Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Action Figure Review: Charizard from Pokemon by Wicked Cool Toys

    Wicked Cool Toys has definitely been putting out some interesting larger Pokemon figures that go along quite well with Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo and Super Mario lines and today I'm checking out another Pokemon who's one of the original 150: Charizard! As the final evolved form of one of the original starter Pokemon, Charmander, Charizard definitely is one of the most recognizable Pokemon of all time. He's pretty boss and it's great to have an easily obtainable and reasonably priced action figure of him. In the Super Smash Bros. series, Charizard could pop out of the Poke Ball but didn't appear as a playable character until Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, where he was one of the three Pokemon uses by the Pokemon Trainer.  Charizard was a standalone character in Super Smash Bros. 4 but returned to the Pokemon Trainer's stable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.  I didn't have Pokemon Red (I had Blue) but I imagine that those folks who did have Red probably prefer Charizard to the other starter Pokemon. Let's check this guy out after the break and see if he's a worthwhile addition to your team...



 The Facts:

Height: 4 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Spring back swivel hips, swivel shoulders, hinged wings, and a hinged jaw.

Accessories: Flame missile

Non-Scalper Price: $10 dollars

 The Positives:

* Chairzard is a true toy that's really meant for kids to play with and not just for collectors to pose and display. That being said, his somewhat simple appearance definitely fits the Nintendo style. Charizard is very much inspired by traditional dragons, although he has an orange, fiery color to his body. The paintwork is simple, but it's fairly neat and clean.


 * Charizard's articulation is quite simple although his hinged wings are quite nice and definitely make him a bit more fun to play with and pose. He definitely looks nice on the shelf alongside other Nintendo figures and other Pokemon.

* Charizard has a hinged jaw that you can open on your own. It also opens when you move his legs, which causes his action feature to activate. Charizard leans forward, opens his mouth, and launches a fire missile. That missile actually fits in his throat while the mouth is closed, which is kind of cool. It's very well hidden!


* When his jaws are closed, Charizard looks just like you'd expect. Again, nothing crazy detailed but definitely fitting for the Pokemon/ Nintendo aesthetic.



 * Here's the missile effect in action! The missile launches fairly well and features some paint applications to make it look like it's dragon fire. 
 The Negatives:

* I think these little panels above the wings are covering up screws. That's not a problem but they seem like they weren't aligned too well when put in place.
   Charizard actually turned out to be a pretty cool figure. Again, these are definitely toys geared towards kids, unlike something like the SHF Figuarts figures, but for a fraction of the price and the ability to purchase these at mainstream retail they're not bad. Wicked Cool Toys seems to be on a solid release schedule with these as they've got a Blastoise coming out soon, too. Charizard is a Good and a 1/2 figure and for folks who really dig these smaller sized Pokemon or who are building up their Smash Bros. roster, he's a solid purchase.




If you're a fan of Charmander/ Charmeleon/ Charizard I've reviewed Charmander from one of the Wicked Cool Toys multipacks.

For more Pokemon from Wicked Cool Toys, check out the following:
Gengar
Multipack

2 comments:

  1. That dragon looks cool. May have to find on of these.

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    Replies
    1. Walmart has been pretty good at stocking these, although Charizard certainly seems to be one of he more popular ones.

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