Sofu. Sofuuuuu! This toy is as fun as it is to say its name, though it's name will be last on the list of reasons why you'll want to buy this figure.
Name: Sofu & Todu (they're the same figure)
Line: Spylounge.net
Manufacturer: Guru Toyz Corp.
Price: Online: $5.95-$14.99
Scale: 3.75 in. (Figure is about 3.75 inches tall, a little taller if you count the hair)
Accessories: Sword, Machine-Gun, Stand, Vest, Collar-Piece
I remember saying to myself a few months ago as I pet my 25th Ann. Lady "Cleavage" Jaye figure, "Self, what does this Lady Jaye figure need? Bigger spears? More self-respect? No? I agree, BOOOOBS! There have to be similar 3.75-inch scale toys out there I can harvest parts from to enhance my current figs." And so began my search for endowment, er, I mean enlightenment. You can try some of the more popular sites out there that sell custom casts and pay almost $10 just for a torso, or you can bounce on over to Spylounge.net and get an entire figure for $6, with accessories, complete with busty torso! That's not a shot at the casters though, they do damn fine work so the hefty price tags are understandable, but for a little less you can get a whole, though less-articulated figure, ready for action!
You'll notice there's no real muscle-tone on the figure, it's made to look like a woman wearing a full-body catsuit. Yeah, this figure is ideal for making a custom Black Cat or Catwoman, I'm surprised more haven't popped-up. Hopefully more people will jump on the sexy cat bandwagon after reading this review! The figure's height fits well with other 3.75 inch scale figures, not huge and not short either, but if I had to complain, it's a hair on the short side. There are thin straps sculpted on both forearms with tiny buckles too, the belt is a separate piece and is easily removable! These are generic features but they look great. You know what else looks great? That's right, the zipper running down the front, that thing is sculpted very neatly, along with folds and stress-marks in the fabric around those massive breasts! I'm exaggerating though, they aren't THAT huge, but they are attention-grabbers. Hey, Powergirl is pretty awesome, we don't obsess over her breasts that much because we like her as a character, not just as eye-candy. We can all appreciate a figure like this because of what it brings to the customizing front, not just what is dangling in front. That's what I tell myself, I'd hate to think every male toy-collector out there only likes big-breasted characters because of their bodies...nah, you're all pigs, lol.
The left hand is in a gripping position while the right is more relaxed. Obviously, different types of objects will fit differently in each, so experiment to see what works. I don't like the boots, they're too generic, kinda remind me of wrestling-boots. Aside from a useful new body, the head-sculpt is also to be praised! It's pretty from what I can tell, and the hair looks like each individual strand was added-in while still remaining silky smooth. The thick paint-job knocks down the apparent face-value of the, uh, face. The left eye looks insane, the flesh paint is a little too thick and looks pitted, the gold hair is just ridculous, lol. I still like it though because it makes the figure look like Samus from the Metroid Prime games. There you go, yet another custom possibility! Hell, you could make the sexiest Baroness ever, just get a black version of this figure and sculpt the armored bits.
And yes, those are nipples sticking out through the suit. They aren't Madonnna-style torpedoes, they're subtle enough that you can display the figure without drawing too much wrath out of the girlfriend.
Sculpt Score: 7 / 10
Judging by all the spots on the figure where paint is rubbing-off (hey, I got it for free!), I do believe the ENTIRE figure is painted! The whole thing is a solid consistent forest-green color, not slightly mis-matching like the figures released by major toy-companies. I'm amazed that there isn't a single drop of gloopy paint anywhere. This fig has the "heavy feel" of a fully-painted custom, love it. I'm not sure if the paint rubbed-off because someone played with this fig beforehand or because the paint has a weak bond, but you'll most likely be doing some painting of your own anyway. As said before, the paint on the face is the major problem here, the skin needs to be smoother, you just can't tell how pitted it is because of the flash in the photographs. The red dot on the cheek is a rogue dot of lipstick, the lipstick itself is neat.
I think the vest and collar-piece are also entirely-painted. This is sometimes annoying because the coat of paint makes normaly-flexible pieces of plastic very rigid, making them harder to equip onto the figure. The problem isn't too bad here though, the straps of the vest still flex enough to not make the process feel like a chore. The vest is begging to be dry-brushed, it's so damn detailed! And frustratingly, the paint in the joints is NOT rubbing off, I still can't guarantee that on my customs 100% of the time, we need some of this rugged and magical paint to be sold in hobby shops everywhere!
