It has gotten to be more and more rare, but every once and a while, a new action figure pops up and takes me completely by surprise.
Sure, there has been a ton of new stuff that has come out for action figure collectors as of late, and the San Diego Comic Con offered us previews of countless new stuff coming our way soon. So, when the new Jakks Pacific World of Nintendo figure started hitting Target and Toys R Us, I was surprised as no fanfare came with the release. Sure, we knew they were coming (mostly due to preorders or store inventory systems), but even then, I don’t anyone quite knew what to expect.
I know when it was quietly announced (all the way back in February of 2013) that Jakks was taking over the Nintendo license, most people around the Internets were anything but impressed. Jakks is not really known for collector-grade figures and the last time they really had a horse in that race, it was the WWE property and it has been made pretty obsolete by Mattel’s superior action figures. People have been waiting for good action figures based on the Nintendo license for a very long time, so when this new master license deal was announced, most people just assumed that they would be waiting a lot longer.
It is true that Japanese companies like Figma and Bandai have been making some really, really cool figures based on Nintendo characters for a while, but collecting those is anything but cheap, and, Figma especially, they are not known for going all-in to build up a universe. I have picked up some gems like Link, Samus, Pit, and the recent Bandai Mario, so I just expected to ignore whatever Jakks was going to offer and stick to my very serious adult collector figures. It seemed like it would be easy, too, when the first Jakks merchandise hit the shelves — it was a “Micro World” Mario assortment with tiny figurines that stand no taller than about a half an inch, which is fine. I am sure there is a market for stuff like that, but that kind of line really isn’t for me, so I continued about my business and did not think much more of this Jakks endeavor. That is, until, the action figure line started to seep out rather unceremoniously.
Well, it was unceremonious for about half a day because when collectors started spotting these figures at Target and TRU, the unthinkable happened — people were impressed! Yep, the 4-inch line consisting of Link, Mario, and Yoshi has been gobbled up by collectors at Target, while the two deluxe figures have been released at Toys R Us. Thus, we bring tidings of Donkey Kong and Bowser, King of the Koopas! Two of the Super Mario universe’s biggest character have charged out of gate first, and, well — color me IMPRESSED!
DONKEY KONG
It took a bit for me to start to accept that Donkey Kong transitioned to a heroic character after being so iconic in the villain role. Well, I guess “villain” could be debated; it is hard to tell if he or Mario is the true villain of the original DK game, but I digress. The ape that would be Monkey Kong has certainly had his fair share of starring and supporting roles in games across all of Nintendo’s systems, but this figure is apparently based on the most recent offering, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. I have not personally played that game as I do not own a Wii U, but the likeness that Jakks has captured for him is representative of how he has looked for several years.
I had originally skipped this figure in lieu of just getting Bowser the first time I spotted them at Toys R Us, but after getting Bowser home and out of the packaging, I knew I had to go back and snag DK. Boy, I am glad that I did because this figure really is a lot fun and no self-respecting Super Mario display is complete without him. The figure is nice and big, especially compared to the standard figures that he goes with in the line, and while I was a bit leery of such a massive monkey at first, I really do like that he can tower over my Bandai Mario.
The sculpt is actually quite nice if you ask me, and it is certainly much better than I was expecting. This is the toothy grin DK and the expression is captured very well. It is hard to tell if he is really happy or just insane. The body sculpt works nicely for his simian build, and I LOVE the fact that he can be displayed down on his knuckles. The furry portion of his body has sculpted detail that brings another level of texture to the figure. Again, this is something I was not expecting. His signature tie hangs down perfectly when he is on his fists, but it defies physics in about every other pose.
The biggest surprise on this figure is, though, his articulation scheme. I mean, he actually has several points of meaningful movement that helps to further the figure’s play value and personality. He has a pretty standard scheme in his arms and legs, but I would have liked to have seen some knee joints just for added options. He actually does have an abdominal crunch point, something that I certainly was not expecting. All of the points come together to make for a lot of great “monkeying around” poses and aside from the aforementioned knees, a neck hinge is about the only other point I would have really hoped for.
I kind of wish that Jakks was able to include a barrel with him since those have been a huge part of his persona since his inception, but I have a feeling that these deluxe figures will be pretty hard-up for extras due to their size.
BOWSER
Now we are talking! Bowser was an “insta-buy” the moment I set eyes on him, and I really could not believe just how massive the figure was when I saw him for the first time. This is the proper figure for the undisputed King of Koopas that I have been wanting for so very long. As far as I am concerned, the likeness to the modern design of Bowser has been captured perfectly in this figure and all of his design details make for a very impressive addition to my toy shelf.
Like I said, he is massive — he is pretty tall by comparison but his size really comes from his girth. Dude is wide as a bus and that is just how it should be. I love, love, LOVE how massive he is, and when you couple the proportions of his stumpy arms and legs with his wide body and massive head, it casts an unmistakable silhouette. His shell is probably the most impressive part, though, and all of those spikes lining his back make him imposing in the best way possible. If this is what all Koopas aspire to be, they have a pretty killer role model.
I love his head sculpt as well and his expression is very iconic and perfect for fire-breathing poses. I can still hear his voice from the Super Mario Brothers Super Show in my head, and when I look at this figure, that pitch and tenner is perfect for the sculpt. His hands are great, too and positioned perfectly for roaring and swiping and annoying little plumbers. I suppose I could get slightly nitpicky and say some sculpted scales on the arms, legs, and tail would have been nice, but it is a pretty even split in being present in all of the official art I could find, so it is not a big deal. He looks good regardless.
For articulation, he does not have quite as much as DK and it is not really as functional, but I find that doesn’t fuss me too much with Bowser. He is a pretty slow-moving character and isn’t known for his gymnastic skills, so what he does have in terms of movement is consistent to his portrayal. I do wish there was a little bit more range in his shoulders and maybe some knee points, but it the lack of those does not really hurt the figure overall. I will say that the wrist swivels on my figure were stuck pretty tight, so I had to heat him up a bit to get them to move.
Again, Bowser does not include any accessories, but if I were picking something to accompany him, I would choose some feature to attach to his mouth. The sculpt is just too perfect not to have it, and fortunately I have plenty of fire effects from other figures that can stand in nicely.
Well, well, well — congratulations, Jakks! This World of Nintendo line has taken me completely by surprise and I am so happy with these two figures. Now, I am not saying that I will be taking this line as a replacement for the Bandai SMB line as I think the Bandai Mario is still better than the offering from this line, but then again, for the $10 price tag, he is a good stand-in if you don’t want to double your spending on the Bandai version. These two deluxe figures will set you back about $15 each and in today’s market, I call that a steal.
I suppose the best thing I can say about DK and Bowser at this point (aside from being just plain fun) is that the urgency to get these guys in the Bandai line has just plummeted for me, and if, for some reason, Bandai never produces them, I will be okay with that. I really hope the two lines continue to complement each other to some extent, and I am heading to Target soon to try to snag a Yoshi. Jakks, you look to have a hit on your hands, so keep it up! I would love to start making a laundry list of characters to include in the WoN line, but I will start with the Koopa Kids. Make them, and you have me forever!
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