Just in time to be my first figure purchase of the year (power loader don’t count), the Previews exclusive variant of the One:12 Collective Judge Dredd is starting to show up at comic shops and mailboxes this week.
Now, as variants go, I started out very gung-ho on getting at least the two colored versions of Dredd. Then, after getting the standard version, I cooled a bit. In many ways, he was a victim of his own success — this was such the end-all-be-alls in Dredd figures, I suddenly had a lot less need for any extras.
Now, the story this version comes from, The Cursed Earth, is honestly something I was only vaguely aware of. I have seen some of the Brian Bolland sections, and the notorious Jolly Green Giant and McBurger parts, but I haven’t read the entire saga. I know the importance placed upon it by Judge Dredd fans, and so it’s selection made good sense. And while the poncho’d variant looked excellent in the promotional pictures, I didn’t think I’d need it.
Amazon has a funny way of fixing that, and so here we are. The packaging is the standard for the line, and it impresses every time. Opening the box flap, we get a taste of just how dramatic the color changes really were.
And here I thought the PX Batman was visually striking. PX Dredd has a new uniform, done in a metallic aquamarine color, and that color is matched perfectly on his helmet. The pauldrons and pads are done now in a metallic gold finish, and this combination, in addition to being just amazing in person, almost calls to mind the very good-looking (and shiny) uniform Stallone wore in the 1995 movie.
Unlike that movie, though, this figure is as good in function as it is looking. All the articulation and quality carries across from the regular version.
The greens stay consistent, and Dredd has all the same accessories and hand options as the original. Definitely seems to up the ante on dat ass, tho. Personally, I think it’s the helmet that really sells me on this color scheme.
But if shiny isn’t your style, the PX version includes this fantastic poncho that fits the figure perfectly. Honestly, I kinda wish I could fault this, to justify not needing a second version of this figure, but that’s not happening here.
Done in a pleather material (similar to the Hellboy figure coats, if you remember those), the poncho velcros along the sides and incorporates a wire frame in the collar. It will fit the figure complete with the shoulder armor, something I hadn’t expected, and adds an impressive bulk to him without impeding movement too severely.
The carbine is excellently detailed and designed, and surprised me with another feature: a removable magazine. And that magazine clued me into another fact — this is a shotgun, not a carbine. That’s awesome. And it looks intimidating as hell in his hands.
And I almost missed this last surprise — the PX version includes a variant of the Lawgiver Mk II, with the iconic selector dial on the top. Even the magazine is different, to more accurately depict the Mk II. This kind of attention to detail should not surprise in One:12 Collective, and yet I’m still shaking my head.
I’m starting to think some of the Mezco guys are gun folk. Anyway, what had almost become a “pass” for me is now vying for prime spot as my main Judge Dredd, color accuracy be damned. If you haven’t picked up a Dredd yet, and you’re not committed to the black leather look that he’s known for, this very striking figure packs even more bang for your buck, somewhat literally. And as Clint Eastwood taught me many years ago, ponchos are badass. Judges in ponchos with shotguns? Epic Badass.
