Xevoz Grim Skull
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I've already reviewed the basic, deluxe and 2 pack from the first wave of Xevoz so
you may want to take a peek at part one and
part two first as this will be a somewhat short review of the latest offering, the value
packs. There are two such packs out now, each with a repaint of one of the basic figures
and some extra parts from the deluxe figures. Grim Skull, who is covered in this review.
is a repaint of Skull Jack with extra parts from Inferno Fury. Omega Guard is a repaint of
the Alpha Ranger kit with extra parts from the Sledge Trooper.
Packaging - 8/10Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of the packaging befor ripping it apart and discarding it. The value packs are basicly the same as the the basic release of Skull Jack only taller. The bubble is larger with room at the bottom to show off the extra parts. There are two other significant differences from the basic figure packaging. First is the small banner along the top that says Value Zone. The second is that the insert over the parts is not translucent plastic as it has been with previous figures, instead they used regular paper. The difference isn't very noticable, but it does seem like they were cutting corners here.
Sculpting - 6/10These are the same parts as were included with Skull Jack and Inferno fury. It's a nice sculpt and the simplistic style of the Xevoz figures works alright here. On the human figures like the Omega Guard it is a little less tolerable.
Paint & Decals - 4/10 bothGrim Skull is a black repaint of Skull Jack. In theory, that sounds pretty cool. In practice it doesn't come off quite as well, mostly because of the other colors (silver and purple) that were used. The Inferno Fury parts are still cast in translucent red plastic. I think a glow in the dark repaint would be better. The decals are just as poorly done as they have been with the past figures.
Articulation - 8/10You aren't going to find many people complaining about the articulation of these figures. Each part is connected via a ball joint; effectively giving three points of articulation for each joint. With approximately 16 joints each depending on which parts are used. The figures have an impressive range of motion. Since the figure's parts are connected using ball joints, there was the possiblity that they could be very loose and the figures rather floppy. But that is not the case. All of the joints are tight, sometimes too tight. They fall short of a perfect score since the interchangable parts don't stay connected as well as you might want.
Accessories - 5/10I'm being a bit harsh here. But this is supposed to be a bonus pack so you are paying for the extra parts that the set comes with. Unfortunately their choice of parts is just flabbergasting. In addition to all of the same parts that come with Skull Jack, the value pack also includes several parts from Inferno Fury. But the parts that were included make little sense. To start with you get the flaming eyeball head, Inferno Fury's forearms and shins as well as the flame sword and staff. But then you get to the strange stuff. They included and extra hand blade thing like what has come with every figure so far, like we need more two of them. You get the missle from the Inferno Fury set but not the launcher. you get the front half of the bands that go around the chest of Inferno Fury but not the back. That is doubly annoying since they included the flaming wings but nothing to which to connect them! And then there is the weirdest part of all, the thumbs from Inferno Fury's articulated hands. That's right, JUST THE THUMBS?!?!?!?!
Value - 3/10Ok, three is a bit harsh. But this is supposed to be a value pack and in reality you are paying $2 more than just the basic figure and half of the parts you get for that $2 make no sense anyways. Unless you really like the repaint, skip these value packs!
Happy Hunting:Toys R Us is the only store that seems to be carring this line so far in brick and mortar stores. And I think these value packs may be exclusive to TRU and of course their online store at Amazon.com.
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You'd think this would be easy with thumbs like this! |
