I feel like I am sounding like a bit of a broken record, but man, I really do love World of Nintendo line.
I know Marvel Legends, Star Wars, and One:12 Collective get a lot of play on this site, and rightly so – there are some damn sexy figures being released in those lines/properties right now, but I have to say, I am just as deep into World of Nintendo as I am with most of those lines. Can you believe that we are on, like, the tenth series of the 4-inch figure line? That almost seems crazy until I examine my video game figure shelf and realize that I have a heck of an in-progress collection going, and hopefully, there are no plans for it to slow down.
The line is designed to cover several Nintendo-owned properties, and while The Legend of Zelda, Starfox, Donkey Kong, and others have all permeated WoN, the primary focus has been placed on Super Mario Bros. I realize that can be a point of contention from some as the need for further variety in the line is warranted, but Mario is the big seller, and there are so many characters within that universe to get to that I am having a great time with it.
For a Mario collector, this wave offers a bit of all-new, coupled with a bit more variation on existing sculpts. For me, getting viable and important character variants in this line has actually been a lot of fun; sure, the classic look for Mario, Luigi, et al. will always hold the standard spots in my collection, but I do collect their other many looks as well. From and SMB perspective, included in this wave are Bowser Jr. with a new paint brush accessory and hand sculpt (I skipped him), another take on the Star Power Mario, Ice Mario, and an all-new Lakitu, complete with cloud and Spiny egg. The latter will obviously be the star of the assortment for most collectors, but I am also drawn to the two Mario variants, so let’s take a look at them.
Like most mass market action figure lines, WoN balances repainted figures of existing sculpts with all-new figures. This is nothing new, and while I know that some can feel fatigue when it comes to essentially “re-buying” a figure with a new paint job, as long as the variations make sense, and the balance between old and new is tolerable, I am generally good with this practice. I find this series to be pretty definitive when it comes to this: for the five figures included, you get two full repaints (Star and Ice Mario), a figure with a small amount of new tooling (Bowser Jr.), a figure that is mostly all new (Inkling Girl), and one that is completely new (Lakitu). I feel on the extreme ends of the spectrum with my purchases, but I am happy with all of them.
Lakitu is definitely the highlight of the assortment for me because he is a character that has not had a figure in the line, and he is all-new in terms of construction. He follows the World of Nintendo line framework for construction and articulation in straightforward fashion in that the sculpt is solid, and the articulation is fine, if nothing ground breaking. I have had the Bandai Lakitu on my shelf for some time now, but since he is a slug piece (as in, no articulation), this is certainly an upgrade in that category, and the sculpt is nice enough to make this the superior piece (the size is better, too). Lakitu moves at the neck, shoulders, and wrists, so it appears that he lost the elbow articulation present in the prototype. While I would have liked to have had those points, the wrists allow you to pose Lakitu holding the included Spiny egg, so that is really the most important part.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Lakitu is permanently affixed to his cloud, and, really, that should not be a surprise to anyone. I get the argument that he should be removable because there is precedence for it, but that would have been quite a step in expectation for the WoN line. It would have been rad, but I am okay with it, and since there is a little clear stand included, Lakitu balances like a rock. The could does have a bit of a seam running across the front, but overall, it is not too noticeable. Lakitu is very old-school SMB character who has stood the test of time, so I am glad to welcome him to the WoN line.
Now, the other two figures here are straight-up repaints of the recently-released classic Mario refresh. That is, both Ice and Star Power Mario have the new open hand and closed mouth sculpt, so if you skipped that classic refresh, you will be getting some new pieces here. Ice Mario is a good power for a serviceable variation, and the reversed costume looks good on Mario. I will probably end up getting another one and another of the new classic Mario figures to do a head swap and get a good SMB2 figure. He comes with a repaint of the Fire Flower in the ice blue colors, so that is perfectly acceptable.
Now, the new Star Power Mario is definitely an interesting take. This is actually the second Star Power Mario in this line, and if you saw our review of the previous figure, that execution seems like a more conventional approach to that power. However, the iridescent finish on this figure copies the Star Power Mario 8-Bit figure Jakks released in the 2.5-inch line, and I actually really dig it. I understand that it will not be for everyone, but the finish is actually really well done. If you look at the actual sprites from the early Mario games, you know that the effect is accomplished but the colors changing frame to frame. I see this as like a transition of the ramp-up to the full effect, so this figure stands right in between the regular Mario and the other SP Mario, and it works well. Of course, he comes with a Star Man, so you know where he gets his power, heh.
Yeah, I love this line, and I am not apologetic about it. I am really enjoying the new figures like Lakitu, but I also like the viable variants, so these three figures are all hits for me. You can find Lakitu, Ice Mario, and Star Power Mario on Amazon now, and I recommend doing so. Now, the NEXT series is rumored to kickoff the Koopa Kids in this line with Iggy, so I could not be more excited about that, so the future is looking good for World of Nintendo, and I hope the line continues for a long time to come.
