Man, I love pretty much everything about Hellboy. The weird thing is though, is that I never picked up the comic-based Hellboy figures from several years ago (I know, I know) so for the longest time, I have only had the movie figures. Last year, however, 1000 Toys released their Hellboy figure, and I am very happy to have him. Now though, now their Abe Sapien has hit my shelf and I have to say, I think he is the best figure from the property yet.
If you are familiar with them at all, you know that 1000 Toys (base in Japan) does pretty awesome work. I don’t own a ton of stuff by them, but what I do have is pretty exceptional. So, I am in agreement with most that their Hellboy is a great figure. I find his Right Hand of Doom to be a bit awkward due to the articulation and the subsequent aesthetic impact the joints have, but other than that, it is pretty much everything I have ever wanted in a Hellboy figure. That is good news, but the better news is that this new Abe Sapien is and even better overall figure, and it has helped calm my nerves about this being a “one and done” line in terms of releases. I want LOTS of characters from the BPRD.
Abe’s aquatic origins and color scheme instantly appeal to me more than any of the other Bureau members, and he goes along with my other favorites like Mer-Man and Ray Fillet. 1000 Toys does a fantastic job of capturing the accuracy from the comic pages, and they really nail Mike Mignola’s art, which is no easy feat in three dimensions. I love Mignola’s style, and his ability to perfectly blend organic contours with hard lines and portions that look almost etched in stone. The latter works wonderfully well and is appropriate for a character like Hellboy, however, it gets a bit trickier in the subtlety with Abe, but the sculpting work is accomplished and true, so the final product really does look like it stepped off of the page. The oceanic blue-green used for Abe’s skin is just as dynamic and eye-catching as the fiery red of Hellboy, and it compliments that red well for a great deal of visual variety just among two figures.
1000 Toys makes premium products, and that comes with a premium on the price tag, so this figure isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but the aforementioned sculpt work, combined with the impressive articulation scheme and accessories go far in justifying the fiduciary mathematics. The accessories are nice, and he gets pretty much all of the weaponry Abe is known for with his trademark spear gun, pistol (with holster), and knife (with sheath). Also included are six separate sets of hands featuring fists, open, trigger fingers, and various grips. These fill out the rather large box the figure ships in quite well, but it at the same time, it still seems a little light.
But, you cannot really say that there is not a lot here, though I am admittedly feeling like all of the inclusions are more of a requisite walkthrough without anything too terribly exciting. Now, that is the worst kind of assertion on my part because I am not entirely sure what else I would include in this standard set (the deluxe (i.e., more expensive) version does include a non-posable Rasputin), but it feels like there just isn’t a dynamic spark. I don’t know, maybe a water-themed base that could be used for swimming poses or something would have put this one over a bit more, but as it stands, everything that you DO get is perfectly fine.
The articulation is what really makes this figure fun, though, and I have had a hard time putting Abe down since he arrived a few days ago. That said, like some past 1000Toys offerings I own, some of the construction of the various joints is a bit awkward and odd. That isn’t to say that some of the choices negate the count of functionality, quite the contrary, but there are a few things I am not a fan of that I have seen before, and shoulder configuration that is new to me. Some of the joints, particularly the elbows, drop and separate pretty easily, which can make the figure a bit fidget-y. The range of movement and whatnot is not impacted negatively, but it seems like that the left elbow comes apart about half the time when posing.
The shoulders are something new to me, and 1000Toys takes an interesting approach that is mostly effective, but at times can be strange. Abe is depicted with low-set shoulders, and while the joint itself is pretty straightforward and accurately placed, the actual shoulders themselves are a separate overlay piece that hides the insertion point to the torso. Like I said, it is interesting, and for some poses, you can manipulate it to be very natural, but other times the shoulder pieces can get out of sync with the arms and end up in strange positions. I was attempting a shooting pose and when I looked, the should had turned and was laying completely across the chest. It is just something to get used to, I think, but I am not sure I like this better than a traditional shoulder, but you milage may vary.
Other than the kinda boring accessories and some strange articulation points, this is a great figure, and those aforementioned issues don’t do much to drag Abe down overall. Having him join Hellboy makes for a great start to the 1000Toys BPRD, and I REALLY hope it continues. If I remember correctly, we have also seen a Lobster prototype, so hopefully he will be pushed up soon for pre-order – I am in for everyone. You can still get Abe from BBTS, so head there now and build your Bureau.
