Oh hells yes.
Madelman kinda has my number. I mean, Mezco obviously has my number, and I’m counting the minutes until those Batmen come off the boats, but Madelman has been doing stuff that is right up my alley for years, right under my nose. I’ve had the opportunity to share some of these with you already, and there’s not a massive amount of change from figure to figure, as you can imagine.
All Madelman of the Popular de Juguetes series share a basic body, and it’s something we’ve discussed. Basically, the figures run about 6 1/2″ inches tall, with more real-world proportions than our average superhero-styled figures. That means the heads and hands feel a little large by comparison. The articulation is pretty good, with single joints with very good range of motion, and the almost standard hinged hips and wrists, and ball jointed shoulders and torso. In sense of style, they are a sort of evolution of a original 12″ GI Joe body and an 8″ Mego one, like a missing link between those styles and the 1/12 figures that Fwoosh favors.
And the biggest love-it or hate-it feature is likely the cloth goods. In the past, I’ve long been a fan of them in terms of capes, overcoats, that kinda thing. Obviously, this is what runs the world in 1/6 scale, and a big part of that is because the various companies are masters of scaled cloth. Well, Madelman is no slouch in this category, with some of the absolute best clothing I’ve ever seen even close to this size.
But we’ve been over a lot of this, right? I’d imagine if you’re checking this out, you’ve probably got at least a rudimentary idea of what this Spanish line is about. But this particular figure demonstrates so excellently what this line does best, it was worthy of it’s own review.
I got one of these guys boxed, and I have to say, once again, I really like this packaging. This one is also labeled in English, which makes me again wonder why I can’t buy these in the states. I really like how well the accessories are displayed, and it’s even somewhat collector-friendly.
What makes this guy so damn cool is that he’s of a genre that I’ve loved since Plan B. He is a fully equipped, camo-garbed, urban SWAT officer.
Specialized Police are kinda hot-button issues these days. I certainly prefer seeing them on my toy shelves than on the news, or on the street in front of my house. Special Operations is just something that has come with the territory of trying to keep Law Enforcement in step with the criminals they’re going to face, and that’s understandable. Unfortunately, I think there’s a temptation to treat every problem like a nail when you have cool-looking expensive hammers. I don’t think tactical gear and MRAPS have a place in regular policing. I do think they absolutely have a role when confronting the well-armed and highly organized threats encountered in terrorism and the drug empire. Simply put, I want the best equipment for the job I’ve been ordered to do, and if that equipment makes me look scary, so be it. But that flexibility to meet the job should go both ways.
Anyway, back to figures. The boxed version has the modular MP5 I reviewed previously, which I love, but my loose figure came with this excellent M16 variant. It’s not quite as adaptable as the MP5, but it does feature a sight that can clip on to the classic suitcase handle-sight, as well as the optional M203 launcher under the barrel. Excellent.
The SWAT officer adds some inventory over the other black-clad special police figure, and sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. They have the same 2-piece uniforms, but the grey urban camo is really striking, as with the padded vests with “POLICE” in white across their chests, so it’s clear they’re the good guys. The have the same combination of balaclava, gas mask and helmet, but they add goggles and camo helmet liners for some options. They also have a little nicer patterned boots, and excellent knee-pads that look great and do a much better job at not hindering movement than most attempts. There is also the radio and pistol belt, present on most of the other police figures. They also come with these imposing riot shields that can free-stand.
This figure is a fantastic army-builder, only limited by it’s availability in the US. These guys in particular have some really sturdy joints, more so than some others, and the cut and fits of the uniforms is really good. I’ve been debating moving the goods over to some slightly sturdier and more articulated bodies, but for these figure in particular, that seems a little unnecessary. The softest point of the figures are the face sculpts, but in battle gear, who cares if he’s a butterface?
When Mezco Batman gets a chance to use his old thermite fighting cops (“It’s been a while”), He’s going to find these guys waiting for him. And he’s going to have a fight on his hands.