Paint Score: 8 / 10
The level of articulation is acceptable on this figure, but it's missing my favorite POA like double-knees and a pivot in the torso, most likely to keep costs down and preserve aesthetics. Thankfully we still get a waist swivel, which becomes invisible with the vest over it. The swivels are mostly hidden well, but the tips of the rods in the hinges in the elbows (built by workers in a country in a factory by the sea!...lol, almost turned into a nursery rhyme there) bulge out a little, the knees don't have the same problem. Swivel-hinges at the shoulders are awesome and the hips work well too, but their range is limited in that they can't kick out to the sides. To do that, you need to carve a little channel into the top of the thigh so the rod in the pelvis can slip through it. In other words, take apart your G.I. Joe's hips so you can see what I mean. Another thought, the left hip is already starting to get loose, as most ball-joints tend to do, I think adding the little stubs on the ball, like the Marvel Universe figures have, would prolong its lifespan. Of course, you could just stick some bubble-gum in there and let it dry and you'd get the same effect.
The shoulders are VERY tight, hopefully it's just on this figure because it gets scary trying to turn them, expecting a fatal snap at any moment. A bonus, the entire figure can be easily disassembled! It's made wholly of soft plastic so a little heat is all it takes to pop all the limbs apart. Even the waist pops apart, making prep work and customizing much easier. I love these kind of figures, not sure why more companies don't make them like this. If a small business like Guru Toyz can make these things, there's no reason why the larger companies can't do it too *coughHasbrocough*. I'm guessing they don't want to spend the extra cash making new molds, and who knows how long-time fans, used to the hard plastic bodies, might react to the new construction (with parades and squeals of glee, that's how!). At minimum, I'd just like torsos to be made of this softer stuff, to make removing arms and legs less of a cuss-fest.
Articulation Score: 7 / 10
I promised myself I wouldn't use the term "funbags" in this section, and though I can't promise that will be the case, I can promise you that once in their hands, this piece of plastic will bring a smile to anyone's face. There's a certain absurdity to this figure, a sweet we see in, seemingly, ALL of our media outlets, the big-breasted wasp-waisted plain-Jane female we're told is the pinnacle of the human form. Fuck that. I believe this figure was created with that absurdity in mind, a mocking stab at the warped sense of beauty we've been conditioned to accept. And I like it. It's a joke made tangible, like having Jessica Rabbit step out of the silver-screen, we can all have a good-natured laugh at it. Well, that's why I like it, my opinion may, inconceivably!, be completely wrong. I'm sure some of you just want to buy it for the body, I'm guilty of that too, heh. From what I can gather from around the interwebz, this line of toys was made in the image of the creator's own comic character(s?). I'd give more solid, firmer, robust answers if I could, but Guru Toyz still hasn't replied to my email. Oh well.
Judging from the site's product pictures, the machine gun and sword look as good as anything Hasbro throws at us, the weapon in my pictures is from my collection. I don't have the stand but it looks simple and functional (like Marauder GunRunners's), the vest is ridiculously bulky. It is finely-sculpted, but makes the figure's breasts look like triple G's when equipped, I'd prefer something more form-fitting. It's removeable (functioning a lot like many G.I. Joe vests) so you don't have to deal with it. The tabs that fasten it on the side have lots of flash (excess plastic), and make it hard to fit the clothes, and I'm sure you can think of many jokes to make with that set of words I've so innocently placed before you. The collar-piece is just there to slip under the vest to make it a tighter fit, without it the gear is floppy.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
A generic figure for about the same price as similarly-sized figures, a good deal if you're looking for the attributes this toy brings to your shelf. Sleek design, customizer-friendly, able to fill the role of any common soldier on your team, it makes for a balanced trooper...fine, I meant top-heavy, not balanced, har har. I hate to say it, but unless you're a perv, a customizer, or can genuinely appreciate the female form as art (that means look at a naked chick without giggling or grinning), then I don't see why the average person would want to buy this. But at least it's priced resonably, say one day you don't want to buy that 50th Scarlet (yeah right) or that 1000th HOH Viper, you can comfortably spend the money on this alternative instead. Once G.I. Joes start reaching their peak price of $9.99 again, these will seem like an even better deal. This fig is part of a two-pack, 2 of the same figure with different weapons (they're twins, brilliant!). I think $15 is too much, luckily you can get these green-suited figures as singles for $6, but they'll have different heads. I like the black ones more anyway.
Value Score: 7 / 10
72 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Collectors, customizers, connoisseurs, pervs, it's good to see that toys can bring even these wildly-different groups of people together...who are we kidding, we're all the same. Funbags! Wooooo! And thanks to chief_1 from the Hisstank forums for the figure sample!
-DrNightmare
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