Dusty Trail Action Series 1: Spider action figure review by Andrew Lenahan
Figure: Spider
Property: Dusty Trail Action Series
Series: 1
Keywords: Spider, criminal, thug, lowlife, hoodlum, naughty
Company: Dusty Trail Toys
Release year: 2003
Series Overview:
Bucking the industry trend of using licensed properties as the basis for toy lines, Dusty Trail introduced its Action Series: a line of figures who, though realistic, are not based on any particular person or existing character. Series 1 is a motley bunch, including a pirate, an old-west outlaw, a modern SWAT officer and matching criminal lowlife, and two World War II soldiers.
Character Overview:
Spider's only attempt at characterisation is the name Spider, probably the result of his spider tattoos and black widow "hourglass" t-shirt. Other than that, he's just a generic bad guy. His base has the same texture as the carpet inside the SWAT point man's door, so it's likely that Spider is supposed to be the SWAT point man's quarry.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 8.5
He might not be a very interesting character, but that doesn't stop him from being a fine sculpt and an even finer paint job. He's posed so as to be leaping through the air while shooting, which isn't very realistic unless one considers John Woo movies realistic. But despite the strange pose, his sculpt is bursting with detail, from the intricate lacing and tread of his hiking boots to the tiny skull on his belt buckle. Paint is also well above average, with nice printed spider web and tribal tattoos and a very well-done hat pattern. Even his jeans have some colour highlights to them, making them look both faded and dirty.
Articulation: 4
As is typical of the Dusty Trail Action Series, Spider has very limited articulation. His head turns, as do his shoulders and, rather inexplicably, his ankles. If the "flying" pose is just too goofy for your tastes, he also looks okay lying down on either his back or his side.
Accessories: 6
Most of the Dusty Trail Action Series figures have nice bases, but Spider's is very plain, just a little oval of either blue-gray carpet or concrete. He also has two 40-caliber automatic Glock pistols, each of which is slightly different (one is in a firing position) and a little clear peg to let him float over his base.
Packaging: Above Average
The Dusty Trail action series uses packaging like the recent McFarlane figures. I like it there, and I like it here too. It shows the figure well, it's sturdy, and won't get damaged easily.
Overall score: 7
Although the figure sculpt and paint is quite good, Spider is a bit of a letdown with a weak base compared to his Action Series buddies. I can't imagine most people wanting Spider to display on his own, but he works nicely as a companion piece to the SWAT point man, who is probably part of the same scene.
Availability:
Originally sold at a fairly hefty $12-15 (a bit more than McFarlane figures of similar size and quality), Amazon.com (link) currently has them for $7.99 each as of this writing. This is quite a good price.
Property: Dusty Trail Action Series
Series: 1
Keywords: Spider, criminal, thug, lowlife, hoodlum, naughty
Company: Dusty Trail Toys
Release year: 2003
Series Overview:
Bucking the industry trend of using licensed properties as the basis for toy lines, Dusty Trail introduced its Action Series: a line of figures who, though realistic, are not based on any particular person or existing character. Series 1 is a motley bunch, including a pirate, an old-west outlaw, a modern SWAT officer and matching criminal lowlife, and two World War II soldiers.
Character Overview:
Spider's only attempt at characterisation is the name Spider, probably the result of his spider tattoos and black widow "hourglass" t-shirt. Other than that, he's just a generic bad guy. His base has the same texture as the carpet inside the SWAT point man's door, so it's likely that Spider is supposed to be the SWAT point man's quarry.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 8.5
He might not be a very interesting character, but that doesn't stop him from being a fine sculpt and an even finer paint job. He's posed so as to be leaping through the air while shooting, which isn't very realistic unless one considers John Woo movies realistic. But despite the strange pose, his sculpt is bursting with detail, from the intricate lacing and tread of his hiking boots to the tiny skull on his belt buckle. Paint is also well above average, with nice printed spider web and tribal tattoos and a very well-done hat pattern. Even his jeans have some colour highlights to them, making them look both faded and dirty.
Articulation: 4
As is typical of the Dusty Trail Action Series, Spider has very limited articulation. His head turns, as do his shoulders and, rather inexplicably, his ankles. If the "flying" pose is just too goofy for your tastes, he also looks okay lying down on either his back or his side.
Accessories: 6
Most of the Dusty Trail Action Series figures have nice bases, but Spider's is very plain, just a little oval of either blue-gray carpet or concrete. He also has two 40-caliber automatic Glock pistols, each of which is slightly different (one is in a firing position) and a little clear peg to let him float over his base.
Packaging: Above Average
The Dusty Trail action series uses packaging like the recent McFarlane figures. I like it there, and I like it here too. It shows the figure well, it's sturdy, and won't get damaged easily.
Overall score: 7
Although the figure sculpt and paint is quite good, Spider is a bit of a letdown with a weak base compared to his Action Series buddies. I can't imagine most people wanting Spider to display on his own, but he works nicely as a companion piece to the SWAT point man, who is probably part of the same scene.
Availability:
Originally sold at a fairly hefty $12-15 (a bit more than McFarlane figures of similar size and quality), Amazon.com (link) currently has them for $7.99 each as of this writing. This is quite a good price.
posted by Andrew Lenahan at 8:40 AM
1 Comments:
Well...at least his ankles are articulated! I am glad to see that McFarlane isn't the only decent action figure sculpt detail person. But like I have stated before....these figures are just fine to look at and possibly take pictures of....You just can't bring em to the Barbie Gala....or have them take part in a re-enactment of the Genosian battle. They just dont move around like that. I can just see it...
"Ken...why was THAT guy invited to our engagement party?...He has spent the past 3 hours floating in air on his side and refuses to stop posing like he has a pistol in his hand...even though the men at the door took it away from him when he arrived. I think we should have him removed, Ken...I don't care how much of a sucker Skipper is to the whole 'Bad Guy' thing".....hehehehe
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home