JUDGE DREDD - Art Figures Artistic Interpretation "Heavy Cop" Version 2.0 Review

This was the final assembly day for Judge Dredd, and it was absolutely as aggravating as I had anticipated. The final assembly involved threading his belt through all of the included accessories, as well as the four loops at the bottom of the vest and the top loop of the holster. Everything actually went really well, for the most part, until the very last step. Go figure. I checked some pictures online to see where things should go (he's got a lot of stuff!). There's a round disc in a pouch (can't remember what that is) to the left of his belt buckle, the two pouches with 2 spare magazines each, the medical kit, the breather bag, a grenade, his combat knife and the holster.

I used two pairs of tweezers to help me thread things through, and I was able to get everything pretty much where I wanted. Then it was time to attach the main portion of the holster itself to his thigh. Sounds simple enough, but it wasn't. The problem was that the straps were not long enough to wrap around the thigh and the pants to buckle closed. I literally fought with those things for nearly an hour. The straps can be pulled out a little, but it's no simple task. I tugged with the tweezers and with my fingers (terrified the entire time that something would break), lost my patience a half-dozen times and finally, in the end, got the thing buckled into place. I intentionally left the knife off - it's got a very thin clip on the back and I'm afraid it will break off if I try to attach it, so it's going back in the box until I want it in his hand. So (Finally!), Judge Joseph Dredd, Karl Urban style, is fully kitted and outfitted. And, man, he looks good...

Art Figures' Heavy Cop is an unlicensed 1/6 scale figure of the main character from the movie, Dredd. It's one of my personal favorite films, and Karl Urban's depiction of Judge Joseph Dredd is outstanding. The film seems to have a pretty dedicated, if small, following. With hopes for a sequel longingly housed in the back of my mind, I'm thrilled to be able to add a movie Dredd to my toy collection. It's not my ideal (1:12 scale is my dream), but it will do for now. In fact, the figure is so well-done that I've gone ahead and purchased a 1:6 scale Art Figures Boy Black (aka Riddick) to stand alongside him!

Art Figures released a movie version of this figure some time back. I missed out on it, but thankfully caught this version just as it was released. This version, which I'm calling "2.0" features Dredd outfitted in "classic blue" comic-book colors (in the film, he wore black). This version also features shoulder pauldrons that are prominently gold (the first edition had darker pauldrons, with the gold mostly washed out), an unblemished helmet (version 1.0 had a few battle-damage scars), and the inclusion of a hair piece. Once completely outfitted, the figure looks striking and complete as Judge Dredd. The outfit is faux leather and the armor portions are plastic. The articulation is sufficient to strike some poses, but I tend to keep my figures pretty static for display. Besides the pain I had to endure getting this figure outfitted, I really only have two complaints. First, I hate the hands. The feature bendy fingers, and with the added bulk of the gloves, I can not get them to look natural. I'd much rather be able to swap them out like I can with my One:12 Collective Dredd hands. Second, the Lawgiver (and other accessories) are too plain. They have the shape and design they should (and there's even a sticker on the gun mimicking the "ammo display", but other than that it's all just plain blue plastic. Comparing that to the level of detail that Mezco got into their Dredd Lawgivers, I can't help but feel disappointed. I think they all would probably have looked better in black, on the original version. But here, they look like toy plastic.

Other than that, there's really nothing else for me to say about Heavy Cop. He looks outstanding, feels like quality, and is the only collectible figure based on Dredd out there. Blue Version 2.0 is limited to 300 pieces worldwide, so if interested at all, I'd suggest jumping on it rather than waiting! He looks right at home beside my only other high-end 12" figures: Dark Knight Batman (Hot Toys) and War Machine (Hot Toys)...

The Chronicles of Riddick SOTA Toys action figure line

SOTA (State of the Art) Toys made some pretty wonderful action figures back in their day. They created one of the greatest lines ever with their Street Fighter figures, and their Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life figures are still my favorite Lara Crofts in my collection. SOTA released a series of action figures based on the Vin Diesel movie The Chronicles of Riddick around 2004, and even a decade later these are the only licensed toys that have ever been released based on the Riddick universe.

