ReSaurus Quake II Alien Strogg TANK

ReSaurus, oh, ReSaurus. I loved ReSaurus. Their toys showed the kind of love and attention to detail that only the Four Horsemen seem to have nowadays. Back in 1998, they released an awesome set of figures based on Quake II, and this hulking behemoth was the crowning glory. I bought the entire wave at the time, which included 4 2-packs of Space Marines and Alien Stroggs, along with weapons galore, but I've since parted with all of them but this, the Tank. And boy am I glad I hung on to him. Tank stands about 8 and 1/2" tall, and is so heavy that the bubble was bradded to the card back. The card is a standard J-hook, with pics and descriptions of the rest of the wave on the back, along with personalized instructions about Tank's missile launcher.

The sculpt is beautiful- right up there with the best figures today. The head is scarred, the armor is scored and blasted all over, with olive drab paint giving way to silver burnished metal. Wired are exposed in multiple colors, and there's even a panel on the leg that can be removed to reveal working gears as the knee joint is bent. Tank includes metal springs at the ankles which act to replicate working "pistons". There are airbrushed highlights all around, and he must have at least a dozen colors in the paint applications. Just gorgeous.

That said, I can't get much in the way of poses out of this guy. Yes, he's articulated, but he's soooo heavy (1 and 1/2 lbs.), and those "piston springs" don't do much to support the weight, that he topples forward quite easily. As a result, I've got him hooked into a display stand, and movement below the waist is rendered irrelevant. Shoulders are cut joints, there's an ab swivel, and "elbow" swivels on the cannon arms. The head swivels in tandem with the rocket launcher on his shoulder, and yes, the trio of rockets are spring loaded. You won't get any dynamic poses out of him, but I don't think of him as a "dynamic character"- this isn't Ip Man. He does look right at home between my NECA Duke Nukem and Dead Space figures, and that's saying something!

I still can't believe the awesomeness of this Tank figure. It's been nearly 15 years, and he still blows me away. I'll forever wish for the Shambler figure from Wave 2 that never got made, but will remain grateful for Tank. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the price sticker is still on the package: he sold for $9.99 brand new (which I remember feeling was A LOT at the time). How times change. He can still be had on ebay pretty cheaply, so if you get the chance I'd recommend picking him up- I think you'll be pleased.