Greetings, I am the Son of Andross (not really). It's no secret that Nintendo is a company with a worldwide influence and legacy that has great ease in selling products. Merchandise is a large key in promoting popular franchises (Movies, TV, Comics), with the more obvious choices for Nintendo's franchises (Mario, Zelda, Pokemon) doing very well with selling products. And it is one figure from Jakks Pacific that is of particular interest to Star Fox fans, none other than Fox McCloud himself, the first real Star Fox action figure released.
World of Nintendo's Fox figure mint on card.
Star Fox Figure History[]
Looking back, this would not have been the first Fox McCloud action figure if things hadn't gone pear shaped back in the early 2000's. Toysite, a company that made Nintendo Products previously, announced that they would be releasing a series called "Mario's World", featuring a lot of favourite characters from the good old N64 era. Considering that "Star Fox 64" was one of the crowing N64 games, it seems right that Fox himself would earn a place in the lineup. The Fox figure was fairly accurate by standards back then, capturing the polygon look and color schemes matching the artwork Fox had back then. A single Blaster pistols piece as well as a "rocket launcher" with flick firing missiles designed to mimic the "Pilot" mode unlocked in the "Star Fox 64" VS Mode.
The lineup included a sinkable Metal Mario and Mario and Luigi figures based on their "Mario Party" appearances, with in-game dice blocks and variant spring loaded plumber weapons identical to the "Super Mario Bros. Movie" figures from Ertl. A Yoshi figure from "Yoshi's Story" with egg launching abilities and coloured egg projectiles and "Mario Party" dice blocks was also revealed. A duo of Bowser and Wario figures were also demonstrated with alternate headgear to mimic the abilities from "Wario Land" would have been included. An impressive Banjo and Kazooie duo figure as well as a lineup of "Donkey Kong 64" and "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" were also revealed but these figures all never got past the prototype stage as the Toysite company went under.
With more of the less popular franchises gaining attention thanks to more released games, franchises like Metroid and Star Fox that have long been in the shadows and lacked any merchandise are finally going out to see the light of day, thanks to the licence for Nintendo products from the Jakks Pacific company, and currently the entire Star Fox Team have been released, it seems that Star Fox fans are finally getting there long overdue joy.
Figure Packing[]
The Fox figure comes in the same window packing sellotape-on-card box as the other World of Nintendo figures. The top left corner has the regular "Star Fox 64 3D" pose that Fox had, which was a replicated transformation from the "N64" art, meaning all Star Fox characters in these series will be sticking to the 3DS game look. A small back, cardboard box with Star Fox Team emblem on every side is included inside as a surprise to hide the mystery accessory, but it's no surprise these days what the accessory is. The rear cover demonstrates articulation and the sizing of the figure while sneaking in advertisements for other World of Nintendo figures available.
Sculpt[]
Contents will vary so take what you get, really. Fox's appearance is based on his 3DS look, which is fairly well captured considering the size of the figure. The blockiness also adds to the N64 polygonal look that the characters had especially in the Credits roll. The paint job is basic but goes hand in hand with the N64/3DS art style and not the more realistic art style that the GCN/Wii U games go for. The moon boots and Arwing Helmet is full of segments, the zip strands are all individually added, the name badge is obscured adding a sense of authenticity. figure stands well thanks to the authentic sculpted moon boots, with a gripped surface to help him stand on the shelves. Despite what the box says, Fox has 13 points of articulation, even the tail. Fox's hands are both in a clenched "punch" pose which denies adding anything to add on. Among the other Star Fox characters, Fox's size is spot on, being shorter than Falco and taller than Peppy and Slippy. Proportions to other World of Nintendo figure characters is something to be desired.
Accessories[]
The Star Fox logo box hides a small scale Arwing, which won't fit into Fox's hands thanks to being stuck in a clenched position. It seems contradictory that Fox is unable to hold anything especially because of the artwork of Fox on the cover is clearly the one where Fox is holding a blaster, yet no Pilot mode is included the 3DS version so that seems the plausible reason. The Arwing isn't really that special unless anyone is looking to add a "toy" Arwing to a playset "toy chest" or diorama (Barbie, G-I Joe etc).
Verdict[]
It's defiantly flawed for accessories which the unreleased N64 Fox figure got the better idea of, but this is truly the Fox McCloud figure that fans have been wanting since the N64 days. A new prototype variant is on the way soon, but is a mere repeat except for a better boxart, and the mystery box aspect removed.
- My Score: 4/5.