Bounty Hunter Bloody Hands Morlock - Memory Toys Action Figure

2023 presented a bit of a seismic shift in my collecting habits and interests. This year saw an explosion of 3rd Party/Independent IPs take over my toy collecting world. It began with Moshow Toys and their incredible Takeya Shingen Mech, but really picked up steam once I had Maestro Union's Crocker and Veteran William figures in hand. From there, it snowballed to Fury Toys "not" Leonardo, AXYToys Carnotaurus Dinosaur Battlefield, and rounded out the year with my favorite figure of 2023, Blade Master Weng, along with Nottaa Collection's YaoMo trio. It hasn't slowed down at all in 2024, as I've added VToys Demon Asura, Xesray Studio's rhino minotaur and this guy: Memory Toys' red orc, Bounty Hunter Bloody Hands Morlock.

It truly is amazing how far action figure design and art has come over the years. The sheer amount of paint and sculpted realism in some action figures is a real sight to behold. That said, this has become an expensive hobby. Prices have skyrocketed as has the number of properties out there. Every day sees new and exciting designs, and it's tough not to want to buy them all. The reality is that space and money constraints make it impossible to own everything. And to be honest, too much is not a good thing, either. Overcrowded shelves leave me underappreciating those things that really deserve my attention. It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet where you have so much food that you never really take the time to enjoy any of it. But I digress...

Morlock is a gorgeous figure. From the presentation of the packaging to the incredible skin texture and the airbrushed highlights, this figure is special. I have a very rudimentary familiarity with Warcraft and its lore, but I've never played, didn't much care for the movie, and haven't read any of the books. This guy looks like a Warcraft Orc, but in red (which I happen to much prefer, though I'm not sure why). If I'm going to spend my money on action figures in this day and age, and they are going to be expensive, I want quality.

And this guy is worth his price tag. Besides a wonderful sculpt and paint job, the heft and feel of the plastic is excellent - durable and sturdy. Nothing feels cheap or like it's going to break, and the articulation and engineering are both top notch. The removable face mask is my best example: it fits absolutely perfectly, looks amazing in place, and is made of a forgiving rubbery plastic and keeps it right in place. It's an example of how to engineer an accessory to perfection. Speaking of accessories, Morlock is loaded: 16 hands, two blade weapons, two alternate heads for a total of 5 different looks (thanks to two interchangeable mohawk hairstyles and the removable mask), two bounty heads, rope for those, alternate bare feet, a skull for impaling on his shoulder spike, and a clip for the enormous sword to store on his back. It's everything anyone could want or need - more, in fact, that I do. I love the heads, but the mask is so awesome to me that I'm going to be sticking with that one. I like the booted feet just fine, and I won't be needing all those hands because I've got his weapons in his for now.

It's nice to have all those things, but a cheaper, stripped down version would have suited me fine, as well. The only gripe in all of this is that the hands are indeed too hard for the weapons, as is. So, yes, they will need to be heated up and softened. But once done, everything looks amazing. That huge bladed thing? It's so heavy it should pull the wrist peg right down, right? It doesn't. The wrist holds its position perfectly. And that's the point. I want my action figures to be two things: amazing to look at and fun to handle. And Morlock is absolutely both. I used the word "perfect" way too many times in this writeup, but if there's one word to sum up this action figure, that would be it. There's recently been a green orc of some sort gone up for preorder from Memory Toys. I have no affinity for orcs, and I've passed on the Mithril one, as well as the half dozen others that are currently on the market. But, Memory Toys has won me over - if I'm buying any of them at all, it's be theirs...