Package Description
First and most favored among the heralds of Galactus, the Silver Surfer is recognized across the universe as both a savior and a harbinger of doom. He is driven by an inborn love for adventure and exploration, as well as his own deep sense that there is much wrong in the universe that needs righting.
Norrin Radd offered to serve Galactus in exchange for the life of his beloved home world, Zenn-La. As the Silver Surfer he's spent eons at the side of the great Galactus, leading the planet-devouring entity from one energy-rich world to the next. He abandoned his master only after his first visit to the planet Earth, where he was reminded of his own devotion to freedom and love of life. Since abandoning his duties as herald, he has wandered the universe, using the power cosmic to fight at the side of many of the most powerful heroes in this reality. He is an elemental force of justice that never tires, never ceases and never loses sight of all that is right and good.
Appearance
Silver Surfer has a brand new sculpt for this figure. The paint application is generally good, although I had hoped for a more metallic finish. Paint rub is something to be careful about with this figure. Overall I think the paint job works well. A shiny metalized finish may have been overwhelming on a figure this size. The hint of white in the silver color also softens his appearance, which is good for posing him with other figures.
The build on this figure is good. Surfer needs a sleek but powerful look, and I think this sculpt delivers. All the muscle lines are mirrored on the left and right sides of the body to give him a more symetric, aerodynamic look. The lines come out dark though because of the shadows the throw across the silver, which may not be the look some people are looking for. However, I think the quality of the body sculpt with the new, stern face sculpt is comic accurate and on the whole a decent interpretation of the character. However, it does give the impression of being modelled more after the movie look than the comic, but the two are close enough.
The only real problem I have with his appearance are the hands. Because of the single color, the round surface of the ball joints stand out against the smooth curves of the rest of the body. In addition, it can be hard to pose him well with his "slap" hand, which only works well in some poses on the surfboard. The board looks good and is done well. At times, the joint in the middle can be intrusive, but its possible to block it from view with the right pose. Overall, I think everyone will find a few faults with the figure that don't quite match their expectations of the character. But given the chance, he should mesh will with anyone's interpretation of the Silver Surfer.
Articulation
Surfer has fairly standard ball and pin joints everywhere Toybiz did except for the wrists and ankles. The swivel joint on the ankles is sorely missed on the surfboard. He also does not get a great range of motion in the legs, which are connected at an angle to the torso. Oddly enough, he can not look up; the farthest his head goes is level. The rest of his joints have a good range of motion, but the problems mentioned will haunt Surfer in poseability.
Poseablility
Surfer's problems begin with the size of his board. If he's sitting on a table, the board is going to take up a lot of space. Without the board, he can look awkward because of the pose of his hands, and how much he stands out from other figures. Surfer is bright, so he's going to attract a lot of attention within a crowd of figures. His range of motion problems also limit his poses on the board. He is not nearly as versatile as the ML Series 6 Silver Surfer with the magnetic board.
Overall he's going to look best riding his board strung up in the air somehow. I did this to reasonable affect opposite the Icons Spider-man. For on the ground, my suggestion is for Surfer to hold the board, taking up less space and hiding one of his hands.
Final Judgment: 6
This figure looks really great, but unfortunately his score has to be lowered for range of motion and ease of display. If you really want your Surfer to look great, you're going to have to put some effort into the display. For this, he can't get over a 6 in my book. He would have been exceptional if he were a little easier to pose.
SCALE
10. My favorite possession.
9. My favorite action figure.
8. One of my favorite action figures.
7. An exceptional action figure.
6. A good, but not exceptional action figure.
5. An adequate action figure.
4. Not worth the money I spent.
3. I'll give it to somebody's kid.
2. I'll give it to somebody's dog.
1. It's going to lose a fight with my car.
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