Adventure? Excitement? I love it when things get Portable.
If you have been paying attention the last several years, Ashley Wood and his 3A (ThreeA) Toys have been doing some amazing things. I don’t need to recite an entire history lesson, but whether you are into this stuff or not, there is no denying they are making their own way and building an entire world in-house. I have a lot of respect for that because it is nothing if not unique and there are fewer and fewer companies doing “their own thing” these days. From their robots, to their zombies, to their female figures, 3A is always up to something interesting and there is definitely something for just about anyone.
I will admit, I am not a regular collector of 3A, but it is not because I don’t like it; on the contrary, I find myself liking most of the product they put out. I do, however, collect a lot of other lines, and since I am 99% a 1/12 scale guy, I limit my purchases to those that really stand out to me. In fact, with the addition of three of the new Action Portable Adventure Kartel figures, that brings my total to a whopping six figures, but the little team that I have assembled is one of my favorite things. I have been looking forward to Cherry Bomb and Tommy for a long time, and since I missed the first portable JC, this Open Psalm version will do nicely for my collection. I am already regretting passing on Little Shadow and Cold Merde, but I might be adding them to my team soon.
So adding Tommy, JC, and Cherry to my current line-up of the Zombkin, AP-PEL Caesar, and Armstrong MOD makes for a really fun adventure team and a nice mix of shapes and scales (my Zombkin is 1/6, so he is a giant) that is unlike anything on my shelf. Like my previous figures, all of my AK figures are very nicely done from a construction and engineering perspective, so they are built well in addition to being sharp-looking toys.
RED RIGHT HAND TOMMY
Like I said, I have been waiting to add Tommy and Cherry to my collection for a long time, and neither of them disappoint. I absolutely love the look and style of this figure, and his standard-issue black hoodie and red Chuck Taylors are something he and I have in common. I am normally a devout opponent of soft goods, but they are standard with these figures, and 3A has been making cloth components that look good on their figures for a long time, and, almost surprisingly, the smaller Portable scale is no exception.
The hoodie and messenger bag fit perfectly on the figure and both of them have a lot of details. The bag has straps and pouches for days, and I love the weathering on the jacket. He also has his “skinny” jeans, and while they look really nice, they do inhibit a lot of the range of movement in the leg articulation. How much this concerns you will vary, but you will be challenged to get the figure into many convincing action poses.
The sculpt on the actual plastic pieces is very nice and, of course, fits the style that 3A is known for. The faces and hands of these figures are usually the most stylized and Tommy is no exception. His “red right hand” is vividly red and his long locks hang low over his face. My favorite piece of sculpting is in his Chucks, though, and they take on a pretty realistic look, all the way down to the slightly-word tread on the bottom. Tommy also includes a glow in the dark zombie(?)/missing hand, so he does get at least on accessory out of the deal.
For me, Tommy is the leader of this little adventure team and he makes for one of those reluctant leaders of a ragtag gang. But he looks great doing it.
OPEN PSALM FIGHTING J.C.
Ah-ha, but I love this concept. I mean, I LOVE it. I know the full (and odd) human emotional range is attached to this figure/character, but people get bent out shape about a lot of weird things, so fictional characters and toys are really just par for the course. Frankly, a melee-fighting son of man is right up my alley, and even though I am still sad I missed out on the standard version of the Fighting JC, there are things about this Open Psalm version that I like even more than the original.
Sure, the blonde hair is a little derivative and I would have preferred dark, but the camo pants, boots and taped arms are about as hard as you can get, and he instantly becomes the one you don’t want to “eff” with on my team. As you can see in the pictures, he is bruised, battered, bloody, and he still shows no signs of backing down. This ragged aesthetic obviously adds a lot of grittiness to the figure, and when you offset it with the crispy clean tattoo stamps, it gives you something that would be almost unimaginable for the average bloke, but it is right within the wheelhouse of what we have come to identify as purely “3A.”
Since JC has fewer soft good than Tommy, and what he does have is noticeably baggier, the range of movement in most of his articulation is greatly improved over this series-mate. That does not, however, apply to his arms, but I was pretty much expecting this to be the case before I even opened the figure. See, JC’s arms are covered in these dirty “bandage” wraps the spread from his knuckles to his biceps, and while there is no doubting the tough factor, it makes for some pretty stiff appendages. The “bandages” need to be wrapped tightly so the wrists and elbows suffer the most here and I am kind of sad because I wanted to be able to put him in a more convincing “put up yer dukes” pose.
Stiff arms aside, this figure is a long time coming for me and I am really glad I can add him to my collection now. The figure is well done and visually very interesting, so I am not just in it for the controversy (lighten up).
CHERRY BOMB
I will admit it, Cherry Bomb has been my most anticipated figure from this set, and as luck would have it, it turns out that she makes for the best actual figure too. Tommy was a big want, but the fact that all of the aesthetics and production came through for Cherry the best, she sits at the top of the heap for the Adventure Kartel that I have. I have been a big fan of the 1/6 figure since its release a while back, and I think Cherry’s look works perfectly in an offset to form of the rest of the AK members.
I know 3A females can be just as controversial as their JC figures, but, again, I try not to take my toys too seriously. These might not be everyone’s cup o’ tea (and that is fine), but Cherry Bomb is another case where her design fits into this world in perfect fashion. The tartan jumper and knee-highs might play into a myriad of stereotypes (and fetishes, to be sure), but there is just something about that look, combined with the retro/modern hair style and china doll construction that makes her look like a complete ass-kicker. It is weird, I know. In great contrast to the rest of the crew, she schleps a bright white shoulder bag and a skull bomb from where she (probably) takes her name.
For being so slight and thin-limbed, Cherry Bomb is surprisingly well put together and most of her articulation and joints are pretty sturdy. Sure, her shoulders are a little weak and I would handle the figure gingerly (hyuck!) due to the tiny little joint pegs, but regular posing and display requirements will certainly be met. Speaking of which, Cherry poses a lot easier than her counterparts featured here, even with her wedge sandals, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that she is wearing a lot less too. Her gloved hands most closely resemble the boys’ features and her right hand swaps out for a fist, just in case she needs to jump into the fray.
My favorite part of this figure is (by far) the head sculpt and design. I LOVE hairdo and color and her expression is playful, but the black tear drop makes it clear she means business. Sigh, I am going need more females in this scale.
Hey, my 3A collection is small, but it is mighty, and, coupled with my three previous figures, I love the addition of all three of these Adventure Kartel figures. My group of six makes for a tight-nit team of badasses, but I am afraid I might have finally broken the seal and I will require more figures now. I hope 3A continues to offer a good amount of product at this Portable scale, I am ready to pick and choose a few more.
You can order the entire Adventure Kartel or some of the singles at BBTS right now.
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