Mezco has never been afraid to go “all-in” on a character from time to time. Batman, Blade, and Punisher spring to mind right away, and you could make a good case for Logan, Darkseid, and a few others, but one name that will from now on be synonymous with “all-in” is Gomez.
Gomez? Yep. Mezco’s mascot, dating back to the bad old days has received a few different figures and collectibles over the years, I remember one in particular from 2008, I think? and that one very much set the groundwork for what we’re seeing today.
This insectoid agent previously faced off against some nefarious agency known as “The Void,” and did so in a slightly larger scale. His anthropomorphic roach build serving as a base for 4 figures at the time.
So 11 years later, Gomez has returned to face such menaces as Drakezilla in the One:12 line, and you really don’t need me to tell you how fun these figures are.
Let’s start with the loadout. Both versions of Gomez come packed with a ton of stuff. For weapons, there is a sleek and sharp katana with sheath and shoulder strap- one in onyx and one in green. He has an incredibly intricate sniper rifle, which can be taken down for storage, or to make smaller weapons. For example, taking the stock, scope, fore end, barrel and suppressor off, you end up with a pistol. add the fore end, take out the magazine, and possibly add the stock, and you’ve got a shotgun. Add the mag and the can, it can be a battle rifle. It’s a little delicate, but a ton of fun to mess with. His backup weapon really can only be described as the “noisy cricket” from Men in Black. Clad in silver or American livery, this little pop gun no doubt can cause all manner of destruction.
He also comes with some throwables- a pair of grenade canisters with a cool skull motif worked into them. Could be explosive, smoke, Willy Pete, whatever the job call for I suppose.
To store these weapons, Gomez has the most stylish case ever packed with a figure- a classic boombox. This stereo opens up to accept a couple different foam pads that allow for storage of the taken down rifle, or the pistol and grenades. You get a clean steel one with Agent, and a metallic one with a “Sex Squirrels” sticker on the front. Whereas I figured Agent Gomez for a 90’s East Coast type of guy, it looks like Street Gomez might be into a little more indy scene. There are also sticker sheets with some familiar logos that you can customize the box further with, but I haven’t worked up the nerve yet.
Getting around for an intergalactic roach agent can’t be easy, so Gomez ships with a hoverboard that looks suspiciously familiar. There are some magnets imbedded in the board to interact with a little bit of metal in the bottom of Gomez’s Chuck Taylors, so he can ride it very convincingly.
When he’s not on the board, though, this and at least several other accessories can be stored in what has to be the best backpack I’ve ever seen in 1/12 scale. It has stretchy elastic straps. a good size main pack area, and velcro to hold the board just outside.
And to make use of all this crazy gear, Gomez has some of the best articulation of the line. Using the new Spiderman style body, he has double joints all around, ball shoulders, hips, neckjoint, ankles and wrists, and some good torso articulation too. But it’s not just the points, it’s the range of the points that make all the difference. Thanks to his light weight and sturdy build, he gets excellent posing, and can hold them very well.
Best part is though, either version, you get to have him look good doing it. Agent comes in a black suit with a gray short sleeve button-up and a tie, and dammit, I wish I could pull this look off. The pants and shirt all have nice details, like a belt and buttons. The fit of these outfits is really fantastic- these are well-tailored clothes, no real other way to say it. Agent also has a pleather long coat with a bendy-wired belt, similar to Blade and Punisher’s, and the dude is a fedora away from looking like a made-roach when it’s all on.
Street Gomez opts for some jeans- kinda acid-washed, a striped long sleeve, and a band collared field jacket. Again, I wish I could pull this off. This figure literally inspired me to get a new M65 jacket. The zipper on the coat functions really nicely, and honestly, I can’t decide on a look. On both figures, the outfits don’t seem to get much in the way of posing, which is something I very much didn’t expect out of more normal-fitting outfits. Street Gomez also has a black hooded windbreaker, and I’m pretty sure if he’s not wearing it, one of my other figures is going to steal it.
Gomez also comes with an impressive assortment of heads and hands- the hands for both are black-gloved, and cover all the accessory holding needs, as well as a couple of “salutes.” For a figure that oozes personality anyway, these are just icing on the cake. Both also come with variant skull heads- a black one for Agent and a Red one for Street- and these also seem to have a tie-back to Mezco lore, though I’m not familiar with it.
Now the Roach heads comprise three sculpts, with different paint for each release. The standard roach head is kind of the “modern” Gomez, with the slightly “buggier” version is more of a classic, and the third is an almost realistic take on the roach head. The moderns are similar in color, with just different eyes, where the Street classic version is in a cool shade of green, to further differentiate it. And Street also gets this almost “Ziggy Stardust” inspired paint job on the big roach head- and damn, man. I want that on a skull too! Maybe Street Gomez and me might have a few music tastes alike after all.
Ultimately, it’s a simple enough premise- you might not think you need a company mascot figure, but you kinda do. Like Robo is fond of saying, good toys can get you into a product. And when the product is, well, good toys, it’s hard to say no. Gomez is a very open canvass for you to craft your own stories with, and he even comes with a comic book to get you started. Either version, both versions, get ’em. Very recommended. And thanks very much to Mezco for their assistance in getting these for review.
