Almighty Tallest Purple

Combined, the Almighty Tallest really go to show that the Irken race may be technologically advanced, but that's about it. Sure, Zim seems particularly stupid, but he's not that much dumber than any of his fellow aliens. Irken leaders are determined by their height, with the tallest having the most power. Interestingly enough, there are two equally tall Irkens who are the largest on the planet, and together they serve as co-dictators. Almighty Tallest Purple is very typical of creator Jhonen Vasquez's art style: he's long and lean, with strange angles all over. To look at his uniform, you'd think there was no way that a body could even fit in there. Hmm. He's got on a long skirt (which is probably a ceremonial robe, but come on, it's a skirt) that reaches down to his little gray feet. His waist is a thin, twisted tube with three rings rising around it. He's got a large chest, big round armor on his shoulders and rounded gauntlets on his wrists. All that bulbous armor contrasts with his spindly arms and fingers. Almighty Tallest Purple moves at the waist, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists and neck, and most of those are balljoints. Balljointed elbows! He can gesture as wildly as you'd like him to. Just like Zim, the Almighty Tallest Purple has eyes molded from translucent plastic - this time, purple with a few lavender highlights painted on the surface. That's a better choice than solid eyes, because it makes them look more biological by catching the light and giving the eyes some depth. The Almighty Tallest don't really walk around, instead floating everywhere they go. So that your Tallest can hover appropriately, he comes with a clear peg to hold him off the ground. The way his little feet dangle mean that this is the only figure in Series 1 that can't stand on its own. The peg fits into the bottom of ATP's skirt, but in order to assure a tight fit, the hole isn't empty - you have to actually force the peg in, pushing the soft filler material out of the way. The peg fits easily into any of the ports on the floor of ATP's base, the Mobile Command Platform Thingy. All the Zim figures come with a huge display, kinda like having a whole line of Simpsons playsets (without the electronics or solid molded parts). It's actually half the command platform - look for the other half with Almighty Tallest Red. Eventually we'll have a 7" diameter base for them, but right now this is just a semi-circle floor with a section of railing. The set includes four Irken monitors and a handful of connector pins and tentacles. There's no "right" way to build the base: all the pieces are modular, so you can connect and build it however you want. The picture here is just what we came up with, so if you don't like it, build something better. There are also several stickers included in the set, and they're shaped to fit on the monitors perfectly. You get things like Zim in a bear suit, a plasma-armed battle tank, Invader Slacks' puppet show and Invader Tenn looking around in horror. Now, be aware: these are stickers and they're not removable, so choose wisely before you put them in place. The Irkens are a gentle, snack-loving people, so Purple has a few more accessories of his own: an Irken soda, an Irken burrito, a sack of Irken doughnuts and an extremely cute Tallest Red punching doll. ATP's right hand can be removed and replaced with the doll. So cool! Before the line's official debut, Palisades offered a set of five variant figures available exclusively at pseudo goth/punk shop Hot Topic. The exclusive ATP gets a new head sculpt. While the regular version looks somewhat reserved, this version is obviously hatching some nefarious plot. He's smiling (or at least showing his teeth) and one eyebrow is raised. Well, Irkens don't have eyebrows, but the top of his right eyelid is higher than the top of his left. The Hot Topic figures have unique accessories designed to complement those included with the regular figures. Exclusive ATP has an Irken monitor, one connector tentacle and one connector pin, an Irken sandwich and an Irken burrito. Yum! He's also got two-piece base to support him. It's just a flat disc and a standing peg, but actually getting it attached to the figure is harder than three bitches on a bitch boat. Oddly, the exclusive peg is thicker than the regular version: while the exclusive version was a real pain to get plugged in, the standard was quite easy. However, the exclusive version also manages a tighter fit with the bases, while the standard is a bit wobbly. There wasn't enough time for Palisades to have reacted to criticism of the original peg before these hit stores, so the difference is unexpected. Since these are exclusive, Hot Topic is free to charge what they want. "What they want" has turned out to be $16, since Hot Topic stores belong to the Spencers Gifts school of price-gouging. The regular figures are cheaper and come with more accesories, but both are good versions. Stupider method: height or the Electoral College? Tell us on our message board, The Loafing Lounge.

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