“It is far more difficult to murder a phantom than a reality.”

– Virginia Woolf

One of the last realeases of the 2004 Microman line (actually came out in early 2005) AcroPhantom was part of the AcroYear X-2 line.  A follow up the the earlier AcroYear subset, the X-2 line featured 2 Micromen and 2 Microlady figures that featured highly stylized looks and gear.  The gear of all 4 X-2 figures actually could merge into some sort of chrome mess on wheels.  As with most Microman figures not specifically based on a license, there is little backstory to a figure, but rather it draws from a particular theme or borrows from other sources.  I managed to score this guy from the excellent e-tailer smalljoes.com , an excellent source for Microman figs among other things.

AcroPhantom, as the name suggests, takes on a deathly or gothic feel and delivers one of the coolest figures you’re gonna find (if you’re lucky) on the market today.

 

 

 

Packaging :

Microman packaging is fairly standardized, but that’s not to say it’s boring or bland.  It features a plastic shell front over a cardboard slipback secured in place by flaps with tape on the back.  The figure is displayed in a standard pose with his accessories clearly displayed around him.  The cardback features a nice graphic of the figure “geared-up” with some text running along the borders.  The package is obviously geared towards a “collector” as opposed to kids, and as such is fairly modern and clean.  The packaging is larger than your average 1/18th scale figure package – nearly double the size.  The packaging design also makes it extremely collector friendly in that you can open and repackage the figure without damaging the sharp looking backing card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cardback features a number of very well done photos of the fig, a demonstration of the articulation with a Material Force figure, and photos of the other figures from the 2004 line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sculpt & Deco :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AcroPhantom’s base figure begins the phantom/ghost/death motif.  The basic figure is the basic Microman body with no additional parts.  The figure is cast in clear plastic, with black hands, and slate blue highlights.  The clear plastic is extremely cool.  It’s a rare thing in the US to get clear plastic figures.  Recently we’ve seen a glut of translucent colored figures, but the genuinely clear figure is hard to come by.  Japan on the other hand has a tradition of releasing clear variants of figures (most notably among Transformers).  In this particular case, it is not only neat, but serves the purpose of the figure as a Death/Ghost representative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The slate blue highlights are a cross between flames, tribal tatoos, and a mist like pattern.  The combination serves to add to the wraith like qualities of the fig.  The blue is outlined by silver making the highlights stand out exceptionally well and even features some fading and graduations.  The paint masking is astonishingly crisp.  It may be the best example of detail on a 1/18th scale figure I’ve ever seen.  No bleeding, no chips, and a smooth application on rounded surfaces.  Truly they look like decals, but it is in fact paint. 

The black hands seem out of place at first, but go very nicely with his gear, and actually gives him a bit of a “death touch” if your imagination runs to the dark and dank depths that mine did.

 

 

 

Perhaps the coolest Deco feature and something that came as a complete surprise since it is not featured on the packaging, and I never ran across it shown on any site before is the back tatoo that reads “Death” – in english no less.  Looking like something out of a prison movie, AcroPhantom sports an ominous message for those who cross his path – er or at least see him walking away form their path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AcrosPhantom features a blue chromed head with a clear helmet/face shield.  The blue chrome which matches his Hammer/Cross and necklace thingy is a great accent color to the fig.  The face shield serves to give the head an almost skull like quality with the dome shape, while at the same time giving an almost sci-fi/alien feel.  It’s almost remenicient of Mysterio from Spider-man fame.  The actual head is demonic in nature in a Kabuki theater type of way.  It’s animalist and mythic in feel with spikes protruding at the sides and an open jaw/mandible with some wicked looking fangs.  As is par for course, the microman chrome style heads obscure much of the excellent detailing, but it wouldn’t be a Microman figure without the chrome.

