Action Figure Review: Major Toht and Ark of the Covenant from Indiana Jones: One:12 Collective by Mezco

 

   Guess what? This is my first official review of an action figure or collectible released in 2025. Yippee! It's actually been over 4 years since I last reviewed a Mezco One:12 Collective action figure and I'm pretty sure the two Harley Quinn figures were the last ones I bought from the line, too. When I saw Major Arnold Toht go up for preorder in August of 2023, I was kind of interested. Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite film and while Mezco also released a One:12 Collective Indiana Jones, I wasn't all that impressed with him compared to what Hasbro put out in the Adventure Series, especially considering the price. Toht, however, well, let's just say that three things sold me: The gruesome melting portraits and hands, the inclusion of the Ark of the Covenant, and the ark ghost figure. While I purchased Hasbro's Toht (and really like the figure), I never had all of the pieces for the buildable Ark of the Covenant and I sold the ones I did have. Mezco's Ark is far superior and just an incredible piece to have. I'm going to admit that I secretly hope that Mezco will also release a couple figures Hasbro didn't. I think it has to be a Disney issue, but think there's any chance that Mezco could release Mola Ram? He's my favorite Indiana Jones villain, followed by Major Arnold Toht. Let's take a look at this incredible cool set that started shipping at the beginning of 2025. It's to die for....

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Balljointed ankles, double hinged knees, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso joint, swivel/hinge shoulders, double hinged shoulders, double swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed neck.

Accessories: Four swappable portraits, four pairs of glasses, nine swappable hands, pistol, hat, coat, headpiece of the Staff of Ra, fireplace poker, Ark of the Covenant, Ark lid, 2 carrying poles, Ark Ghost, Ark ghost stand, Ark ghost pole, display base w/ peg, articulated display arm, and storage bag.

Non-Scalper Price: $112 dollars

The Positives:

* Let's take a look a Major Toht. Hasbro's Major Toht was a good figure, but they definitely left the pinstripes off of Toht's suit. Mezco's figure excels because of the detail in the clothing. It's been a while since I've reviewed one of Mezco's One:12 Collective figures so, if you're not familiar with them, the best way to describe them is that they're kind of like 1/12th scale Hot Toys. Very nicely tailored outfits over a plastic base body. Some look better than others and I tend to fight characters in suits do look really good in this style. Toht's suit looks accurate and fits him well. The suit isn't removable but the tailoring is pretty impressive all around. 

* The material looks excellent and definitely doesn't appear "puffy" or oversized. That's especially impressive considering that this is a buttoned suit jacket over a dress shirt and necktie. He also has tiny buttons on the front. Not functional, of course, but that's how you make things look right at this scale. Take the shirt cuffs poking out from the jacket sleeves. They're sewed on to the ends of the sleeves but give the impression that he's actually wearing a dress shirt with sleeves under his suit.

* Here's a closeup of the necktie (compare the design to the much simpler necktie on Hasbro's Toht). He's also rocking a pocket square. It's not removable but it looks great. Considering how so many Indiana Jones characters wear suits, I do wonder if Mezco will have good success with this line as the fabric really captures details that plastic molded jackets and paint details and such just cannot. Note that he doesn't have the Nazi lapel pin. Hasbro just gave him a generic white dot and I'm kind of surprised Mezco didn't do the same, though I can respect if they just didn't feel comfortable even acknowledging.  

* The excellent material continues with Toht's trousers. He's also sporting some mighty shiny dress shoes. If you lift his pants leg he even has sculpted black socks on. 

* Mezco usually does an incredible job with the portraits in their One:12 and Toht is one of the finest actor likenesses I've seen from them. It's the spitting image of actor Ronald Lacey, channeling his best Peter Lorre from the 1942 Universal Studios film Invisible Agent. Seriously, watch that film and tell me that Peter Lorre's character Baron Akito isn't the inspiration for Major Arnold Ernst Toht. Mezco nailed Toht's likeness; the smug smile, the sweaty complexion, and his little beady eyes. 

* Toht comes with four pair of glasses, one for each of his portraits. Two are the same, while the remaining two are unique to his different melting heads. They fit perfectly, though, and look great. They're really in scale. They also fit around his ears (take note, Hasbro!) and there are tiny tabs that fit into a little recess on each side of his head to keep them firmly in place. 

* Toht's hat is a removable piece that can fit on any of his four hearts. It's plastic, not a soft goods piece, but the sculpt is excellent and it looks accurately sized. It might be a tad too large, but looking at pictures of Toht wearing the hat in the film, that size discrepancy seems accurate.

