Today's subject is a toy that just happened to catch my eye, Van Rook from Mattel's The Secret Saturday's line. I've never seen the cartoon, know absolutely nothing about this character, and don't intend to collect the line, but I figured these toys needed a little more coverage. So check out my review and see if they're worth a glance the next time you're at Toys R Us.
Name: Van Rook (with Battle Sword)
Line: The Secret Saturdays
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $8.00-$10.00, Online: $10.00-$15.00
Scale: Figure in 5.40 in. tall
Accessories: Attachable sheath, sword, figure stand
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$8.95
Van Rook exudes an obvious animated styling, although I can't confirm how closely it matches up with the show he's from. I can say that it looks fine if you're into smooth lines and the blockier proportions of cartoon based figures. The detail work isn't quite as sharp as I'd like to see, as many of the sculpted edges (such as at his boot or glove tops) end up too rounded and even rough at spots. I expect clean straight lines in these kinds of animation styled sculpts, and I don't feel like Van Rook exemplifies that at all. The head sculpt is nice, as is his sword and base, although his hands look a little sloppy and misshapen in spots, brought out even more by blatant mold lines, a problem the entire figure faces. He grips his sword easily, and it also fits into his sheath perfectly well. The stand serves its purpose but is kind of ugly and bland as well. This figure isn't going to wow you based on his physical build, but he looks okay overall.
Sculpt Score: 6 / 10
The paint is not quite as okay as is the sculpting. Van Rook is composed of three hideous shades of green/yellow that contrast terribly. The primary puke-colored green doesn't match across certain body parts, is shiny in spots while matte in others, and may be the ugliest color I've seen on a toy all year. To make matters worse, the detail paint applications are sloppy around the few spots there are to get right. Overspray and crooked lines abound, and the big 'X' on his torso is fuzzy around the edges. Most of the pieces aren't even burdened with bad paint because they're simply cast in the right color, which is awfully boring, but probably quite true to the show's character model. He brandishes an emblem on his right shoulder (which I somehow missed in the photos) that's well done, and his red eyes turned out okay too. Some ugly streaking and slop can be found here and there, particularly on his black boots. There's nothing visually engaging or impressive about this paint job.
Paint Score: 4 / 10
Van Rook is pretty limited in the posing department, limited to only eight points of articulation. It's enough to distract you for a few moments, but definitely won't provide hours of fun on the shelf or on the floor. I understand that preserving the visuals is important for these cartoon based figures, and that they're for kids too, but just a few extra points here would have gone a really long way. Swivel/hinge shoulders and a swivel wrist would have brought this fellow's swordplay to life, and at least a little something on the legs would have made him able to kick. I will say the articulation doesn't look terrible, but they missed an opportunity to hide his hips a little more by making his belt flush with the top of the joint, thereby hiding most of it. Not a big issue, but every little bit would have helped here. And to top off all the limitations, his hips really don't even work that well, feeling rather gummy when they move thanks to some rubbing that occurs because the top of the leg is too deep into the hip socket. They move their full range, I just think they're going to break every time, which isn't a nice feeling.
Articulation Score: 4 / 10
The Secret Saturdays may be popular (I really have no idea), but it's definitely not so popular that I know how popular it is, a mediocre sign. So I can't imagine Moms running out to buy Van Rook (especially since I see how many are warming pegs), and doubt that too many collectors are aching for this poorly articulated kids' line. As such, Van Rook has to make all the fun happen by himself, which he fails to do. The single accessory certainly helps in that it's a sword, with its own holster, yet the lackluster articulation makes that an almost moot point. Playing with him becomes boring quickly, and there isn't much to do with him on the shelf. His stand supposedly has some sort of play feature built in, you just need some other thing to make it work, meaning Van Rook on his own doesn't benefit from that. The packaging is simple and doesn't add anything to the party. There's really nothing here to grab your attention and certainly nothing to hold it.
Fun Score: 3 / 10
This figure goes for about $8-$9 dollars at retail, which isn't a terrible price for any toys these days, and is actually a pretty reasonable one for a toy that's nearing 6 inches in height. Of course that money is going towards a bland toy from a fledgling property, so even if it is cheap, you have to consider what you're really getting for your cash. The sword, sheath, and stand are all nice additions that help make him worth it, but the lack of articulation and minimal tooling costs (he's only like 10 pieces) neutralize those gains. In the end, he's competitively priced, just not worth it, if that makes any sense.
Value Score: 5 / 10
44 / 100 - This is a Poor Toy
I can't recommend Van Rook to anyone other than giant fans of the show he's from. Casual collectors can look over this one without any remorse, because nothing about him is spectacular enough to win over even the most sympathetic of collectors.
-The Articulated One
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment for a chance to win!
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