 

Accessories :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microman figures are known for 2 things – insane articulation and wacky accessories (well, minus the Material Force figs) .  AcroPhantom comes with some of the coolest, and some of the lamest accessories in the entire line.  Let’s start with the awesome.  Most Microman figures come with some kind of armor.  Usually it’s of the chromed, combines with other parts variety and comes off like some weird cross between a knight’s armor and something you’d have seen in Junkyard Wars.  Acrophantom here shuns the chrome in favor of a PVC rubber set of gear.

 

Included as armor add ons are 2 shin guards, a belt/skirt combo,  a torso/shoulder piece, and a blue chromed “necklace”.  The torso piece is secured by two slip straps, while the shin guards are slipped on and held in place by to straps each.  The skirt piece is actually 3 seperate parts that are held together by a hole/peg system running along each seam.  The torso and shin armor fit perfectly and do not hamper articulation to any major degree, save for the shoulder pads limiting straight upward movement.  The skirt fits well, but does have a tendancy to ride up off the waist if you fiddle around with it too much. 

 

The overall effect of the rubber is really nice.  The black color and whole strap/metal/padding look add another layer of that dark gothic fell to the fig.  It also stands out from the majority of the Microman line in that the chrome is light, giving AcroPhantom and almost matte effect that further cause’s him to stand out amongst all the bling and bright colors.  The one annoyance is with the chrome necklace piece.  It’s a nice highlight piece, but it doesn’t stay on very well.  There are holes for it to plug into, but it slides out with the slightest movement.  Not a huge deal, but a hassle none the less.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, now for the other shoe to drop.  Sweet Christmas . . . what the heck is this thing supposed to be?  Obviously it’s shaped as a vaugely ne0-gaelic cross.  I’ve seen it refered to as a “hammer” called Death-Grave and is apparently a reference to an anime that I don’t get.  If it’s a hammer, I’m not sure how he’s supposed to hold it or use it.  Nor am I sure how exactly a hammer with wheels on the striking surfaces work.  There is a “gun” mode that consists of reconfiguring the “stalk” of the cross back slightly to reveal 2 barrells.  It is so ridiculously oversized though, there is no way to properly grasp it, let alone any hope of actually raising it. If you refer back to the cardback shot, you’ll notice that there is also a wholly ridiculous “wheel chair” mode.  It brings back subtle nightmares of the weird dudes on wheel stilts from “The Wiz”.  If it was pulled off slighlty better, it might be creepy.  As is, it is just too silly to properly express in words let alone bother photographing.  The one redeeming factor of the cross – it fits very nicely onto a hole in the back of the torso armor and does look fairly wicked there.  It’s a shame that the hammer is the only realy accessory here.  A Scythe would have been exceptionally cool.  Even a simple blade or gun or an actual useable hammer would have gone a long way.

 

Articulation :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it’s no secret that Microman is the gold standard for articulation in the 1/18th scale.  It almost borders on the absurd.  Limbs, hands, feet,  and head are all designed to “pop” off  if you need them too.  In addition, there are 4 extra sets of hands in various poses that are interchangable.  For the uninitiated articulation includes:

Neck – Ball Joint

Shoulder – Ball Joint x4

Bicep – Swivel Joint x2

Elbow – Hinge Joint x4

Wrist – Swivel Joint x2

Hand – Hinge Joint x2

Torso – Slip Hinge Joint (ball function)

Waist – Ball Joint

Hip – Ball Joint x2

Thigh – Swivel Joint x2

Knee – Hinge Joint x4

Ankle – Hinge Joint x2

Feet – Ball Joint x2

Thats a whopping 29 points of useable articulation folks.  And most are multi-directional joints.  That is just silly on a 1/18th scale fig.  As a matter of fact, the only thing missing is finger and foot articulation (which actually does appear in some later Micromen).  The joints on my AcroPhantom are pretty good.  There are the occasional problems with plastic cracks, broken joints, and floppy joints with Microman figs, but this one seems to avoid those problems.

