Tag Archives: Parks & Recreation

#3671: Even More Parks & Recreation Figures

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ANDY DWYER, ANN PERKINS, JERRY GERGICH, L’IL SEBASTIAN, RON & TAMMY 2, PERD HAPLEY, JEAN-RALPHIO, BOBBY NEWPORT, SICK RON, TOM HAVERFORD, & VOTE KNOPE

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

I’ve mentioned Parks and Recreation only twice before on the site, but both times, I’ve taken the very important stance that, compared to The Office, it’s the superior work-place comedy.  I bring that up every time because, as stated, it’s very important.  I really need you all to know my point.  Genuinely, though, it’s one of my very favorite shows, and has one of the best ensemble casts on television.  Back in late 2022, Super 7 launched a line of ReAction figures based on the show, and…it’s apparently had four series?  I’ve had some stuff going on.  But I’m diving back in, because that’s how I do.  And, to show how absolutely insane I am, I’m reviewing everything I’ve missed since Series 1, all in a single shot.  Woooooo!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Andy Dwyer, Ann Perkins, Jerry Gergich, L’il Sebastian, Ron & Tammy 2, Perd Hapley, Jean-Ralphio, Bobby Newport, Sick Ron, Tom Haverford, and Campaign Leslie Knope make up the last three series of Super 7’s Parks and Recreation ReAction Figures.  Andy, Ann, Jerry, and L’il Sebastian are the standard Series 2 figures, with the Ron & Tammy 2 two-pack serving as a companion piece.  Perd, Jean-Ralphio, and Bobby are Series 3, and Sick Ron, Tom, and Campaign Leslie are Series 4.

ANDY DWYER

Series 2’s first figure is also the line’s first retread….sort of.  There’s not *technically* an Andy Dwyer in Series 1, since it was actually Burt Macklin that we got, but, you get the idea.  Anyway, this one’s an actual proper figure of Andy just as Andy, which makes sense, with him being Chris Pratt and all.  The figure’s 3 3/4 inches tall and he’s got 5 points of articulation.  Andy’s an earlier season version of the character, erring more on the casual, rock star side.  Honestly, I know Andy wears the t-shirt and flannel a lot in the show, but it’s not a look I ultimately associate with him by default, so this one sort of struggles to land for me.  The sculpt is notably quite pre-posed, especially for this line, with his arms being posed to hold his guitar.  Otherwise, it’s fairly standard.  I don’t see much of a Pratt likeness on the head, especially compared to the Macklin head, and the body feels a bit thin for Andy.  His paint work is pretty basic.  They do well with the plaid detailing, and I definitely dig the “Mouse Rat” shirt print.  While Burt had no accessories, Andy does at least get his guitar, which justifies the whole pose of the figure (and also makes him one of the only figures in this line that can actually properly hold his accessory).

ANN PERKINS

There were a handful of notable omissions from the first series, and high on that list was Ann Perkins, effectively the show’s secondary lead in the early portion of its run.  Unsurprisingly, she headlined the second round.  She’s in her nurse scrubs, which is a reasonable enough choice for her, especially since it helps her remain more unique from the others in the line.  Her sculpt is back to the more basic posing.  It’s not bad.  A tad more on the generic side, and lacking a lot of the the sorts of things that could make it more quickly recognizable as Ann, but not terrible.  The biggest problem this figure faces is the color palette.  For some reason that I can’t fathom, Super 7 decided to give Ann the complexion of a fair skinned Irish girl who’s never seen the sun, rather than, you know, anything actually close to what Rhashida Jones’ actual complexion is.  No matter what the quality of the underlying sculpt, it’s the paint that’s removing the likeness almost in its entirety.  I don’t know if there was some mix-up, or if it’s some sort of weird licensing thing, but it’s just thoroughly an odd end result.  Ann is packed with a clip board, which is a fine accessory, but, again, not overly dialed into Ann.

