Sunday, May 6, 2018
Saturday, May 5, 2018
The Six Million Dollar Man and Bigfoot
Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week Review of Six Million Dollar Man action figures BifBangPow Date Published: 2013-12-23 Written By: Michael Crawford Overall Average Rating: 2.5 out of 4
Sculpting - Bigfoot ***1/2; Oscar, Fembot ***; Steve ** These figures are done in an 8" scale, similar to the Mego figures of the 70's. That means both Steve and Oscar are about 8" tall, but the Fembot comes in at the slightly shorter height of 7 3/4", while Bigfoot is a whopping 9" tall. Bigfoot gets that extra height in his legs, where they've added some length. It works well, especially with the padded costume. No matter how I squint at Steve Austin, I'm just not seeing Lee Majors. The actor has a very distinct look, and I'm not picking up on any of it here. This is a nice, generic head, but they could have thrown it on a Captain Kirk figure and been about as accurate. Oscar is much closer to the original actor, given the basic style of the figures.The shape of the head, the cut of the hair, even the general expression, all bring to mind the head of the OSI. Fembot is decent as well, with a reasonable amount of detail work in her exposed circuitry. The rooted hair is thick, and holds its shape nicely. But the best likeness overall is with Bigfoot. The character was originally played by a young Andre the Giant, and they've done a reasonable job with this portrait, again given the limitations of the retro style. He also has uniquely sculpted hands and feet, with rough skin texture and claws. That's another addition that puts him a head above the rest.
Finally, there's Bigfoot. Remember, this was a big dude in a hairy suit, which is actually what the toy is. They've got extra padding in the torso to give him some bulk, and it looks quite good. In other words, it looks very much like he did on screen, which was pretty goofy.
Fun Factor - *** These aren't high end collectibles - they're retro toys. They can be played with just like any toy off the shelf in 1975, and the quality of the articulation makes them a better action figure than the original.
Overall - Bigfoot, Fembot ***; Steve **1/2; Oscar ** This retro style of action figure works best when used with retro licenses. When you try to apply it to modern characters, it's always going to seem out of sync. But with a license like the Six Million Dollar Man, it's an excellent fit. Out of these four, Bigfoot is easily my favorite, so much so that I wish I had a sixth scale version to go with my Sideshow Twilight Zone and Outer Limits figures. If not for the minor paint issues with mine, he probably would have pulled another half star overall. Yea, he's goofy and silly looking, but that's exactly what he's supposed to look like, and they melded the style of the show with the Mego style perfectly. Unfortunately for Oscar, they went completely retro with the quality of the suit and tie, and it's just not swinging it for me. A slightly smaller tie, a slightly better fit on the suit, and whammo, he's a much better figure. Steve Austin has a nice track suit, and I love the clear plastic pieces with the printed circuitry. But the portrait is way off - the original Steve Austin action figure back in the day had a much better likeness. Fembot doesn't have that problem, and the creepy pre-Terminator face really sells her. While I'm not thrilled with Oscar, I will say that Fembot makes it worth picking up the pair, just so you can have her in the display. Score Recap (out of ****): Packaging - ***1/2 Sculpting - Bigfoot ***1/2; Oscar, Fembot ***; Steve ** Paint - Bigfoot, Fembot ***; Oscar, Steve **1/2 Articulation - *** Accessories - Oscar, Steve, Bigfoot **1/2; Fembot Bupkis Outfit - Steve, Bigfoot, Fembot ***; Oscar ** Fun Factor - *** Value - *** Overall - Bigfoot, Fembot ***; Steve **1/2; Oscar ** Where to Buy Online options include these site sponsors: - Entertainment Earth is the place to pick these up. You can get Steve and the Bigfoot as a set for just $38, and the set of Fembot and Oscar Goldman for $44. Related Links - BifBangPow uses this retro style with a number of other licenses, including the Venture Brothers. You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
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