Review – Mezco 2008 Con Exclusive 3.75″ Hellboy

“He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy.”
— from the back of the card

Hellboy and I have history together. Over a decade ago I found myself really enjoying Mignola’s Hellboy comic. With his heavy blacks and great sense of storytelling, Mignola’s work made me very happy and I collected everything I could track down.

In 2002, after a lot of negotiations and planning, I was lucky enough to coordinate the work on The Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game. I go into more details on this project, and my relationship with Hellboy, in my review of the Hellboy Companion . . . but since this is supposed to be about a toy, and not my personal history, I’ll get on with it.

A carded figure that cost me about $15 (including shipping), this Hellboy is almost the exact same sculpt as the figure included in the Hellboy 3.75″ box set; the only difference is the head (at least from what I can tell by looking at photos, since I don’t own the box set, the only change is the head).

This is the first Mezco action figure I’ve ever purchased and, other than a few minor complaints, I’m impressed. Hellboy looks great, with the sculpt really capturing the movie Hellboy’s look. As the review at Superhero Times puts it:

“The sculpting on the figure is phenomenal.”

The sculpting on Hellboy’s head and face is especially excellent, with the figure showing a level of emotion and personality that I rarely spot in figures of this size. Hell, I have some larger figures with less detail in the sculpting than this Hellboy has; Michael Crawford says, in review of the figure, that the head is :

” . . . very realistic, with just the right amount of wrinkles and texture.”

Part of what makes this Hellboy figure look so great are the included accessories and, of the extras, the coat is what really sets Hellboy apart from a lot of other 3.75″ action figures. The coat conceals a lot of the body, yes, but it really gives the figure a look that is stunning (take a look at the photo at right to see what I’m talking about). Hellboy also comes with a pistol and massive rifle (“Big Baby,” as it says on the stock) and there’s even a holster for the pistol. Finally, a display stand allows you to pose Hellboy without feat that he’ll topple over.

Articulation

While not quite as nice as a lot of the newer G.I. Joe figures, this Hellboy has plenty of articulated points — over a dozen — that gives him a lot of mobility. I’m not a huge articulation nut (I mean, I like to be able to pose my toys but I don’t get all worked up about specific types of articulation or worry myself with whether a ball joint would have been the best choice or not) so Hellboy has enough to satisfy me and I think there’s enough here to satisfy you.

Minor Problems

As great as Hellboy looks, there are a couple of minor issues. For one, the figure’s eyes are a little odd; that may just be a minor paint glitch with my toy and not a problem with the entire run (at least, I hope the eyes on mine is an accident and not what was intended), but it bothers me enough to mention it. Also, Hellboy’s larger gun, “Big Baby,” really doesn’t fit nicely into either of his hands.

One final issue I have with this particular Hellboy is his “Right Hand of Doom.” It looks cool and all, and the sculpting detail is fantastic, but I would have rather seen interchangeable hands (one for holding “Big Baby” and one curled into a fist) instead of . . . well, I’m not sure if I would have sacrificed anything but not being able to have Hellboy posed to smash Nazis really bothers me. To be fair to Mezco, this is less of a problem with the toy and more of an “I wish” point.

Closing Thoughts

As nice as some of the other Hellboy figures out there look, I really prefer this 3.75″ version (if only because I can pose him with my Indiana Jones Nazi figures). He’s sturdy, looks great, and — at this scale — will make a great addition to your G.I. Joe team. After all, if Rocky and The Fridge can be Joes, then why not Hellboy?

Philip Reed has been reading some of the older Hellboy trade paperbacks lately and needs to grab the most recent ones. Soon, soon, soon.