I've stated many times that I'm no expert on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It felt like it was something I got into really quickly in 4th grade and that I started to drop out at some point when I was in fifth grade. It was also the first toyline I remember collecting that suffered from the "No Consistent Scale Syndrome." What's that? Well, what was the main scale or main line of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toys? Was it the 8- inch well articulated Rangers and the rotocast villains? The 5 inch Auto Morphin Rangers and Evil Space Aliens with action features? The 4 inch motorcycle riding figures? The 3 inch non-articulated figures had one of the widest character selections, even including Bulk and Skull, so maybe that was the dominant line. The Zords obviously weren't to scale, but they even came in different scales. As Alpha 5 would say, "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!"
I'm not sure where that little diatribe came from, but perhaps it's why I didn't stay with Power Rangers long. You weren't always adding new characters to your collection and forming a growing universe; things were always being restructured and even the toys had no consistency. After buying the Power Rangers franchise in 2018, Hasbro immediately set out to to really offer what felt like the first expansive Power Rangers line in a consistent size and scale in the Lightning Series (which is currently on hiatus). I've bought two figures during the line's five year run and Finster here was my third. I just love this wise, kindly, monster-making machine! I loved the goofy vintage figure, too, but this one is leaps and bounds ahead of that one. Let's take a look at Finster after the break...
I'm not sure where that little diatribe came from, but perhaps it's why I didn't stay with Power Rangers long. You weren't always adding new characters to your collection and forming a growing universe; things were always being restructured and even the toys had no consistency. After buying the Power Rangers franchise in 2018, Hasbro immediately set out to to really offer what felt like the first expansive Power Rangers line in a consistent size and scale in the Lightning Series (which is currently on hiatus). I've bought two figures during the line's five year run and Finster here was my third. I just love this wise, kindly, monster-making machine! I loved the goofy vintage figure, too, but this one is leaps and bounds ahead of that one. Let's take a look at Finster after the break...
Height: 5 3/4ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, boot swivels, swivel/ hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed waist, mid-torso hinge, butterfly pecs, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballscokets, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, barbell head, and a hinged lower jaw.
Accessories: Magnifying glass, small carving knife, rolling pin, corkscrew, case, four swappable hands, and 2 Putty Patrol figures.
Year of Release: 2022
Original Retail Price: $28
* I just like Finster's look. It's very whimsical fantasy inspired, like something out of the Neverending Story or Labyrinth or something. He's supposed to be a leprechaun, I believe, but he's clearly not a leprechaun like we think of. He's delightfully charming, like an elderly gnome mixed with a schnauzer. But he's a menace. They call him the Demon Artist and this guy makes the majority of the monsters the Power Rangers have to face in the earlier seasons of the show. He's clearly wearing very plain clothes underneath his long blue apron, but that apron is the star of the show as there's so much detail on it. Look at how nicely it's rendered? Hasbro did a really nice job on this guy.
* This is totally 31 Days of Toy Terror and Finster is both an Evil Space Alien working with Rita Repulsa and the Demon Artist who killed his wife, but darn if that moving lower jaw and sleepy-eyed expression doesn't just makes him even more lovable! The lower jaw moves really smoothly and is just too much fun to mess around with.
* Here's a close up of Finster's apron. One of the flaps is pulled down to show off a bunch of his cool little sculpting tools. They're very neatly painted with a nice metallic shine to them.
* Finster wasn't out there doing ninja moves (though he did hack someone apart with an axe once), but his articulation is really nice and he moves just fine. His arms really take some nice, fine poses with much nuance, as does his neck. He looks really impressive just hanging around, sculpting his latest monster.
* You get four hands for Finster: A right handed "pinching" hand for holding his tiny sculpting tool, a left hand for gently holding one of the Putty Patrol figures, and a pair of regular gripping hands. Everything swaps easily, so no worries here.
* Finster comes with his magnifying glass which looks great. The lens is really cool and the paintwork is super neat and clean. It's attached to a cord which you can place around Big Poppa Pleprechaun's neck; just pop off his head.
* Here's his little sculpting too. It's tiny! It looks like a scalpel, so if you're looking for a 1/12th scale scalpel, here you go.
* Finster's second tool is his rolling pin, for prepping his monster making dough.
* What exactly would you call this thing? It's clearly some sort of carving tool with a corkscrew, but with a blade on the end. It's cool looking, though, and fits Finster's aesthetic well.
* Both the corkscrew tool and the rolling pin fit into Finster's apron securely and look great hanging there. This is really nicely designed and makes for a fun feature. I always wished the vintage Finster had a tool, so I used one of the weapons from the Double Dragon Shadow Master. Finster couldn't hold anything, though, so I'm not sure why I bothered to always set it near him, but I did.
* Finster comes with two little clay putties. They're kind of rubbery and just seem really neat. They're detailed, each with their separate weapon on their right hand, and they're ready to be popped into the Monster-Matic.
* Finster's carrying case is all one solid color, but it is fairly sizeable and it has lots of sculpted details on it to show off all of the claps bracing and such.
* Open it up and you can store the two mini Putties away. The third one isn't removable, though.
* I wish the hinge were a real hinge rather than a piece of plastic you bend. A bit of paint would have been nice, too, especially considering this guy was a deluxe release.
This is the first figure of Finster I've reviewed.
One of my favorite mad scientist characters ever. And also, weirdly, one of the nicest, despite working for some pretty evil people.
ReplyDeleteHe does seem like a good dude. I would have wanted a stuffed Finster as a kid. He just seemed like he'd make a good plushie for snuggling.
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