Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Action Figure Review: Clown from Imaginext Collectible Figures Series 4 by Fisher-Price

 
 I'm not really a fan of clowns. I'm not coulrophobic; I just don't really like clowns in general. I'm fine with a creepy clown appearing in a movie (i.e. Pennywise) or with villainous clowns like the Joker. And Harley Quinn? I am 100% A-OK with her. But in general, I just find clowns.....odd. I don't know what it is. Anyways, what is one to do with a Clown in the Imaginext toy line? Here's the simple answer: Pretend that he's a Joker goon! That automatically makes this figure better, don't you think? Anyways, let's take a closer look at this Clown after the break...




The Facts:
Height: 3 inches

Articulation: Hinged hips, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel wrists, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: Wig and vest piece and a balloon animal.

Non-Scalper Price: $3-$4 dollars.







 The Positives:

*I like how this clown is pretty...generic. He's not definitively an evil clown or anything but his sly expression and bald head definitely gives him just a hint of menace. A kid who has a pure love of clowns for some reason would like this just fine, but if you want to pretend that this guy is a deranged dude or a Joker goon, he'll work.

*The Clown has a good bit of sculpting detail on his outfit. He's wearing a basic button down shirt with suspenders (there's a flower on the suspenders that looks like the Imaginext "i" logo) and checkered pants. Due to the already exaggerated Imaginext body proportions his feet really aren't any bigger but the shoes do look appropriately clowny. The head sculpt is bald and basic but his nose is sculpted to be large and round. This is your standard clown attire right here.


*Imaginext figures usually have nice accessories and the Clown is no exception. I love the balloon animal he comes with. It's molded in a translucent pink plastic that totally reminds me of a ghost minifigure from the Real Ghostbusters toyline. The balloon animal look to me like a dog and has appropriately rounded limbs and ears. The tip of the balloon makes the tip of the tail while the balloon knot forms the nose. The Clown can easily hold it, too!



The Negatives:

*There are a number of different colors on the clown and they look good as a whole, but there is some messy paint work on the edges. His pelvis is a different, darker yellow than his pant legs (due to the dark blue plastic underneath the yellow paint) and the lines along his suspenders are a bit wonky, too.

*One of the signature Imaginext accessories are clothing and uniform elements that fit over a figure's torso. The Clown comes with a nicely sculpted vest that is attached to the standard Bozo the Clown styled hairpiece. It's a nice, durable piece but it's disappointing that it doesn't have any painted elements. This would have looked much better if just the hair was red and the vest and bow-tie were white. Not bad, just disappointing and a bit unusual when most other "outfit" pieces in the line have painted details.


     The Clown is a bit more interesting than I expected him to be. He's nicely sculpted and does seem like he could go either way between being a legitimate happy clown or a creepy killer clown. Anyways, whether you just need more clowns for your Imaginext shelf or more goons for the Joker, this guy is a decent choice. Assuming you like clowns, that is. He's still a pretty average Imaginext figure although I do love the balloon animal. Overall, I'm giving him a Good rating. He might have rated higher, but some of the paintwork is sloppy and brings things down a bit.

From this series, I've also reviewed the Snowboarder, the Basketball Player, the Space Gorilla, and the Boxer. I've reviewed a few other Imaginext figures, including:

Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 2 by Fisher-Price
"Bigfoot"
Frankenstein's Monster

Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 3 by Fisher-Price
Gillman
Zombie

DC Superfriends Imaginext by Fisher Price
Clayface
The Joker
The Joker & Harley Quinn

Also, if you're into clowns, check out these other reviews:

Arkham Asylum Breakout from Lego
Clown from Spawn
The Joker from DC Collectibles' Arkham Origins line
The Joker from Mattel's 1966 Batman series
"Attack in the Box" The Joker from Mattel's Batman: Power Attack line
The Laughing Man Joker from Kenner's Legends of Batman
Laughing Gas Joker from Kenner's Legends of the Dark Knight
The Joker from the New 52
Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad
Pennywise from It from Funko POP!
Dementia from Mad Clowns


4 comments:

  1. He works on a couple different levels and could be used as a hero, villain or monster but this is the curse of being a clown..a fun little action figure for sure.

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    Replies
    1. Clowns man. They must have it rough. I'm just genuinely suspicious of them as a general principle.

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  2. I for sure need this one for a Harley Quinn goon! And that accessory - too cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, Harley needs her muscle too I suppose.

      And yes, the balloon animal is incredibly cool. I mean, you know they're not going to be able to reuse that piece, so it's incredible that it was included!

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