Review – Halo Reach Jun
After looking at the McFarlane Toys Halo Reach Jorge* action figure last week (review here) I thought it would be a good idea if we jumped right on another release in the series. This Halo Reach Jun* has better articulation that Jorge, but in general I feel that this is a lesser figure.
Pales Next to the Square Enix Jun
The only reason that this 6-inch scale Halo Reach Jun* doesn’t make me as happy as Jorge did is because when I stand this next to the Square Enix Jun you can really see where the extra money goes in the Square Enix series. This is an okay mass-market action figure, but everything about it — the sculpt, paint, and articulation — is weaker than the Square Enix version of the character. But if you’re not going to get into those higher-end action figures then you’ll want to keep reading as I take this action figure and see just what it can do.
Improved Articulation
In comparison to Jorge, that is. The two action figures have basically the same articulation, but since Jun’s armored plates aren’t as bulky as Jorge’s his articulation has a much wider degree of movement and doesn’t suffer as much from the “blocked by plastic” effect that harms Jorge’s articulation. And Jun has two more points of articulation — the feet are articulated mid-length so that the figure can get into better poses — which helps what feels like a better set of articulation. But in reality the two have basically the same joints, and Jun needs better arm/wrist articulation because he just can’t get his rifle into the poses I expect from a sniper. I’d say this is a C+ vs Jorge’s D articulation.
A Nice Sculpt
The Square Enix Jun’s sculpt is phenomenal, so when I stood this Halo Reach Jun* next to that one this smaller figure unfairly suffered. There’s a reason the Square Enix figures are $50 vs these $11 McFarlane figures, but when you’ve got both of them right in front of you the cheaper toy looks even cheaper than it actually is.
To be fair, though, Jun does have a nice sculpt and McFarlane Toys didn’t cheap out on the details. A removable grenade is a nice touch, but it’s too bad that Jun’s knife — on his right arm — is decorative and not really removable. And the scarf doesn’t look nearly as good as it does on the Square Enix version of the figure, but in general this is a sculpt that’s very much worth the $11 price tag you would pay at Target or Wal-Mart.
Paint
Again, the paint on this Jun action figure isn’t as nice as it is on Jorge, but this time that has more to do with the design of the figures than anything else. Jorge’s heavy armor is weather beaten and loaded with paint apps and character while Jun’s design is cleaner and more off-the-shelf. There’s a little slop on some of the details, but basically the paint is better than average for a mass-market action figure.
Closing Thoughts
Between not being as cool of a character design as the Halo Reach Jorge* and the fact that I own the Square Enix version of the character, this Halo Reach Jun* just doesn’t excite me as much as the heavier, bulkier action figure did. Jun is definitely not a bad action figure — and his articulation is adequate and playable — but I’m not so excited that I’m going to rush out and buy any more of the McFarlane Toys Halo series*.
But the Square Enix Jorge? Oh, yes. I am totally gonna track him down.
Philip Reed does have to admit that Jorge and Jun look good together on the shelf. Maybe a few more figures in this series wouldn’t hurt too much . . .