Storm Collectibles isn’t content just getting your money. Clearly, they’re now after mine too!
They’ve already made some trouble for me, like with Hollywood Hogan. And I can only fend off the Mortal Kombat figures for so long, especially the big guys like Shao Kahn and Goro. But it is no doubt this foray, bringing something as unfathomable as a Mike Tyson to 1/12, this is where things can get dicey.
I know Storm has previously done a 1/6 version that was immensly well recieved (and now valuable), but I was still surprised to see him solicited. And even more surprised when he showed up. And then stunned by just how damn good he is. And that’s not a knock on Storm’s previous quality- the other figures I’ve picked up all had pretty solid QC and some great sculpt and paint work, but Tyson feels like he literally hit every box- sculpt, articulation, likeness, playability, style, even the size works for me in a “larger than life” sense.
And getting a Mike Tyson done this well is maybe even more impressive, and controversial, than it was with Hogan. Again, his professional career is incredible, but the personal side is definitely less so. We play this game a lot with actors and sports icons, where we have balance what they represent vs what they’ve done. And to be honest, its very sad that’s our existence today- we actually have to spell out “No, being a convicted rapist is not a good thing.” But here we are. And there you go, just in case you had a paragraph at the ready.
And the reason we are here is the man was an unrivaled fighting monster for two decades. He was the first and only Heavyweight fighter to hold and unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF title belts. He has 12 firsf-round knockouts in his career, more than half his KOs, and is regarded to be one of, if not THE hardest hitting fighters in history.
I watched both of his fights with Razor Raddock in the early 90s- you know, when everybody had a buddy with HBO or PPV, whether they paid for it or not, and remember just watching in awe. This first bout obviously has controversies of its own, but was still a magnificent showdown. At the time Razor had developed a pretty fierce reputation; people at the time really weren’t sure Mike could take him. And that second fight, whoo boy. Talk about settling accounts.
So to bring him to 1/12 (ish) scale, Storm used a very impressive set of headsculpts- stoic, pursed, and slightly open mouthed- paired with a massive body, and the result is sort of a “good” comic-esque look- as in, he’s not so huge that you can’t put him in with 6-7″ figures, but when you do, he still feels like he’s towering over most folks. Pretty close to Hogan in terms of size and style, really. And for me, it definitely works- like I said, its a “larger than life” overbilling, which given the characters these guys have created, feels appropriate. He looks pretty badass with ol’ Thunder Lips up there. Here he is with a Mezco Punisher/Rogers body, to give you an idea.
But where he pulls away ahead of Hogan for me is the articulation. All the points are here, and pretty consistent across figures, but Tyson’s just work better, to me at least. His hip section is really here just to fill out the body, since the cloth shorts cover the joints, and that alone fixes my only real gripe from Hogan- that floating rubber pelvic business. Also, this may not be as big a deal on other Storm figures, but the earlier MK figures had a tendency to pop apart at the joints when I wasn’t intending too. I’m sure Mike’s joints are constructed the same way, but these feel a lot more secure to me. Combine that with the softer plastic of the torso, and I felt there isn’t much in the way of posing or play he can’t handle.
For accessories, Mike has the three headsculpts, all three title belts, and a stand. The gloves are his only hands, so it’s kinda hard to count them seperately, but they do fit perfectly on other Storm wrist joints. Obviously, this can lead to some fun, especially if you have a spare. It’s a pretty good loadout, and though Hogan got a little more in terms of stuff, I don’t really know what else this figure would need, other than more boxing figures to put to sleep.
This is easily my favorite figure Storm Collectibles has done to date, and a contender for one of the best releases this year. At the retail 50-60 dollar range, I think he’s a decent value. I don’t expect he will stay there long, though. If it looks like one for you too, I would work fast.