JERRY GERGICH

Alongside Donna, Jerry began as essentially a glorified extra (his actor, Jim O’Heir, had auditioned for Ron, but Michael Shur liked him so much that he cast him and decided he’d figure out the character later)in the show’s first season, but his role expanded as the show went on, until he got promoted to proper series regular by the end of the show.  He also gets one of the show’s very best send-offs in the finale, and just an all-around great progression on the show.  And he gets *so* many names.  They settled on his “original” of Jerry, but you can pretend he’s Larry, or Terry, or even Gary if you so choose.  Jerry’s seen here in his standard office attire, sweater vest and all.  He’s got one of the more consistent looks from the show, so it’s a pretty easy choice.  The sculpt on Jerry is pretty darn good, actually.  He’s got a unique build, and the facial likeness that’s a good match for Jim O’Heir.  His paint work is reasonable as well.  It’s fairly clean, if perhaps a bit thick.  Jerry is packed with an easel with a piece of art on it, which, in contrast to Ann, feels quite character appropriate.

L’IL SEBASTIAN

Though he only actually appears in a single episode of the show’s run, miniature horse L’il Sebastian is nevertheless a major fixture of the series, influencing a great many actions, and inspiring “5000 Candles In The Wind”, one of the show’s most memorable original songs.  L’il Sebastian is the smallest of the line’s figures, and he only gets 4 points of articulation, rather than the usual 5.  Obviously, it’s a rather unique sculpt in its own right, and, you know, it’s a pretty good horse sculpt.  And also tiny, which feels appropriate.  The little drape thingy (sorry, I don’t really know horse terms) is a soft vinyl piece, ala the original Kenner Star Wars capes, and can be removed, if you want to give Sebastian a more dressed down look.  His paint work is okay; the bridle detailing is pretty sharp (I apparently know one horse term), and the subtle shift on the coloring for the legs looks quite nice.

RON & TAMMY 2

Loosely related to the Series 2 line-up, we got what is thus far the line’s only multipack, Ron and Tammy 2, pairing the first Ron variant of the line with an all-new figure, based on his second wife Tammy, played by Nick Offerman’s real-life wife, Megan Mullally.  These two are based on their post-arrest appearances from “Ron & Tammy: Part 2,” Ron with his cornrows and kimono, and Tammy in her wedding dress.  Ron’s sculpt handles the head pretty well, still maintaining the Offerman likeness of the standard, but the body seems a bit small for his usual build.  Tammy 2’s sculpt isn’t bad from a technical side, especially the body sculpt, but I don’t really see much of Mullally in the head sculpt.  I suppose it’s not completely off the mark, but it just seems a tad too generic for her.  Ron’s paint work is generally alright, but he does notably have his entire mustache painted on, which is inaccurate, as by that point in the episode, it had worn off from “friction”.  Otherwise, the color work is basic, but matches the show.  Tammy 2’s work is sharp and clean, and definitely hits the mark.  This set doesn’t have any accessories, but I guess maybe they act as each *other’s* accessories?

PERD HAPLEY

This next figure is the one that I’m reviewing next, because it’s Perd Hapley!  The story behind Perd Hapley is that he’s a recurring character on the show Parks and Recreation portrayed by a real newscaster.  No, really, Jay Jackson, who played Perd, was a newscaster for 22 years, and has made an effort to play a newscaster in as many projects as he could.  Perd Hapley just happens to be one he stuck with, thanks to the writers loving the character so much.  The sculpt here gives us Perd in his usual suited look.  It’s not bad, but it’s also not one of the stronger ones.  I feel like preposing one of the arms bent on this one would work better.  As it stands, he’s a little stiff.  The head definitely tries to capture Perd’s usual demeanor, which I think it does alright, but I’m not sure the likeness is quite there.  Perd is packed with a coffee mug bearing the logo of his show “Final Word With Perd.”

JEAN-RALPHIO

Partner in crime to Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford, Ben Schwartz’s Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is one of the show’s most frequent recurring characters, and a natural choice for the line.  It’s curious that he joined the line *before* Tom, but ultimately that’s pretty trivial.  Jean-Ralphio’s sculpt is one of the most impressive in the line thus far.  The head’s got a strong likeness, with the hair being perhaps a little tamer than the show, but the character otherwise being summed up nicely.  He’s got some preposing, with his right arm bent to allow him to do his signature “amplifying his voice with his hand” move.  The detailing on the outfit is pretty sharp, with the texturing on the sleeves in particular being pretty impressive.  His paint work does its best to match up with the sculpt.  Some of the details get a little lost, and it’s a little sloppy, but it hits all the major notes.  Jean-Ralphio is packed with his smart phone, which fits perfectly into his left hand.