 

Summary :

Well, if it’s not obvious yet, I really dig this figure.  It may be my favorite Microman fig to date.  It dances along the edge of the macabre without being gory or blunt about it.  There are gothic elements without being a drab, dark figure.  The deco is sharp and bold without overpowering the figure.  The unique armor pieces make the figure something very special.  It does have a wholly useless accessory that celebrates form over any pretense of function and loses some points there.  In the end, you’re either a Microman fan or you’re not.  If you haven’t tried one out before and want to see what the fuss is about, then I highly reccomend this figure.  If you are a Microman fan, why don’t you have this fig?

 

AcroPhantom rates my highest score to date – 11.6 Thumbs Up!

 

“Hey, cheer up, it could be worse.  I may be killing you for DC, but I got to turn him into a woman tomorrow for IDW.”

Popularity: 20% [?]

Way back in the day I was reading a comic book (I want to say Marvel Two-in-One with The Thing guest staring Deathlok but don’t quote me on that) I saw an ad for three very odd looking creatures from the Micronauts collection. Antron, Membros and the subject of this piece: Repto.

Repto was my fav right off the bat, his colors, his wedge shaped head, his buzz-saw, everything about him was just cool.   In my collection Repto represented the first time I ever bought a figure based purely on how he looked.  He was odd, weird, and mishapped and I couldn’t be happier with him. 

There wasn’t a lot about Repto back then.  All that was really established on his card was that he was half man and half lizard and came from a planet called Sauria.  I never saw an appearance of him in the comic book so I made him into a hero.  He was an alien much like Superman but with non-human features.  His arch-nemesis: Antron and he fought across the planet searching for a way home, often getting into entanglements with Star Wars, Indiana Jones and eventually GI Joe.  However like most toys of our youth he didn’t fair well.  His hand weapons were the first to get lost and later the cuffs that held those weapons in place.  I was saddened by this cause Repto really was one of my all time favorites probably because I made up most of his character and story. 

Fast forward to 2002 (nearly 23 years later) and the toy company Palisades began to produce replicas of the original Micronauts.  The following year (2003) my all time favorite was released yet again, however there was a slight problem. 

Supposedly the first series of Micronauts were produced in a factory not approved by Palisades.  Because of this production errors were unreal for the first series.  By the following year Palisades had gotten production moved but the first series had hurt the line severely and Micronauts Series 2 were much harder to find (at least from my perspective where toys are very hard to come by in the first place).  Repto (and his companions in the wave) were lost to me in far away stores like Suncoast and Sam Goody’s (both of which are near impossible for me to journey to even under the best conditions, and conditions for me then were less than stellar).

Still some searches on the Internet did yield me some good fortune.  I have been able to find many of the Retro Micronauts including Membros and Acroyear, but it wasn’t until 2008 I finally found one of the variants for Repto, the clear one.

Palisades released four variants of Repto, one in close to original colors (some slight variance), one in solid blue, one in clear purple and yellow (an odd combination to say te least), and this clear and black version.  The variations were packed evenly so it appears that none are more or less rare than the others, still I have had a hard time finding them (when I have been able that is).  Still it does make me laugh a bit that there are stories all over the Internet of these lingering in the back of the store’s clearance sections for years with me unable to get to them. 

Repto has the exact same construction as his original. He is held together with an O-Ring just as the ARAH GI Joe figures with Metal rivets in the shoulder and elbow.  In fact, with the exception of the swivel arm addition to the 3 & 3/4″ Joe’s in 1983, this figure has the exact articulation of an ARAH GI Joe figure (a full three years before the Joe’s hit retail). 

The clear Repto has absolutely no deviation from the original formula and is exactly as his counterpart from 1979 right down to his cuffs and pegs.  What did change was his accessories.

Repto came with his blaster and his buzz saw just like his original release.  He also had a pair of hands as well.  Truth be told the hands don’t work for me on many levels.  They are odd shaped and in general don’t add to this figure.

