Pros: CREAMY LUNCH MEAT GOODNESS!!!
Cons: TRAPPED IN THE FREEZER - AGAIN!!!
The Bottom Line: I just don't care anymore.
Today I'm doing a review of Juggernaut from Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge, the recent line from McFarlane Toys.
Created from the bodies of fatally wounded Juka warriors, the Juggernaut is a massive hulking monstrosity with the strength and power of Exodus mechanics. With minimal thought processes, they patrol the corridors of Blackthorn's fortress looking for intruders. Few who encounter a Juggernaut live to tell the tale.
Straight from the new online videogame, this line consists of six figures based on creations by Todd McFarlane, the owner of McToys who designed these characters for the game. The other figures include Adranath, Lord Blackthorn, Captain Dasha, Warlord Kabur, and the Ancient Wyrm.
Package * * * * *
I hate the new-ish clamshell package, so I wont dwell on on my fussiness. The clamshell for the Juggernaut is HUGE to accommodate the large figure, and it displays him well. The brochure inside the shell looks nice, with a large close-up on the ever-creepy face of the Juggernaut, and the back nicely details the other figures in the line. Inside, there are instructions on how to put them together, plus some pictures of figures from the new lines, including Spawn Series 21, and the awesome new Collector Club figures. I was most impressed with this, even though I bare a grudge against the packaging on the whole - just a taste of the new figures before pics of them go online is something special. Something else notable is that each Ultima Online toy that you pick up will come with a gimmick to get $10 off the game; a code inside the brochure can be entered into the website where you get the game and you get $10 off. This is excellent if you're planning on getting the game after you get the figure - a nice gimmick.
Sculpt * * *
This is a figure that will appeal to certain tastes, as it is overall rather strange and thus won't appeal to everyone. Nevertheless, I love him and he looks excellent - as the package describes, "equal parts warrior and machine." He's a bizarre mech-type creature with an enormous rusty body, adorned with various tubing, wires, screws and electronic equipment. His two arms look dangerous - one has a large drill (connected to working hydraulic equipment) and the other with a big set of claws. His face is wonderful; it looks sickly and realistic, and a little to the left of it is a light, which I'm sure customisers could replace with a working LED with a bit of surgery. Unfortunately, while everything up to this point is nice, he has a major flaw in his wheels; he has an enormous wheel in his centre body section, and a smaller one to his right - both spin freely and are detailed nicely - but none on his left. That means, without the clear stand that comes with him, he falls over and is generally a heap of scrap. This makes me want to kill the McFarlane sculptors. Unless you're planning to pick up another Juggernaut to customise the left wheel, he's going to either fall over a lot, or have to remain permanently non-moving with the stand. This is a real pity, and knocks his otherwise great sculpting down two notches.
Paint * * * * *
The great detail with the painting really highlights and adds to the sculpt - his entire green-metallic body is covered with rust, really giving him character. The nuts, bolts and screws are all painted realistically; the weapons are authentically detailed, and his face and light are painted without any flaw. No splotches, no slips, nothing - it's excellent. This is the sort of high standards we expect from McToys, and they deliver. The evil glowing red eyes look creepy. The light looks like it could be switched on. The drill looks like it could smash up some bloody flesh. This great standard spreads across the entire Ultima Online line, and it's brilliant.
Articulation * * * *
Wherever you expect the Juggernaut to move, he will move. His arms are the main points of interest, and everything works; the claws open and shut, the arms will turn around and move in all directions, the hydraulics on the drill work, and the drill spins - excellent. Other than that, there's nothing else to move, aside from the wheels, which function fine, except for missing one, which is where I've deducted a star. Also, some of the wires slightly limit one arm's movement, but it's not notable.
Accessories *not inclusive*
The Juggernaut is such a big heavy toy, he doesn't come with any accessories (which probably would have jacked up the price) aside from his stand, which is clear and holds him up (the instructions have info on how to use the stand). I can't think of any accessories that would have made him better, aside from the extra wheel, so this area isn't being included in the final score.
Overall * * * 1/2
I'd absolutely adore this figure if it were only for that missing wheel. Everything is excellent and top notch, the sort of thing we expect from McToys, except for this flaw. I still like him a lot, but I'm working on some way to make a third wheel for him; until then, there's no play to be had, and he'll just have to stay on display on the shelf. He's my second favourite in the UO line, the best being the Ancient Wyrm, which is basically impossible to find now, but definitely a must-have if you can find one. As for the Juggernaut, if this figure becomes a pegwarmer and becomes cheap in your area, pick up two, scrap one for the third wheel and then customise the rest of it - there are plenty of kewl bits to use in new creations, such as that awesome drill and the big claw, not forgetting his creepy face, which would look great on any new figure you could dream up.