BOBBY NEWPORT

Bobby’s a notable recurring character during the show’s campaign arc for Leslie in the fourth season, made extra notable because he’s played by Paul Rudd.  The Rudd thing is probably the biggest reason he got a figure here, so, you know, good for him.  He’s seen here in full campaign mode, suited up and all smiley.  The sculpt does pretty well with it, and I think the likeness on the head’s honestly a pretty good one, definitely capturing Rudd’s general charm in the role.  The posing is generally just the basic, but his right hand’s a little different.  Why?  I’ll get to that.  The paint work is par for the course; the only notable issue I see is the solid color on the tie, which is a little understated for Bobby, who tended to go with more visible and bright patterns.  So, the right hand mold, what’s up with that?  Well, it’s sculpted to hand out a Bobby Bar, which Super 7 was nice enough to include.

RON SWANSON (STREP THROAT)

Series 4 officially pulls Ron into lead in terms of figures.  For a guy with the one set look for most of the show, he sure does get some fun variant options.  This one’s based on his look from the beginning of the Season 5 episode “Animal Control”, when he’s gotten strep throat from one of his step-daughters.  He’s in his Ignatius J. Riley-inspired bundled up attire, which is certainly a silly look, and also quite distinctive.  The sculpt does well with it.  He’s consistent with the standard version, keeping up with the likeness on the face, and also making him look sufficiently bundled up.  The paint work is pretty good, getting all of the different layers in there.  I also like the redness around the eyes; it really sells the “sick” look.  Ron is packed with is bottle of alcohol, his planned solution for his sickness.

TOM HAVERFORD

Easily the biggest missing cast member from Series 1, it’s astounding that it took until Series 4 to get to Tom, but here he is.  We get him in his standard suited set-up.  There’s certainly a lot of options for him, but I think this one’s a good starting one.  The sculpt is pretty good, apart from seeming maybe a little too big to properly scale with the others.  The head sculpt in particular has a strong likeness of Aziz, and the facial expression is what really sells it.  The body sculpt is okay, but there’s something awkward about how the jacket is sculpted at the hips.  We’ve gotten a few characters with suit jackets that go over the hips, and they’ve looked fine, but this one feels off for some reason.  Tom’s paint work is a little messy on some of the edges, but generally alright.  I’m glad that he didn’t suffer the same issue as Ann when it came to complexion.  Tom’s accessory is one of my favories: DJ Roomba!  It’s like a whole other character!

LESLIE KNOPE (CAMPAIGN TRAIL)

It’s a little surprising that it’s taken this long to get another Leslie figure, with her being the main character and all, but better late than never.  This one’s specifically based on her Season 4 campaign for city council, making her a good counterpart to the Bobby figure from the prior assortment.  This time around, she’s swapped out the skirt from the first figure for a more campaign-ready pantsuit.  She’s using the head and arms from the older figure, with new parts for the torso and legs.  It’s a good combo, resulting in a decent refresh to the look, without going too drastically different.  Her paint work is much darker, and she’s got a neat pattern on her blouse, which keeps things fun.  Leslie is packed with one of her ill-fated campaign signs, which appeals to the former IT guy and the former publication designer in me.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting the first series, I definitely wanted more, but I honestly didn’t expect them to hit as quickly as they did.  I did manage to snag Jerry and Ann at retail when they first hit, but then I lost track of the line, and suddenly there were a whole bunch of them I didn’t have.  That wasn’t daunting at all, you guys!  Thankfully, my parents were kind enough to get me everyone I’d missed for my birthday this year, so now I’m all caught up.  It’s kind of crazy how deep this line’s gone, and I’m here for it.  The Series 3 package renders had Chris and a “Janet Snakehole” variant of April on them, so presumably there’s more of these on the horizon?  I’d love to get them, and I also wouldn’t say no to a Councilman Jamm.  Or a Dianne.  Or a Craig.  Or a Mona Lisa.  I’d say no to a Mark, though.  Don’t make Mark….eh, I’d probably buy a Mark, too, honestly.