I'm a huge fan of the Riddick series of films. I like all of them, and LOVE The Chronicles of Riddick. The character of Richard B. Riddick is a personal favorite of mine, right up there alongside two other deep-voiced tough guys of few words: Batman and Judge Dredd. But while I've got plenty of Batman action figures and a growing shelf of Dredd characters in 1:12 scale, Riddick eludes me. Now, I know that both of those other characters have years of storylines to fall back on, and a huge following of fans who have grown up with them over decades, while the character of Richard B. Riddick is fairly new, and much more modest in popularity by comparison.

So far as I know, only two 6" action figures have ever been made of Riddick, both by SOTA Toys, based on The Chronicles of Riddick. I have both (still in package) and they look good (quite exceptional for the time in which they were produced, actually).

The basic Riddick figure comes outfitted in his black tank, long pants, forearm bracers and harness/backpack combo. He's got 2 Ulak knives and his goggles are removable. He's got joints at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. The likeness is pretty good, and the paint is well-done. There are a couple of different paint possibilities I've seen for the head. One is completely bald, and the other (the one I've got) has a much more noticeable hair line.

The other Riddick came in a boxed set with a Crematoria Hellhound. He's outfitted in the Necro armor he wore as a disguise at the end of the film. There are a couple of big sword-like weapons that appeared in the film included, as well.

Other figures in the line included Vaako, as played by Karl Urban. He comes with the gun he used to shoot Riddick on Crematoria as well as the ax he tried to kill the Lord Marshal with (I think). The likeness is ok, but not quite as sharp as Riddick's

Lord Marshal comes with a removable helmet and a couple of the giant weapons he used . The armor on both of these figures is very detailed and shows a great deal of care went into their design.

I think the Vaako sculpt (or maybe it's a combination of parts, because the torso looks like the boxed Riddick's) was released with an added helmet as a SDCC Exclusive, and labeled as a Necromonger.

The Lensing Necromonger is an interesting figure, in that it is really well-done (you can even see a tiny face peering out from behind the purple lens of the faceplate), and has plenty of icky detailing in the crags and folds of the skin around the neck. However, it's not a figure that really needed to get made. I'm not sure why SOTA decided to make this odd and fairly minor character into a toy (really, how and why would anyone use this thing in their Riddick adventures?). If they really needed another figure, they could have gone with Dame Vaako, Aereon the Elemental or even Toombs the Merc. In any event, the figure looks pretty faithful to the film.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the final figure in the line. Kyra (aka, Jack) really doesn't look anything at all like the incredible Alexa Davalos. I really love Kyra's character in the film - there's a cat-like grace and fluidity to her movements, and she does a great job of keeping up with Riddick (no easy feat!). I was upset at her demise, but that seems to be the fate of EVERYONE who befriends Riddick (even jackals!). The figure sports a poor likeness, and the articulation doesn't look like it does much to capture the acrobatic abilities of the character. She comes with 2 blasters that she used in the final battle on Crematoria.

I don't know if it's true, but I've heard rumors that a fourth film, Furia, is in the works (announced this past November/December?), along with an upcoming television series called Merc City. If those rumors are true, the Riddick Universe is alive and well! And in that case, it's a perfect time for NECA or Mezco Toyz to pick up the license and get us a proper Riddick line of figures. Can you imagine how amazing a One:12 Collective Riddick would be? Heck, I think Mezco would do an amazing job with a line akin to their recent Mortal Kombat offerings! Or what threeA could do with the Riddick universe? How about a Figma or Figuarts Riddick?

Art Figures' release of Boy Black illustrates what can be done with the character, if done properly. The toy companies just need to know that there's enough of an interest. The films have garnered a small, but dedicated following, and I know that I, for one, would be gloriously thrilled to get behind a proper line of figures based on the Riddick universe!

JUDGE DREDD - Art Figures Artistic Interpretation "Heavy Cop" Version 2.0: DAY 3

Today posed the first real challenge: Dredd's armored vest. It's made of a front and back panel, connected at the top by a padded neck ring, and on the sides by 4 tiny clasp buckles. The shoulder pauldrons also have elastic rings on their outer ends.

