Background
Back in the early 90’s, Mike Mignola introduced comic book readers to his demonic anti-hero - Hellboy. The comic, produced by Dark Horse Comics, made it’s way to the big screen back in 2004 and the sequel is set for a 2008 release.
Dark Horse teamed up with Toy2R to produce several Hellboy inspired Qees. The first two figures, the 2.5” tall Hellboy and Abe Sapien, were released in the summer of 2006. The companies recently released an 8” version of Hellboy, with a Tara McPherson designed variant set to be released in January 2008.
Packaging
The packaging includes the Hellboy logo as well as Mignola artwork. While there is no actual artwork of the Hellboy character, there are skulls that are familiar if you’re a reader of the comic book. The front flap of the box closes using Velcro, however, the inner portion of the box has a plastic window for displaying.
The Figure
The Hellboy 8" Qee is…you guessed it…8” tall. It has 8 points of
articulation (arms, legs, wrists, head and tail). The figure comes
packaged with Hellboy’s gun – the Samaritan. The gun can be held in
his left hand, while his right hand is sculpted slightly larger as The Right Hand of
Doom.
This figure is sculpted differently from your normal Qee. While the
legs, arms and one hand are the same as the average Qee, there are new
body, hand, tail and head sculpts. This version will be a limited
edition of 1,500 pieces.
Our Opinion
Hellboy was the last film that I actually went to the theater to watch
twice. I thoroughly enjoy Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comic book
series. So, I am obviously somewhat biased. I will say that I wasn’t
overly impressed with the 2.5” Hellboy Qee figures, however, Dark Horse
and Toy2R stepped it up for this larger version.
The new head sculpt is great. The sideburns, pony tail and soul patch
are all sculpted on elements of the figure. While it’s not done to be
an exact duplicate of the comic or film character, it’s another
artist’s representation of Hellboy. And if you’ve ever read the
Hellboy (or Hellboy Jr.) comic series, you’ll notice that guest artists
often take their shots at the demon from the underworld.
You can pick one up at the following:
FreeBento.com: $75.00
Panik's Toy Box: $79.99
3DRetro.com: $69.99
Hellboy 8" Qee Grades:
Quality: 9/10
Paint: 9/10
Durability: 8/10
Hype: 9/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: 9.1/10
