On Monday I tried to warn you that there would be some serious Madballs representation here during this week, and I am back to make good on that. In that, I want to be perfectly honest about something: while I have always been a big fan of Madballs, my true love lies with their little known action figure offshoot, Head Popping Madballs. So, of course, the magical land of Japan is helping to realize another serious dose of nostalgia for me.
Yes, Madballs are in the midst of experiencing an serious resurgence, but as Benty and I have both pointed out, the Head Popping Madballs are really where it is at, and the fact that the old AmToy line expanded on the great designs of the balls into full-fledged action figures was some beautiful thing. Having a full and near-perfect vintage collection is a wonderful thing, but, as always, I have been wanting new and shiny updates, and now it looks like I might have a chance at them. My patience has seemed to have paid off, too, because these new sofubi releases look to scratch the standard and head popping itches in one fell swoop.
Blackdots has been teasing me with their sofubi coin bank releases for a while now, because, prior to this release of Horn Head, their previous offerings have been in solid or off colors for the characters. That is cool, though. I understand saving the best for last, so when they finally put this classic colors Horn Head up for pre-order, I jumped without hesitation. Finally getting it in hand, I am absolutely thrilled with the quality and execution of this, and I really, REALLY hope I get a chance at the entire classic Head Popping lineup in this format, even though it will make my wallet catch fire.
So yeah, TECHNICALLY this is not an action figure, it is a sofubi bank, but action feature aside, this does a pretty great job of recreating the old figure in a release format that was likely limited by a licensing deal. So, yes, this functions perfectly as a piggy bank, there is some articulation and format swaps available as well. Oh, and if you are unfamiliar with the Japanese “sofubi” format, for this purpose of this release, it is pretty much a hollow rotocast figure. It is not really “soft” but it is also not solid plastic. So, if you are familiar with the rotocast approach, you should know what to expect here.
This thing obviously gorgeous, and I am very impressed that not one sculpted detail or paint hit has been left out. The Head Popping Madballs as a line in the 1980s was pretty amazing for the sculpting and paint, and this new Horn Head really carries that forward. If you compare this new “figure” to the original, everything has been accounted for and with modern upgrades to the quality of sculpt and paint. There is a lot of subtle airbrushing here and there and all of the colors are bright and eye-catching.
I was really surprised by just how large this Horn Head is (check the scale picture to get a real feel for it), and by brining him up in size, Blackdots has made these more accessible to my modern (mostly) 1:12 scale. However, since the head is removable, and there is a “cork” piece included as well, this bank serves double purpose because you can also recreate the standard (disembodied) Madballs effect with this. That is some pretty shrewd thinking, and I really appreciate that because, well, it makes it so I don’t have to buy a regular ball, too, because the scaling works really well.
This also works in an all-new way because of the little interchangeable feet. The head can sit directly on them so you can get a look that I have never seen for Madballs before. I am unlikely to ever display Horn Head like that, but it is always good to have options, and this adds an interesting new take that, if they offer the rest of the lineup, can bring different sizes and shapes to your shelf.
Now, while this is technically a coin bank, in the full body form, this is really an action figure. Sure, the articulation is limited, but Horn Head can pose as well as any five POA figure. This, though, along with the missing action feature, is a spot of degradation over the original Head Popping figure as those had elbow joints that are missing here, but honestly, I am not even mussed by it. For me, this is a functioning action figure update of an original I love very much, and I am just as happy here as I am with my vintage figure.
If you are a Madballs fan, I really cannot recommend this “figure” enough. I feel like the property hit its pinnacle in the 80s with the Head Popping figures, and this offering keeps that tradition alive. So, if you are ready to take the plunge, he is available now, and Slobulous is also up for pre-order via the Yamakichiya site. Yeah, the ¥8640 asking price is REALLY steep, so I get it if that puts you off, but the Oculus Orbus and Skullface molds are already done, so they should be along soon in their classic colors. I cannot wait for them because Horn Head is really fantastic.