* Toht also comes with the black leather trench coat that he wears, even when in Egypt. Usually he wears it draped over his shoulders, but you can actually place it on the figure, too. It's a high quality pleather-like material and it's quite shiny. The arms might be a bit snug but they do fit and the coat is decently sized. When you see him, you know he's up to some Gestapo nonsense. 

* The belt on the coat is wired, allowing you to keep it tied more easily for when you're chilling in Nepal, or have it flowing in the breeze for action sequences. 

* Most of Mezco's figures based on comic characters have some wild articulation. When they get to their movie based figures and folks in suits, though, the bodies get a bit more restrictive. Part of that is that Mezco uses a different base body that's less muscular (Toht would not have the same body as, say, Superman), a bit thinner, and designed to wear a more restrictive outfit like a suit. The articulation is good, with double jointed knees and elbows. I think you'll definitely be able to put Toht in most poses you want. He's no Spider-Man, but he can take some very fine and expressive poses. 

* Let's check out the second portrait: Toht screaming. Why's he screaming? Maybe he's just tried to pick up the headpiece for the Staff of Ra that's been heated up by flames in The Raven. Or maybe he's realizing the huge mistake of opening the Ark of the Covenant, seeing the beautiful spirit from the ark floating towards him turn into a vengeful wraith. This is the definitely a really fun, expressive portrait. Toht looks absolutely terrified and the detail in his sculpt, particularly in his mouth, is just incredible. 

* Hasbro did not include the red hot iron poker that Toht threatens Marion with in their figure, but Mezco does (of course, Mezco's is a little over four times the price of Hasbro's). The paintwork on the poker's red hot poking end is pretty impressive and really does look super hot. I am disappointed that we didn't get Toht's coat hanger, though. That's a memorable gag in the film and it would have been a neat extra. 

* We do get the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra as well. It's actually painted to look like it's heated a bit, too, or at least has some reflections of flame on it. The detail is crisp, making for an impressive little accessory.

* Toht comes with nine swappable hands in total, but we're just looking at these seven right right. There is an open palmed right hand like when he makes the Nazi salute in the film and shows off the scar from one side of the burned headpiece, a gripping right hand with the scar just burned in, a gloved right hand pistol grip, a regular right hand pistol grip with the scar, a tight right hand grip for holding the poker, an open palmed, gesturing left hand, and a gloved left handed fist. 

* Don't you love how well you can recreate Toht grabbing the heated headpiece? That screaming head is just so much fun!

* OK, let's change gears and take a look at the Ark of the Covenant, the MacGuffin of MacGuffins. This is an incredible 1/12th scale replica of the film prop, and it feels quite substantial, too. Let me say that the color in person is gorgeous and I couldn't capture it. It reminds me of a great C-3PO figure with a painted, shiny gold look and a metallic sheen. It's about 3 1/4ths inches long, 2 inches wide, and the Ark itself is about 2 3/4ths inches tall (not counting the cherubim that sit atop the Mercy Seat on top of the Ark).

* Here's a better look at the lid of the ark and the Mercy Seat on top. The cherubim are beautifully sculpted and there is a very ornate lattice around the top edges.

* The shorter sides of the Ark each have a relief sculpted into them. Also, the legs of the Ark are quite ornate.

* And here's a closeup of the longer sides of the Ark.

* The carrying handles are included and slip through the rings on the sides of the ark. They're quite ornate as well, not just brown plastic rods. 

* Should we really open it? What's inside? Nothing. Actually, that's not right. It's kind of bubbly and odd. Like sand with the color of carnival glass when light hits it. Wait, what's this switch on the bottom do...

* Yes, indeed! The Ark of the Covenant lights up. How cool? This is a really neat way to reenact the end of the film. Three AAA batteries are included and fit in the bottom of the Ark, adding to the weight and feel of the piece. Just flip the switch and the lights come on. The transparent, foggy looking plastic now looks even more mysterious, like fight or smoke of some sort. 

* The light is very strong and great for taking pictures. This was a great choice for a battery operated feature.

* The included Ark ghost/ spirit/ maybe Angel of death is a pretty neat solid figure that looks very ethereal, like it's made from the same smoky looking plastic found at the bottom of the ark. It can perch atop a clear plastic base, allowing it to hover in the air. 

* This is a neat sculpt, capturing the being once it unveils it's true, terrifying form. The only version of the Ark ghost I can recall ever being made was in the Hasbro Indiana Jones Adventure Heroes toyline in 2008. The skull-like visage makes me think of Frank Langella as Skeletor!

