The Ten Finger Gang was sort of a big deal when it was released in the 12-inch (or 1/6) scale because it featured figures that have highly articulated hands, which was something that was still pretty new for “human” figures in the 3A world. It felt like a major step forward for the small company, so when the smaller, Action Portable (1/12 scale) set was announced, the first question out of everyone’s mouths was “How are they going to approach the hands?”
We had seen articulated hands in this scale on the few WWRp Dropcloths that had been released, and… they weren’t great. Their hands were frail little things, and few people wanted to see that approach replicated here, even though articulated hands are kind of the point here. For better or for worse, 3A decided to go with swappable hands with no articulation for these guys, a decision that made some happy, but made others ask, well, “Then whats the point?” Articulated hands or not, this set is still a ton of fun, mainly because it’s like a instant action figure collection.
This set was only available as a complete set all in one-fell-swoop, and not even King Thumb was available to purchase on his own. Getting 11 figures all at once is an awesome, albeit pricey, experience, and with so much to this set, it’s only fitting that ibentmyman-thing and canonball both take a look at what this set has to offer.
canonball (odds + King Thumb)
This set was the main reason why I signed up for 3A’s 3AA club this year. I wanted to make sure I got it, and the discount club members received on this set alone went a long way in helping me recoup the cost of the club. Now, good fiscal sense aside, this is a very fun set that sort of reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a way. Aside from King Thumb, the Gang is made up of members whose appearance is only distinguishable by the colors of their suits and their weapons. Oh, and the giant number on the tops of their heads and on their suits. But the similarity remains!
They are a very colorful bunch and look really cool posed all together, but aside from their heads and their hands, there isn’t a whole lot here that’s new. We’ve seen the boiler suits before, we’ve seen the boots and base bodies before, and, heck, we’ve even seen many of the weapons before. With so much redundancy here, what’s the appeal of the set? Well, for me, it’s the blank slate that exists in terms of characters. My imagination isn’t being subconsciously shackled by comics or cartoons, so I have the freedom here do make them whatever I want them to be. Plus, 3A’s action figures have such awesome articulation and always look so cool, so it’s really hard to find things to dislike.
The head design, at a glance, looks a lot like a Zombot head, but upon closer inspection, it’s plain to see that it is a new head sculpt that merely resembles a Zombot. In my 3A world, these guys are robots — clones of King Thumb who serve as his army.
First up here is Gang member #1: the pink gunslinger. He comes packing two pistols, a belt with a whole bunch of pouches, and a pink hooded boiler suit. This guy is among my favorites from the set because the pink stands out perhaps the most among the set. It looks like they got the weathering just right here too because he still actually looks pink. On the Pink Feather Zomb the weathering on his suit made him look brown, but here the pink still shines through. Pink killer robots = cool.
Gang member #3 comes wielding two swords, sort of like the ones the Tomorrow Kings use (or Leonardo!). This guy is a sort of turquoise or a baby blue — I can’t tell which. The swords don’t fit in his hands all that snugly, which is a bit annoying because holding those swords is the one thing he really has to do. The weathering here is nice and light, and he also looks great despite not having the most interesting weapons of the bunch.
Member #5 is decked-out in a basic black/dark gray suit and comes packing a machine gun. The paint job on the gun is convincing as all get-out because it actually looks like metal. The rest of the figure isn’t too shabby either, and the white hands and white boots offer a nice contrast.
Member #7 looks like a walking bowl of tomato soup. That’s all I can think of when I look at him because the white of his hands and feet remind me of oyster crackers set against the red tomato soup color of his boiler suit. Number 7 carries a rocket launcher that was first seen with the Heavy Tomorrow Kings. And like the Heavy TKs, he also comes with a shell he can’t really do anything with since it doesn’t actually fit in the launcher. Sigh.
Continuing the food comparisons, member #9 looks like an orange creamsicle — it’s the white accents against the orange backdrop. This guy also comes sporting a machine gun, but it’s a less impressive gun than the one #5 comes with. Still, it adds diversity to the group, which is always a good thing.
In addition to the ten actual gang members, King Thumb, their leader, is also included with the set, making this an 11 Finger Gang, technically.
It’s the same basic figure design as the others, but he’s sporting an outfit we haven’t see in the 1/12 scale before.
The coat is the standout feature here, and they’ve actually done a really good job of making it look authentic and “lived in,” which is a tough thing to do in this scale. It’s not perfect, and things like his buttons looks a little weird at this small scale, but it’s very close and I’m pleased with it.
His hammer is a lot of fun, mostly because it looks so darn real. They did a great job with the paint and weathering here.
He also comes with a sword and a pistol that can be stored in a holster on his belt, but I can’t see myself ever using these because the hammer is just too much fun.
This was an expensive set that required a pretty large investment up front, but they felt worth it to me as soon as I had them in hand. What makes them even cooler is how they look all together as a gang.
