{"id":26869,"date":"2018-08-24T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T04:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/?p=26869"},"modified":"2019-09-21T16:31:10","modified_gmt":"2019-09-21T20:31:10","slug":"science-fiction-mystery-minis-bender-dr-zoidberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2018\/08\/science-fiction-mystery-minis-bender-dr-zoidberg\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Fiction Mystery Minis - Bender & Dr. Zoidberg reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know Matt Groening<\/a> has a new show? It's called Disenchanted<\/i>, and it does for fantasy what Futurama<\/i> did for sci-fi. In honor of that, let's review this:<\/p>\n

\"Funko<\/p>\n

Bender Bending Rodriguez, serial number 2,716,057, is a Model 22 bending unit created by Mom's Friendly Robot Company. He's made from an iron-osmium alloy (with the iron coming from only the luckiest of melted-down horseshoes), and is 40% zinc, 40% titanium, 40% dolomite, 40% chromium, 40% lead, 40% platinum, 40% scrap metal, 40% wires, 60% storage space and 40% empty, with a 0.04% nickel impurity (it's what makes him him). Unfortunately, due to shoddy work by the nameless inspector who approved him when he he was the 1,729th bot off the assembly line, he lacks a backup unit, and therefore can't download his personality and memories into a new body if he dies. He's also the oldest being in the universe, so that might be a big \"if.\"<\/p>\n

Bender is part of Science Fiction Mystery Minis<\/i> Series 2, and other than the fact that the eyes are ovoid, rather than round (and that they lack little square pupils), the line's superdeformed style suits him quite well. He's got his tubular body and limbs, three fingers on each hand, a big digital \"smile,\" his door hatch is sculpted on, and his manly antenna pokes up off the top of his head. He has one foot slightly in front of the other, making the pose more dynamic, and in his right hand he's hoisting a cigar.<\/p>\n

Bender was available in a 1:6 ratio, which would theoretically make him very easy to find, but that was not my experience at the time. There was also a Hot Topic exclusive variation that was a much rarer 1:72. Model 22 Bending Units have two options for their color: fog hat gray, and gold. Bender picked his finish by flipping a coin, but in an alternate reality, he coin came up the other way, so Hot Topic Bender is gold. A very shiny gold, in fact, not just a glorified yellow.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Need an exclusive? Why not Zoidberg!<\/p>\n

Dr. John Zoidberg dreamed of being a comedian, like his uncle Harold, but he gave it all up to make his parents proud by pursuing his doctorate. Unfortunately, it was a doctorate in art history, not medicine, though that's never stopped him from practicing medicine. He's Professor Farnsworth's oldest friend, the two having met on a trip to Neptune's moon Triton in 2927. Despite his lack of real medical training, he seems very good at reattaching bodyparts - possibly because he gets a lot of practice at it, after accidentally severing them himself. He does seem to know a lot about alien physiology, it's just humans he has trouble with. And robots. And genders.<\/p>\n

Zoidberg is a friendly fellow, so this Mystery Mini<\/i> shows him smiling and waving. Sure, you can't see the particular shape of his mouth behind his tentacles, but you can see his cheeks, and the way they're bulging. His left claw is held in front of his belly, while his right claw is up in the air. He's wearing his labcoat and scrubs, and has sandals on his feet (because those are claws just like his hands are). The coat has sculpted buttons and a pocket on the right side. The colors are a bit more pastel on the toy than in the cartoon, but it's not distractingly weird or anything. Not the way having Matt Groening's<\/a> signature in dark dark black on the bottom of the foot is.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zoidberg was a Hot Topic exclusive for Science Fiction Mystery Minis<\/i> Series 2, and although he was apparently available in a 1:6 ratio, I didn't expect to ever be able to find him. But one day I was at the store, and they had a case with only two boxes left in it. I decided to take a chance, and got both Zoidberg and Leeloo Dallas<\/a>! Like I say, sometimes the toy gods smile on you.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<i>And now, some more OAFEry:<\/i><\/H5>