Art Design: A bare basics, open box with the figure tied down to the backing board.
Headsculpt: This version of The Thing came out when the Fantastic Four movie was released. It is based on the Michael Chiklis version of The Thing. While the comic book thing had a big round head, this one is more oval. Head-on, it is hard to ignore that he is a bit horse-faced. While the sculpt is very faithful to the movie version, it is also butt-ugly. The deep, dark, eye sockets and the generally unhappy look on the face remind me of Ripley's alien baby from the Alien: Resurrection movie. Toy Biz did a good job with the face (if their goal was gruesome). The focus is on the grim, sad look of The Thing. The eyes are supposed to be blue ("the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing"), but this figure has black eyes.
Articulation: This is a vinyl or hard plastic roto-cast action figure. It is pretty light for its size, but the plastic is very hard, which means that you or your kids can pound bad guys endlessly with The Thing. The figure only has 17 points of articulation. The head and arms have great movement, they each have ball joints. The wrists and thighs have cut joints. The big letdown on this figure is the legs, which have limited mobility. The legs can flex at the hip joints, but the knees do not bend; nor can the feet or ankles be adjusted. Even worse, the body tapers down. It goes from a very well sculpted, large, rocky, upper body to small legs. If you look at the photo, The Thing's thighs seem to be pointed inward, as if he had to go pottie and was holding back. The pose is just awful. Even though this is not the Jack Kirby version of The Thing; most fans will still enjoy it. At one point most stores were carrying an alternate version of The Thing that had soft foam rubber arms (for young kids?). How can The Thing fight with soft arms?
The Outfit: His pants and booties are molded on. What kind of rock monster wears boots? Sure, these were special, flexible boots; but they still look silly. Additionally, they were sculpted like baby booties, with the front tips pointing up. The bottom of the boots is curved, which means that this Thing is a shelf diver.
Overall: The Thing retails for $10. It is a good toy for kids. If you are a fan of Jack Kirby's version; then this Thing is awful. If you like quality action figures that are well articulated, then this Thing will not pass muster. These Fantastic Four figures are still on sale at most retail stores.
Grade: C
