BRUCE LEE(S)

BRUCE LEE’S TEMPLE OF KUNG FU

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Bruce Lee, but I certainly have an appreciation for him. I first learned of him thanks to Playing Mantis’s re-launch of Captain Action in the mid-90s. Green Hornet and Kato were among the selection of characters available, and I happened to come across a Kato figure at KayBee toys. I was intrigued by the figure, so my dad tracked down a few episodes of the 60s Green Hornet show. I thought that Kato was just the coolest and was delighted to find out that Bruce Lee had made a large selection of other movies.

In 2012, Round 5 put out a selection of block figures based on Bruce Lee’s career, entitled Bruce Lee’s Temple of Kung Fu. The figures were sold in a blind box format, meaning you don’t know what you’re getting until you open the box. Today, I’ll be looking at Kato, Formal Wear Bruce Lee, and MMA Bruce Lee from that line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The three versions of Bruce Lee were released in the first series of Bruce Lee’s Temple of Kung Fu. Kato was 1 in 35, Formal Wear Bruce was also 1 in 35 and MMA Bruce was 1 in 80. The figures each stand about 3 ½ inches in height and feature a whopping 3 points of articulation. They have sculpted lines that make it look like there might be more movement, but nope, it’s just cut joints on the shoulders and a ball joint for the neck. I had no idea what the articulation would be going in, so I wasn’t disappointed or anything. Each of the figures is built on the same basic body with a few additional pieces. Kato is the lightest on the sculpting, with just a hat/mask combo. It’s a good piece though, and suits the character well. The other two each feature a hairpiece and two pieces for the hands. Formal Bruce gets shirt cuffs and MMA Bruce gets padded gloves. The rest of the detail is handled via paint. All three feature relatively clean paint apps, with nice crisp lines and no real slop. Once again, Kato is the simplest, with all of his detail being on his face and torso. Still, he looks pretty sleek, so no complaints. Formal Bruce is the next most basic. He’s got detailing for the face and the basic outlines of his outfit, but not much else. MMA is easily the most detailed, with some pretty nice detailing for his muscle tone and such. I should also point out that while Kato gets his own face, the other two are forced to share the same one. It’s like they’re the same guy or something. Yeah, I know, so’s Kato. Shut up!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While helping move my girlfriend (of Super Awesome fame)into college, we decided to visit the nearby outlets, just to see what was there. We came across an overstock store by the name of Oops!, and they had these guys. I wanted the Kato figure, so I figured I’d buy one and see how my luck worked out. However, my girlfriend pointed out that my chances of getting Kato would be better if I bought three. Because she’s a terrible influence. As luck would have it, Kato was in the very first box I opened. I’m happy to have Kato in any form, and the other two are fun enough, so I consider the purchase a win.