Evolution Revolution: A Beast Era Retrospective

April Fools' Day 2006: Artist's Mannequin

Height: 24.5cm to top of head, 26cm including stand.

Articulation: 28 total points of articulation: ball-jointed neck; 7 points in arms- hinge/swivel shoulders, pre-elbow swivels, hinge/swivel elbow, hinge/swivel wrists; ball-jointed waist;  6 points in each leg - hinge/swivel hip, hinge/swivel knee, hinge/swivel ankle. Spring-loaded suspension.

Accessories: Stand.

Colors: Bare wood, brass screws, chromed support shaft for stand.

Release Data: Original date of production unknown. This example published by Barnes and Noble as part of a Figure Drawing set with an MSRP of $14.99. This item is widely available as of this review (April 1st, 2006).

Gallery: 10 pictures.

Author: RAC

The Figure

If you've ever been in an art-supply store or anything similar, you've probably seen this nondescript model around somewhere. And action figure fans, we owe this figure a lot, as it was the inspiration for the first GI Joe's still-impressive articulation. GI Joe leads to Takara's Henshin Cyborg, which was eventually reduced in size to become Microman. Which leads us to Transformers. Truly, the wooden artist's mannequin is the Kevin Bacon of the action figure world. All roads lead here.

The Head

Looks suspiciously like a joystick for a fighting game. The ball-joint and minimalist head and torso design provide for an excellent range of movement.

The Arms

Except for the neck and waist, all joints are a combination of hinges and swivels similar to those used on the Clone Troopers. They provide a good range, though naturally not as good as the double- and triple-joints now used on MSiA. Mind that clicking noise-that's the springs holding the figure together, and it's probably best not to wind them too tight.

The hands remind me of nothing so much as horse hooves. Definitely not designed to hold stuff.

The Torso

A three-part assembly- upper torso, a large ball-joint in the midsection, and the lower torso. The ball-joint provides a fair amount of tilt in every direction- the kind of thing the EMiA Gundam is shooting for but doesn't quite do right. The spring tends to want to center the torso, but again, not as bad as the same joint on the EMiA Gundam. The waist will turn as far as the spring will allow.

The lower torso features a socket for the stand, the one and only accessory. The socket itself rocks a bit, allowing the figure slightly better balance. Be warned, though, that once you've screwed the stand into place, it does not come off. Ever. At least, not for me.

The Legs and Feet

The hips come straight out of the bottom of the lower torso, making for somewhat strange articulation. The swivel-hinge has a good range, though, so it does pretty nicely. The knees, like the elbows, fold into a tight V, and the ankles are good enough for the feet to fold almost flat against the shin.

Paint and Decoration

Um, nope. Bare wood, brass screws. It's designed to be as nondescript as possible for its role as an artist's reference, and in this it succeeds.

Articulation gets 8/10

Sculpt gets 8/10
 

Accessories

-Stand

A wooden disc with a brass socket. You screw the metal shaft into that socket, and then into the matching socket on the figure. For my money it could stand to be a bit broader than it is- it does get tippy with more extreme or exaggerated poses. It would be nice if it was actually removable, too.

Accessories get 5/10
 

Closing Remarks:

So there you have it- the beginning of the action figure. Like its eldest child, the 1964 model of GI Joe, its range of motion is still pretty spiffy even now, who knows how long since its creation. It's not gonna win any awards for sculpting (carving?) but it does what it was supposed to do quite nicely.

It's not really possible to rate this piece as an action figure. As an artist's tool, however, the wooden artist's mannequin is Excellent.

-RAC, 04/01/06