I recently started re-watching the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon and it's still as good as it was the first three times I went through it. The high adventure, the sense of culture, the larger world you can infer from the story of Aang, Katara, and Sokka is just magical. I don't think there's a single episode I was bored by, or a character that felt unneeded in the entire run. I'm eagerly awaiting the start of The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra, the sequel to the series. It sounds bonkers, set in a steampunk city with metalbending cops, revolutionaries, lemurs, flying bison, and polar bear dogs.
Every time I read that Wikipedia article, I start salivating.
I figured since I'm watching the series again, I might as well finish the review of one of my favorite toys, War Paint Sokka from the Water Series (Wave 2) of the Fisher-Price Avatar: The Last Airbender line of 6" action figures.
The front of the package displays the figure well, and has room for some graphics. I'm disappointed that the logo is so small on top though. If I didn't already know the series, I'd have passed on this... which I did many times before I first got to watch it. The yellow color of the Air Series (like Airbending Aang) was replaced with a light blue and a wave motif runs around one side of the oval bubble.
It's a functional, if not overly creative design.
The back of the card is just like the back of King Bumi's, only it shows off Sokka instead. All of the "also available" figures are the same, and that rare Blue Spirit figure is still staring me in the face. The bio card also talks about Sokka, but the design didn't really make me want to keep it.
I really enjoy the sculpt of these figures, as they capture the look of the cartoon so well. Sokka is a lanky, gangly teenager, just as he should be. he's a little on the short side for a 1/12 scale figure, but again, he's a kid, so that's ok.
Articulation is worked well into his design, though it's not as good as a Marvel Legends toy. Seeing as how this was made by Fisher-Price, a subsidiary of Mattel that focuses on a younger crowd, it's not hard to see why they'd prefer simple and sturdy to complex and flexible. What he has works well, in any case, so don't worry about it. This isn't a Jazwares' Scorpion.
He comes with several accessories.
The best by far is his pair of jawbone clubs, which look pretty close to what he carries in the movie. They both fit well in his hands. The second weapon is his bone spear. It's not as great since his limited articulation doesn't allow him to do as much with it and it tends to slide out of his grip if he holds it anywhere but on the "wrapped" portions.
I like that they also included a boomerang and a basket to hold it that attaches to his back. He used the weapon a lot in the cartoon (though I'm sure it was shaped differently) and it gives you some sweet display options. The pack doesn't really stick on his back that well on it's own however. The hole on his back and the peg on the pack are too shallow to hold it in place. It tends to fall off if you even fart near your display.
I really love this figure, but it's got two things going against it. One is an issue I didn't find until I took these out of storage a few months ago. The rubbery portions of their costumes become dry soon after you've opened the package. The ribbons holding up Bumi's pants are all cracks now.
Two is price. A quick search for this figure has him listed at $70 US. I got mine at one of those import/overrun stalls and it was only about Php 500 (about $11 US). It was a great find, but I'm not sure if those stalls still have anymore stock of these. One day I hope to complete the line, but at the current eBay prices, it's a pipe dream.
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