It's amazing how changing one thing on a figure can make it look completely different. Like, let's say someone ripped off your head and put someone else's head on your body, wouldn't that be awesome!? Yeah! You could be Tarzan or Sean Connery or something, you never know!
Name: The Punisher
Line: Marvel Universe, Series 3
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2009
Price: Retail: $7.99-$8.99
Scale: 3.75 in. (figure is 4.20 in. tall)
Accessories: Pistol, Machine Gun, Cannon of Doom and Explosions, "Secret Files"
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$8.95
You'll realize of course, that this new Punisher figure has the same body and belt as the first one from this series. Upon seeing that earlier version, you'll also realize there's no way in hell that thing was worth the 8 bucks Hasbro wanted for it. NO way. The new head though is enough to make you reconsider. Just a little bit. Hey, at least the face looks exactly like Ariel Olivetti's artwork instead of the random big-headed ogre we got before.
Just like the artwork in the recent "Punisher: War Journal" series, this version of Punisher is a big dude, the figure is about 4.20 inches tall! The arms are a little too thick and need some re-tooling (he can't lower his arms all the way to the sides), but the head is juuuust right. It's good ol'Frank, come straight out of the pages, fancy slicked hair and all. Whoever sculpted this is highly talented in reproduction, if only they would sculpt Red Sonja as she appeared on the cover of issue #2 of the mini-series "Queen of the Frozen Wastes"... ahem. He's got a scowly face that's still friendly enough to let you know he's on your side. The hands are too big, they look goofy. The right hand can hold all 3 included weapons snugly, but the left hand is useless. It's sculpted way too wide, I'm assuming the right grips the giant cannon-gun at the trigger while the left steadies the beast. Pretty lame in practice, he can only hold one weapon at a time. Also, no holsters, no way to carry the firepower around. The weapons are sharply detailed, no complaints with them. Being a plain body (with some appropriate wrinkles in the suit), he's good for generic soldier custom fodder, if you don't mind the height. The skull on the chest isn't engraved, only painted.
The boots look exactly like the ones Red Skull from the Marvel Legends Face-Off series wears, let's assume Frank killed Red and took his boots to wear as a warning to evildoers everywhere, no one is above Punishment. But seriously, they look like comic-book spandex, but the seams/stitches/wrinkles help make them look more like leather. The belt is well-executed, it's flexible, hides the waist articulation, and is removeable (if you pop the legs off first).
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Most, if not the entire figure, is painted in some way. The body-suit is dull-black with some greyish high-lights while the belt/gloves/boots are glossy black. The skull is a little glossy. Usually high-lights annoy me but it's not so bad here, and at least it's not bright blue like poor Spiderman had. The colors accurately represent how Punisher looked in the P:WJ comic, any blue tint you see here is a reflection of the blue background (oops!). There are some areas, like near the neck, where the grey is a touch too much, but nothing major. The head is flesh-tone plastic with painted hair and eyes, and it actually looks great! The hair is a soft grey/black, adding to Frank's age. There was only one of these in the store so I couldn't get some better eyes, but the ice-blue has a chilling effect, awesome.
Paint Score: 8 / 10
If you buy GI Joes then you're familiar with how this figure can move. The legs work the same as those figs, but the balls are plastic instead of metal and the hips simply pop onto them instead of clamping with a screw. It works well and looks more streamlined. There's no mid-section pivot, unfortunate because there are some shooting poses that require it. The rest of the joints are expectectedly limited. Puns can't face upwards, but the problem goes away if you grind away some of the plastic from inner-rim. The figure's sculpt doesn't suffer because of the articulation, but I'd rather have more poseability like The Wolverine Origins figures. You'll have to cut a little plastic off the back of the knees to let them bend to acceptable levels.
Articulation Score: 7 / 10
Come on, it's The Punisher! Who else can make your baddies tremble in fear the way he does? Who else can punch-out frikkin' Thor?! Fine, that wasn't really Thor, but still! This figure comes packaged with some entertaining accessories, guns are nice, giant fantasy guns are super-keen, and the included SHIELD files are neato too! You get a code to enter at one of Hasbro's sites to get another morsel of information, a letter from Gabriel Jones to Nick Fury asking him to use Frank for their goals, and Frank's Super-Human Registration Card. Wait, what? Frank doesn't have one, lol. Whatever, it looks cool, but is way too flimsy to stand up to a 8 year-old for long.
I would love to be there when a clerk has to write-up someone's super-powers. "Agent has ability to lift heavy stuff, and uh, make shiny stuff come out of his fingers to blow stuff up, and, uh, is a bio-mancer!" What the hell? Yeah, that's a fun job for sure! Excuse me Tigra, do you have those stripes everywhere? Allow me to check, I have to be very thorough. Of course, a kids fun may be dampened with their parents' constant nagging of why they're playing with a guy with a skull on his chest and why he's shooting the other toys in the head. Because he's the good guy, mom! Duh!
Fun Score: 7 / 10
Eh, 8 bucks for a small figure isn't a bargain. It's insulting even when you look two rows over in the toy store and see a fully-armed soldier figure for $5. You'll be paying the $8 only if you're a dedicated fan or are insane. Heh, heh. Or, take advantage of the current sale at some TRUs where you can get two Marvel Universe figures for $10! That's a much better price for these figures, go nuts. And the sale also covers Wolverine Origins figures! Deadpool for $5, too cool.
Value Score: 6 / 10
8 / 10 - Beefy sculpt reflecting artist's style on comic series.
8 / 10 - Smooth apps with little slop/fading.
7 / 10 - As limited as you'll expect, Punisher is a character that needs more poseability.
7 / 10 - BOOM! BOOM! BANG! BANG! Stabby-stabby!
6 / 10 - No way is $8 acceptable. Oil prices schmoil schmises, these figures are too expensive.
73 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
If you like the characters then you'll still find an excuse to buy these things, no matter the price.
-DrNightmare
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