Picture Perfect: MOTUC Fearless Photog Action Figure Review
This Fearless Photog figure, from the 30th Anniversary sub-line of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics, brings to life everyone's fear of waking up with a giant camera for a head! Okay, maybe that's true for a few less than "everyone", but it's creepy nonetheless! Photog has been literally decades in the making as he was the original design chosen to win the Create-A-Character contest held during the vintage heyday of Masters of the Universe. Read on as we review Fearless Photog, the Heroic Master of Cameras!
Real Name: Jey
Apprentice to Gwildor, Jey often daydreamed of life as a member of the Masters of the Universe. His dreams became a reality when he was selected along with five other inventors by the Science Council to journey to Eternos to present his latest creation; the Photog Emulator. During the presentation, a slight miscalculation lead to a flux overload merging Jey with his invention. Finding he could drain his enemies' powers and display their defeat on his chest, Jey called himself the Fearless Photog and was offered membership with his idols in the Masters of the Universe. He heroically fought during the Second Ultimate Battleground helping to defeat several of Skeletor's warriors including Clawful and Whiplash. Photog drains his enemies' power, displaying their defeat for all to see!
When it comes to the sculpt, the Four Horsemen definitely did the best with what they were given. Originally designed for the vintage MOTU line by 12-year old Nathan Bitner, but was never produced. While utilizing most of the familiar MOTUC body pieces we've previously seen, Photog still manages to find himself with a few new parts. First up is his head. The camera is made up of a hard, hollow plastic that accommodates the moveable lense/eye in the center. The detailing is meticulous and reminds us of some insane Jack Kirby creation. The lense in also made of thin plastic, and on our figure it has been cracked all the way down. It's not too noticeable, but we're not sure how well it'll hold together long-term. The next newly-sculpted piece is Photog's torso. Like Sy-Klone, Jey's torso is sculpted to hold hold a lenticular sticker (more on that in the next section) and thus has a rectangle-shaped raised area on the pecs. Yeah, chances are, this'll be the only time we'll see this particular chest piece or his custom belt made of film reels. Finally, we have the Fearless Photog's shins. That's right, "shins". Not boot-tops. Photog scores the first slick legs in the entire MOTUC lineup and early speculation points to these being used for an unannounced Oolong, the Jungle He-Man, figure. The sculpt is simple, but perfectly portrays the character design and also helps to highlight the intricate head-sculpt.
The paint scheme for Fearless Photog is all about brightness. From the metallic blue of his head to the highlighter-yellow stripes running down his arms and legs, Photog is a man without stealth! One large part of the look that isn't painted is his chest sticker. The lenticular sticker appears to be capturing some scrawny guy in a hoodie running away. We assume this is the image of an Eternian peasant who ran afoul of Photog while working his way through a back alley to find a place to relieve himself after a long night at a tavern, only to have this day-glo camera-headed mutation pop out of the shadows-- filming away! Privacy be damned when Fearless Photog is around! The paint on our figure was very clean, and without too much "fuzzing" from the yellow strip to the black on the arm which could have totally ruined the look.
Articulation for Photog comes in the usual configuration for the MOTUC line, minus the swivel normally located at the boot tops of other figures. That leaves this guy sporting a ball-joint neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, hinged torso, swivel waist, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and dual hinged "rocker" ankles. Like we stated before, there's no boot-top swivel due to the slick shin pieces, and although this doesn't completely impede the ability to pose the figure, it is noticeable more awkward when standing him in action stances. All of the joints on the figure we received were tight and held their positions well with only the hollow head being slightly looser than normal.
Photog is packaged with two accessories: a camcorder "gun" and a shield shaped like an old camera flash. These accessories really help to flesh out the character's powers while also making him look a tad more formidable. Just look at the vented flash hider on the tip of his camera gun! That sucker looks like it fires fully automatic! Of course, who knows what kind of cockamamie ammunition it uses. The shield is constructed from a base piece that attaches to the arm, and a clear dome to simulate the flash cover. It works very well and is one of the more ingenious weapons in the figure series thus far. The gun slides into his grip tightly and the shield snaps snugly to Photog's wrist, so no problems on that front!
Considering all of the toy pictures we take, we can't help but think there's a little Fearless Photog in all of us around here. *shudder* For those not subscribed to the 30th Anniversary lineup, Photog will be hitting the Matty Collector website during their mid-February sale, so keep a giant-camera-lense/eye out for Jey and his coat of many bright, bright colors!
Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for all your 30th Anniversary Masters of the Universe coverage!
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