Monday, January 31, 2011

Jacob Mego

The enigmatic Jacob is the final wave 1 Bif Bang Pow! figure I'll be looking at. The figure is dressed in an outfit similar to his brother but this time with a white shirt, light grey pants, no belt, and no sandals.


As with his brother, the likeness can be a little tenuous. The angle below is about as good as it gets.


One feature of the entire line that has improved from Trek Mego days is the hair on the male characters. The highlights and the highly-customized hairstyles are very well done.


The sculpt also nicely conveys Jacob's zen-like spiritual vibe, so different from MIB's intense, almost manic look.


In summary, this is a solid figure marred only by a lack of fidelity to the original. Grade: B+

Man in Black Mego

The Man in Black, along with his brother Jacob, kicked off the Bif Bang Pow! line of LOST Mego back in 2010.

MIB is smartly dressed in a black shirt with laced neck, a belt, dark grey pants, and painted-on sandals. Construction is solid and he stands well.


I like the face sculpt even though it doesn't particularly resemble Titus Welliver.


The hair is well-done, the stubble works well, and the sculpt conveys the intensity of Welliver's performance despite not replicating his appearance.


Among the several reasons I like this line from BBP is the fact that it introduces first-ever figures of several characters. I'm glad MIB made the cut. Grade: B+

Sunday, January 30, 2011

John Locke Mego

The John Locke figure from Bif Bang Pow made a believer out of me.


The head sculpt is spot-on and the paint-job nicely executed.


Locke's costume is a signature olive/tan cargo pant with brown T, along with removable grey footwear. And though stingy on accessories for others in the line, Bif Bang Pow! must have realized they couldn't get away with releasing Locke sans knife. It is housed in a faux leather sheath which also matches his belt.


About the only issue I have with this figure is a bit of trouble it has standing, especially when with the shoes on. I'm not sure if it is just my figure, or a characteristic of the Locke model. Otherwise it is a highly successful addition to the line. Grade: A-

Kate Austen Mego

Oh, Katerine Anne Austen, why do you cause such grief? After a very strong start with the Ben and Hurley figures, we unfortunately dial it down a notch for our favourite fugitive.

Kate's outfit reflects her typically jungle ware -- earth-tone cargo pants, white tank top, and brown footwear. The costume is OK but nothing special. The figure's legs seem out-of-proportion with the torso. The range of motion of the arms is more limited than her male counterparts. My figure also has a problem with her right arm which is a little "high strung".


I find the facial sculpt reasonably well done. The lips are a little too pursed, the eyes a tad too intense, but otherwise a nice job. For the record, I like the freckles. The molded hair looks fine, but BBP should have left a bit more clearance between the hair and shoulder to avoid interference with head and arm motion. The join between head and body is a bit awkward, and there is a noticeable colour mismatch between head and body.


About 30 minutes into our photo-shoot Ms. Austen started looking a little distracted and nervous.


Then she turned, shouted out, "I have to run!" and bolted out a side door. Some things never change. Grade: C

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Hugo Reyes Mego

I think every line of LOST figures thus far has featured Hurley, and Bif Bang Pow! includes him in their first wave as well.


BBP decided to go with padding to replicate Hurley's girth, and though not ideal it is more than adequate in my book.


The fidelity of the face sculpt isn't quite at the same level as the Ben Linus figure, especially around the mouth, but a decent amount of Hurley has made it in.


"Ah, Dave, I think you forgot something..."


"Jacob, this ankh is really, you know, awesome, but are you sure I'm the best guy to take care of it? I can be a little clumsy...."


"Ah, crap."


If you can get past the padding, this is quite a fun take on Hugo. Grade: B+

Ben Linus Mego

The Ben Linus figure may just be the best of the first wave of six LOST "Megos" from Bif Bang Pow! A good head sculpt, fun costume, and the inclusion of Ben's iconic facial lacerations make this a winner.


BBP did a wonderful job capturing Ben's facial structure, features, and creepy bugged-out eyes.


Ben's profile isn't quite as recognizable, but looks great nonetheless. The pics below showcases the (mostly-successful) stubble applied to several of the men as well as the highlights in Ben's hair which makes for a more realistic look.


Ben's clothes are those that he wore in the Season 2 finale Live Together, Die Alone. I can see why this costume was chosen -- it is visually attractive and provides the line with a bit of variety -- but it isn't necessarily the outfit I think of when I think of Ben. The great thing about this style of doll is that one can customize by redressing characters with one of the hundreds of other outfits available. Perhaps I'll have Ben join Starfleet -- that would be interesting! Regardless, BBP does a fine job with the clothes including various points of distress.


Despite some trepidation based on the prototype photos, I must say that I'm very happy with this figure. Rating: A

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Bif Bang Pow LOST Mego

Today I received the first six LOST retro-style figures made by Bif Bang Pow. Being a fan of the Mego 8" Star Trek figures from the 70s I was happily surprised to learn that LOST would receive a similar treatment.

Individual reviews will follow, until then here are the boxed figures:


For more info on the line, and for some fantastic customization ideas, check out The Island of LOST Megos blog.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

LOST costume display

This is my temporary solution for display of the costumes I won during the LOST auction last year. I need to get my act together and come up with something a little nicer.

More DrMikey goodness

One can never have too much DrMikey art. Here's the proof:



DrMikey original LOST paintings

I have purchased several wonderful posters from DrMikey in the past, and when he offered some of his original LOST paintings on eBay (with part of the proceeds going to charity) I jumped at the opportunity. I picked up the Michael & Walt set, both paintings are 4 of 5.