Bow-wow-wow-yippee-yo-yippee-yay
I get characters from Fortnite that I just don’t get in any other line. Sure, there are plenty of weird characters in TMNT or MotU lines, but I think Fortnite has those lines beat just in terms of the breadth it goes. I can’t think of another line where dog people stand shoulder to shoulder with banana people. You just don’t know what you’re going to get, and for a man of my leanings, it is always a specific punch in the giggle zone when a new figure goes up for preorder.
Doggo is a humanoid dog in a brightly colored hooded sweatshirt. He comes with appropriate accessories like a large bone, a dog dish, a shotgun and a minigun. I can proudly say I have never picked up a dog’s poop a day in my life, but I have to believe if the dog was holding a minigun I’d have to consider my options very carefully.
The dog dish is his “back bling” and seems very appropriate. Of course it opens up all kinds of questions. If he’s humanoid, does he eat with a knife and fork, or does he still eat out of his bowl? Also, the bowl has the name Odin on it. Is his name really Doggo, or is it Odin? Maybe Odin was his dog name, but now he goes by Doggo, because…he couldn’t think of anything better. Do dogs have imaginations? Do dogs dream of canine sheep? Am I asking too many questions? I think I am. Someone needs to sit Doggo down and ask him some deep and probing questions about his life.
The big giant bone works well as a melee weapon, and the shotgun does the job fine, but I’ll have to reiterate my one complaint with these figures: those articulated hands are a constant source of angst. Getting any of them to hold on to their weapons is not an easy thing. That being said, it doesn’t seem like they’re going away. Nevertheless, I’m going to complain about them in every review I do of them, because they are that frustrating.
Because of that, the minigun is my favorite weapon for him because he does actually hold that very well. His right hands wedges into the grip, and the left hand just has to hold it in place, so it’s the far easier option for him.
Doggo moves away from the similar looking body parts that many of the Jazwares Fortnite figures share, which gives him a fresher looking appearance. Not that the reuse has bothered me too much on previous figures, but it’s nice to get some new blood in there. Everything on him articulates very well. His double knees and elbows get a great range, and there’s the familiar torso wobble underneath that sweatshirt overlay that still gets a nice range. The overlay is a very loose and flexible fit so it barely impedes what motion he has.
The hood is a separate piece, which allows him to turn his head and bend it up and down. And do everything with his hood that he’d be able to do without a hood. This is always, always the best option for hooded characters: separate hoods.
Doggo comes with four very distinct faceplates to allow you to change his expression. With previous Fortnite figures, I’ve always found that I like one o the plates more than the others and that one becomes my “default.” Mainly because the range of expression in some of the other heads isn’t demonstrably “better.” But for Doggo, I can’t decide which one I like better. He’s got a neutral head, with his tongue in his mouth, then the same general head with the tongue sticking out. Then there’s the surprised head (mine has some paint shmutz around his eye and mouth that I’m going to try and clean up) and then my favorite, which is his very very pleased expression. Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy? That’s right, you’re a good boy. Want to go for a ride?
And so forth.
The plates all swap on and off easily and slip under the hood with no issue. I almost want to buy four of these damn Doggo’s just to be able to have a team of them with four unique expressions.
I am loving each and every new entry into the Fortnite line, and Doggo is another fantastic addition to the collection. It seems to be a popular line, so I hope that it keeps going and going. There are still tons of great designs to get, and I want to see every one of them get their turn in plastic.