Wednesday 30 November 2011

Jazwares Roundup: Classic Amy, Super Hedgehogs & Flocked Sonic

I've been holding off on another Jazwares post until I wrangled up enough figures for a good ol' fashioned blogger's roundup. Yeehaw! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jazwares really has gone all out for Sonic's 20th. I never would have dreamed that in 2011 we'd be seeing a line of classic figures from the Genesis era. Beyond the classic line, Jazwares has given us improved 5" figures and new spins on already available figures. The first figure I'd like to show off is the highly sought after Amy Rose (who knew!).

Amy Rose arrives in her classic style, bundled with a classic Sonic figure and issue 226 of the Archie Sonic comic (part 1 of the Genesis saga). While only $12.99 in stores, a fair price considering the comic is $3 and single figures are $6.99, the comic pack has quickly sold out online and in stores. Being very hard to find, a fan's best bet is to check the stock at the Toys R Us website daily for the possibility of a short "in stock" window (that's what I did) or hit up ebay to find it for the inflated price of $25 to $40.

While Amy is a great figure, I'd have to say that the pack is worth no more than the retail price. Classic Sonic is easily available in two other packs (standard with badnik and packed with a tin box), and the comic book is the same as the one found in stores. Only difference is the comic in the pack has "Special Collector's Edition" on the cover.

Amy is very much like the smaller PVC figure of her released by First4Figures, right down to the pose. However, the Jazwares Amy has quite a bit of movement in the arms, allowing her to pull off a few fun poses.

Amy is a must have for any classic fan. She goes great with the other classic figures and it is quite rare to find merch featuring Amy in her classic design. Just don't waste $25+ on the figure, it's not worth it.

Next up is actually a rather old figure pack. The Sonic Super Pack was released last year. The highlight is a 3" Super Sonic and the seven Chaos emeralds. This is a Toys R Us exclusive and is the only way to get Super Sonic. Also included are super forms of Shadow and Silver. Shadow's alright, I just imagine him being his Sonic Adventure 2 incarnation and not the Shadow from his titular game. Silver is pretty lame, just a recolor. Considering he's my least favorite character, I didn't expect to like his super form any more than his regular form. The emeralds are pretty great, they look nice when scattered about a display of Sonic figures. Now Jazwares just needs to release rings, though I'll bet they don't due to choking hazards. I don't blame kids for trying to eat rings, Sonic does it and he seems fine.

The original release featured black lines along the outside of Sonic's eyes, which many fans referred to as mascara. Thankfully in later releases Jazwares nixed the goth eye liner, and Sonic is much better without it.

The final figure in this roundup is actually a figure that I do not own. I bought this for a UK fan who paid me to order and ship it out to him. Flocked 10" Sonic is a rerelease of the 10" Sonic, only this time his body is covered with a fine blue fur called "flock". This fur gives Sonic a less plasticy, more realistic skin. However from what I've read, flocked figures can shed if touched too much and are dust magnets. So this figure is best left mint in box.

The figure is a Toys R Us exclusive, and is only available online for $30. The Comic Con sticker on the box is due to the fact that the figure debuted at this year's Comic Con, just as the Jazwares Juvi Metal Sonic figure was a Comic Con exclusive in 2009.

Every time I end a Jazwares post I act like that's it for now, but I know it's not. Jazwares is always surprising us with more new cool Sonic toys. In fact, they've just started releasing more Sonic Free Riders figures. Though don't expect me to cover those, as I have to draw the line somewhere. Perhaps once classic Knuckles and Metal arrive I'll give Jazwares more of my money. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my overcrowded 20th Anniversary shelf.