He also came with a mace, however the one I bought was not quite complete and did not include this mace.  Still it looks like a cool addition to an already incredible figure.

 

 

 

 Another big draw to the original figure was the fact he had a removable

brain (as did all the aliens of that set).  Repto was no exception however I have only successfully removed it once.  Shortly after I lost Antron’s brain and have never tried to remove Repto’s since.  That trepidation still resides in me so I can’t comment on how or if the brain of the new repto removes in the same fashion or not, I would imagine so since these are exact replicas of the originals. 

 

In comparison to other 1:18th figures Repto fits perfectly.  He should his original mold was one of the originals which gave us many of the figures we know and love today.  No one can deny the effect Micronauts had on the toy world.  Most of the guys pictured with Repto probably wouldn’t even be there without him and the other Micronauts. 

This time with Repto we got a bit more information about him.  This time he was “Terrifying” with “…lethal weapons grafted to his forearms”  with an “..armored reptian body..”  This time Palisades made him a bit fearsome and creepy rather than simply a reptile from a far off planet.  Even though it rubs against my characterization of him at least it shows Palisades was thinking and looking back a what these guys were and ment to the fans.

The flaws of the original figure still exist broadly here.  He has a hard time standing due to the wings and tail.  Thankfully he does come with a handy dandy battle stand to help him stay standing.  Also like the original figure the weapons tend to fall out of the cuffs that hold them.  The “hands” are not that much better at staying in either.  At least the flaws are consistent throughout the decades.

 

Overall I would have to give this figure a 9.5 out of 10, I will admit that this is primarily out of a sense of nostalgia as the figure played a prominent part in my toy collecting of past 30 years.  He has always has a proud and forward stance in my collection and the reissue just reignited the fire that I felt when I was reading comics way back in 1979. 

 

Popularity: 25% [?]

Up for review today is the Microman “Wrecker Set” – Signa Sally & Signa Ruly.  I picked this set up from BigBadToyStore last week.  The set interested me from the beginning as the characters had a Superhero outfit look to them.  I know nothing about them other than what pictures I’ve seen on various web sites.  So, I figured I’d give it a try.

Packaging.  Let me start off by saying that I love package art.  And in terms of package art, they did a pretty nice job as a whole.  The weakest point, unfortunately, is the front of the box. This set has a lid that opens to reveal the figures.  On the outside of the lid, the The DVD kind of kills is, graphically speaking, but it’s a bonus to the set, as I see it.  It’s 100 times better than some of the DVD bonus packages we’ve seen here in the states where they actually just tape a DVD box or sleeve onto a package.  At least this set here incorporates the DVD into the set.

Opening the lid up on the package, that’s where this set really looks pretty.  Fastened by Velco, it opens up to reveal the action figures in a window box, and two young Asian girls on the backside of the lid.  The photos of the girls have a scanned “autograph” from each girl, as well as a brief description or details under each picture in Japanese.  What it says, I do not know.  But it looks pretty.  The figures are translucent orange and pink, with white portions, and gold, black, and silver details.  They each come with a sword that resembles a lightsaber, with colored blades matching the figures main color.  Also packed in was an alternate chromed ‘alien’ head, with painted eyes that match the figures colors.  You can also see behind the figures the assortment of different hands the figures can be interchanged with.

The back of the box is pretty attractive, as well.  Up on the top left, it shows the material force figure showing the pieces to the figure, points of articulation, and a few poses.  The Top right shows instructions on how to assemble one of the pieces that comes with the “Signa Ruly” figure.  Also, includes are images of the figures in various poses.