#3292: Ron Swanson

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

RON SWANSON

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

At the very beginning of the year, I discussed Parks & Recreation and how it’s the superior workplace comedy when compared to The Office.  Why do I bring this up again?  Well, for one to remind you all that I said it.  I said it and I stand by it.  I’m not backing down on it.  So there.  But, also, it’s because, at the time, I only looked at five figures out of the six figure assortment of figures that Super 7 put out under their ReAction umbrella.  The one figure missing was a character that, if he’s not one of the best characters in the history of TV, is at the very least one of the most distinctive.  That’s right, it’s Ron ****ing Swanson.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ron Swanson is the sixth and final figure in the first series of Super 7’s Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures line.  He’s seen here in his usual attire from Season 2 and on, after they’d nailed down the long sleeved polo and khakis look which would become his definitive outfit.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Of the six figures in the set, I think Ron may just have the best likeness.  There’s little mistaking who this guy is supposed to be, right down to his somewhat surly expression.  That’s definitely Nick Offerman, and he’s definitely playing Ron Swanson.  The body sculpt is far more basic, of course, but matches well with the rest of the line.  He’s a little stockier than the other men in the set, which is appropriate for Ron, and he’s again just got the rather standard pose.  Ron’s paint work is rather straight forward.  On mine, it’s a little cleaner than the others I’ve gotten from the line.  I did, however, notice one in the case that I pulled mine from that was, rather amusingly, missing his eyebrows.  Guess he was a Season 3 Ron, huh?  Ron is packed with a plate of breakfast meat, which seems about right for a guy that has a framed picture of breakfast meat on his wall.  Also, it means he pairs off well with Leslie and her waffles.  He still can’t really hold the plate, but at this point that’s expected.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I found the rest of the set, Ron was the only one not present, and I haven’t seen him anywhere since either.  He looks to be the first one to sell out everywhere, which I guess makes some sense.  Thankfully, I was able to get one through work, so my set is complete.  I’m glad I did, because Ron’s honestly the best of the first batch of figures.  He just really nails the character.  I’m hopeful that this set does well enough to justify more, because I really would love to get the whole main cast, and maybe a few of the recurring characters.  But, if it doesn’t, I’m happy that we at least got what we did.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3262: Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures

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

LESLIE KNOPE, BEN WYATT, DONNA MEAGLE, APRIL LUDGATE, & BURT MACKLIN

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

“Ba ba badadada ba badadada ba badadada ba badabada….”

Parks & Recreation Theme Song (Paraphrased)

The Office gets, like, a lot of attention.  So much attention.  Absurd amounts of attention.  And, the thing is, honestly?  It’s kind of overplayed.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some very funny bits on The Office.  But, for the most part, they can just be boiled down to quippy clips that make just as much sense, if not more, when chopped up and thrown into compilations as when shown in actual context.  For my money, the superior workplace comedy by a wide berth is Parks & Recreation, a show that’s also just one of my favorite shows in general.  As a show with a lot of pretty normal looking people, there’s not a *ton* in the way of merchandising for Parks & Rec, but there’s more than you might think.  Funko of course grabbed the license for Pops a while back, and last year Super 7 also got the license for the purposes of doing a set of ReAction Figures, most of which I’m taking a look at today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Leslie Knope, Ben Wyatt, Donna Meagle, April Ludgate, and Burt Macklin are five of the six figures (the other being Ron Swanson) that make up the first series of Super 7’s Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures line, which started hitting retail in the fall of last year.

You can’t very well have a line of Parks & Rec figures and not include the main character, so Leslie was always along for the ride.  Leslie gets quite a number of looks over the course of the show, but this figure settles on one of her office attire blazer and skirt looks, which feels pretty appropriate for the character.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The movement on her neck is a little restricted by the hair, but otherwise it’s a decent basic set-up for movement.  Leslie’s sculpt is obviously stylized to be a bit more basic.  It’s gets the important details, while dialing back a bit on some of the specifics.  The head’s got a passable likeness of Amy Pohler; it’s not spot-on, but at this scale and in this style, it’s hardly expected to be.  I’d say she’s probably the best of the likenesses present in the initial line-up.  The paint work is, like the sculpt, pretty basic.  It does what it needs to, and it looks the part.  Leslie is packed with a plate with a waffle on it, undoubtedly one made by JJ’s Diner.  There’s honestly nothing more on-brand for Leslie, so it’s definitely nifty.  She can’t really hold it, though, which is a shame.  Still cool.

