Hey, remember me? It’s your dude, DisThunder! I used to review stuff!
I hope you’ll forgive my lateness on this (and the next few) reviews Ive got for you. As you no doubt noticed, Mezco hit us HARD this past month on shipping new product, which is exciting, amazing, a little expensive, and created a bit of backlog for me, especially in a month that I’ve been bogged down in some “adulting” garbage. But man do I have some great stuff to look at for the next little bit…
Anyway, let’s not waste more of your time; if you were waiting for a review of this One:12 Moon Knight, you’ve waited plenty. For our first Mezco take, we actually ended up with this more modern costume before his traditional stark white, as this version was a Con Exclusive. Based pretty faithfully on Declan Shalvey’s armored design, this look is sort of the best compromise for a completely white suit that has consistenty looked like black in shadowed artwork.
The suit is appropriately similar to the Batman Beyond suit- as is the body with it. This makes for a nice segmented armor feeling to it, which is good, seeing as du Champ has upgraded the suit with various kevlar and Adamantium components– I think this suit incorporated Carbonadium? This is done with the usual mix of stretchy undersuit material, vinyl overlays, and the plastic for the gloves, boots, and belt. The base body might be similar to that of Terry’s, as it’s more similar to a Daredevil than Punisher build, and affords good range of motion in the ways you would expect. I have noticed these newer figures seem to get a little better hip range as well, easily getting past 90-degrees. Overall, this base body fits perfectly for these athletic type builds.
As Moon Knight easily ranks in the top 3 coolest superhero capes of all time, Mezco made damn sure this one could stand up to the army of increasingly impressive bat-capes. It is done in a lightweight white pleather, and the length and body make it easy to cover mark all the way from the mask on down. Like the bat-capes, it’s pleated to rest on the shoulders easily, and this also leaves room for the collar section and the alternate hoods. This is a goregous cape, and it flows and lays very naturally.
For that hood transition, this figure opted for a soft plastic that mimics the texture- probably a tough call, but thanks to artists like David Finch, Moon Knight’s hood has taken on some angles and dimensions that would be tough to get “just so” in fabric. I think it does an admirable job of matching the material, and if course gives you the option for an up, down or none-at-all look.
And that is doubly important because of how excellent these heads are. The masked one is actually a little intimidating, with great metallic eyes and an also very Finch-like texture. But that Marc unmaksed head might just be one of my favorite headsculpts across the entire line, with it’s beat-up and grizzled lines. I especially like the mask rolled up like a beanie on the top of his head. Really, it feels like the perfect halfway between a Bruce Wayne and a Frank Castle– which is probably exactly where Marc Spector belongs.
While I haven’t read nearly as much Moon Knight as I have those other two, I can tell you one thing I’ve always liked about him was his weapons. His signature weapon, the truncheon, actually gets three versions here; one in the usual staff configuration, one in spiked nunchuk fashion, and the other with the hook deployed– this is usually applied like a grappling hook, but can also make a deadly kusarigama type of weapon. And of course, he has his classic crescent blade, and crescent darts between his knuckles- giving this exclusive it’s name. The weapons carry over a bit more into his hand options as well, since his closed fists have his knuckle blades extended. For a guy with a pretty pronounced bloodlust and a history as a soldier of fortune, this is the exact kind of loadout he needs.
So, it isn’t going to shock anyone here, but I think Moon Knight is easily the equal of his Marvel Knight linemates, themselves among the best of the One:12 line. Even though I am absolutely getting the white standard version when it ships later on this year, if this was the only version of Moon Knight I got– not just in this line, but at ALL– I would not be left wanting. He is a fantastic figure, and if you missed out, definitely don’t give up the hunt.