When you get a typical Microman, you get a whole mess of accessories.  In this case, you do not get a lot, but you get some.  Each figure comes with: the previously mentioned sword, alternate head and interchangeable hands.  Also included are figure stands for the girls and trading cards with the girls’ photos.  The back of the trading cards are blank brown cardboard, so nothing really exciting there.  Also included is a ribbon type of item that attaches to a handle similar to the sword.  So, by my wonderful brilliant deduction, I’m guessing that the sword can loosen up to form some sort of whip-type device.  I prefer to call it an extra ribbon-of-death device.  The figures come with shoulder pads (the pink one had it’s left shoulder pad upside down.  I left it as it was out of the package).  Each of the girls had a chrome arm attachment that I assume is a communicator or something to that nature.  Also included on the figures are black and silver ankle attachments.  In other Microman figures, you would have had to put these on yourself, but both the shoulder pads and ankle attachments were pre-assembled.  Also included in the set was an advertisement for other Microman figures.  I love this part of it.  Reason?  Looking at all those figures makes me want to buy them.  What can I say?  I’m an easy mark.

In looking at these figures, they’re identical in every way, minus main color and the torso piece.  Signa Sally has the “Small” Torso Piece, whereas Signa Ruly has the “XL” Torso Piece.  Each figure is molded in either a Orange or Pink translucent plastic, with paint similar apps, head to toe.  The paint applications are nice and clean, and the lines are sharp.  Gold and black stripes decorate the body, and the white is nice and bold.  They definitely have a Power Rangers/Superhero look to them.  The hands are in a molded white, and have a varied range of movement, depending on which hand set you use.  The helmeted heads that the figures come packaged with are not bad.  They are chromed, with chrome painted faceplates and crest of the helmet, with Sally in orange and Ruly in red.  In person, I thought the helmets were a little on the small side, but not ridiculously small.These figures come in the MicroLady v.2 body, which is more petite and more frail than the v1 body.  They have an extremely good range of motion, what Microman’s known for, but the parts and pieces of these figures are fragile.  Not so much fragile in the sense that they’ll break, they seem sturdy enough in that regard.  However, the figure’s limbs do pop off if a little extra effort is put into moving pieces or applying the alternate head or hands.  Just be aware of that.  They don’t break, you just put them back in the socket or on the peg, no damage, no foul.

In replacing the head, as you can see in the picture, the necks have a ball joint.  Just to let you know, those helmets heads were on TIGHT.  I’d say there might have had a little paint making it a challenge, but the helmets were tight.  Remember what I said about too much effort will make things pop off?  In trying to remove the helmet, I separated the torso, and both arms came out of socket.  I popped the pieces back into place, but yeah, I split it in two.

Here, you can see the alien head is a bit bigger than the helmet head.  Personally, I think I like the alien head a bit better, and the colored eyes really top it off.  My short history with Microman, this is the first one I’ve seen with colored eyes, and it really sets the head off.  There’s also a colored jewel in between the eyes.

As you can see, Microman is about the articulation, and poses.  I put these girls in these poses a couple of days ago, and they’re still firmly set in those positions.  The joints are tight and pretty fluid.  In the picture, you can see Ruly holding the aforementioned “Ribbon-of-death”.In summary, these are really great action figures.  The Microman body style is a little different if you’re mainly collecting US figures (G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Indy Jones, etc), but once you get used to the style, it’s a great, fun and unique body type.  I will say this, if you’re looking to getting a Microman for the first time, do not start with a MicroLady v2 body.  That was my mistake.  I wasn’t used to the frailness of the body type, and it turned me off of it for long time.  After I picked up a v1 body, and got used to the style, then I had a better appreciation of the v2 figures.  If you’re seasoned to the Microman and MicroLady bodies, I definitely say pick this up when you can.  The designs of the bodies are stunningly bold and clean, and the heads are sharp with the Alien heads being vivid with those painted eyes.

Popularity: 16% [?]

This is it, folks, an attempt at a site dedicated to action figures in the 1:18th scale.  Sure, there will be a little information about other toy lines, but here at 1-18th, the focus is on 1:18th (aka 3 3/4″) figures.  G.I. Joe, Microman, DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones… you name it, we’re trying to cover it.  Enjoy your stay here!!

Popularity: 95% [?]