If, just a few months ago, you were to tell me that I would get not one, but TWO swipes at an action figure lineup of some of my most beloved Disney characters after waiting (basically) my entire life, I would have lamented your enthusiasm while reflecting on my own disappointment for such things over the years. However, while it never seems to rain, it apparently pours because, between Funko and HeroCross, I am suddenly in blissful state of Disneyana action figures, with the Disney Afternoon coming from the former, and a more classic Disney take from the latter. Plus, since Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie are three of my all-time favorite Disney characters, I have been giddy with anticipation over this newest Hybrid Metal Figuration release.
Yes, when it comes to the iconic Disney characters, I have always been more about the ducks, rather than the mice. Don’t get me wrong, I love ol’ Mickey, but Donald and his family, friends, and associates have always had much deeper characterization to me, especially in the Carl Barks and Don Rosa comics where the adventure ran high. I love the stories about Donald, Scrooge, and their nephews, and the fact that I got to watch them on DuckTales as a kid, and now as an adult with my own kid, has always been a pure delight. In fact, the only thing better for me is to have them in action figure form, which brings us right up to today! HeroCross has slowly been releasing characters from the many swaths of Disney, but with these three nephews, and the announcements of Scrooge, Daisy, and Webby, they are starting to be serious about getting Donald lots of company.
The Hybrid Metal Figuration line is unique for me in that I do not own many figures with metal as part of their makeup. I have the SH Figuarts TMNT figures that have metal legs to effectively aid in dynamic posing, but since I am not really into Transformers or the like, metal as a material in action figures is a bit lost on me. Except for this line where it has always been an interesting component, even if the amount of metal used in each figure varies greatly. For example, Mickey and Minnie both have quite a bit of metal in their construction, from their main torsos, to their arms and legs. These nephews, however, follow their uncle Donald in that the metal portions are really limited. So, I guess it is “Bob’s your uncle” when it comes to the application, but I don’t even care as this line has done a nice job capturing the iconic looks of the characters.
Donald has been the standout to me, not only because I am partial to the character, but also because I do believe he is HeroCross’s best effort to date, but when H-D-L were announced, I knew that, due to their designs and extras, they could pass their poor uncle for the top spot. I have to say that, overall, these three are successful renderings, but they are not quite as good as I had hoped. Now, there is no denying that they look fantastic on the shelf, so if that is your primary concern, you will not be disappointed, but in terms of being functional action figures, I definitely have some nitpicks. None of them, however, are enough to dissuade from being pleased as punch to have them, and the good definitely outweighs the not-so-good.
So, whether you are a classic Disney fan or more about DuckTales, Huey, Dewey, and Louie will be essential to your collection. Generally, when figures are released in a set like this I take the occasion to assess each of them individually, but since these are (appropriately) just different colorways of the same figure, I am going to focus more on the success of the set overall. That success starts with the packaging, and while I have never been one to put much focus to this kind of thing in features, the box is colorful, the graphics are instantly classic, and figures are displayed well. HeroCross generally supplies durable and colorful packaging for their releases, but this is another level above what I have seen before from them.
The sculpt work is also strong here, and it captures the look of the nephews well. Let’s face it, until the new DuckTales cartoon, the three boys were always portrayed as identical triplets, distinguished only by their color choice in hats and shirts. HC took that same approach here and has been successful as their likeness, and relative stature to their uncle is pretty right on. I have had some issues with HC likenesses in the past with Mickey and Pinocchio, but H-D-L are just as good as Donald. The feathers are bright white, their beaks and legs the perfect shade of orange, and the red, blue, and green stand out as they should. While their bases highlight what is most similar about them, there are many different ways to bring out their individual personalities.
This is where the set is a big winner because there are so many included accessories and swappable parts that the combinations are, for all intents and purposes, endless. Each figure has two face plates, three sets of eyes, three beaks, and four extra sets of hands. So you can choose between closed/squinted, forward, left, or right-looking eyes, closed neutral, closed smiling, or open beaks, and hand grips for any situation to give all three boys completely different expressions from one and other. Oh, and since their hats are removable but held on with a magnet, you can face the bill forwards or backwards, or ditch the hats entirely depending on the mood or situation. The hats do sit on their heads slightly askew which, if you pay close attention, is generally how they are portrayed.
There are also three fishing poles (with real fishing line!) included, as well as three fish, a soccer ball, and a baseball, mitt, and bat. These are call backs to their interests mainly from the comics, and fish are a nice touch as they always had much more luck in that activity than their uncle Donald. The soccer ball, baseball, and bat can be used for any of the boys, but the glove is really meant for Huey (and included with him in the individual releases) as you can see a line from his sleeve painted on the back. HC has always been good about including swappable parts with their figures, but this set goes beyond anything I have seen before, and that is taking into consideration that most of the pieces are used three times over, there is still a lot.
Now, the articulation is pretty standard for HMF figures, and while it mostly function well across all three figures, this is also the sticking points of most of my nitpicks. The legs on all three boys, while appropriately skinny are also weak in the knees and ankles. Posing is still relatively easy, but things need to be balanced correctly to make sure they do not go toppling over. Additionally, Dewey is my favorite nephew, and unfortunately, mine is plagued with the most issues. This is mostly around his left shoulder joint as it wants to disconnect at the biceps socket. I can get it to stay, but it is pretty annoying. Finally, I do wish the seams on the heads were not so apparent as well, as it can be distracting, and frankly, I expect a bit better for an $80 set.
Other than those final quibbles, I really love this set and I am so glad to have Huey, Dewey, and Louie in my collection. You can order this set right now at BBTS as it looks to be in-stock soon, and you can also order Scrooge and Daisy while you are at it. HeroCross is building up quite an impressive Disney set, I hope to see Goofy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale soon, too. I have wanted a classic Disney collection for a long time (why has it taken so long?), so these are exciting times, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie are nice additions to the shelf.
