Toy OTD: Mezco Family Guy Figure: Chris Griffin

I know that Family Guy doesn't inspire at lot of love from many people, but I think Mezco's done a really good job with the toy line (I like watching the show, too).

The sculpt is nice, though it's a bit symmetrical. On the plus side, it does take advantage of the design's solidity to avoid balance problems. The paint work is fine - mostly quite tight with only a few loose spots. Only four point of articulation, but it's fine as a display piece.

I could probably do without the plethora of accessories that usually accompanies a Mezco toy, but the "Walkman" is well-made, and fits onto the figure easily. I'm usually happy with one accessory if it's really iconic (i.e, Indy's whip), and the figure can hold it tightly.

You'll need to look sharp at the online offerings, as there's a few variants, as well as different facial expressions for this figure. Make sure you get exactly the version that you want!

You can get this version of Chris for $19.95 + shipping at cmdstore.com. There's an 'exercise' version on sale for $10.39 + shipping at panikstoybox.com, and if you join Club Mez (Mezco's collectors' club), you can still get the 2005 Toy Fare exclusive Chris for $18.00 + shipping. Again, note the different paint job on the eyes. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Mirage (2004) & Mezco's Big Gay Al Figures

It's always interesting to see what different companies will focus on when they make toys of the same character. Here's Mirage and Mezco's takes on South Park's Big Gay Al.

There's usually a clear winner, but in this case each figure has its merits, which is why I still own both of them. Because this design style is strongly stylized, there's lot of room for interesting interpretation as the character makes its way into the third dimension.

At first glance, Mezco wins a lot of battles right away - the details, color and line work are much more accurate (not that you could tell here, but it's also scaled better next to the kid characters). The sculptor took the approach of trying to preserve as much of the flat, 'primitive' aesthetic as possible - only adding dimension to the largest forms.

The Mirage figure isn't nearly as on-model, but they captured the attitude and pose better than the Mezco version, which looks less lively. Many of the props and details are missing, but the skin tone is better, and I like the overall proportions more, too. There's more going on in terms of form as well - the face is sculpted, and the legs have more definition.

It still looks pretty flat, but the sculptor wanted to take more advantage of the fact that it's a 3-D figure, and pop out more forms for the light to play with. I think that's more appealing in some ways (imagine what each figure would look like unpainted, and I think you'll see what I mean). The overall look is bolder, but lacks subtlety. So in my mind, each figure has its pluses and minuses.

Whatever your preference, you can still get either figure easily. The Mirage South Park line was discontinued, but the Al toys leaked onto the secondary market anyhow, never getting a formal retail release. The Mezco Al is for sale at Panik's Toy Box for $12.99 + shipping. The Mirage Al is much cheaper - you can buy it for $8.00 + shipping at superherotoys.com.

Toy OTD: Mezco Underdog Figures: Simon Barsinister, Sweet Polly Purebred, Underdog

Mezco's done a bang-up job adapting these characters into toy form! The sculpts and paint work are great, the posing and articulation are well-suited for their scale, and Polly Purebred even comes with a base! The accessories are well-chosen, too - Simon comes with a couple of his inventions, Polly has her retro-enormous tape recorder, and Underdog comes with replacable hands and a huge lightning bolt to replace his legs if you want to match his flying pose in the opening credits! The separately-molded, poseable ears are another great touch. He's even wearing his pill-holding ring, usually the first detail to be dropped in merchandising.

Can I also say I'm thrilled that they don't look like the current live-action feature?

In my mind, the only minus from this first series is the Riff Raff figure - he's technically well-executed, but his pose is stiff and symmetrical. It feels a little more like a prototype in that sense than a finished figure. I prefer the sculpt of Funko's Riff Raff Wacky Wobbler, myself - it's a lot softer, but I think it's also more lively. See how simply posing him with the gun and putting the cigar in his mouth make a big difference in throwing off the symmetry!

I'm not sure that there's enough other well-known characters to necessitate a series two, but I would like to see a figure of Simon's sidekick Cad, and maybe a limited convention exclusive of Overcat. Who's Overcat? That's why I think he should be a convention exclusive - I think he's too obscure to sell as a traditionally released figure.

These figures came out during Comic-Con, so they should still be easy to find. I bought mine locally for thirteen dollars each - you can buy all four at once at toynk.com for $49.99 + shipping, or you can get Simon and/or Riff Raff at Screaming Monkey Comics (an eBay store) for $11.00 + shipping each. Underdog and Polly are more expensive, fetching $14.99 + shipping each at toywiz.com.

PS - Keep in mind Mezco's penchant for multiple head sculpts and facial expressions, too - I've only seen a couple of Underdog, but that doesn't mean there aren't more!

Toy OTD: Mezco Animal House Figure: Kent 'Flounder' Dorfman (2003)

This figure is one one of my favorite examples of Mezco's caricatured sculpts. The likeness is good, and it's an appealing, funny sculpt using simpler shapes. The paint work is great, though there's not a lot of articulation (seldom a problem with me). Maybe his chubbiness could've been pushed more, but otherwise very cool.

I saw these figures in stores for quite a while, so I'm assuming they didn't sell all that well - that might explain why I'm not seeing more toys in this caricatured direction from Mezco. I was hoping that the Goonies figures would be made this way, but their designs and sculpts are noticeably more restrained, so I'm assuming consumers didn't generally embrace this approach. It's a shame, because there aren't many other toy lines doing it.

You should be able to get this toy for a good price - there's one for sale at figurerealm.com for $14.95 + shipping, and I'll bet you can find an even better deal if you dig about a bit, or set up a search on eBay.

One Good Thing To Come Out Of The Underdog Movie

Mezco's whipping up some great new figures this summer, presumably on the heels of the upcoming movie. Wisely, these look like the cartoon designs - I'm assuming the less-than-spectacular sales of the live-action Flintstones and Grinch toys had something to do with that. Cool!

If quantity's your thing, you can pre-order a case of Underdog figures for $167.99 + shipping at Entertaiment Earth.