Friday, February 17, 2023

Action Figure Review: Eclipse from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   
   Ready for some more Action Force? Last week I received three of the new series 3 Action Force figures from Big Bad Toy Store and I'm excited to start checking them out in the coming week or two. First up I'm taking a look at Eclipse, a member of Action Force. Valaverse is using the "base body" model for the Action Force line, so most figures are made from one of a few standard base bodies with different vests, gear, portraits, and color schemes to keep them feeling fresh and unique. Series 3 introduces women to the line with three new named characters and a Steel Brigade army builder. I haven't read any of the Action Force comics yet (I'm waiting for a trade paperback) but there's definitely a lot of thought put into the bios. Eclipse's is really well done and nicely mixes a personal history of the character along with some details about her role in the events of the Action Force universe. Eclipse (real name Dyani Tamayo) is Airborne qualified, has been through Ranger School, and operates extensively in covert operations in the Middle East. She's definitely bringing a lot to your Action Force team, so let's take a closer look at her after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed drop down hips, ball jointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Vest, 2 portraits, 8 swappable hands, shemagh, rifle, 3 magazines, pistol, knife, and display stand.

Non-Scalper Price: $32 dollars





The Positives:



* Underneath her vest Eclipse is sporting a tactical sweater, similar to many of the other Action Force members in the line. It's a nice piece with sculpted folds and creases to make it look like an actual garment and not just something painted on. Her khaki pants are nice and feature built in kneepads and some protective padding on her inner thighs. All of the sculpting is crisp and clean and the paintwork is neat with no slop to be found. 





* Eclipse really shines when you throw her vest on, though. It's similar to the Steel Brigade vests but it's a much more grayish-blue with lots of scuffs and scrapes on it, as well as the Action Force logo on the top left. It's really quite easy to take this vest on and off, especially when you compare it to the vests of the series 1 figures. Everything just works so well. 



* Eclipse has a really gorgeous headsculpt and she really stands out, especially her eyes. The headsculpts in this line are really good and the women seem to be just as good as the men, if maybe not a little better. The skin tone and the subtle paint on her face really just brings the character to life.





* Here's a shot from the back to show off two things: Eclipse's hair and the cool, exoskeleton like back of her armored vest. I love that braid she has on the side of her hair. It's just a fantastic detail. 













* Eclipse comes with a second portrait with most of her head covered by a shemagh. Not only does it really nicely show off her lovely eyes but the paint job/ printing on the shemagh is really impressive. That's some seriously nice work. Even the tasseled edge gets a paint application.




* If you want Eclipse to have her shemagh down, you can do that. There's a separate piece that can fit around her neck so she can wear the wrap like a bandanna. 



* The Action Force line has an excellent articulation model that wonderfully blends functional articulation with the sculpt. It reminds me a lot of the G.I. Joe: Classified Series. Eclipse's articulation isn't much different than that of her male counterparts except that she doesn't have the butterfly hinges. Since her arms and armor are thinner, though, it's not as necessary as she can still take two handed firing poses just fine. 




* Eight gloved hands that you can swap out are included to help Eclipse stay versatile. The pegs are really thick and sturdy though I needed to use a  heat when I swapped them. There's a pair of pistol grips, a pair of standard grips, a pair of cradling hands for holding the barrel of a rifle, and a pair of fists.



* I've previously said that I think this weapon is an HK416 that has been modified with lots of add ons. No one has offered up a better match yet, so I'm till going with that. It's a fantastic sculpt and the paint scheme works Eclipse since she seems to be operating in a desert setting.





* Like many other Action Force weapons this rifle has a removable magazine and to additional magazines included, so three magazines in total. 



* Eclipse's armor has two pouches which hold the magazines securely. The pouches are wider, though, if you want to swap out weapons and give her one of the weapons with the larger magazine. 



* We've seen this knife many times before (it came with the original Steel Brigade trooper) and it's still a great sculpt with a silver paint application for the blade. It's a wicked little tool when Eclipse needs to take someone out quietly. 




* Eclipse has a belt around her waist that is a separate piece, but you'll have to disassemble the figure if you want it off. I don't, though, and I love that the belt has a sheathe for her knife. It slides in perfectly. 



