Lotus is less of an Angel Warrior and more of an Angel Supermodel
Written: Nov 26 '01 (Updated Jan 14 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: sculpt and paint job
Cons: materials and movement
The Bottom Line: Despite all promises to the contrary, Lotus is barely articulated, so she's really just more of the same from McToys.
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| yogore's Full Review: Lotus The Angel Warrior |
At last, the unending concussion of violence echoed so loud that the heavens themselves tore open and a magical vision appeared on the battleground: a mystical legend known as Lotus, the Angel Warrior; a female Samurai warrior from the heavens. She came down, gliding through the clouds like a feather on a breeze, and she stood between Jyaaku and Spawn. Lotus declared that the fight would not continue upon the mountain where the gods' gaze fell.
In the toy world, McFarlane Toys is synonymous with incredibly detailed, well-sculpted figures. Or, more specifically, incredibly detailed, well-sculpted figures that don't move. "Statuesque," even. However, with Spawn Series 19, The Samurai Wars, McFarlane announced they were going to up the bar; they were going to create the most detailed and articulated Spawn figures ever!
Well, maybe that slogan should have been "the most detailed and articulated Spawn figures ever, plus Lotus!"
When I opened Lotus, the first thing that struck me was that her swords aren't actually accessories--they're a molded part of her forearms. Huh? What was the purpose of that? Would it really have been so very much more difficult to create separate swords?
One of the major, MAJOR complaints McToys received at the time of the release of Spawn Series 17 was that Tiffany was a statue--she could barely move, and even those movements were ridiculously planned. Well, Lotus does indeed go halfway toward remedying that problem. Her articulation certainly doesn't leave her limbs akimbo, primarily because she doesn't have any articulation below the waist (well, actually, the chest, but let's not get picky). This figure, part of the line touted as being "the one for articulation fans," has less articulation than a figure that was previously deemed too statuesque for the designation "Ultra Action Figure."
Lotus has no shoulder articulation. Her right arm is articulated at the bicep, and her left moves just above and below the elbow. But sadly, with no shoulders, these points are just wasted. While other figures are leaping about the plastic battlefield, Lotus is relegated to standing on the sidelines, looking disinterested. Provided, of course, that she doesn't tumble over as her soft, rubbery legs give way. I'm not sure what happened here, but she does tend to get a bit less stable the closer to the ground she gets; maybe this is another case of the production factory choosing a softer plastic that would be easier to pull from the molds.
These angels are supposed to be interdimensional ass-kickers. Please, let them move! She doesn't have to have thirty points of articulation or anything, but would hips and shoulders really hurt? We know McFarlane's team can sculpt a stunning female figure--they've proved this time and time again. We know it. We appreciate it. We buy the figures because of it. Yes, it's true, peg joints are easy to spot; but in small doses, that's okay--in Lotus' case, knees would be almost entirely obscured by the leg armor. And elbows would be a miniscule, if noticeable flaw, and one that would be more than made up for by the poseability. So yes, more joints would break up the delicate line of the figure, but that's not an unforgivable sin; especially not in a company that we've come to trust over these many years.
We know McToys can do beautiful--and we'll pay good money for "beautiful" in Spawn 20 and further Classics lines. But for now, can't the sculptors show us that they can also do functional? Spawn IV had ball-jointed shoulders, and they worked well--but it's easy to do that in big bulky arms. Could they possibly rise to the challenge of making ball joints work equally as well in a slender, delicate arm? I believe that the sculptors and designers could, but will we ever see it?
Of course, I'm not part of the design team. I'm not part of the company. I'm just a fan, and I already spent my money to buy the figure. I guess these are just my dreams for a potential R3 of the line. So maybe I'm just ranting.
And now, so no one thinks that there's nothing I like about the figure, I proudly present Lotus's good points:
The sculpt. Great job, guys! They created another incredibly feminine figure, and even raised the bar for themselves--with her hair up, her neck had to be completely sculpted. No hiding behind hair here, no matter how nicely sculpted it is. And as far as I can tell, her face is just as well done. Of course, it's hard to tell; that flat white can hide a lot of mistakes (just ask KISS). I'd almost like to see a version of her with a skin-tone face, but then we'd lose the cool Noh look. Maybe something like the removable mask that MAC's Kabuki came with (R3! R3! R3!)? Just rambling again.
The armor. Not only is it highly detailed, but it's removable as well! I couldn't believe it when her leg armor fell apart (well, okay, I could believe it--gotta love those McJoints), but I was completely floored when I realized that it was supposed to do that, and that it went back on without any trouble. That friggin' rocks!
The articulation, sort of. No McJoints! All the joints move free and easy--nothing's glued in place here!
The paint. Usually, early runs of a series are a bit sloppier than their later cousins. However, my Lotus seems to be very sharply decoed--there's a bit of a flub on her left foot, but that's a very minor point of contention (because it's hardly noticeable).
So, in conclusion, Lotus is a decent sculpt, but falls a little short in comparison to the other, more active figures in her line. But hey, I bought her, so make your own decisions; I'm just daydreaming, here...
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 9.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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