I'm a big fan of the New Gods and the appearance of Kalibak has me pretty excited at the prospect of getting more of them in McFarlane Toys' DC Multiverse line. While Mattel never got around to Granny Goodness in DC Universe Classics and the accompanying lines, overall they did a great job of filling out the New Gods roster in that line. DC Direct did a cool set, too, though I only ever owned their version of Orion. The New Gods characters just always look fantastic and even when they're based on an updated version of Jack Kirby's designs, they still just have a look to them that captures the pure and frenetic energy of Kirby's art. This version of Kalibak is based his appearance from
The Darkseid War, a major, year-long Justice League event by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Whether you're a reader of the newer comics or love the classic character of Kalibak (prior to his death in Final Crisis), there's a lot of coolness here. Let's check out this Megafig after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 9 1/4ths inches
Articulation: Hinged toes, swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, thigh swivel, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ balljointed sockets, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: Beta club, disc stand, and collectible card.
Original Retail Price: $40 dollars
The Positives:
* Kalibak is a beast. He's tall, he's wide, and he's pretty thick. Take a look at him compared to the Injustice Supergirl. He's a hefty boy, for sure. McFarlane's Megafigs typically live up to their name and Kalibak definitely doesn't disappoint. He dwarfs most Marvel Legends Build-a-Figures I can think of from recent memory.
* Kalibak looks incredible and absolutely benefits from the unique body and extreme detail that McFarlane has given him. He's instantly recognizable and is sporting a version of his classic green and yellow tunic along with a cool shoulder pad and an ornate belt. The various parts of his outfit all have different textures to show off the different materials and the paintwork is pretty neat and clean. His skin is really funky, as there are lots of scars, pockmarks, and protrusions covering his muscular flesh.
* That headsculpt is absolutely wild. I love it! He looks like an outlaw country musician mixed with Beast Man. Seriously, though, it's a great portrait that captures Kalibak's wild demeanor and personality. His eyes and the way his face is scrunched up just makes him look fierce. That and the nose ring and fangs. Those will always make you look fierce.
* The hair is awesome. Seriously, it's very epic. I wish I had hair like this. I just am rarely patient enough to let mine grow out this much. Kalibak has a mane that would have made 1970s Barry Gibb jealous.
* Here's a better look at Kalibak's crazy arms and the pauldron over his left shoulder. The pauldron isn't removable but it is a separate piece attached to the figure.
* And here's a shot of Kalibak from the back to see more of the detail on his outfit.
* Kalibak's boots are cool as they house his animal-like feet. The texture is cool (it matches his gloves) and the yellow-green stripe really just seals the deal and makes the design pop.
* Since Kalibak is such a burly guy he's not as articulated as someone like Nightwing or Batman, but he's definitely still quite posable. He looks great in a variety of menacing poses and is quite fun to play with. Overall he's quite solid and sturdy. His torso might be a bit hollow to help him be less top heavy, but it doesn't feel flimsy or anything. I sure wouldn't want someone to melee me in the head with this figure.
* Kalibak comes with his Beta Club. Designed by DeSaad, the Beta Club is a powerful weapon capable of firing destructive energy blasts, emitting a painful Nerve Beam, or just being used as a heavy club for beating his enemies. The piece is a bit rubbery making it easier to squeeze into Kaliba's harder plastic hands. He looks good holding it, especially with that shark teeth-like knuckle guard.
* Kalibak comes with a card showing off his image from one of the Darkseid War issues. There's a bio on the back, too!
* I love that McFarlane includes a stand with each of their releases these days. It's just a simple disc stand with the DC logo on it but it works well and keeps the figure standing upright. Kalibak is a pretty brawny guy and doesn't need a lot of help standing, but the disc stand does add some extra stability to keep him from falling off a shelf and crushing your foot.
Kalibak is just a really cool figure that should appeal to a lot of folks. I know a lot of you collect Masterverse and I could even see Kalibak being a great villain for He-Man and the Heroic Warriors or for Conan. He's an excellent version of the DC character, too, and he has a fantastic sculpt. Especially that headsculpt. That is just fantastic! I managed to pick him up when he was released back in March (GameStop was doing a 25% off sale and I loaded up) an I don't regret it a bit. He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and probably the best Kalibak figure out there. There haven't been many Kalibak's, but out of the half dozen or so this guy is the king.
This is the first figure of Kalibak I've reviewed. For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)The Joker (Infinite Frontier)Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)Nekron (Blackest Night)
* That headsculpt is absolutely wild. I love it! He looks like an outlaw country musician mixed with Beast Man. Seriously, though, it's a great portrait that captures Kalibak's wild demeanor and personality. His eyes and the way his face is scrunched up just makes him look fierce. That and the nose ring and fangs. Those will always make you look fierce.
Today I've just received Ulik (from the Marvel Legends Series Thor sub-line), and he reminds me quite a lot of this guy. Not sure if it can be considered a megafig, but he's really quite bulky, in a New Eternia Beast Man sort of way. Fantastic figure, I dig him quite a lot. If I ever find a Kalibak for a decent price, I'll definitely grab it too..
ReplyDeleteOh, Ulik is very cool. I got him for Christmas last year. He's definitely a bulky guy.
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