Front

I figured that those rings need to slide up each arm to the bicep area, where they would serve to keep the shoulder armor from flapping around loosely. I wasn't sure how I was going to get those on, AND slide the whole shebang down over his head. Never mind that the clasps are REALLY tiny, are made of plastic, and didn't want to seem to come apart no matter how hard I tried. I'm also terrified of breaking something.

In any event, it took some time, and patience in the form of me walking away a couple of times, but the armor got on. Sliding the elastic up the arms wasn't as hard as I thought.

Back

The second arm, especially, went much smoother than anticipated since the range of motion is pretty good and I could bend it and maneuver to get the loop to reach. The neck collar is a very tight fit, and closing the clasps on the sides of the vest was a real challenge. I just couldn't squeeze the vest close enough together over the underlying sweater to get them to seat. I eventually managed one on each side, which helped, but it was a trying process. However...he looks awesome with it on...

JUDGE DREDD - Art Figures Artistic Interpretation "Heavy Cop" Version 2.0: DAY 2

I decided to "go small" on this first day of assembly, just sticking with the head. Before getting to that, there are a couple of things worth mentioning: this second version has some notable differences from the original. The most obvious is that this guy is outfitted in blue. He's very blue, while the original was black. Second, this version's shoulder pauldrons are clearly gold, while the original had a faint gold overlaid with a dark wash.

Third, the helmet on this version is completely fresh - there's no evidence of "battle damage" like there was on the original. I almost feel like this version of Dredd is pre-Peach Trees, maybe even right out of training. The final, and maybe most obvious, addition is the hair piece.

It fits great, looks good, and is going straight back into the box after this picture, never to be seen again: no one gets to see Dredd's hair, unless it's in the dark, from the back, right after the opening credits, for like 2 seconds.

The face sculpt is good, the eyes are cool and the stubble is really well-done. The most important parts are from the nostrils down, and the scowl is captured perfectly. Both the hair and the helmet fit spot-on, and both look awesome. Next, I'll attempt the armored vest. There are tons of buckles and straps on this thing, so I'm a bit tentative, but I'll take is slow and see how it goes...

JUDGE DREDD - Art Figures Artistic Interpretation "Heavy Cop" Version 2.0: DAY 1

One of the reviews I had the most fun doing (ever) was for the Griffon Enterprises T-rex. For that review, I spent nearly a week unboxing and examining the figure, really spending some time with the opening. I'll be doing something similar here, with Art Figures' take on Karl Urban's portrayal of Judge Dredd in the movie Dredd.

There are two movies that I seem to return to over and over again for a fun re-watch: The Chronicles of Riddick and Dredd. SOTA did a wonderful line of figures based on the former, while the latter has never had a proper line of figures. Art Figures has (relatively) recently done 1/6 scale versions of both main characters as unlicensed Limited Edition figures (I'm hoping to pick up Riddick when I've got the money), and since I missed out on the 1st release of "Heavy Cop" I decided I didn't want to pass up on Version 2.0

I tend to shy away from 1:6 figures. I have 2 in my collection, both Hot Toys, and I like them just fine, but I honestly tend to just put them behind glass and forget about them. Nevertheless, I took the plunge with Judge Dredd, here. Despite my hopes and wishes, I'm almost positive that I won't be seeing a proper 1:12 scale movie Dredd (or updated Riddick, for that matter) any time soon, so I figured I might as well go for it. For this Day 1 post, I'm just taking a look at initial impressions.

The box is very nice, actually. The front panel features beautiful deep blue artwork of Dredd along with  the words, "Artistic Interpretation Art Figures AF-015 Limited Edition". There's another image of Dredd on the back. The sides containt a warning for younger kids about the contents being dangerous, but considering the cost of this figure and the content of the movie it's based on, I don't imagine too many 10 year-olds cracking open their piggy banks to get this guy. The front panel is thick, sturdy cardstock and keeps closed with two magnets. In all, it works very well - it's classy while protecting the contents nicely.

Inside is a foam panel, and underneath are the figure and its accessories. The figure looks awesome and smells awesome, and I'm honestly freaked out by the amount of armor and straps I'm going to have to attach (which is why I'm doing this over several days, hoping my patience will hold out). The head sculpt looks great, even without the helmet on, which I was honestly worried about, and everything looks like it's where it should be. So far, I'm very excited! If the quality of the figure holds up to the quality of the package, and nothing breaks or proves useless, this could be an amazing figure! Tomorrow, I will mess with the hair and the accessories, and maybe even try to attach a part or two...

