Dusty Trail Action Series 1: S.W.A.T. point man action figure review by Andrew Lenahan
Figure: S.W.A.T. Point Man / SWAT Point Man
Property: Dusty Trail Action Series
Series: 1
Keywords: Military figures, soldiers, police figures, S.W.A.T. team, SWAT team, Special Weapons and Tactics, point man, LAPD
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:
While the military toys genre has always thrived, police toys have generally been more of a niche market, with such lines as C.O.P.S, Police Academy, Robocop, and Rescue Heroes rarely handing the topic realistically (though I should note that both LEGO and Playmobil have had numerous excellent police toys). Dusty Trail blends realism with action and drama for this figure. Although the card gives several paragraphs of information, it doesn't reveal his name or background.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 10
Nothing short of awesome. Corporal Smith from this series is a truly wonderous sculpt, and this SWAT officer is every bit as good. Every detail is exquisitely crafted, from the tread on his boots to the seams and rivets on his uniform and even a textured helmet. It's no exaggeration that this is one of the finest action figure sculpts I've ever seen. Although not a particularly colourful figure in his navy-blue-and-black outfit, the paint ops are still perfect. There are flecks of grime all over the figure, especially on the boots. It's an effect which can easily look silly if overdone, but the amount is perfect. This figure is a masterpiece.
Articulation: 4
None of the Dusty Trail Action Series figures are articulation superstars, and the SWAT point man is only barely adequate. He turns at the neck, shoulers, wrists, and left foot only, and none of the above can be turned much or they ruin his one and only pose. Worst of all, he has a non-removable peg in his right foot, so he cannot stand or do much of anything but stand on his base.
Accessories: 10
A base is just a base, but the SWAT point man comes with the coolest base this side of Cabin Control Nemo. It's a section of floor with a wall and door, which stands a full two inches above the point man himself. The door is pushed inward and bent, so that it's obsviously just been kicked off its hinges by the SWAT point man. All of this is pulled off with amazing accuracy and detail: the door is textured just like real wood grain, there's a great weathered look to the door frame, and all the splintering wood looks amazingly realistic. You want a good example of how perfect this thing is? Part of the inside door frame is so splintered that it's almost falling off, and there, if you look closely, is the contact plate for the door lock! Not just moulded, but painted too! Sculptor, you have created a work of art. As a side note, you can see a bit of carpet inside the door, and it's the same shade and texture as Spider's base, so I suspect they might be two parts of the same scene.
No other accesories could match the awesomeness of the base, but they're still cool. He gets a very accurately-sculpted MP-5 (a machine gun, not a newfangled music format) and a removable set of mirrored goggles that look like something Oakley would make for skiers.
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: 9
The SWAT point man is not only easily my favourite Dusty Trail figure, but a strong candidate for my top 10 figures ever. With a perfect sculpt and perfect accessories, this is a figure that deserves a place in every collection.
Availability:
Originally sold at a fairly hefty $12-15 (a bit more than McFarlane figures of similar size and quality), some of them are on Amazon.com for considerably less.
Property: Dusty Trail Action Series
Series: 1
Keywords: Military figures, soldiers, police figures, S.W.A.T. team, SWAT team, Special Weapons and Tactics, point man, LAPD
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:
While the military toys genre has always thrived, police toys have generally been more of a niche market, with such lines as C.O.P.S, Police Academy, Robocop, and Rescue Heroes rarely handing the topic realistically (though I should note that both LEGO and Playmobil have had numerous excellent police toys). Dusty Trail blends realism with action and drama for this figure. Although the card gives several paragraphs of information, it doesn't reveal his name or background.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 10
Nothing short of awesome. Corporal Smith from this series is a truly wonderous sculpt, and this SWAT officer is every bit as good. Every detail is exquisitely crafted, from the tread on his boots to the seams and rivets on his uniform and even a textured helmet. It's no exaggeration that this is one of the finest action figure sculpts I've ever seen. Although not a particularly colourful figure in his navy-blue-and-black outfit, the paint ops are still perfect. There are flecks of grime all over the figure, especially on the boots. It's an effect which can easily look silly if overdone, but the amount is perfect. This figure is a masterpiece.
Articulation: 4
None of the Dusty Trail Action Series figures are articulation superstars, and the SWAT point man is only barely adequate. He turns at the neck, shoulers, wrists, and left foot only, and none of the above can be turned much or they ruin his one and only pose. Worst of all, he has a non-removable peg in his right foot, so he cannot stand or do much of anything but stand on his base.
Accessories: 10
A base is just a base, but the SWAT point man comes with the coolest base this side of Cabin Control Nemo. It's a section of floor with a wall and door, which stands a full two inches above the point man himself. The door is pushed inward and bent, so that it's obsviously just been kicked off its hinges by the SWAT point man. All of this is pulled off with amazing accuracy and detail: the door is textured just like real wood grain, there's a great weathered look to the door frame, and all the splintering wood looks amazingly realistic. You want a good example of how perfect this thing is? Part of the inside door frame is so splintered that it's almost falling off, and there, if you look closely, is the contact plate for the door lock! Not just moulded, but painted too! Sculptor, you have created a work of art. As a side note, you can see a bit of carpet inside the door, and it's the same shade and texture as Spider's base, so I suspect they might be two parts of the same scene.
No other accesories could match the awesomeness of the base, but they're still cool. He gets a very accurately-sculpted MP-5 (a machine gun, not a newfangled music format) and a removable set of mirrored goggles that look like something Oakley would make for skiers.
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: 9
The SWAT point man is not only easily my favourite Dusty Trail figure, but a strong candidate for my top 10 figures ever. With a perfect sculpt and perfect accessories, this is a figure that deserves a place in every collection.
Availability:
Originally sold at a fairly hefty $12-15 (a bit more than McFarlane figures of similar size and quality), some of them are on Amazon.com for considerably less.
posted by Andrew Lenahan at 1:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home