artwork. The product itself? Forgettable. In an age where detail and articulation are the defining measure of figures, these don't make a scratch in that market, even when weighing the nostalgic production values it attempts to invoke.

 

[Michael Crawford]

I have to admit that this is a style I don't get. By that I mean I don't get it intellectually - I can't see going after these for the nostalgia. When Super7 did the ReAction Aliens stuff, it was cool because they were figures we were supposed to get and never did. But once Funko bought them and started this drive to Funko-ize the line, doing exactly what they do with their vinyl figures (pick up every license known to mankind and pump out a ton of characters cheaply and quickly), it lost all its appeal for me.

Funko somehow hit gold with their vinyl figures, and it makes no rhyme or reason. Plenty of companies tried before them and failed to make much headway, but their booth has gotten crazier and crazier every year at SDCC, impossible to even get near there's so many fans. The exclusives and hard to get versions sell for crazy money, and collectors eat them up. I'm sure they know that won't last, and are looking to take that same business model into another format. It's possible they are right - I've seen an awful lot of buzz for many of the licenses, especially Firefly, Buffy and BTTF. But like I said, I just don't get it.

Then again, I don't get the fascination with the oversized Gentle Giant retro figures either - aren't they just a gimmick, like an oversized pencil? And yet they sell well. Go figure.

 

[evenflow]

I love the Twilight Zone and was really excited by these but the paint is a turn off and I am not confident that they will release enough characters.

 

[Michael Crawford]

I didn't have any issues with the paint on the TZ stuff, and it's the one line I'll pick up due to my love of the show. Bif Bang Pow did quite a few characters in the larger Mego style line, so I'm not too worried about that. The one advantage of this style is that they can do them cheaply, making doing more a bit easier for them.

 

[ZICA]

I love the Twilight Zone and was really excited by these but the paint is a turn off and I am not confident that they will release enough characters.

They have several figures planned for this line that are already in the prototype stage.

 

[galactiboy]

I have to admit that this is a style I don't get. By that I mean I don't get it intellectually - I can't see going after these for the nostalgia. When Super7 did the ReAction Aliens stuff, it was cool because they were figures we were supposed to get and never did. But once Funko bought them and started this drive to Funko-ize the line, doing exactly what they do with their vinyl figures (pick up every license known to mankind and pump out a ton of characters cheaply and quickly), it lost all its appeal for me.

Same here... I'm very happy that the ALIEN figures finally got made, but those are real vintage designs. Seeing all these other properties that love mimicking the style just doesn't do anything for me. Might have been different if a few figures were announced at a time, but this just felt like the market was flooded before it even began

Having said that, I do like the look of the Gremlin from this series. And I can actually see a bit of Shatner in the sculpt, it's not much and you're right he's probably not be easily identifiable. But, there's just enough to make me think they at least made an effort.

 

[ZICA]

. . And I can actually see a bit of Shatner in the sculpt, it's not much and you're right he's probably not be easily identifiable. But, there's just enough to make me think they at least made an effort.

The main idea with these figures is to try and replicate the vintage style that was common with Kenner figures from the late 70's and early 80's. Having a spot on, or even fairly close, likeness to the actor that played the character wasn't something that Kenner tried to strive for. Look at any vintage Star Wars or Indiana Jones figures that Kenner put out back then and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[galactiboy]

Oh trust me, I get it... but having said that I do see a bit of Shatner in the sculpt. So while it's not typcial of that style, I actually do see a likeness here:

Kind of like how the Anakin Skywalker from POTF does kind of look like Shaw.

 

[ZICA]

Oh trust me, I get it... but having said that I do see a bit of Shatner in the sculpt. So while it's not typcial of that style, I actually do see a likeness here:

Kind of like how the Anakin Skywalker from POTF does kind of look like Shaw.

Yes, the POTF Anakin Skywalker figure is a good example of where Kenner actually did a decent job in regards to the likeness. I mainly wanted to point this out earlier because the soft likeness on the Bob Wilson figure was mentioned as being a flaw in the review.

 

[galactiboy]

Gotcha... probably more of a fact that when you have a "guy in a suit" it's hard to tell who he is supposed to be.

With the Kenner line Luke didn't need to look like Mark Hamill, but everyone knew the farmboy outfit or Bespin fatigues.

 

[ZICA]

Gotcha... probably more of a fact that when you have a "guy in a suit" it's hard to tell who he is supposed to be.

With the Kenner line Luke didn't need to look like Mark Hamill, but everyone knew the farmboy outfit or Bespin fatigues.

Very true, and I totally agree. It's a little tougher to pull this style off if the character doesn't have a very specific look.

 

[Michael Crawford]

For me it's is a flaw - there's a difference between producing a quality homage to a nostalgic line and producing junk. This is more of an issue with paint quality than sculpt.

