It is MORE “freaky fun for everyone” thanks to blackdots, and their first series of classic colors Madballs sofubi coin banks is complete with the simultaneous release of Oculus Orbus and Skullface! I have been having a great time with this series as my new action figure stand-ins of the classic Head-Popping Madballs figures, and of this first batch of characters, these two new entries are by far my favorites.

If you have checked out my Hornhead and Slobulous features (and I just know you have), you can probably tell, while these releases are not technically “action figures” per se, they make great modern updates to add to your action figure collection shelf.  I have always loved Madballs, but the figures are what really appealed to my sensibilities, even as a kid, so while the standard balls themselves have enjoyed several updates throughout the years, this is the first real chance and getting the full Head Poppers, so I really hope that blackdots will continue on past these four and get us the full classic line-up. As it stands, my favorite characters have always been Skullface, Oculus, and Dustbrain, so to get two out of three of those in one magical parcel from Japan was a real thrill.

I cannot comment enough about how great these first four releases look together as a group, and their colors and designs not only stand out from each other, but are also very unique in my overall action figure collection. The fact these also include the plugs to give them the classic Madballs shape pretty much eliminates my need for any other releases. Sure, these are rotocast and don’t have that classic Madball feel to them, but other than that, the paint and sculpted details are second to none, and I will be looking to highlight these in my collection room once that is up and going again. So, let’s take a look at both of these beautifully hideous abominations.

OCULUS ORBUS

Old Oculus was originally solicited ahead of Skullface, so he was either running behind in release, or Skullface was running early because they landed at the same time, but I still consider him to be the third entry into this first batch. It is funny, blackdots released these in perfect pattern to build from my least favorite, to my most favorite, but I have to say, the ranking of Oculus and Skullface is minimal in terms of which one is really better for me, because they are both outstanding.

The biggest strength of the Madballs property has always been the design, and I feel like they are really underappreciated because all of the characters are executed pretty perfectly. Some are more derivative than others, but Oculus lands in the most obvious category in terms lending a concept to a design, because he is an eyeball, so getting him to work in the form factor is pretty straight forward. Where he gets really interesting, in my opinion, is when he was given his body of exposed muscles and nerve endings, because while that actually makes total sense for an eyeball, it still feels very original in its execution.

I think that of Hornhead, Slobulous, and Skullface, Oculus actually stands out the most in terms of unique design and striking colors. We have a cyclops, Frankenstein, and skeleton character, so somehow in the transition from ball to figure, the most straightforward character becomes the most original. That is something that is kind of understated with the design, but amongst his peers, Oculus draws your eyes to his eye the fastest. I love the bright red and pink used for the muscles and nerves of the body, and they balance the white and blue of the head very well. This poor guy has to live a life of total misery – walking around on exposed muscles and nerves. But, it is all in the name of design and that is why we love him. I consider this to be a pretty perfect release and all parts of the execution came together flawlessly.

SKULLFACE

If you think about it, Skullface is really the antithesis of Oculus in that, while Oculus is all exposed muscles and whatnot, Skullface is actually an armored up exoskeleton that looks like he could survive a nuclear blast. I guess that kind of makes Skullface an antithesis of the skeleton design he is based on because it takes our most internal structure and puts it on the outside. Again, what a thoughtful and unique design, and in this large format, it works very well. Honestly, Skullface had the potential to be one of the most drab releases here due to his mostly monochromatic scheme, but as it turns out, I find him to be one of the most dynamic.

In the standard ball format, Skullface was always cool because love skeletons, and his smile and eyes are very expressive, so he has always had a lot of personality.  However, with the new striking color palette, larger format, and enhanced detail, a lot of the design of the body comes across much better than before, and I have taken a lot of it for granted. The swaths of pink denoting chips in the exoskeleton help show the soft tissue below bulging from its confines. Yeah, that sounds gross, but that is the point, and it looks really neat. The sickly yellow that is the dominant color is further broken up by the black cracked lines that show that, despite Skullface’s perfect teeth, he has seen some shit. I do miss a bit of the subtle airbrush detail of the original figure, but this new figure is so bright and in your face, I am almost afraid that would have detracted from such a feature.

I don’t know, even though you could still consider Skullface the least compelling in terms of design, his start departure in form and color from the other four almost make him stand out as the most striking. I mean, regardless, he and Oculus were always going to be front and center in my display due to my penchant for the characters, but it is always a thrill when your favorite characters get the best figures (well, banks, in this case), so even if we don’t get any of the other characters, this series is most certainly finishing on a high note.

However, I really want the rest of the HP figures! Dustbrain is my primary focus now, but Screaming Meemie, Locklips, Wolfbreath, and Bruise Brother must also be made! We have not seen any sculpts for those yet, so if this is the last colorway to be released for this set of four, maybe getting to the others is the next objective. At least I hope it is. Either way, this is a fantastic series and if nothing more comes of it, I will still be very happy. The quality is second to none with these and they look fantastic within my modern action figure collection.

If you are interested, they are all still available via the Yamakichi site, so you can get them right away. They are expensive, but I highly recommend them.