Tag Archives: Ambush Bug

#3720: Ambush Bug

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

AMBUSH BUG

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE)

There are three acceptable (and honestly expected) responses to finding out I’m reviewing Ambush Bug.  The most common is “Who’s Ambush Bug?”  Fair.  Second is “Why Ambush Bug?” Unfair.  And the third is “Hey, cool, Ambush Bug!”  To answer the “who,” Ambush Bug is a fourth-wall-breaking, intentionally silly DC comics character created by the late Keith Giffen, who was, amongst other things, voiced by Henry Winkler in Batman: Brave and the Bold (making it the first of the two times Winkler’s played a DC character).  To answer the “why,” because I want to, that’s why.  And to respond to the “hey, cool,” thank you.  Anyway, Ambush Bug’s pretty rare when it comes to figures, previously having only a Minimate, but he somehow made it into McFarlane’s line-up, so here we go!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ambush Bug is a 2024 addition to the DC Multiverse line, in an assortment that also sported paint variants on Booster Gold and Mr. Freeze.  Kind of an odd line-up, but Ambush Bug’s an odd guy.  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation.  I was kind of expecting another re-use of the Blue Beetle/Booster mold, but I suppose that was deemed to bulky for Bug.  Instead, he’s using an altered version of the Jon Kent Superman body.  Generally, it’s not bad, especially since it’s a good match for his build, and it’s got a respectable articulation set-up.  What’s sort of weird is that, while the front’s been tweaked to remove the logo, the sculpted collar and the detailing on his back remain, which looks a little odd.  It’s also not as wrinkly as Bug is usually depicted as being, but that’s not terribly surprising.  He gets a brand new head sculpt, which is quite a nice piece.  It’s definitely a more recent take on the character, but it’s very sharp and I love the expression they’ve given him.  Ambush Bug is almost entirely colored via molded plastic, which is fair, since he’s supposed to be all green.  He gets paint for his face, which is well-handled and clean in its application.  The pattern on the eyes in particular is quite impressive.  Ambush Bug is packed with an alternate gripping hand for his left side, his “sidekick” Cheeks The Toy Wonder, a display stand, and a collector’s card.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, I never expected to see a figure like this.  Back during the DCUC days, I was always pulling for him, especially given how deep the line went, but tooling always seemed to hold him back.  Once that line ended, and DC Direct fell off, I figured that was kind of it for his chances.  I was definitely surprised when this one was shown off.  Of course, it would have to be after most retailers have given up on consistently stocking the McFarlane DC stuff, wouldn’t it?  Fortunately, when I went in to get my comics a few weeks ago, Cosmic Comix had one hanging there, and that made the whole endeavor that much easier.  He’s a surprisingly good figure.  He’s got the issue with the weird extra details on the upper torso, but beyond that, he’s really good, and I’m very happy to have him.  And, since I already reviewed the Minimate, I’ve reviewed 100% of the Ambush Bug action figures!  Oh yeah!

#0921: Lobo & Ambush Bug

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

LOBO & AMBUSH BUG

DC MINIMATES

Lobo&Ambushbug1

So, let’s talk DC Minimates.  Two weeks ago, I discussed Play Along’s use of legal loopholes to get out the first DC-based Minimates in the C3 Construction line.  That line unfortunately ended fairly abruptly, leaving a very incomplete collection of characters.  A few years down the road, DC Direct teamed up with Diamond Select Toys, creating an official line of DC Minimates, which offered a more diverse selection of characters.  Sadly, it too was short-lived, lasting only eight series before ending, once again leaving certain groups incomplete.  The diverse selection of characters ended up as both a blessing and a curse; off the wall characters were fun while the line was running, but after the fact the likes of Lobo and Ambush Bug, who I’m reviewing today, seem like wasted slots in a line that didn’t get us important members of the Justice League.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Lobo and Ambush Bug were released in the seventh series of DC Minimates.  They seem like something of an odd pairing, since I don’t believe the two of them have ever interacted.  Of course, they’re both weird, occasionally fourth wall breaking characters with a tendency to parody popular comics conventions of the time.  So, maybe they aren’t such a bad pairing.

LOBO

Lobo&Ambushbug3Lobo is, by and large, a parody of grungy 90s anti-heroes.  So, of course, he had a large fan base who missed the parody bit and took him as a straight character.  I’ve never been much for Lobo, but I did have a soft spot for his teen-spin-off Slobo, who appeared in Young Justice.  But, that’s neither here nor there; let’s talk about Lobo.  The figure is a little under 2 ½ inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation (due to his boots removing the ankle joints).  Lobo has 5 add-on pieces for his hair, vest, hook-chain-thing, and boots.  All of these parts were new to Lobo, but several of them have seen re-use since.  The parts are pretty well sculpted, and do a suitable job of bulking Lobo up a little bit.  Also, the chain on the hook is a real chain, which is a nice touch.  In general, Lobo is a good example of how great the sculpted work was on this line.  Lobo’s paintwork is fairly impressive; he’s fairly monochromatic, but there’s a lot of detailing, especially on the face and torso.  Lobo included no accessories.

AMBUSH BUG

Lobo&Ambushbug2Ambush Bug is one of the weirder characters in the DCU.  He doesn’t really belong to any particular realm of the universe, and he’s almost entirely absent from normal DCU stories, tending to reside in stories set firmly in his own corner of things.  But hey, he was played by Henry Winkler once, which is pretty cool.  Ambush Bug is mostly a vanilla ‘mate, with one small exception: the antennae on his forehead, which are glued in place.  They’re a pretty good translation of his weird antennae from the comics, so that’s good.  Other than that, everything’s done with paint.  He’s actually surprisingly detailed; DCD could have easily just done a blank green body with only detailing on the face, but Ambush Bug has small wrinkles (just like the ones he has in the comics) on just about every surface.  That’s really nice to see and keeps him from being too boring for the average fan.  I suppose they could have done him in his casual wear he’s known to wear in the comics, but this is his classic look, so it’s understandable.  Like Lobo, Ambush Bug includes no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As with every figure in the DC Minimates line, I picked these two up from Cosmic Comix on the first day they were available.  I’ll admit that I was split on this set; I love Ambush Bug way more than I should, but Lobo’s not my thing.  At the end of the day, both ‘mates are pretty awesome, for totally divergent reasons.  It might be easy to say that these two are part of the reason the line ended so early, but given that the Marvel line just released Dazzler and Howard the Duck together, it’s hard to say.