Though absent until the end of the show’s second season, Ben’s still very much a signature character for the show.  Gonna be honest, there are few fictional characters I identify with more than Ben Wyatt.  His absence from the first two rounds of Pops kind of soured me on those, so I’m very excited that he’s here.  Ben’s sporting his more dressed-down, getting things solved look, which definitely works well.  The figure’s sculpt is one that works better in context than on its own.  The head’s an okay Adam Scott, but it could honestly just as easily be Jason Bateman or Jason Sudekis.  I don’t hate the smile, but it’s also not quite a quintessential Ben expression.  The body doesn’t seem quite skinny enough for Scott’s build; he’s too doughy in the middle, I think.  It’s definitely a little bit of a stylistic thing, though.  The paint work on Ben is pretty basic, and fairly drab, but that’s all about right.  Ben’s packed with a small recreation of the Cones of Dunshire, Ben’s absurdly complicated strategy game he invented.  As with Leslie’s waffle, this is a very on-brand piece, so it’s a lot of fun.  He does have a little bit more luck actually holding it, so that’s a plus.

Donna may have been in the show from the beginning, but she’s a character who very much grew as the show progressed, going from a glorified extra in the first season to a prominent series regular by the end.  Donna also has a lot of looks over the course of the show, but this one goes for her more casual attire.  Donna’s sculpt is a little more immediately obvious as to who it’s supposed to be, but it’s still not quite as on the mark as Leslie.  The likeness to Rhetta’s not overly there, but at the same time, it’s not like the figure looks *unlike* her.  As with Ben, the context of the rest of the figures fills it in pretty quickly.  Her sculpt is pretty basic, as expected, but her proportions seem a little more on the mark than Ben’s were.  Her paint work adds a little more color to the set, with a nice splash of bright pink, which works well for the set.  Donna is packed with a box of baked goods, marked “Treat Yo Self”, which is another very appropriate extra, since the Treat Yo Self antics really helped to cement her character.  We’re back to the figure not being able to hold the accessory, unfortunately, but it’s still nifty to have it.

April’s one of the few characters that comes out of the gate more or less fully formed on the show, albeit in a way that still very much allows her to grow as the series progresses.  For her figure, she’s another casual attire look, which is again pretty on-the-mark for her character.  April’s sculpt winds up being the weakest of the bunch, I find.  Something about the head just misses the mark.  The hair seems to sit too far back, making her forehead seem far too large, and the proportions on the body seem a bit off.  None of it’s terrible, but it’s not super great either.  Her paint work is at least pretty bright, so she’s got that going for her.  April is packed with a small minifigure of her and Andy’s three-legged dog Champion, which isn’t quite as spot-on for the character as some of the others, but is still a pretty solid inclusion.

Burt Macklin, FBI!  Yes, while everyone else in the assortment is just their normal selves, our first version of Chris Pratt’s Andy Dwyer is him using his Burt Macklin persona, which he’d whip out whenever things got “serious.”  It makes him the most targeted of these figures in terms of appearance, and also marks him as someone they’re probably looking to do multiple variants on, should the line progress.  “Burt” is a pretty decent sculpt as well.  The likeness is a little harder to place, since he’s got the glasses sculpted in place, but it seems to land the look pretty alright, and the body gets Pratt’s slightly huskier build down well.  “Burt” has a slightly sloppier paint scheme than the others in the set, especially on the hair and beard.  Given the scale and style, though, it’s not that bad, and the rest of the figure’s all pretty clean.  There are no accessories for this guy, which is a bit of a bummer, but I suppose they’re holding out on the more fun stuff for another Andy variant.  Still feels a bit light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With Parks & Rec being very high on my list of favorite TV shows, it’s hard for me to justify passing up the chance to own the cast in action figure form.  Of course, given the price point on these things, I was initially thinking I might just grab Ben.  I wound up being swayed into getting the five of these when my wife Rachel and I found them at Target, and she insisted on buying them for me as an early Christmas gift.  They’re definitely expensive for what they are, and they’re not perfect, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be down to pick up whatever else they want to do from the line.