Toy Fair 2016: Mezco’s One:12 Collective Blows Everything Else Away
Excellent. Amazing. Unbelievable. Awesome. What's left to say about Mezco's One:12 Collective that we haven't already said? Well we better start thinking of some new superlatives because 2016 is going to be ridonkulous for this line. Where once Mezco was content to start slow and only release a few figures in a calendar year, the company's plans for 2016 include more than a dozen different figures from Marvel, DC Comics, Universal Monsters, classic animation, and Star Trek. If you had told me last year when Batman and Judge Dredd released that just one year later we'd be able to start building our own Justice League in the One:12 Collective, I'd have told you to git out. But here we are, and Mezco's positioning itself to be the new leader in 1/12 scale figures.
That's a tall order given the competition, but Mezco's not really playing on the same field as Hasbro and Mattel, or even NECA. Though NECA does have its own line of clothed figures, the retro-inspired line is meant to pay tribute to the past with the advances of modern figure design. Mezco's approach is to take on the high-end of the spectrum, where the likes of Sideshow and Hot Toys reside, but provide a smaller figure with just as much detail and accessories for less than half the price. Not only does that make One:12 Collective more attractive from a collecting and displaying standpoint, but it's also a lot easier on the wallet... provided you don't want to buy them all like I do.
It all starts with that glorious Green Arrow. I'd consider myself a mild Green Arrow fan, but the design on that figure is beautiful. It takes elements of his television persona, his more classic comic book appearances and there's even a bit of a fantasy ranger in there. I'm excited about all the other characters Mezco announced based just on the heroes themselves; I'm excited about Green Arrow due to that fashion styling. Even if you don't care for the Emerald Archer, you can't front on that figure. It's perfect.
The Punisher figures planned for this year are also spectacular, drawing from the more recent modern military design and the '90s style. There's even a chance a Tim Bradstreet-inspired iteration will be making the rounds, spraypainted shirt, trenchcoat and all. As a Captain America fan, both of those new figures have me excited beyond belief. That there's a version coming with the wings on the helmet is reason enough to start saving, but even the Marvel Now variant has a tremendous eye for detail that's blows everything else at this scale away.
I'd be remiss in not talking about Captain Marvel (aka Shazam). Like Green Arrow, Billy Batson never did anything special for me, but I've never seen such a note-perfect representation of the character in figure form. Like the rest of the figures, he'll come with some alternate heads and hands, but the kicker is the giant bolt of lightning accessory you'll be able to attach to make it look like he's mid-transformation. Genius.
Now you're probably looking at that line and wondering when and where a character like Wonder Woman or Black Widow might show up. The good news is Mezco already has a number of female base bodies built, but it's going to be a little bit longer until the first One:12 female figure makes the rounds. That said, you can look at some of the licenses that have been (very) recently announced, and probably guess which iconic leading lady might show up first.
As for that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Batmobile, it's real and it's spectacular. The prototype on hand is almost exactly what Mezco is hoping to release, but given the size of the behemoth, it might be some time until this thing sees the light of day. Hopefully enough people like the upcoming film enough to keep interest in it high, as this thing is just outstanding. It'd be a great complement to the Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile from DC Collectibles, and it'll be a great deal cheaper than whatever Hot Toys comes up with to release in five years.