Let’sa go with Mario and friends to the tiny world of Jakks Pacific Micro Land!

My, but it has been a whirlwind of developments since Jakks Pacific took over the master license for the “World of Nintendo.” When we first learned of the development, there were some mixed discussion, then there was a long stretch of time until the product started hitting, and then, well, as you can see from the discussion on the forums, the reactions to the figures and other offerings have been really positive. Now, I realize that most of the focus around the collector sect has been around the 4-inch action figure line (and we will have a look a Wario very soon), but Jakks has been dishing out other things like PVCs, a Mario Kart you can actually freakin’ DRIVE, and also their teeny tiny Micro Land line. That final offering is subject of our feature today, and really, it has turned out to be quite surprising…

Of all of the current executions, I think that this Micro Land series was quickly set aside by most collectors. The first sets debuted with the little ½-inch figures and three connectable bases that recreate various levels from the New Super Mario Bros. Wii U game, but, as you know, that is not typically a type of offering gobbled up by figure collectors. I will admit, I picked up the the Luigi Layer Cake set, and while I thought it was fun and cute, I did not really see my having the space to build up little levels with a few figures here and there.

Oh, but wait — come December, that game is going to change because not only will the Micro Land focus be on the actual lands, but on the miniature figures as well. See what is happening here? With these new three packs, you are going to be able to go and build up a potentially HUGE cast of Super Mario Brothers characters in a fun and very affordable scale. As you will see with the lineups of the first six sets, the characters are eclectic and, all I can say is that must be some kind of a Koopa mark because now Jakks has me forever since we are already getting Koopa Kids. KOOPA KIDS! I have been waiting almost my entire life for Koopa Kids figures.

So, even if that charm doesn’t do it, I bet you will be surprised by at least a couple of characters being offered, so let’s take a look at them individually.

TOAD, LAKITU, & SUMO BRO

 

It looks like the theme of these sets is that you get one heroic character with two of the baddies, and, in the case of this set, I am getting Toad — my all-time favorite Mario character. Now, keep in mind, even though these pictures are really big, these figures are TINY, so when you get them hand, it is quite impressive to see such little guys with great sculpts. They really are nicely done and just about every character that has been offered thus far (variants notwithstanding) are captured in a very iconic look that is instantly recognizable. The annoying Lakitu has been a staple of Mario-dom since the first SMB game, so it is cool to get him atop his cloud, but the real surprise is that we get a Sumo Brother figure. This is the type of character that makes a line like this so promising for me because, while I will be building up the popular characters with the larger action figures, I want to get the ENTIRE universe in this scale, and we are off to a fun start.

BOO, DRY BONES, & FIRE LUIGI

Isn’t Dry Bones just about one of the most adorable Nintendo characters ever created? Sure, he is a reanimated Koopa Troopa skeleton, but this scale suits him so well, I think I want about five of him. This set gets you the Fire Flower variant of Luigi, so you can see that you are already building up the various incarnations of the main cast, but the theme is kept with Boo, so your Ghost Houses already have two residents. This is one of the bigger Boos from the game since a standard-sized Boo at this scale would be REALLY small, so he still fits well with the rest of the line. At any rate, he helps provide a variance of shape, and he has a very clean sculpt with nice detailing for being (essentially) a white blob.

PENGUIN LUIGI, LARRY KOOPA, & RED KOOPA TROOPA

Oh, baby. This set is unequivocally my favorite of the entire set and it is due to one main thing: Larry Koopa! First Koopa Kid! First Koopa Kid! Now, even though Toad is my favorite character, as a collective, the Koopalings are very near and dear to me, and I cannot freakin’ wait to get the rest of them at this scale, especially Iggy and Lemmy. Group him with the always great Koopa Troopa and you already have the makings of a really fun set. The Penguin suit is one of the recent fan favorites of the games, so getting a Luigi that is ready to glide across the ice make for an hilarious variant.

 

ICE MARIO, HAMMER BRO, & BOOM BOOM

Again, excuse my disbelief here, but I cannot believe I am about to type this: BOOM BOOM. One series in and we have two Koopalings and Boom Boom! He was recently brought back to the new Wii U game after a hiatus, and since he has taken up his abode in the fortresses again, it is cool to get him in mini form too. The set also includes a Hammer Brother, and while I have cursed their names since SMB, he is my favorite figure in this set. Ice Mario is included too, so the flagship character gets a variant that is a repaint of the standard figure that comes with the previous Micro Land set.

MORTON KOOPA JR., CHEEP CHEEP, & PENGUIN MARIO

 

Here is is again. Are you ready? Morton. Koopa. Jr. Ha-HA! Two Koopa Kids out of the gate, and if you are paying attention to your Mario history, Larry and Morton guard the first two levels in Super Mario Bros 3, so maybe we are already developing a pattern here. Does that mean Wendie and Iggy are next? I sure hope so! You also get a large Cheep Cheep in this set, and the “Super Penguin Brothers” are completed with this Mario offering as well. This Mario figure is much more dynamic than his brother in the same suit, so if you like a little more action in your line, you will really dig this figure.

PROPELLER MARIO, BUZZY BEETLE, & MAGIKOOPA (KAMEK)

Of all of the newer Mario suits in the games, the Propeller outfit is my personal favorite. It is functional and is fun to control, so this is probably my favorite Mario from these first sets. The sculpt really nice here and I think the pose is very appropriate to the getup. Buzzy Beetle joins Mario as another old stand-by, but in his more modern look, and that dratted Magikoopa (or Kamek) fills out the rest of the packing. He is in a pose to cast his wand, so you can only imagine what annoyance he is going to create on your quest to save the Princess.

So what do you think? I have to say that now that I have a quickly jump-started collection, I am really digging this line for what it is. Sure, it is not made up of action figures, but the scale actually fits this property really well. At first I was going to hold off on getting the actual level sets, but now, I am going to have to go back and get them all. When they are connected and populated by several of the characters, they look really good, and the Layer Cake Desert set I have is suddenly busting at the seams.

Based on these first sets alone, there has to be at least one character that tickles your fancy as a Mario fan. Like I said, having Toad is prefect for me, and now that the Koopa Kids are being produced, I am going to get every single one of them, at the very least. Plus, if you have limited space for your collections, this line is BOUND to fit somewhere on your toy shelf, even if you are fighting for every square inch.

I think I might have to build some backgrounds for these as they have a lot of personality, and it will be fun to have some of the levels built-up and populated by all of the different denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. These first sets will be available in early December for the holiday rush, but the level sets are in stores now, so you can go get ’em. I am sure we are very close to getting more Koopa Kids, Princess Peach, and Bowser himself, so you should get in on the ground floor now because these are a lot fun.

*Thanks to our friends at Jakks Pacific for sending these sets along for a First Look! We will have more Nintendo goodness soon!

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