Background
Rocket World has released the two newest characters from Series 4 of their insanely popular I.nsurgents W.ilderness G.ruppo (IWG) line. Patrick Ma has added Makutu the Yellow Eyed Penguin and Oishi the Japanese Snow Monkey to the army of animal environmentalists.
Check out the mini character bios from RocketWorld.org:
Because her mobility is best in the water, Makutu provides expert offensive and defensive seaborne combat support to her IWG comrades who are committed to the land and shore aspect of combat operations. Makutu is deadly with her torpedoes, which she launches off her back. Able to swiftly and covertly maneuver in and out of the shipping lanes, her combat support role is to target enemy boats and prevent them from landing human support troops and supplies from engaging her land combat comrades.
With excellent dexterity Oishi has mastered the use of the traditional Japanese sword. Studying both Samurai and Ninja techniques alike, Oishi is a fearsome opponent on the battlefield displaying great skill, speed, and stealth. Naturally an expert in CQB he will also use his excellent hand to eye coordination to bean humans in the head with rock filled snowballs before finishing them off with his sword.
Packaging
The new, window front box design for these slightly smaller figures incorporates drawings of the four characters from Series 4, the Rocket World logo, the Terminator skull logo, as well as reading that’s beneficial for new collectors of the line
The Figures
Makutu the Yellow Eyed Penguin
With five points of articulation, Makutu stands at 5” in height. She
is limited to 500 pieces, although there is a Strangekiss exclusive
special edition Hinenuitepo that’s limited to 100 pieces. The piece’s
main accessory is a removable belt and torpedo.
Oishi the Japanese Snow Monkey
Oishi also has five points of articulation and is slightly taller at
about 5.25” in height. He is also limited to 500 pieces and is armed
with a Japanese Katana sword and a rock-filled snowball.
Our Opinion
As you can see, these figures are slightly smaller than some of the
older IWG line. However, they are in scale…since a penguin is clearly
smaller than a bear. Some people might look at Series 1, and say…why
are Odysseus the Sea Otter and Affonso the White Rhino the same size?
Well Rocket World has addressed that!
So what about the quality? Well…it’s up the regular IWG standards. My
favorite accessory so far might be Makutu’s torpedo belt. The belt
end, which is made of a flexible plastic, slides into the buckle. It’s
something small, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Series 4 will include two other figures – Candace the African Elephant
and Burnu the Platypus. Rocket World has definitely gotten back on
track with these amazing, new animal designs.
Remember…a portion of the proceeds from these figures are donated to various non-profit wildlife groups.
You can pick one up at the following:
Ambernine: Makutu - $35.00 and Oishi - $34.95
Fugitive Toys: Makutu and Oishi - $34.99
PopUp: Makutu and Oishi - $78.00 NZD
Strangekiss: Hinenuitepo - Sold Out Makutu and Oishi - $34.95
Makutu Grades: Oishi Grades:
Quality: 9/10 Quality: 9/10
Paint: 8/10 Paint: 8/10
Durability: 8/10 Durability: 8/10
Hype: 8/10 Hype: 8/10
Fun Factor: 9/10 Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 7/10 Value: 7/10
Overall: 9.2/10 Overall: 9.1/10