Ibentmyman-thing (evens + King Thumb)
There’s a certain aesthetic to some of ThreeA’s offerings that can start to look a bit too familiar if you collect enough of them. Because of that, I’ve grown a bit jaded to some of the newer offerings, and my purchases have gone down. While that’s been good for my economics, it’s been unfortunate on the toy side of things. But the Ten Finger Gang is one of those mishmashed creations that reignites my excitement in the world these toys inhabit.
I love jumbled aesthetics. I love things that are unafraid to be several different things, or lend themselves more to the imagination. The DePlumes, Zombies, and JC really hit those buttons, mainly because they didn’t use that same strange pinch-faced side-swept hair aesthetic that I’ve grown really tired of. The mystery behind the DePlume mask, the orneriness of JC, the weirdness of the zombies, and now the robot heads of the Finger Gang. Mixed up weirdness. Robot-human hybrid wackiness. This is the direction I’d prefer this company to push further. I’m not getting this from any other company.
The Ten Finger Gang might look like a way to sell the same figure nearly a dozen ways, and… it may be (Ashley Wood does that better than almost anybody), but for some reason having an incomplete set just wouldn’t be the same. I waffled on wanting to go in for a handful as part of a group purchase or trying to get one or two in the aftermarket later on, but then I just dived in and bought the whole set. I’m really happy I did because having them all together is a bit like having a group of similarly dressed Dreadnoks.
If you’ve never held any of the human-styled ThreeA figures before, they feature Marvel Legends-style articulation underneath the clothes. Since these have boots ,there’s no ankle movement, but with just the right pose you only feel that loss minimally at best, and it’s better than the double ball-jointed alternative, which can be a bitch to keep connected during posing.
The clothes, as always, are the stars of ThreeA figures. I don’t know how small the people that make these clothes are, but I’m pretty sure there’s a chunk of white dwarf star involved in the process. It’s really hard to gauge just how impressively done the clothes are unless you see them up close. The lived-in feeling they have with random rips and dirt smudges makes you wonder just what type of adventures your toys had before they got to your house. What makes them a cut above is that they retain full articulation even while wearing the clothes. There’s practically no restriction on the amount of poses you can get them in to. The lack of joints and the well done clothes really make them feel like little people, in their own little world.
I have to admit, if these had any other heads, this set wouldn’t be as exciting. But that strange, saucer-shaped robot head makes each and every one of them instantly appealing…
Each of the figures comes with their own weapon of choice, and that in a way defines their personality.
Number 2 is a meat-cleaver man. In fact, he comes with two of them. I think I like these weapons most of all. There’s a sadistic horror-movie aesthetic to someone who chooses meat cleavers as their primary weapon. He’s not happy with striking from a distance. He wants the blood. I bet the others stay a bit away from this one.
Number 4 is a bazooka Joe. He just wants to blow crap up. He probably doesn’t care what. Friend, foe, whatever. He doesn’t want to get in too close, nor does he want to strike from a distance. He just wants to level the entire world. His dirty costume fades into the grungy background, so all you hear is the sound of the rocket coming to end your world. You didn’t even know he was out there before you were blowing up. Bastard!
Number 6 rocks the shotgun. This one likes to leave a messy hole. He thinks of it as a calling card to pulp the face of an enemy with a single blast to the face. In his mind, or mainframe, or whatever it is these guys have, the sound of a shell being racked into a chamber is a symphony. He’s a maestro.
Number 8 is the machete man. He’s very easy to please; he likes to lop off arms and legs with his machete. Your bodybag is full of pieces and pulp when he’s done with you, that’s for damn sure.
Number 10 likes the handguns. He thinks of himself as a technocowboy on a mission. If he has to use more bullets than his four guns can hold, then he considers the mission a failure. His bold yellow costume is screaming for you to notice him, so he can test himself against you. Come at me, bro!
King Thumb’s main weapon is a sledgehammer, though he also has a handgun and a sword. King Thumb is all about the pain and the screams. The sound of crunching bones brings him a euphoria deep inside his pleasure circuits. He doesn’t get involved in the bloodletting unless absolutely necessary. He wants the survivors, and the secrets/money/information that they have. And his sledgehammer is the only tool he needs to pry that out. I like that they dressed him differently than the rest, with his oversized jacket and hood that doesn’t quite fit over his big-ass robot noggin. It gives him a larger silhouette, a bigger presence, like he’s daring people to shoot at him. If you come at the King, you best not miss.
Some of the robot hands they come with are a bit snug for the grips of their weapons, so it’s a bit of a chore to get them to grip them without worrying something will tear. I didn’t have any ripping issues so they must be sturdier than they seem, but it still felt fiddly. Most come with alternate open hands for even more expressiveness.
Overall I’m really happy that I got the complete set. They’re the type of unique, well-crafted action figures that really make the imagination bubble.
Since this set was sold on Bambaland, the secondary market, like eBay or the various 3A BSTs are your only hope for tracking them down at this point. It’s definitely worth your while to grab at least a few of them for your shelves, though.
