Would you believe it's been over two months since I got this Scarabs figure for my birthday? I received four Action Force figures for my birthday (Duster, Desert Rat, the Garrison Cavalry, and the Scarabs) and it's take me over two months to review them all. What can I say? I've been kind of busy. Today I'm taking a look at the Scarabs. Well, the package says Scarabs, but I'm pretty sure the singular troop is referred to as a Scarab, so I'm calling him a Scarab. Anyways, he's the first member of the SWARM, a mysterious and sinister faction that provides security to the states unaffiliated with New Colonia in the Action Force story. While the SWARM troopers strike from the air, the Scarabs are the ground forces for the SWARM. This guy's a pretty interesting figure and I'm excited to have him. He's definitely more futuristic and a bit more fantastical than the other Action Force figures I've reviewed, so how does he compare? Let's find out after the break...
Height: 6 1/2 inches
Articulation:
Swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs,
ball jointed drop down hips, ball jointed waist, balljointed mid-torso,
butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged
elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.
Accessories:
Vest, 8 swappable hands, rifle, 3
magazines, pistol, kukri, and stand.
* The SCARAB is outfitted in some fairly heavy body armor colored black, silver, and yellow. It's a really cool color scheme and it complements the SWARM troopers nicely. There's some reuse from the SWARM troopers, it seems (I don't own one, but the pictures seem to show the same limbs and such), with the heavy chest armor from The Bone Collector. It is a removable piece but it's kind of tough, so I left it on for pictures. Sorry! I like the mixture of some more traditional military elements on the Scarab with the more advanced armored plates on his limbs and the unique helmet. Whether you're using him with other Action Force figures, as a member of Cobra, or perhaps to supplement AIM in Marvel Legends, this is a cool looking figure with an excellent paint job.
* The portrait on the Scarab i really unique and it's a big part of what sold me on this guy. The head is translucent with a really unqiue texture to it. What's going on here? According to the file card these guys undergo some sort of neural augmentation which allows this helmet to give them 360 degree vision for combat. That's pretty wild. Is there supposed to be an actual head under there or only remnants of the Scarab's brain? I love the look of this and the concept is rather disturbing and fun, too.
* Here's another shot of the armor that covers the Scarab's arms and of the 40mm grenades stored on the Scarab's chest armor.
* His legs are covered with armor as well. The detail is really sharp on these, especially on the shin armor and those knee pads, and there are some excellent color highlights to bring out some of the details.
* Even though the limbs are different on the Scarabs, the articulation is pretty much the same as on most of the other Action Force figures I've picked up so far. The joints and range of motion are excellent and everything worked just fine right out of the package. Unlike the series one figures, there was no need to do anything to loosen up the joints for posing. These are sturdy, well made made action figures that are a lot of fun to pose and mess around with.
* The Scarabs come with the same eight gloved hands in the same poses as those included with every other figure. The pegs are really thick and sturdy and swap in and out very easily. There's a pair of fists, a pair of pistol grips, a pair of standard grips, and a pair of cradling hands for holing rifles.
* This HK416 with an under the barrel 40mm grenade launcher is a pretty common weapon in the Action Force line but here it's been given an eye-catching yellow and black paint job. The sculpt is fantastic and the paint applications do make it stand out from the pack.
* Like the other versions of the HK416 rifle in this line, this has a removable magazine and two additional magazines as well. The magazines stay securely in the weapon and look great on their own in poses where your figures might be changing mags. There aren't any places on the Scarabs to store the extra magazines like some figures have, so be careful with them!
* The Scarab also comes armed with a very modern looking kukri with lots of details, some cut outs in the blade, and a silver paint app for the blade. This has come with a few other figures in the line but I think this particular paint scheme is unique to the Scarabs.
* Like the Bone Collector, there is a sheathe attached to the back of the Scarab's armor for his kukri. The blade slips right inside, allowing him to carry it securely.
* The sidearm of choice for the Scarabs is this SilencerCo Maxim 9, a pistol with a built in suppressor/ silencer. The grip looks like a pretty standard modern pistol but the front seems rather advanced and suited to the Scarab's futuristic appearance. It's a cool design and it's painted with the yellow highlights that seem to be a trademark of the SWARM weaponry.
* Need a holster? Boom. The Scarab has a holster permanently attached to his right hip. The pistol slides inside like butter.
* I'm a huge proponent of all action figures coming with display bases and Action Force's bases might be the best out there. The metal look of the display stand is fantastic and there are four pegs on the base, making it extra versatile. See that little slit at the back? If you want to cut out the file card from the Scarabs package you can even display it behind him. I've actually picked up some of these stands by themselves from Valaverse on their own and they work great with the G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures as well.
This is the first figure of the Scarabs I've reviewed. For more Action Force figures check out the following:
i picked up one of those weapons packs for my Joes & Legends- looking forward to cracking that open at some point
ReplyDeleteThey're really well done and so affordable. I really want to grab some of the Gridiron Studios stuff, but I can't make myself pay $30 to $40 bucks for an accessory pack for one figure when Valaverse and a couple other places have so many great and affordable options.
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