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09/02/2008 Diamond Select Toys Battlestar Galactica Series 2 Action Figures Review
Today I bring you Series 2 of the Diamond Select Toys Battlestar Galactica action figure line. It consists of three standard figures: Starbuck, Kat and a Cylon warrior as well as the Previews exclusive Helo. As a big fan of the show, I am excited to get more toys for it.
The packaging is nice - a standard bubble on a card. The colors and artwork are vibrant and remind me of the show. They seem to be pretty durable as well. I think these will hold up to people pawing through the hooks sort of wear with little issue.
I was a bit disappointed that you can't see the Cylon head very well though. Besides being nearly under the logo at the top of the bubble, there is a small plastic insert in the bubble directly over the head. I know there was space issues getting this oversized figure in the bubble, I just wish it wouldn't have been at the expense of getting a clear look of the head of the figure.
The standard human character in this toy line is about seven inches tall. They fit in well with other similarly scaled action figure lines - especially other DST lines like the Stargate figures. Starbuck comes with a lot of accessories: a standard set of hands, a gloved set of hands, a cigar holding hand, a playing card holding hand, a pistol, a helmet, a ball and an arrow.
These aren't dead on likenesses of the characters with these figures but I think you can easily tell who the figures are supposed to be portraying. The Stargate Atlantis figures are getting so dead on with their likenesses, it is hard for these to live up to those. This line however is progressing and they are getting steadily better with each release.
This isn't the first Helo we have received. There was an exclusive one in the first series in a standard Colonel Fleet uniform. This one is in his Raptor pilot uniform and I much prefer it. I am sure they used the same head sculpt but this figure's likeness is much more recognizable than the first figure. It comes with an extra set of gloved hands, helmet, a pistol, medic pack and radiation medicine. The medic pack does open and you can stash the radiation medicine inside of it.
You need to be really careful when swapping out the hands of these figures. I broke off one of Helo's hands when I attempted replacing his hands with the gloved ones. It snapped off right at the ball joint. I should have known better because this also happened to me with the Hot Dog figure from Series 1. If this happens to you, don't worry. Boil a pot of water, dip the arm of the toy in, pull it out, and then use a knife tip or something else sharp to pry the ball out. The plastic will be quite soft and you should have no problems. I guess I need to tell you to be careful because it is boiling water and a knife (or other sharp object) but you should have no problems with this. It works like a charm and won't damage the figure. From now on whenever I want to swap hands on these figures, I am going to soften them in boiling water before pulling them off. It is a shame but now that I have broke two of them, I have to assume it is likely to happen again.
Kat comes two set of hands - regular and gloved, a playing card holding hand, a pistol, a helmet and the Galactica top gun stein. All these figures are painted quite well. They are a bit on the glossy side but I think the color scheme and application are both spot on.
All these figures can have their helmets put on their heads. The helmets open up into two pieces and slide over the head. They aren't a tight fit but stay on well enough. Kat's pony tail gave me a moment of trouble when putting hers on I was still able to fit it on.
The Cylon Warrior is wicked cool looking if a bit fragile feeling. I am not for sure if it could hold up to a lot of serious play. This figure also comes with different hand and arm attachments. They should just pop off and be easily replaced but I couldn't get mine off. They feel practically glued on and I was afraid of breaking them so I left them as they came in the package. If I ever decide to switch them, I am going to have to use the boiling water technique. I need to mention that I didn't have the hand swap issue with my SDCC exclusive Valley of Darkness Cylon. Those hands popped off without any trouble. My Cylon with the stuck hands might be an isolated occurance.
The Cylon warrior sculpt is quite impressive and a larger size than the human figures. I would love to build an army of these guys.
When all is said and done, these aren't bad figures. They are actually pretty fun and I like them a lot. I like how we are getting an assortment of characters and not all the most obvious ones over and over. It helps bring a lot of diversity to such a small line and is refreshing after you have bought your 100th slightly different Darth Vader or Snake Eyes figure. Expect to pay around $16 per figure. If you can't find these at your local stores, you can find them at several online stores or even directly from the Diamond Select Toys web site. I am giving each of these figures a *** out of five star rating. They are nice but have some issues with their likenesses and can have some breakage issues. I have no regrets getting these and if you are a fan of the show, I don't think you will either. They are a quality toy but you will just need to handle them with some care.
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