Carnival Cartoons’ first independently created and funded figure – Buzz Carney – hit store shelves a few weeks back.  It’s a fairly limited run piece (only 250 created) and has been made available through a number of online retailers.

Buzz is the first vinyl character from Carnival Cartoons’ The Carneys line.  If you haven’t checked out our interview with Jared Deal and Garnet Syberg-Olsen, the men behind Carnival Cartoons, there is a ton of additional information regarding future vinyl toy releases from the company.

When it comes to Buzz Carney, it was a pretty spectacular first attempt.  The toy is packaged in a window front box and has a decent amount of reading information on the rear.  Each toy includes a number stamped certificate of authenticity that is signed by Jared, Garnet and sculptor Eric Nocella.

The 7” tall tattooed strongman might be one of my favorite releases of the year.   It's a shame he hasn't received more publicity.  Being a big Spumco fan, I definitely see that influence in this figure.  The vinyl toy has a very cartoon-y feel to it.  Buzz looks extremely close to the character from Carnival Cartoons’ short animation.

Since balance issues seem to plague vinyl figures more and more (as sculpts become extremely complex), I wanted to make sure that Buzz did not encounter such problems.   Even though the sculpt appears to be top-heavy (on his stubby legs), Buzz has stood up tall for the past few weeks.

The sculpt is above average, with no moveable pieces.  All of the tattoos are actually sculpted onto the figure and then painted maroon. They also did a great job with the mouth and all of the facial features.

Buzz Carney Grades:
Quality: 8/10
Paint: 8/10
Durability: 9/10
Hype: 4/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Overall: 9.8/10

Buzz Carney can be purchased from the following spots:

The Carnival Cartoons site: $60 Canadian (plus tax and s/h)
Panik's Toy Box: $64.99 (plus s/h)
Pop Thirteen: $74.99 (plus s/h)
3DRetro: $60 (plus s/h)