By Chris Troy
FLASH FACT: I am thrilled with any time I can get a chance to talk about toys that aren’t Batman-related on this blog (thus forever putting me at odds with Comics Alliance’s Chris Sims). DC Direct has shown me some pity and not released any new figures as of the time this article was written (although the Batman Inc. wave should be hitting shelves any day now), so this week gives me the chance to focus on some non-Super Hero stuff, which again, I am thrilled about. I think I’ll start things off with taking a look at one of the newer Figmas (by Max Factory) that FPNYC has stocked. It’s Asuka Langley (Well, technically Shikinami Asuka Langley thanks to the slight retcon, also I don’t think this is her first Figma. Or was that Revoltech? There is a lot of Eva toys out there…) in her Test Plug Suit from Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.2 , which has been one of the best selling US anime releases on DVD/Blu-Ray this year, brought over by the fine people at FUNimation. I’ve spoken of both Eva 2.2 and it’s toys in the past (At least 2 different Mari entries come immediately to mind), so this mini-review shouldn’t come as much of a suprise to returning readers.
Much like Mari, I have no love for Asuka’s cockpit, as it’s still a pain to assemble and kept assembled. I understand there’s a risk of shipping it pre-assembled and having it broken upon opening it, but I also feel like the damn thing could have been better made in the first place. Regardless, the Figma itself is great. An impressive sculpt and the usual abundant amount of articulation does the character justice. The mixture of various shades orange and red in the paint job really make Asuka stand out (and remind me of Metroid’s Samus Aran, who’s in desperate need of an high-end figure of some sort). Much like Mari, Asuka comes with 3 faces (yelling, content, embarrassed), alternate hair, 2 bases/stands, alternate hands, a cellphone, and a hand puppet, which if you’re familiar with Eva, makes a ton of sense. Asuka goes for $50, and we also have Mari in stock (Rei flew off the shelf quite quickly), so if you’re into Figmas and/or Eva, come by and pick her up, as Figmas don’t tend to stick around for too long.
Last week I made a crack about how anything the Simpsons did, Family Guy would do eventually. Apparently Playmates felt like confirming that joke this week by releasing the 1st line of Family Guy figures, which is heavily influenced from it’s old Simpsons toys from the early 2000s. Back then, the company released figures with limited articulation, as well as play sets, where if you place the figure on certain designated areas, the play set would play one of several quotes from the character. Playmates have literally recycled that concept for Family Guy, which is fitting, given how much the show has “borrowed” from the Simpsons. The 1st wave consists of Peter, Brian, Quagmire, Clevland, and 2 versions of Stewie; his standard version and one in a duck Halloween costume. The first playset is the Griffin house, which comes with a Louis figure (which hopefully means the Evil Monkey will come with Chris in the future). The standard figures sell for about $13-$15 each, and the playset for about $30 if I’m not mistaken. If history repeats itself, this line should be huge, and will end up covering the entire cast of the hit show in a few years. Also I will take back every bad thing I said about the show if we get an Adam West figure out of this.
