Percy

The first figure I saw is the last one reviewed. That makes sense. Wealthy, refined, and a bit of a know-it-all, Percy brings much needed class to the murderous proceedings. And when he encounters enemies against whom he has a personal vendetta, Percy shows a much darker side to both his personality and his inventions. The first season of The Legend of Vox Machina focussed entirely on Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III and his personal quest for vengeance. We've all known that one person who needs to make everything all about them, but since Percy is deposed nobility, at least we know he comes by his self-centeredness honestly. (And don't worry, by the end of the campaign, everybody gets their own chance to hog the spotlight.) Percy was part of Series 1, alongside Vex'ahlia. I saw them at Books-A-Million, but didn't know the characters then, so I didn't buy them right away. He's ultra anime-coded, with his pointy white hair, long sideburns, narrow face, and large, dark-rimmed glasses. The glasses are a separate piece, but glued permanently to the head. It's not easy to walk a line between "rich fancyman" and "cowboy gunslinger," but that's the most succinct description of his character there is. He wears a long coat that billows out around his legs, a belt with suspender-like loops hanging down from the sides, a dark vest and pants, and a light blue ascot. It may seem like the gothy tendencies of his voice actor, Taliesin Jaffe, are coming through in the color choices here, but there are in-game influences that might inspire such dark clothing, as well. Looking at the actual cartoon, the colors should be quite a bit lighter - his coat should be a desaturated blue, but still blue, not "dark navy as seen underwater at night." The skin is very pale, but that's at least accurate. Still, it seems Keyleth is going to be the only figure in the line who gets to be colorful. Just like Vax'ildan, Percy's sculpt is long and lanky, perhaps even more than the animation models would warrant. The articulation is on par with the rest of the line, giving Percy hinged toes, swivel/hinge/swivel ankles, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, a balljointed chest, swivel/​hinge/swivel wrists, double-hinged elbows, balljoint/hinge shoulders, and a barbell-jointed head. There are also swivel biceps, but both of them on my figure are fully stuck, even after trying to get them moving. The way Todd does ankle joints isn't great, because the detents never seem to want to let the feet "click" to a position where they're flat enough to support the figure well: it's always just a little too forward or a little too far back, making the figue want to tip over. Princess Percival Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Fredrickstein Edward Hau Long von Musel Pepelu Cybulski Klossowski Banana Fanna Bo Besca de Rolo III comes with only one accessory, but it's certainly the one he needs: his gun. The germ of the character was Jaffe thinking about the first human on Earth to invent a gun, and whether he had any concept of the hell he was unleashing on the rest of us. So Percy, deperate for revenge against those who wronged him, crafted Exandria's first firearm, a weapon unlike any seen before. This is a solid piece, painted decently, but you might expect a revolver could perhaps revolve. It fits in the holster on his left leg, but only the right hand is shaped to hold it. That may seem like a mistake, but it's the way the cartoon was designed. There is another accessory they could have given him, his mask, but we've now reviewed all four of these figures and not a single one of them has done anything that would be considered even close to going above and beyond. And really, it seems none ever will. Series 1 came out in early 2022, Series 2 (allegedly) came out later that year... and then nothing. No deluxe Grog, no Scanlan/Pike two-pack, no Build-A-Trinket, nuthin'! McToys rolled a natural 1 on their "make the whole team" check. All the toys are decent, but none of them are good enough to justify only a partial lineup. If you could actually assemble the entirety of Vox Machina? That might have been worth doing. Heck, they wouldn't even be the first D&D team in my collection based on that very premise! But when you can only get part of them? Eh, probably best to pass. -- 06/05/24