Imaginext Collectible Figure Alien (#16)

So, this is a fish frog with a bowl brain and some high-tech armor that may or may not be permanently attached to his body. It’s a really strange idea if you look at the parts, but the Alien is so alien that you have to love the effort that went into it. Let’s make it as strange as possible and let kids figure out what to do with it. It’s a pretty good plan, if you’re open minded (heh… couldn’t resist).

There’s a lot of tooling here that could probably never be reused, but is it too original of a design? The dome sticking into the head might creep out or frighten younger players, but yet the entire presentation is fun. Is he a crazy warlord from a distant planet looking to conquer the entire galaxy? Or is he a friendly visitor, making a quick stop on Earth for a jar of Nutella and a bagel and forgetting where he parked?

The alien comes with a cape and a long ceremonial staff. Or maybe it’s his car key. The cape is popular with the Glyos crowd so if you’re having trouble finding this guy, customizers probably beat you to him.

It’s a good figure, although his design is crazy enough that you might either dislike him or really love him. And that’s the beauty of Imaginext. You don’t have to like everything, but there’s guaranteed to be something that you do.

Imaginext Collectible Figure Deep Sea Diver (#15)

On the surface or miles underwater, the Deep Sea Diver is ready for action. Look at those bright eyes and that smirk, he’s ready for adventure. This is my second diver, as the first one had a scratch on its left eye. That one eventually scraped off, and he’s the customized figure seen in this review.

Do I regret buying a second one? Not at all. These don’t even have to be divers. They could just as easily be futuristic drivers or pilots, or a division of mechanics, engineers, or other workers. They’ll all share the octopus logo on their forearms, but maybe they all work on Octo-Squad. It’s a well-done figure, and alone or in a group of a dozen or more, the Deep Sea Diver is a fun addition to the line.

He comes with two accessories, a little manta ray and a large diving bell helmet with oxygen tanks. The ray is nice extra; have him floating through the air to simulate and underwater environment. The helmet is cast in a reddish-brown, but you can see how a little black stain can bring out all the details in the sculpt.

This was a fun figure to customize. The clean default gives you enough options to work with – dirty up that orange suit of his, paint over his face for an army of mystery divers, and you’ll have a unique figure every single time. And at $3 each, it’s a great figure for beginners to practice their painting skills on as they build an entire excavation or exploration team.

 

 

Even if you don’t want a team, even if you don’t really want a deep sea diver, you will still find this to be an enjoyable figure.  It’s great how Imaginext consistently releases toys that can unlock your imagination no matter how young or old you are.



Imaginext Collectible Figure Beefeater (#14)

 

The stoic, potentially grumpy Beefeater works on many levels. He can be a royal soldier protecting the princess in the Eagle Talon Castle. He can be a visitor to feudal Japan and mingle with your Samurai figures.  He can be a formally-dressed spaceman hanging out in your alien planet cantina. Or he can be a properly-scaled toy soldier hanging out under your Christmas tree.



 

 

The uniform is fully sculpted with plenty of raised details and fabric bunched at the joints. He has eight points of articulation, the same as many of the modern figures: head, wrists, ball-hinge shoulders, and a hip hinge. He is sturdy and well-balanced.

While his sculpted hair prevents him from wearing some of the armor that the smooth-headed basic figures can fit on, it adds to the personality of the painted face. The eyebrows can alter his expression with an angle change, going from angrier on the left to more curious on the right.  The tall helmet covers his eyebrows completely, giving him a blank, neutral expression.

He also comes with a ceremonial halberd with silver paint. My only complaint is that the MADE IN CHINA text faces outward in my preferred display pose.

Two Beefeaters are a great start, and at about $3 each they’re an affordable army builder. Just be sure to find #14 printed on the back of the bag, in the upper left side. It’s a shame you can’t see the work that went into this figure before buying it, but once you get one out, you’ll probably want more, and agree that other color schemes would look great on him, too. I’d like a royal blue and white combination released in the future; the new tooling just demands to be reused.

 

Imaginext Collectible blind bag figures are available at most major retailers. Look for the box displays and don’t feel too bad about digging through for the figures you want.