Brooklyn

Skybox trading card, give us the bio NECA didn't! Yearning to be a great leader someday, Brooklyn still has many miles to go on his warrior journey. Fast and impetuous, Brooklyn is often too eager for excitement and conflict - a dangerous trait on the New York streets. Usually, he escapes unharmed - often with the help of his fellow Gargoyles. fascinated by the modern world, Brooklyn will try anything - even riding a motorcycle. Hey, speaking of motorcycles, fun fact: the bike Lexington built was put in because Kenner wanted to be able to sell it in the toyline; the creators weren't thrillled about this, which is why it was crashed and destroyed immediately after being introduced. Kenner, for their part, never complained about that. It's entirely possible they weren't watching the show. It's weird to call Brooklyn the "least human" of a group of creatures that have tails and wings, but at least when it comes to faces, it's true: the rest of the Gargoyles may have large, pointed ears and lumps on their foreheads, but Brooklyn is the only one who has a beak! To say nothing of his massive horns. He's also got white hair that reaches all the way down to his tail, but even that counts as "tame" compared to the rest of his head. Brooklyn is younger than Goliath, so he's not as big. And not just "not as muscular," he's actually fairly short. Like all the other figures, he's sculpted by Djordje Djokovic, with that super, super-detailed musculature that looks nothing like the animated model, but still manages to suit the property. His arms seem a little too long for his body - his hands reach all the way down to his knees, rather than just mid-thigh - but that's based on him being a human character, and he's definitely not a human. In the show's model sheets, Brooklyn's default posture has him crouching on the ground, which would explain why you'd want his arms to be longer. The Gargoyles have the same basic articulation across the line: barbell head and neck, swivel/hinge joints where the wings meet the body, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, a balljointed chest, swivel waist, balljointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge knees, swivel/hinge ankles, and swivel/hinge toes, plus a swivel/hinge where the bendy tail plugs in. It's almost enough to get him into his model sheet pose, though his wings being held out so incredibly straight rather than curving at all will make it look rather odd, and his hair means he can't look forward. Plus, the chest joint is looser than average, repositioning with the slightest nudge rather than needing to actually be turned. Brooklyn comes with an alternate angry head, with the mouth open wide and the eyes glowing blank white. (The mouth on the standard head is hinged, so it can be open as well, but this one is molded in a single position.) The heads pop off the neck joint very easily - in fact, simply taking the figure out of the tray was enough to separate them: the body came out, but the head stayed in place in the tray. Both heads have the same long hair, which seems sculpted to rest against his back... which doesn't work because the joints for the wings get in the way of that. Don't expect him to ever be looking up. The figure comes with open/clawing hands, fists, and a pair for holding. What's he hold? First of all, a lance, which is the same accessory the 1995 Kenner figure came with, just done in a nice grey instead of bright bright yellow. Then there are the pages he ripped out of Demona's grimoire, a fun inclusion, and a pair of sunglasses that can sit gingerly on his face. On either head, but best on the relaxed one. You know what would have been neat, though? Give us a head wearing his motorcycle helmet! It may not technically be right for this figure, but do you think they're ever going to make a Brooklyn in his full biker gear? As is the style of this line, Brooklyn only includes big, spread wings, not a folded pair. Ah, but this is the first time I've already got the subsequent figure who includes that alternate set when reviewing the main toy! (Like many of NECA's figures of late, Brooklyn faced delays, originally solicited with a ship date of January 2023, but not actually showing up in stores until September.) Add in our October already being fully scheduled, and Elisa Maza shipping in November (originally due in July), and here we are with a Gargoyle who can actually fold his wings in his own review! Fancy! More about them when we review Elisa in a couple weeks. Sorry, I just checked the calendar, better make that "months" to be safe. We wouldn't want to promise a release date and then blow right past it! That's not what this Gargoyles toyline is about! The art on the box is a teamup between Djokovic and Emiliano Santalucia, and shows Brooklyn on a bridge. Probably the George Washington Bridge. The figure is fun, but he'd be better if his long mane of hair was more manageable. -- 12/14/23

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