Mezco SDCC09 Exclusive Hellboy & Golden Army Soldier

[JeffSaylor]

Red takes on one of the big golden baddies...

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Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the sequel to the popular comic-based action film starring Ron Pearlman and the titular hero. In the newest film, Red must take on Prince Nuada who aims to conquer the humans with the help of an unstoppable goblin-built mechanical force known as the Golden Army.

Mezco once again created an assortment of awesome Hellboy collectibles to support the release of the film including the debut of a 3.75” figure line. The smaller set of figures is completed by one of Mezco’s SDCC 09 exclusive offerings, the Hellboy & Golden Army Soldier Box Set.

PACKAGING:

The set comes packaged in a fairly compact, but visually colorful box with a front window offering a view of the two figures. Each side features not only the HB II logo, but a gold and brown design mimicking those found on the Golden Army soldiers. The back of the box serves mainly as an advertisement for the recently released B.P.R.D. Buddies figurines.

SCULPTING & ARTICULATION:

The Hellboy figure included in this set is virtually identical to the one released separately and in the 4-pk, but has some slight paint changes and a new frowning head sculpt (versus the yelling one from before). It’s amazing that Mezco was able to capture this much detail in such a small figure with small features such as the markings on his chest and hand, the seams and wrinkles in his coat, and the buckles and pouches on his belt. The quality is right on par with other manufacturers of 3.75 inch figures, and in most cases surpasses it. The character’s weapon even fits in the holster at his side, which has an opening flap. The figure has over 20 points of articulation, another wonder for such a small figure and includes movement in the neck, chest, waist, 4 point in each leg and one arm, and 5 points in the other arm. The only two accessories included with this set are Hellboy’s Samaritan and a display stand featuring a decal of the B.P.R.D logo.

The Golden Army Soldier, however, is a mixed bag. Compared to the Hellboy, the figure is huge and is a combination of roto-cast and plastic. The outer arm plates feature some impressive renderings of the elven designs from the film that resemble stained glass or art noveau, but here is where the detail really ends. The majority of the figure is cast in the roto-cast and it doesn’t help the design of the figure. The Soldier is bulky and chunky and doesn’t show off the impressive design of the character in the film. Most of the small details and gear-based assembly are lost in a blobby mess. The articulation is minimal allowing twisting of the arms and legs, the waist and head and rotation of the arms. The head is sculpted down in the chest so you lose the awesome skull-like look of the face from the movie as well.

PAINT:

Hellboy is painted perfectly, offering a fair amount of detail to compliment the sculpt. The coat has been drybrushed to make it look worn and dirty and small details such as those on his belt and facial features are spot-on. The Golden Army Soldier is largely gold, but has been drybrushed and treated to give it a weathered and tarnished look that really makes the features stand out. A fluorescent orange and yellow were used to mimic the lava-like core of the machines, but this looks like a big lava ball with armor pieces glued on. I’m not sure how this could have been done a different way, perhaps a translucent color with gears visible inside?

PRICE & OVERALL:

While many fans are glad to even get a figure of the Golden Army Soldier, it could have been executed much better, especially when compared to the awesome bust included with the DVD release. It would have also made more sense to have this figure as a regular release as part of the line for army-building, and had this set include a blue Johannes-possessed Soldier instead. Despite the flaws with Golden Army Soldier figure, this is must-have set for fans of Hellboy and of the feature films. You can still order your own Hellboy & Golden Army Soldier Box Set now for $30 from www.MezcoDirect.com.

For more images of the The Hellboy & Golden Army Soldier Set, CLICK HERE!

Review Samples courtesy of Mezco

Review & Photos by Michael Klein

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