Santa was good to me this year. One of the coolest things under my tree was this amazing 2000AD action figure of Judge Dredd's nemesis, Judge Death, from 3A Toys. It's the first 3A toy I've ever gotten, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
It's gorgeous. Period. The card back is huge, measuring 8 & 1/2" by 13", and it's a beautiful artwork print, front and back (the images are different, by the way), with a minimum of clutter. The cardboard is very thick and heavy, not the usual cardstock I've come to expect from mass market offerings. There's also no peg hole or hook by which to hang the card, so it will have to stand on the shelf rather than hang on the wall.
The figure looks amazing, and is tightly bubbled, off-center. Death comes with 2 alternate hands with the fingers closer together than the default ones, which have fingers slightly splayed apart. I've got to say, this is the one disappointment I have with the figure: the alternate hands really don't provide anything different than the default. I would much rather have had a human heart or bomb-thing(?), like the accessories that Re:Action included with their Death years ago.
As far as the rest of the figure goes, it's simply incredible. Without having taken him from the bubble, I can't comment on articulation, but this is one amazing figure to look at. The outfit is terrific: a deep blue faux leather with tight stitching, sleeves that come past the wrists and to the ankles, and even a collar. The body is lanky, thin and elongated, as it should be, The bone-like coloring and texture of the shoulder pads, kneepads and elbow pads are simply fantastic, as are the belt buckle and badge details. I honestly think 3A's Judge Dredd is going to eclipse Mezco's if it's going to match this.
I'm not as taken by the face portrait. Oh, it's nicely detailed and beautifully painted (not a bit of slop anywhere - the gums and teeth are terrific), but the helmet strikes me as just a touch too short and rounded, making him look like he has a bad bowl haircut. The artwork on the card front and back show a helmet that's just slightly more elongated, and not as wide. Yes, that's a truly nit-picky nit to pick, but there's honestly nothing else even remotely "wrong" that I can see here. Judge Death is a beautifully morbid and repulsive action figure, done nearly to perfection.
Out of package, the honeymoon has
quickly ended. The outfit is noticeably different from Mezco's in that it feels thinner, more delicate. It also sounds "crinkly", almost like paper. The figure itself is also significantly more insubstantial. It
feels much more dainty. That hunch proved itself abruptly accurate when the left hip popped out of its joint immediately once I tried to move it. Since this is a clothed figure with an outfit that is all one sealed piece, the dread (pun intended) was instantaneous. Really? Are you kidding? On a $60 figure? This was a figure I had hesitated to open for nearly 2 months because: 1) I was so enamored with how nice it looked carded, and 2) never having had one, I was uncertain of threeA's quality control track record.
In any event, I did gently push the leg back into the socket and it seems to be holding, sort of. But, needless to say, I'm really hesitant to try to pose this guy at all. Don't get me wrong, he still looks amazing, especially between my One:12 Collective Dredds. It's a real shame that my first posing experience was such a poor one. I usually order 2 of certain special figures that I love, planning to keep one in-package and one on display. I've done so with threeA's Dredd and Fear figure pre-orders. Now, I wonder if I should be regretting that, or (better yet) going ahead and canceling one of each. I really love Death in-package, I'm just scared to him of posing it...
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| Judge Death, 3A Style |
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| Belt and Badge Detail |
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| Scaled with Re:Action Judge Death |
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| Alongside Mezco's One:12 Collective Dredd |
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| With SOTA's Richard B. Riddick |
The figure looks amazing, and is tightly bubbled, off-center. Death comes with 2 alternate hands with the fingers closer together than the default ones, which have fingers slightly splayed apart. I've got to say, this is the one disappointment I have with the figure: the alternate hands really don't provide anything different than the default. I would much rather have had a human heart or bomb-thing(?), like the accessories that Re:Action included with their Death years ago.
I'm not as taken by the face portrait. Oh, it's nicely detailed and beautifully painted (not a bit of slop anywhere - the gums and teeth are terrific), but the helmet strikes me as just a touch too short and rounded, making him look like he has a bad bowl haircut. The artwork on the card front and back show a helmet that's just slightly more elongated, and not as wide. Yes, that's a truly nit-picky nit to pick, but there's honestly nothing else even remotely "wrong" that I can see here. Judge Death is a beautifully morbid and repulsive action figure, done nearly to perfection.
Out of package, the honeymoon has quickly ended. The outfit is noticeably different from Mezco's in that it feels thinner, more delicate. It also sounds "crinkly", almost like paper. The figure itself is also significantly more insubstantial. It feels much more dainty. That hunch proved itself abruptly accurate when the left hip popped out of its joint immediately once I tried to move it. Since this is a clothed figure with an outfit that is all one sealed piece, the dread (pun intended) was instantaneous. Really? Are you kidding? On a $60 figure? This was a figure I had hesitated to open for nearly 2 months because: 1) I was so enamored with how nice it looked carded, and 2) never having had one, I was uncertain of threeA's quality control track record.
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