So…some updates. My local Walmart put out Lightyear toys over the weekend. Probably because I never had any, I don’t think they’re “Starcom scale”. But the scale on the figures/vehicles is damn near spot on to the old Galoob Action Fleeat. Seriously, if I could find my old Action Fleet X-wing they could sit side by side without any glaring issues.
I snagged the XL02. To me, it was more evocative of the esoteric shmups like Layer Section and Raiden, compared to the more traditional “space fighter” look to the XL01 and XL15 (which seem to be the two “star vehicles” given how much merch is dedicated to them. XL02 and XL07 might not even make it into the film).
It is shockingly well done. The micro Buzz is well deco’ed, probably on par (or maybe a bit below) of my memories of AF X-Wing Luke. The chest harness is well detailed with multiple colors used, and they painted the gloves, boots, and shoulder pads with the visor painted a sky blue. For this scale, what’s here is good, though it’s clear the back of the figure was NOT a painting priority. He’s sporting a whopping 4 points of articulation, at the shoulders and hips (simple swivels only).
The ship itself is also well done, though clearly there were prioritizations with the deco. They did do a solid job getting paint on the frames of the canopy. While there is a lack of detail work aside from the unit markings, it’s all “good enough”. What surprised me, though, was how SOLID this thing felt in hand. There’s obviously no die cast used in construction, but there is some DEFINITE density to this toy. I don’t know if I’ve gotten used to Hasbro’s cost cutting or what, but it was quite surprising to handle a toy that FELT like something a kid could bash around with…and the toy would survive intact. Even the winglets are nicely solid instead of some sort of “gummy plastic”. It has a trio of landing gear that fold out and have a satisfying “lock” when fully extended. The underside is unpainted, in keeping with the figure’s method of “what you look at most” getting the priority on deco, but again, it doesn’t feel like anything is glaringly “undone”. There’s a large port that appears to be for accessories being produced in other sets. The Amazon 2 pack, for example, has a large cannon that uses the port to connect to. I’m a bit disappointed there aren’t, seemingly, any plans for a stand of some sort.
Again, actually in hand, I’m REALLY impressed with quality of product Mattel has delivered here. There are clearly some Action Fleet fans who got involved with the Lightyear project, and we are profiting handsomely for it. It’s an unabashed toy made to be “good enough” and delivered pretty much anything you could reasonably ask for in an “Action Fleet” style product. The only “kid concern” might be the figure, who is damn near the same size as a 500mg Extra Strength Tylenol tablet.
I’m probably going to end up with more of these. The XL07 has that stubby look that reminds me of the like of Vulgus and other early shmups. The Armadillo transport is interesting as is Zurg’s star fighter, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there are other, non-space things, that make into this scale. Mattel has thrown down a heck of a gauntlet for Jazzwars to live up to later this year with the Micro Galaxy Squadrons line they’re delivering for Star Wars.
And a note on figures: The Crystal Collection appear to be Walmart exclusive. Compared to the general Core class, I think the Crystal series is worth the extra couple of dollars. They seem to have more paint, extra accessories (in particular, each comes with the appropriate “bubble” along with a fuel cell) and I think the two dollar difference is warranted here. There are some accessories (like a hand held scanner and the fuel cells) which don’t appear on deck with any other figure (as of now).
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