REVIEW: Kasual Friday's SUPERSTARS - SERIES 2 + 2.5

[Stunksstage]

Extended Wave Stars Rocky and Company (New Robocop Too)...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 70 NEW PHOTOS!

Kasual Friday continues their Big Screen Superstars static figure line with Series 2 and 2.5 (see our story HERE), the extended wave featuring multiple variants of beloved characters from the Rocky film series and alternate painted versions of the iconic cyborg policeman, Robocop. The figures are designed with a more playful touch than most available versions of these characters (from Jakks, NECA, and McFarlane), and these fun little figs could be displayed nearly anywhere.

In fact, this might be the greatest strength of the Rocky figures. Standing 3” tall, these little dudes will fit nicely wherever you need inspiration to go one final round--whether in your gym locker, on your home bureau, or near your office computer (I have Apollo and Rocky flanking my desktop monitor at my job).

Kasual Friday has used a single body sculpt for the big four fictional boxing legends of the Rocky films: The Italian Stallion, Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago. The body sculpt is pretty good, and the exaggerated features like the massive chest muscles and sinewy legs make for an eye-popping piece. I have the yellow shorts Drago, black shorts Clubber, and stars-and-stripes versions of both Rocky and Apollo. Alternate versions of each character are available in Kasual Friday's Series 2 and 2.5 waves: Drago in red shorts, Ivan in his red trunks, Rocky in his Rocky III gold trunks, and Apollo in his red trunks from the original film. I champion that these variants exist, but if Kasual Friday wants to maximize the license, they’ll be sure to release Rocky in his white shorts with red stripe from the first film as well (NYCC Exclusive?). Despite this omission, the variants allow for some great “match ups” between these characters, and I think the whole series is pretty excellent (and I’m a BIG Rocky fan).

The Robocop from this wave, with the blue interior, almost feels like a bonus (The character in his cinematic colors was released in Series 1). The same sculpt was used as the original version, and it is a dynamic piece - far more than it needs to be. I would have assumed that the pose would have been a bit more stiff and forward, but Kasual Friday’s sculptor went for something kinetic, and it works. In fact, it’s downright great. The detail of the sculpt is impressive, down to the robotic metatarsals, and the stance looks as though the character has just turned to battle a newly seen threat, giving the non-articulated figure a little bit of life. Also be on the lookout for another variant of Robocop, the future of law enforcement featuring a dark blue "OCP Concept" deco.

Upon first seeing these figures, I felt they were a little small for their price point ($12 for 3”), but I also came to enjoy them the more I had them on display. Frankly, in the current figure market, most niche adult collectible figures for under $20 feel like a bargain. If you are a Rocky fan, this series provides some fun additional collectibles to display wherever you want to get back that Eye of the Tiger, and the Robocop is pretty solid, too (even if I like his original color scheme better).

Here’s hoping Kasual Friday can serve the fan community with future waves of their unique and enjoyable Big Screen Superstars (like Karate Kid or, perhaps, Princess Bride)!

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 70 NEW PHOTOS!

• Miss Our Kasual Friday Superstars Series 1 Review? CLICK HERE!
  
• Review by CJ Stunkard
• Photos by Jeff Saylor
• Review Samples Courtesy of Kasual Friday

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