Yesterday I reviewed the
Soldiers of Fortune The Agent/ The Enemy (Light Blue) who seems to be the most popular figure in this series since he makes a pretty solid hooded Cobra Commander stand-in. Today I'm checking out the figure that seems to be the second most popular figure: The Agent/ The Spy (Black Tuxedo). The Soldiers of Fortune figures deliver some generic character archetypes that should be pretty useful for multiple 1/12th scale toylines with many of the releases offering multiple heads so you can really mix things up. As a kid I always wanted a James Bond action figure. I had a James Bond Jr. action figure, but that wasn't the same. I just wanted a tuxedo wearing James Bond but, despite Bond's popularity in the 1990s with GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and multiple videogames, we never really got one. The company Exclusive Premiere Collectibles releases multiple James Bond figures but usually they were in unusual outfits rather than a classic Bond Tux (there was a Sean Connery from Goldfinger in a white tuxedo but I never saw him anywhere). Heck, my Tradewinds Toys Ethan Hunt from Mission: Impossible was the closest I got to a tuxedo clad spy. Want to make a James Bond figure? Now you just have to find the right head! These figures can swap heads and hands easily with Operation: Monster Force, C.O.P.S. & Crooks, and The Order of the Crimson Moon, so at some point we'll surely get some heads that will serve as a decent James Bond. Still, we've got two cool portraits with this set, plus plenty of gear. Ready to check out the Agent and the Spy? Then join me after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 3/8ths inches
Articulation: Double swivel/ hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips w/ vertical hinged pegs, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck base, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.
Accessories: 2 swappable heads and necks, pistol, suppressor, 3 firing effects, 8 swappable hands, briefcase, briefcase gadget insert, briefcase money insert, file folder, and display stand.
Non-Scalper Price: $38 dollars
The Positives:
* The Agent/ The Spy is decked out in a classic black tuxedo with a white shirt and a black bowtie. It's simple and basic, sure, but darn is it effective. I mean, how cool is it to have a 1/12th scaled tux wearing action figure? I really can't think of too many. Maybe various versions of the Penguin or Alfred? Interestingly, this figure uses most of the body of
The Agent/ The Enemy and the Operation: Monster Force Blackwatch Agent, though now the inner shirt piece has the bowtie. Sometimes simple and classic works well and that's what you're getting here.
* Two portraits are included with this figure, along with two separate necks and two sets of swappable hands. According to the sales page for this figure on Big Bad Toy Store, this portrait is considered as The Agent. Since these are easily swappable, this is a solid portrait of a normal looking guy with short hair. He easily works as a spy himself or a government agent at a fancy event. Heck, maybe he's some high level government official. Or swap him out and use his portrait as an unmasked version of a black superhero. We tend to get more unmasked, generic portraits of white guys, so this is a welcome change. If he's based on anyone specific I'm not catching it. With the tux, maybe a clean shaven Action Jackson or Felix Leiter?
* This portrait is referred to as The Spy. He's a blonde guy with an eyepatch and some serious eyebrows. Again, I'm not sure if he's based on anyone in particular, though he gives me vibes of Nick Fury, Emilo Largo, and Number 2 from Austin Powers. You know; all spy related characters with eyepatches. He makes me think of an Adult Swim character for some reason. Couldn't you just hear this guy spouting some ridiculous stuff at a fancy casino? He also could swap easily on any other bodies from Big Bad Workshop figures. Or keep him as a spy.
* The tux looks really good from the back, too. The jacket is a separate piece (though not removable) and the various creases and folds look quite realistic. Again, it's a simple figure but it's executed incredibly well and feels right in hand.
* The articulation on this figure (and all of the figures in Soldiers of Fortune that I've had my hands on thus far) is very similar to Operation: Monster Force, particularly because the figure is largely a repaint of a figure from that line. I do think this guy feels a bit better in hand, though, with the plastic quality a bit more flexible and the joints smoother. He's really just like The Agent/ The Enemy I reviewed previously. If you're familiar with any of the other Big Bad Workshop lines or Hasbro's G.I. Joe: Classified Series, then you know what to expect. He's a high quality build. The buttoned jacket does hinger the mid torso movement a bit but I think it's a fair trade off for a suited figure.