*  The SilencerCo Maxim 9, a pistol with a built in suppressor/ silencer, has been the sidearm of choice for so many figures in the Action Force line. The grip looks like a pretty standard modern pistol but the front is more advanced and boxy. Hers is solid black.
* The holster on Eclipse's right hip is a separate piece, but it doesn't seem easy to take off so I'm leaving it on. The pistol fits in pretty well (it might be a tiny bit loose, but it doesn't seem like it's going to fall out) and it keeps it right within her reach. There are also some extra magazines sculpted onto the padding that the holster is attached too, which is a really neat detail. I think this holster is a new piece for this series as I don't recall seeing it before, though I certainly don't own every figure in the line. 


* I'm a huge fan 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 Eclipse's package you can even display it behind her. 
The Negatives:



* Those pegs are durable, so I didn't have any fear of breakage, but it really took me using a hairdryer every time to swap out those hands. They're still not easily swappable yet, so hopefully you have your handy action figure de-loosener nearby!






   If Eclipse isn't my favorite figure in Action Force to date, she's definitely in my top 3. I love the alternate portraits, the fantastic print on her shemagh, and the great gear she comes with. It's also nice to finally have women in the line to mix things up a bit. Action Force is a fantastic line but adding more unique parts and characters really makes it shine. Eclipse gets an Epic rating from me. If the line continues through 2023 with more figures of this quality than it's likely to be on my 2023 list of my top ten favorite toylines as well. 





12 comments:

  1. Valaverse isn't Hasbro, right? Because AFAIK, Action Force and Action Man are Hasbro's European brands, and if Valaverse is selling this figures as "Action Force" figures they can get in a great juditial suing which they can't win considering that Hasbro is the Nintendo of physical entertainment markets.

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    Replies
    1. Actually both brands have Sgt. Slaughter because he was added after Action Force became G.I. Joe in EU. He never appeared in the Action Force Comic strips, only started appearing after Action Force transformed into G.I. Joe.

      G.I. Joe started as Action Force in EU because the only action figure brand well known in Europe was Action Man, and thus Hasbro decided to create the "Action Force" and later to slowly transform it into G.I. Joe to start selling the figures on Europe territories too.

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    2. From everything I've read it seems like Hasbro abandoned the trademark for Action Force and the Steel Brigade and thus Bobby Vala was able to legally acquire it back in 2019. He's a former Hasbro employee, so he clearly knows his stuff and it seems like there's no legal issues. He's been developing this brand since at least 2018, so I would have imagined if Hasbro had any legal standing or was going to do anything, they would have done so by now.

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    3. That's a good summary of Action Force, Carnivac. Thanks! Hasbro knows they let that Steel Brigade trademark expire, too, because they're calling their versions of the Steel Brigade the Steel Corps.

      There have even been a few Action Force figures released in vintage styled Action Force packaging (Desert Rat and Sgt. Slammer), so the line definitely is paying nods to its heritage here and there.

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  2. Yeah, she looks pretty cool, but a thing kills me. Well, actually two, because one is the hand pegs, they seem quite thick and sturdy and having to use a hairdryer everytime you want to change hands is a but of pain IMO, and well, a small visual issue i find out is the pistol holster, somehow it seems too big and left-centered for me.

    The other problem. Is she called Eclipse to blind her enemies with her guns or with her breasts? Come on, even the Baroness would be jealous about that pair of watermelons! I wonder if that hinders or obstacles the torso movements...

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  3. She does. I'm loving her. I haven't opened Kill-Switch or Pandora yet, but probably will this weekend.

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  4. I'm sure the hands will eventually loosen up to where I don't have to heat them everytime, but it definitely has taken longer than I expected.

    And, while I definitely noticed that Eclipse has breasts, are they really that noticeably large? I thought her body type seemed very normal and realistic, especially when compared to, you know, Marvel Legends or something.

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  5. Don't know, maybe it's the color and illumination what tricks me, but i swear that everytime i see Eclipse's images without the armor, she seems quite "equipped". I will see other images to be sure, maybe i am the wrong one and she is quite normal.

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  6. After seeing some other images, i can answer it. The problem is that the upper torso piece and the coloring gives the illusion that the breasts are larger than what they actually are, as the lower torso part is smaller in order to give the figure torso flexibility and movement ranges. My fault.

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  7. The female figures from Valaverse are outstanding. A great addition to the Action Force. And hey, people come in all sizes.

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    Replies
    1. True, true. They're coming out with more male body sizes later this year, so maybe eventually they'll introduce more female bodies, too.

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  8. Hey, no worries. Colors and clothing design can definitely radically change the appearance of the shape of the figure. In hand, though, she looks like a regular, well proportioned woman and not like a 1990s comic character or anything.

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