Look at film for an example. When Tarantino and Rodriguez did their Grindhouse film(s), I loved it. Both movies did a great job capturing the goofy cheesy quality of the old 70's grindhouse movies without being crap. The acting was great, the dialog was great, the direction was great. Compare that to the later second attempt by Rodriguez, Machete. It was crap. It's a fine line between mimicking a style and merely copying it.

When it comes to figures, Mattel pulled this off beautifully with MOTUC. They captured the old designs in a retro style but did it with modern quality. Even the oversized GG figures are high quality, particularly in terms of paint and the sharpmess of the sculpt.

I can live with the soft sculpting, and the paint work was adequate on these TZ figures. That's why they managed a B overall. I just think the market would have responded better overall if these had the same style articulation and overall feel, but with modern quality sculpt and paint. Basic 5 point articulation? Sure. Basic sculpt detailing, with a pretty basic body? Sure. Likenesses that look nothing like the actors and poor paint? I'm not sure people looking to have Firefly or BTTF are going to go for it.

But who knows - I could be wrong, and my wife will be happy to tell you that it's not an uncommon occurence.

 

[galactiboy]

While I don't mind how they look, and I get the draw for some. But to me if A) it's a 70's or 80's property and toys were never made for it or B) it's a newer property (like Pulp Fiction) outside of the "vintage" window I'm just not interested.

ALIEN was great, stoked they made them as they are the real deal. Seeing some of the Mego-esque figures that were never made (Like Sulu or what the Gorn should have looked like), also cool.

But Mego-esque figures from Lost or 3 3/4" Kenner style figures from Helllraiser... no thank you

 

[Michael Crawford]

Yea, I think a lot of folks will be in the same boat as you, GB.

 

[ZICA]

For me it's is a flaw - there's a difference between producing a quality homage to a nostalgic line and producing junk. This is more of an issue with paint quality than sculpt.

Look at film for an example. When Tarantino and Rodriguez did their Grindhouse film(s), I loved it. Both movies did a great job capturing the goofy cheesy quality of the old 70's grindhouse movies without being crap. The acting was great, the dialog was great, the direction was great. Compare that to the later second attempt by Rodriguez, Machete. It was crap. It's a fine line between mimicking a style and merely copying it.

When it comes to figures, Mattel pulled this off beautifully with MOTUC. They captured the old designs in a retro style but did it with modern quality. Even the oversized GG figures are high quality, particularly in terms of paint and the sharpmess of the sculpt.

I can live with the soft sculpting, and the paint work was adequate on these TZ figures. That's why they managed a B overall. I just think the market would have responded better overall if these had the same style articulation and overall feel, but with modern quality sculpt and paint. Basic 5 point articulation? Sure. Basic sculpt detailing, with a pretty basic body? Sure. Likenesses that look nothing like the actors and poor paint? I'm not sure people looking to have Firefly or BTTF are going to go for it.

But who knows - I could be wrong, and my wife will be happy to tell you that it's not an uncommon occurence.

I'm not going to argue with you over the QC issues that the figures seem to be suffering from, but the issue you mentioned was put in the sculpting section of your review, and specifically mentions the character/actor likeness. I agree that this particular style isn't going to work well with certain properties, especially ones that weren't around during the time this particular style was the norm. Collectors that aren't from that generation won't get the appeal, even some that were don't get it.

 

[Michael Crawford]

This will be a much bigger issue for the line with figures from Firefly, BTTF, or Terminator, for example. I can guarantee, without any doubt in my mind, that if the Firefly figures had the exact same bodies but head sculpts that actually looked like the characters, that no one would have complained that they didn't look enough like the old Kenner figures. I don't know if they would have sold better, but I know that no one would have said "I'm not buying these because the head sculpts are too good!", including people that 'get it'.

 

[ZICA]

This will be a much bigger issue for the line with figures from Firefly, BTTF, or Terminator, for example. I can guarantee, without any doubt in my mind, that if the Firefly figures had the exact same bodies but head sculpts that actually looked like the characters, that no one would have complained that they didn't look enough like the old Kenner figures. I don't know if they would have sold better, but I know that no one would have said "I'm not buying these because the head sculpts are too good!", including people that 'get it'.

The whole idea/concept behind these figure, regardless of the property, is that they look like vintage Kenner figures. They're not trying to invent a slightly new style, they're trying to replicate one. That being said, the likeness of the figure should vaguely resemble the actor playing the character. If the heads sculpts are too good the figure(s) will lose that vintage Kenner aesthetic.

 

[JonWes]

I love the TZ figures. I think they are the best 3 3/4'' retro figures out there now, really. My b&w set was awesome. The paint on my color set, though, was pretty dire in places. Those might have to go back to Entertainment Earth.

 

[evenflow]

They have several figures planned for this line that are already in the prototype stage.

Are there pics or a list of which figures?