* Eight swappable hands are included overall for use with the Spy, though six of them are pretty standard. There is a pair of trigger fingers, a pair of standard grips, and a pair of fists grips. You might need to heat the wrist sockets during the first swap or two but after that everything moves quite nicely and I didn't have any trouble swapping hands in and out.
* Two special hands are included that fit the Spy persona: A right hand holding a hand of cards and a left hand holding a cigarette. The printing on the cards is excellent and I imagine the cigarette holding hand will be fairly popular considering most toylines don't include cigarettes with their figures.
* Eight swappable hands are also included overall for use with the Agent. And, again, six of them are pretty standard. There is a pair of fists, a pair of pistol grips, and a pair of standard grips.
* You also get the two special hands to use with the Agent: A right hand holding a hand of cards and a left hand holding a cigarette. The back of the deck of cards is red for the Spy but blue for the Agent. Just a neat little detail, I think.
* How cool is it that The Agent/ The Spy comes with a Walther PPK? Not only is it a beautiful sculpt with a few paint highlights but it also comes with a removable suppressor.
* Three firing effects are included that can fit in the barrels of the Walther or in the suppressor. There is a wisp of smoke, a short muzzle flare, and a longer muzzle flare effect. These fit quite nicely in the barrels and make your display extra exciting.
* To carry all kinds of important documents and gear a briefcase is included. No matter if you're a Spy or an Agent, a good briefcase is always a necessity. Not only is case hinged but so is the handle.
* Inside are some nonfunctional pouches and such with various little sculpted items like pens and memo books.
* There are two inserts that can be placed inside the bottom of the case. First up is a flat piece that has all kinds of cool little spy stuff sculpted and painted on it. There are coins, passports, different forms of paper currency, a smartphone, an old school mobile phone, and some rounds of ammunition scattered about.
* The second insert is stacks of cash. Just a big block that it sculped and painted to look like this briefcase is filled with cash. Someone's getting a huge payday!
* The Agent/ The Spy also has a stack of manila folders with the top folder clearly marked "CLASSIFIED" in red block letters. This is a really fun little accessory, isn't it? Even into high school, a couple friends and I would dump out a big box of random accessories I had from multiple different toylines, create "missions" and objectives, and then select a kit of gear from the accessories, explaining what we were using them for. It was really roleplaying; I just don't think we were all that aware of tabletop RPGs and how play them at the time.
* Last up is a small, flat display stand. The stand is the same mold as the stands included with the C.O.P.S. & Crooks and The Order of the Crimson Moon toylines, but it has the Soldiers of Fortune logo. It keeps your figure upright and doesn't take up too much real estate on your shelf. I'm always a fan of action figures coming with a stand, so this is a welcome touch.
The Negatives:
* My only issue with the construction and design of the figure is that the inner "shirt" piece doesn't quite extend down below the upper edge of the jacket. It also looks a bit dingy at the bottom, so I'm not sure what that's about.
When it comes to accessories and extras, especially those extra hands and that incredible Walther PPK, The Agent/ The Spy (Black Tuxedo) is a darn cool figure. I mean, just a basic, tuxedo clad operative is a neat figure on its own, but this guy has some nifty extras. These figures are pricier than your average mass market lines, sure, but the run is clearly more limited and you do get quite a bit more than with most of those lines. I'd compare these more with releases from NECA, Four Horsemen Studios, or Valaverse (though Valaverse amazingly keeps lowering their prices). This is ultimately a pretty Epic figure. While some of the finer details like paint applications and the display stand aren't as impressive as, say, Operation: Monster Force, these guys do feel like they should fit in with multiple other lines better, which I image is intentional. This is a cool spy figure with lots of click extras and he's been sold out for a couple months now, so hopefully Big Bad Workshop sees his popularity and either gets him back in print or releases a new version. Who wouldn't be down for a collection of "generic" heroes and villains from spy films?
For more reviews from Soldiers of Fortune check out the following:
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