The biggest of the April drops, or late April/early May by the time the last one finally got to me, is a brand new toy line from Hasbro. Specifically, their very Black Series-esque line of six inch Indiana Jones figures, the Adventure Series.
The first wave is all from Raiders, and if you get all five, you can build a 1/12 scale Ark of the Covenant. So that was pretty much a shoo-in, since I wanted four of the five regardless and didn’t hate the fifth.
Indy pretty much exemplifies what you’ll be getting from this line. The excellent likenesses, clothing sculpts, and paint jobs like the Star Wars figures, but with less articulation than you’d get from a Marvel Legend, wrestler, or Power Ranger.
Which is fine. Well, more accurately, I accept that there’s a team at Hasbro that’s not super interested in engineering double-jointed knees into dudes wearing slacks, and that that team is in charge of the Star Wars and Indy stuff, regardless of my personal articulation preferences.
Other than that, they’re great, though. Indy looks like Indy. As for the rest of the line…
Sallah looks like Sallah. Marion looks like Marion. Would I have preferred hard-drinking Nepal Marion as the first Marion over this version? Sure. But this version’s not bad, and comes with the Nazi Snitch Monkey. Accessories across the board are mostly spot on, with one or more per figure depending on how you define accessories.
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Ceremonial Belloq is the one I would have skipped if he didn’t have part of the Ark in the box with him. He’s not a bad figure. Far from it, he’s surprisingly good given what robes do to articulation. It’s just a very specific outfit from a very short part of the movie and it doesn’t resonate with me the way, say, a different Belloq, due out later this year and already pre-ordered, would have.
And then there’s the last figure to arrive, somewhat suitably, allowing me to finish my Ark of the Covenant:
I mean, COME ON. How cool is that? Toht comes with a removable hat, a regular head, a melty head, a regular hand, a burned hand, an overcoat, and a gun. An embarrassment of fucking riches, this guy is. If only his slacks and suit coat had more jointage.
As for my future with the line, well, it’s time to start getting picky. I plan to be VERY selective with my choices from the much less good, much more problematic Temple of Doom. Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny figures can fuck right out the door. And Last Crusade I need to be more selective with.
I have three figures on pre-order - White Tux Indy from Temple of Doom (the opening sequence is pretty watchable and he comes with a flaming shish-kebab accessory), plus a two-pack of White Suit Belloq and Marcus Brody, who comes with the big-ass book. But I don’t see myself picking up any more full waves anytime soon.
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