Who? I know that’s what a lot of people said when they first caught a glimpse of this angriest-cereal-mascot-ever. My reaction was essentially the same. I didn’t know his name, I didn’t know what comic he came from — I was assuming something very recent that I hadn’t read — all I knew was he looked cool.
I mean, it was a cybernetic tiger with a quad-cannon arm. Not just one barrel, not two, not even three, but FOUR! It was like somebody decided to pile together all the things that are cool in the world into a single creation. The only thing missing is the swooping red light from KITT. And maybe a jet pack. Jet packs are cool, right? Titus needs a jet pack. Even if he can fly under his own power, he needs a decorative jet pack.
At some point I’m going to read the stories that feature Titus. He was on a cartoon also, but I didn’t need to read or watch anything to know that I had to have this thing. Sure, it’s a Marvel character, but it’s also a Masters of the Universe character, and a Thundercats character, and a DC character and also ____ and ____ and _________. In other words, some things, some concepts, some ideas transcend brand and labels. This one belongs to everything. Titus is an all-you-can-eat buffet in toy form.
If you couldn’t tell, I dig Titus. So much that I bought a complete set of Guardians of the Galaxy figures to get him, which meant I had to get movie figures alongside comic characters. Hell, I had to buy Angela to build him, and I’m still shaking my head that she won that poll. Was he worth it?
Well, duh. Again: tigercannonawesome!
Titus is a character from the recent Nova comic featuring the Nova that came in this very wave of Guardians figures. If I’m remembering right from my research, he’s apparently a “supernova” which essentially means he’s a badass. I’m still unclear as to whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy. I know he attacked the new Nova, but I’m not sure if they made S’mores and got along afterwards. He’s got more blue in his look than anything else, so he doesn’t quite qualify as a champagne supernova.
Titus came together without any issues that occasionally plague BAFs. Everything popped into place, nothing was to loose or too tight, and once together he’s just like any other toy: solid and cohesive. He has very tight single-jointed arms that can get a full and decent 90 degrees. His double-jointed knees and hips both have a very wide range of motion, so he’s pretty well-articulated for such a big guy. The only thing I couldn’t have him do is hold his cannon-arm with his opposing hand in order to get that “firing” pose that I think would look nifty, but that would have required butterfly joints like the recent Spider-Men figures have, and it’s probably not entirely necessary.
Along with his hips and knees, he also has a very wide amount of range in his ankles — at least way more than Hasbro was once allowing — so he can get into plenty of poses and maintain balance very well. Most poses can be achieved on his own, it’s only when you get a bit crazier that you’d need a bit more support. His cannon arm obviously affects his weight on that side, but it doesn’t really impede his posing. It almost acts as a counterbalance, which helps rather than hinders. Titus also cures the common cold if applied liberally. Or conservatively, I don’t care, your political choices are your own.
This is a very nice body for a slightly larger guy. The hips are the newer design and not the ball hips used on Terrax and the recent Sandman figures, which means this body looks very sleek and modern. I like it a lot, and could see it being used for a decent amount of larger-scaled figures.
This wave has featured some nice paintwork on the various heads, and Titus is no different. His regular eye is painted very clearly, and the stripes are uniform. His cybernetic eye is painted well also, and his teeth are painted to follow the sculpt, and not just a random slapdash of white paint smeared across both teeth and gums. At first I thought his jaw might be mobile, but his lower jaw is just a separate piece glued in place. Oh well, can’t have everything.
The real story to this figure is how dynamic he is. Obviously the design elements lend themselves to outlandish and over the top posing, but the articulation backs up the design instead of hindering it. Nothing is worse than a fun-looking toy that ends up being decidedly unfun when it comes to playtime. I think we’ve all been stung by that particular malady.
I know Titus’s relative obscurity has made a lot of people scoff at both his inclusion and his existence, along with the requisite wishes for a better, more recognizable BAF, but I can’t help love the dude for being pretty much everything 10-year-old me might have wanted in a toy.
You can order a set of Guardians of the Galaxy figures featuring Titus at Big Bad Toy Store