The first entry into Medicom’s MAFEX Marvel Comics line, Gwenpool is so damn cute and fun it’s physically nauseating. In a good way. You know, like when you want to throw up so you can drink and eat more. The figure is just like that. But also like that, it’s not without it’s problems.
Although this toy probably won’t have you waking up in your backyard, wondering what happened at the barbecue last night. So maybe not JUST like that.
First off, Gwenpool here is an excellent toy. It has articulation in all the right spots, allowing for any pose you can imagine. The sculpt is right on the money too. I’ll admit, I’ve never read anything with the character in it but I’ve looked at a lot of artwork over the years. This nails it. And because of that comic book look, it doubles down on the fun factor. The oversized shoes give a stable base for a lot of those stances we just talked about a sentence or two ago. The thinness of the arms allow for more range of movement. The belts and buckles help hide some of the joints.
On top of that, the opinion of MAFEX you have in your head? Doesn’t apply here, at least when it comes to construction. Everything is fluid, and while a couple of points have loosed just a bit, I put this thing through the paces and never had a single problem with a joint popping apart or a limb falling off. The hands go on easily but secure, the same for the heads. The accessories blend right into the base as if they were part of the sculpt. Movement-wise, the only problem I had was paint lock. And before we get to that…
Did I mention it was cute? And fun?
Seriously, the paint is the big sticking point.
….
THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT!
Okay, seriously seriously, the paint is messy, and like I mentioned, locked up a couple of joints. I really thought the hips and lower torso were one one piece sculpted at a left-leaning bend until I got into articulation on the video and it broke free. After that it was absolutely perfect but that’s why a lot of shots have her in contrapposto.
I actually did know that word. I did!
Other paint stuck joints were the right shoulder cap and both toes but really, they all came free with a little force to no ill effects. But you can look at the pics and see quite a bit of bleed. Seams that drift from pink to white, leather straps where the brown isn’t crisp, and sculpted parts that aren’t, for lack of a better term after pulling contrapposto from my hat, traced correctly. Then whatever the hell is going on with the laughing masked chin. Like a hole was filled hastily with some putty and then skintone slapped over it. Good thing I prefer the unmasked head.
But all in all, for whatever reason, I look past the paint. Cute. Fun. Really really fun. When was the last time you saw me take this many pictures? In a perfect world she would come with a mean or more neutral face, but I can’t help thinking about whether I want to display her with the shark backpack or the penguin backpack, masked or unmasked, sword wielding or selfie taking.
Fun.
Package
Figure
Heads
Hands
Accessories
Comparisons
Action
