Action Figure Review: Indiana Jones (Professor) from Indiana Jones: Adventure Series by Hasbro

 

  Some of you may have heard that there's a new Indiana Jones film coming out this week and, I don't know about you, but I'm excited. For quite a few years fans of the series have been hoping that Hasbro would return to Indy's adventures to release some new action figures, either as an extension/ upgrade of the 1/18th scale 2008 toyline or as a 1/12th scaled Star Wars: The Black Series styled line. In addition to some Retro Collection releases and the kid friendly Worlds of Adventure line, Indiana Jones: The Adventure Series is part of Hasbro's Indiana Jones offerings this year. A 6-inch scaled line, similar to the previously mentioned Star Wars: The Black Series, the line thus far features a mixture of figures from four of Indiana's adventures (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull isn't represented yet, which is a shame; Indy with a Refrigerator would actually be amazing, as would Irina Spalko) with a mixture of mainline releases and exclusive figures. Thus far I've only seen a random figure here and there so either these are selling really well or the distribution is absolutely atrocious. I've mentioned previously that I wasn't planning on getting into this line, at least not until Mola Ram is announced or I found some figures on sale. I did manage to get this version of Indiana Jones on sale during GameStop's Pro-Week (well, in a buy 2, get 1 free sale) to see how the figures are. Indiana Jones (Professor) represents Dr. Jones in his tweed suit from early scenes in The Last Crusade while he is teaching at Barnett College. Indy in his professor garb is a figure we never received in the 2008 line, so that makes this guy kind of exciting, but also a bit frustrating for those of us who collect that now 15 year old line. Let's take a look at Indiana Jones (Professor) after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ lateral "butterfly" hinges, swivel/hinge elbows, balljointed wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Shield, grail diary package, and torch. 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* A lot of collectors have called the Indiana Jones: Adventure Series line the "Men in Suits" line because, darn it, their are a lot of guys in suits. I mean, yeah, that matches with the time period of the films, sure, but it does seem like unsuited characters are more uncommon in this line. But, here's Indiana Jones in a suit! He's a professor sporting a nice tweed suit, though the tweed pattern/ material isn't really noticeable here. It's clearly the suit he wears while at Barnett College at the beginning of the film and not the suit he wears to Venice later on, though. It's a three piece suit with a striped shirt underneath and a red bowtie. Very professorial, indeed. 

* I don't feel like any of the pictures of Indy I took show of the headsculpt particularly well. It's not perfect by any means, but it's pretty solid. I've seen more realistic headsculpt from Hasbro for sure, but this is clearly Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade. they captured a lot of Ford's facial features quite well, here.  

* For a 1/12th scaled figure with a vest (a separate, but non-removable piece) and a jacket (you can remove it, but what's the point?), this version of Indy looks pretty good. He doesn't look overly bulky or anything, which is definitely a plus and a sign of some solid design and engineering. 

* The articulation scheme is very familiar here; it's pretty much what most recent and non-armored Star Wars: The Black Series figures have. Since he's always ready for action, even in his teaching clothes, Indy has a nice range of movement and he can interact with his included accessories just fine. If you're at all familiar with any of Hasbro's modern figures, you'll kind of know what to expect here.

* Indiana Jones comes with a few very cool accessories and first up is the package his father sends him containing the grail diary. This is a smaller accessory, sure, but it's pretty nicely stamped with an address label, postage, and even some postmarks. Oh, and it looks wrapped in twine. Neat!

* Next up is an accessory from Indy's trip to the catacombs beneath Venice, Italy: The torch made from a human bone. It was dark in Sir Richard's tomb and Indy had to improvise. This is a really cool piece with a translucent flame coming off of the cloth wrapped around a human femur. That's not something you see every day. 

* Last up is Sir Richard's shield, an artifact that Indiana Jones uses to find his way to the Holy Grail. This is a rather large accessory and the detailed sculpting on the front is pretty impressive. There's lots of script, design, and damaged elements on the shield. 

* Flip the shield around and you'll see more of the detail including the ancient wooden slats of the shield and the functional straps. There's some impressive paintwork on this piece, making it far more elaborate than most accessories. 

The Negatives:

* I've mentioned a few times that this version of Indy is from his scenes at the beginning of the film, but 2/3rds of the accessories are specifically from his time in Venice, where he's wearing a different outfit. That's kind of weird, right? Like, not deal breaker weird or anything, but definitely peculiar. I'd be curious to know the rationale behind this. Why not just make Indy in Venice? Hasbro made Kazim, so there is clearly another figure for him to interact with. 

* The front of Professor Jones' suit looks great but the place where the shoulders and the jacket meets just looks really off. The "sleeve opening" just seems too big and doesn't lay right on the figure.

   I'm really impressed with the accessories on this figure, and ultimately that's what sold me on this one. Well, that and getting it as part of a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale. Indiana Jones in his professorial suit is a decent figure, but I kind of wish they had gone more in on that side of things, perhaps with a second head with glasses and some of the stuff he interacts with at Walter Donovan's home. Or, they could have gone full Venice. He's a Good and a 1/2 figure, but a weird mix of two scenes. I actually have a couple other figures from the line at this point, so look forward to reviews of them in the next week or so. 

   Looking for more of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., better known as Indiana Jones? Then check out my reviews of Indiana Jones with Ark and the two Indys from the SDCC "Lost Wave" set: Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones in German Uniform, all from Hasbro's 2008 Indiana Jones toyline, the Retro Collection Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark), and the Indiana Jones: Worlds of Adventure Indiana Jones with Adventure Backpack.