Review: HBII Goblin
Unless the Angel of Death starts going on clearance, this will likely be the last of the eight inch Hellboy figures I review, at least until the next movie comes out sometime around 2015. If this prediction turns out wrong, I won't complain: I love my collection and would happily add some more. But honestly, I think I've got all the toys that are going to get cheap.
Just to recap, we've already reviewed Hellboy, Abe (from the first movie), Liz Sherman, and Nuala. And lets not forget the BPRD Buddies, reviewed here and here.
The craftsman who built the Golden Army, the goblin has a relatively small part in the movie. Still, he's certainly got an iconic design, and he was memorable.
Like the others before him, he was produced by Mezco, which is fast becoming one of my favorite toy companies. Lets see how this guy holds up.
Just to recap, we've already reviewed Hellboy, Abe (from the first movie), Liz Sherman, and Nuala. And lets not forget the BPRD Buddies, reviewed here and here.
The craftsman who built the Golden Army, the goblin has a relatively small part in the movie. Still, he's certainly got an iconic design, and he was memorable.
Like the others before him, he was produced by Mezco, which is fast becoming one of my favorite toy companies. Lets see how this guy holds up.
Appearance and Construction: 7/10
Hey, the name of this section changed! I'm not entirely sure whether this is a permanent shift, but I'm considering it. If you have strong opinions one way or the other, don't be a stranger.
Well, there's no denying the Goblin is photogenic. His wrinkly skin and elaborate head sculpt look phenomenal in pictures.
In person, though, there are some problems. That isn't to say that the sculpt and paint aren't solid - overall, they certainly are. But up close some flaws start to appear. The problem areas are the body and the wagon, which I'm counting as part of the figure rather than an accessory. These are constructed from a soft, hollow plastic. Press on either of these sections, and they'll compress like a balloon.
Overall, these don't look horrible, but they do create some issues. First, there are the crabs scaling his body. Because they're part of the sculpt, there's no real sculpting line separating them from the body. It's not too surprising that the paint gets sloppy here.
Likewise, the necklaces worn by the goblin, while looking good from some angles, get a little silly in profile. This is because they don't hang; they're instead fused to his chest, folding skin and all.
Well, there's no denying the Goblin is photogenic. His wrinkly skin and elaborate head sculpt look phenomenal in pictures.
In person, though, there are some problems. That isn't to say that the sculpt and paint aren't solid - overall, they certainly are. But up close some flaws start to appear. The problem areas are the body and the wagon, which I'm counting as part of the figure rather than an accessory. These are constructed from a soft, hollow plastic. Press on either of these sections, and they'll compress like a balloon.
Overall, these don't look horrible, but they do create some issues. First, there are the crabs scaling his body. Because they're part of the sculpt, there's no real sculpting line separating them from the body. It's not too surprising that the paint gets sloppy here.
Likewise, the necklaces worn by the goblin, while looking good from some angles, get a little silly in profile. This is because they don't hang; they're instead fused to his chest, folding skin and all.
 |
The interior of the wagon has problems up close, too. The mass of shells, bottles, and other assorted goodies is fused into a single blob. Fortunately, some above-average paint work disguises this to a degree.
Everything else is quite a lot better. The face work is stellar, though it looks a little off model to me, and the wheels are absolutely gorgeous. The hands and arms are also impressive; particularly around the gloves. I also want to compliment the work on the cart and ropes: the texturing effects looks great. Even the goblin's body looks great beside the crabs and necklaces. This is a very good looking figure, but I can't divorce it from the cheapened method of production, which is why I'm adjusting the scoring system. If it weren't for the thin material, it would have pulled an eight. And, if they'd fixed the issue with the crabs at the same time, a nine wouldn't have been unreasonable. But all these details add up. |
Packaging and Extras: +1
The package looks like... well, like this:
So, yeah. Looks good; looks fine... who cares? Let us proceed to more important matters. Not counting the cart, the goblin comes with five accessories by my count. Actually, we can take that to seven if we include the two hooks... more on them in a moment.
|
All right, the most basic accessory may be a wooden board for his right hand, so he can more easily move himself about. Like the rest of the wooden objects here, this looks pretty good. I do need to mention that mine has a tendency of falling out, but it's nothing some persistence can't solve. Next up, there are a pair of lanterns, one green and one with a burnt out candle inside. These are quite nice, and I'm happy to have them included. |
 |
The pails are also good, containing what looks like oil or tar. These also come with hooks, which attach to the Goblin's cart. These can be detached and moved to the lanterns, though I wouldn't try moving them back and forth too often or the thin handles might break.
A toy like this needs some accessories, so I can't justify two bonus points. But, seeing as they included two buckets as well as two lanterns when one of each would suffice, and seeing as they're all well designed, I think a point is called for.
If those crabs had somehow been detachable, this could easily have been a plus two. Of course, that also would have pushed up the appearance, and this would have received a very respectable score.
Play and Display: ----
As is often the case, this is something of a mixed section that evens out. Lets handle the good news first.
The head is ball jointed with an impressive range of motion. I also want to commend the work that went into the left elbow joint. To make this compatible with the board, Mezco included a second joint on the wooden plank. While that means there's a notch visible in some positions, it's a small price to pay for a bending elbow.
Finally, the wheels do, in fact, turn. If you put him on the floor and push him, he does roll.
Now. For the other side of the coin. The most disappointing joints here are on the shoulders. They may be ball jointed, but don't expect to get much out of them: they can only shift out a tiny bit. Really, they function little better than pin joints.
There are a few other joints I'd hoped to have that were omitted. First up, the wrists don't include cut joints. While this is fairly understandable in the case of the left, there's no reason they couldn't have put one on the right. I also think that the body should be able to turn, but that might be asking a bit too much.
The head is ball jointed with an impressive range of motion. I also want to commend the work that went into the left elbow joint. To make this compatible with the board, Mezco included a second joint on the wooden plank. While that means there's a notch visible in some positions, it's a small price to pay for a bending elbow.
Finally, the wheels do, in fact, turn. If you put him on the floor and push him, he does roll.
Now. For the other side of the coin. The most disappointing joints here are on the shoulders. They may be ball jointed, but don't expect to get much out of them: they can only shift out a tiny bit. Really, they function little better than pin joints.
There are a few other joints I'd hoped to have that were omitted. First up, the wrists don't include cut joints. While this is fairly understandable in the case of the left, there's no reason they couldn't have put one on the right. I also think that the body should be able to turn, but that might be asking a bit too much.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 8/10
An eight isn't a bad score at all, but it's a bit of a shame. The sculpting work here deserves better than the soft material it was molded in: a better execution could have driven up the score to ten plus in no time. On the shelf, this is a solid addition to my set, and I'm glad to have him. In terms of value, I wouldn't advise paying more than ten for him. I got him for $3.60 when Virgin Records went under, and I've since seen him kicking around clearance bins elsewhere for five bucks. At those prices, he's a steal.
Stop by my blog, The Middle Room, for movie reviews and discussion about topics from a geek's perspective.