WONDER WOMAN - DC Collectibles Yanick Paquette "The Art of War" Statue

I like strong women. My shelves are filled with Lara Croft, Motoko Kusanagi, Cammy and Chun-Li, Catwoman and the like. But one particular "strong woman" has been conspicuously absent: I have only one Wonder Woman in my entire collection. It's the Benes Justice League action figure. Oh, I've had others: several of Mattel's DCUC versions, an animated Justice League figure or two, and even a DC Direct figure here and there. They always seem to "move on", though. None of them have really had the gravitas to stay in the collection. I'd been eagerly awaiting Yamato's Royo statue and was thoroughly disappointed once I saw the actual production statue, while also being super-relieved that I hadn't pre-ordered it.

With "Batman v Superman" on the horizon, my Wonder Woman interest has been re-kindled. I've got pre-orders in for all four MAFEX figures already, and I even picked up a couple of Mattel's figures (though I just couldn't keep that awful Wonder Woman and ultimately returned her; Armored Batman is the only one I'm willing to hang on to at this point). Despite being a fan of the Wonder Woman character, I must confess I've never read any of her books. I watched the Lynda Carter show as a kid, and I enjoyed her animated portrayal in the Justice League cartoon. I even picked up the animated movie, and liked that, as well, but I've just never really been swept away by the character; I'm hoping that will all change soon.

DC Collectibles has produced a line of porcelain statues dubbed "The Art of War". As of this writing, I think there are about 11 statues in the series. The concept is similar to the Batman Black and White line, where an artist designs (draws) a version of Wonder Woman, which is then passed on to a sculptor for creation in three dimensions. Each figure comes on a matching logo base, and is limited to 5200 produced. My first is the Yanick Paquette Wonder Woman, sculpted by Clayburn Moore. I decided to go with this figure first because I've never been disappointed by anything Clay Moore has sculpted. His Lady Demon figure was what got me into collecting beyond Star Wars back in the 1990's. In terms of musculature and capturing the grace of the human body, Moore is at the top of my list.

The statue stands about 7 & 1/4" tall, atop the base. She comes attached to that base, with her shield on one arm and her sword balanced against the ground under her other. Both accessories are nicely detailed and painted, though neither can be removed. The shield, in particular, has some lovely engraving work, along with a dark wash to bring it out. The figure itself is just beautiful, in a very unique way. Straight away, the body is simply gorgeous. The proportions are perfect, and she looks amazing from all angles. I especially love the way Moore sculpted the shoulders to look muscular and defined without making them overpowering. Nothing is too overdone - she looks fit and strong without being brutish. The face is where things shift a little bit. She's not "ugly" in any sense of the word, but the look does take some getting used to. Right out of the box, I didn't like it (even my kids commented that her face looks "wrong"), but it's really grown on me over time. The sculpt of the nose and the shape of the eyes give her almost a Middle Eastern look. The jawline is pretty long and comes to a fairly pointy chin. She's very pretty, but something seems "off". On the first figure I purchased, it almost looked like the face warped coming out of a mold or something. There was too much left side of her face, and not enough right side, with the nose and chin were bent askew. I returned that statue (the sword was broken, as well, straight out of the package) and got another (the one pictured here), which turned out much better. This face is closer to symmetrical, but still not quite right. I think the paint around the eyes is too thick on one eye as compared to the other, but the biggest complaint I have is with the eyebrows. They are very thick and sit high on her forehead, up closer to the tiara than the eyes. They look that way on the box, as well, so it seems to be intentional, but I personally think it throws off the look of the face completely. I've tried imagining how she'd look with her eyebrows lower down, and I think it would improve things, but I'm certainly not confident enough in my own abilities to attempt it.

The Paquette Wonder Woman looks outstanding from almost every angle except straight on. From that vantage, she looks merely great. I'm happy to have this statue in my collection - so happy, in fact, that I've gone ahead and ordered the Tony Daniel version to join her. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a small but nice shelf of Wonder Woman collectibles in my future. Here's hoping that "Batman vs. Superman" encourages that goal, rather than not...