Kilowog
Mattel has the license to produce toys and action figures based on all DC comics characters for the time being, with the latest being Green Lantern due to the summer movie of the same name.
Kilowog is one of the more popular members of the Green Lantern Corps, and that popularity pretty much guarantees that he’d have figures made of him whether in the comic inspired style or in the movie accurate incarnation.
The movie design amps up the alien aspect of the character, modifying his appearance way beyond being just a bulky guy with a funny head, and the action figures reflects this aspect wonderfully.
Kilowog is the tallest, heaviest figure in the line and the body is completely sculpted in a texture that reminds me of rhinoceros skin, although the muscles underneath seem to be grouped in decidedly non-human configuration. The head sculpt is outstanding and shows a lot of detail and personality.
The paint operations on Kilowog are deceptively simple, as they are comprised of subtle color gradients applied over a light green plastic, with only the Green Lantern crest painted in white over the chest. The paint operation on the head are also limited to a shading wash applied over the face area, and two yellow eyes with a pinprick black pupil at the center of each one.
Now, even before figures started hitting the streets, people were complaining about the 1/18 scale line of action figures for several reasons, with the articulation model chosen for this line being one of the most glaring causes.
Kilowog gets only six points of articulation, spread like this:
• Swivel neck.
• Pegged hinges at the shoulders.
• Swivel waist.
• Swivel hips.
This is an extremely simple articulation model, but even then it’s not without issues, like, no matter how much you turn the neck joint, Kilowog’ will always look straight ahead due to the angle at which the head protrudes from the torso, or that the hips cant really bend to a 90 degree angle.
Other than the execution, the biggest problem this line has is the perception of the value for these figures. For roughly the price of a regular Hasbro-made action figure, the Mattel Green Lantern offerings have much less articulation, which means these require less pieces to be assembled at the factory and in consequence a considerably lower production cost.
All of this do
esn’t really concern the average consumer, but they still know that they are getting what appears to be a sub-par product, more so if you stop to consider that Mattel used to implement a more comprehensive articulation model in their Infinite Heroes line.
Unlike the IH figures, though, Kilowog does come with some useful accessories, like a green energy blast that is actually a universal connector that would allow Kil’ (or any other GL from the DCUC line) to use the accessories packed with the other 3.75 inch figures, and a child-sized Green Lantern Ring made of gray and green plastic.
The energy blast is just a blob of translucent green rubber that fits over Kilowog’s right fist, but the ring looks nice for what it is, with the body of the piece being cast in gunmetal silver rubber, with the green “jewel” face cast in a darker translucent plastic.
Despite all this, Kilowog is still a good piece. Construction is solid and reliable, and the level of sculpted detail is actually very high. It is something of a shame that Mattel decided to hop into the Way-Back-Machine to design this line, but still, this is figure that children will play with and last long enough to be remembered fondly.
Errex Score: 70/100
Category: Featured, Other Film, Toy Reviews
About the Author (Author Profile)
I've been collecting action figures since the original Kenner Star Wars days. Nowadays, I still collect pretty much anything that catches my eye.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Some of the repaints of this figure are horrid. I just don’t think Mattel came close to where they should have with this line.