MUTANT LEADER - Mezco One:12 Collective Dark Knight Returns figure review

Mezco's Mutant Leader was the third character I picked up from the One:12 Collective line. It's not a character I have any particular affinity towards, but I do love a well-made action figure. From the eye-catching package to the high quality of materials used, the figure shows a level of attention to detail that I really appreciate. 

The figure looks amazing - that's clearly evident from the pictures. It's amazingly accurate, thoughtfully articulated and appropriately outfitted. What's harder to get from the pictures is the true tactile impressiveness of the figure. First off, he's relatively heavy. And that comes from the plastic used his construction. It's almost got a fine texture to it, and it feels slightly rubbery (but not Marvel Legends joints rubbery). It's hard to explain, but this guy is solid. The paint is very nearly perfect, and that's beyond basic paint applications in a broad stroke. His finger nails and toe nails have two different colors on each nail (there's a dark brownish base layer with a lighter gray topcoat, designed to allow a rim to show at the base). The skin all over the torso and feet have a faint airbrushing to highlight the sculpt and add depth. The faces of the three included heads are amazing: eyes can be seen underneath the visor, the teeth are individually painted (immaculately, I might add), with more highlights at the eye ridges and creases. The metal of the torch and crowbar are textured and painted so well, you'd swear they were genuine metal, and the torch fire itself has at least three different shades of color to it.

The pants look and feel great, but there's much more to a One:12 Collective figure than the clothing. Cloth clothing could be used as a gimmick - put some cloth on the same quality of figure I'm used to getting for $20 at retail, for instance, and call it something special. This, however, is significantly different. What I'm getting here is a high-quality figure that would be excellent even with sculpted clothing - something to compete with high-end Figma and Figuarts figures, for instance - that also happens to have fabric outfitting. It's a great accomplishment that's worthy of praise. I feel like there are companies out there making "collector" figures, banking on the idea that (as a collector) I will buy based on the character, rather than the product. Speaking from personal experience, I've learned that buying a poorly-made figure of a character I love only brings disappointment. Conversely, buying a well-made figure of a character I was previously indifferent towards, can be super-rewarding. Mezco's One:12 Collective has brought me back to the reason I began collecting action figures in the first place: they make me feel like a kid again. I won't buy every figure from the line, but I'm confident that the ones I do buy, will be worth it...