* Here's a shot from the pack to show off the pearlescent plastic and the wispy nature that does an admirable job of capturing the sprit from the movie.

* Toht! You're melting! Serves you right, you fascist creep. This is absolutely terrifying, by the way. Check out that melting head. It's horrifying! This is so freaking disturbing and... well, I love it. This is what happens when Nazis FAFO, you know what I'm saying? The way he's melting, the blood starting to run down his chin and eyes. Yikes! He also comes with a pair of glasses with a "cracked" lens. I love it. How does it get any better than this? It looks like something from a 1980s Japanese horror movie. 

* OK, this might top it. Wow! You can see his skull! This is a full on melt. The melted eyes? The crazy amounts of blood? This is incredibly gory. I love the bloody glasses which are designed to hang down, too. Glasses don't stay on well if you don't have ears. I mean, really, what did the Nazis think that God was going to do when a bunch of anti-Semites opened up the Ark of the Covenant? Throw them a party?  

* Even Toht's hands have melted! That's what the other two hands were, by the way: Melted hands. I kept these ones hidden back as a surprise. This guy ain't going to be saluting or flipping through Mein Kampf anytime soon.

* Here's Toth melting while wearing his hat. This might be how I end up displaying him as it's just so darn crazy looking!

* Like nearly every other One:12 Collective figure, Toht comes with an oversized disc stand. This time it's emblazoned with the Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark logo. It's a nice stand with a foot peg for Toht, though I wish it were a bit more of a unique logo on it. It's nice but not the most creative thing. 

*  There is also an articulated display arm that can be inserted where the peg is (you just have to remove the peg). You can get some great, secure poses here as the joints are very nice and tight on the display bar. It can absolutely support the figure's weight, hence the reason I have the melting Toht hovering over the ground. Eerie! 

* Mezco also included the standard Ziploc style bag with the One:12 collective. It's a simple way to keep all of the little parts in one place so they don't get lost.

* Major Toht, when not threatening people with a red hot poker or melting, comes with a Luger P08 pistol. It's a nice sculpt and looks pretty accurate, though it doesn't have any paint apps on the grip.

The Negatives: 

* Why does Toht come with a Luger? He doesn't use a Luger in the film. He uses a Walther P38. Hasbro got this right in their line. C'mon, Mezco! The Internet Movie Firearms Database exists for a reason!

* Toht typically wears his jacket draped over his shoulders rather than with his arms through the sleeves. That's even how the included directions advise putting the coat on Toht. Unfortunately, I think it's pretty tough to get it to drape correctly. At this scale the material just isn't heavy enough to truly drape down over Toht's shoulders, so you end up with a bit of a mess. I'm rather disappointed that it doesn't display this way effectively. I honestly think Mezco should have included a standard coat that could be worn and a "shaped" coat designed to be placed over Toht's shoulders. That would have been ideal.

* The Ark ghost has a hole on the bottom intended to fit the clear plastic rod, giving the appearance that the ghost is hovering. Unfortunately, the hole on my ghost was too small and I actually had to use a tool to enlarge. Yikes! If there's one thing I'm not thrilled about, it's having to use a tool on a $112 action figure I just purchased. Just a quality control error, but one worth pointing out.

   I largely stopped buying Mezco's One:12 Collective figures around 5 years ago or so because I had a hard time justifying the value of the figure for the price. Toht, though? Including the battery operated Ark of the Covenant and the Ark ghost really does help to offset the price, even if Toht is a little more than your average figure. There's a lot of cool stuff here and whether you're displaying this guy on his own or you're working these in with Hasbro's now defunct Indiana Jones: Adventure Series, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Major Toht and the Ark of the Covenant is a Great 1/2 set and definitely starts out 2025 with a bang. So, does anyone think Mezco will do anything else with the Indiana Jones license? Mezco does seem to typically do a lot of one off stuff with movie licenses and, with the restrictions that Disney seems to have in place, some of the characters I could see them really wanting to do, like Mola Ram, seem like they'd be vetoed. That doesn't take away from the excellent work shown in this set, but it does make Toht and Indy seem like they're fated to be part of a very small collection.

 If you're looking for more of Major Arnold Ernst Toht I've also reviewed the 1/18th scaled Toht from the 2011 SDCC 30th Anniversary Set and the 1/12th scaled Indiana Jones: Adventure Series Major Arnold Toht.

   
   If you're searching for more of the Ark of the Covenant, I've also reviewed the 2008 Hasbro Indiana Jones with Ark set.

   This is the first Ark ghost I've reviewed.