SPEED RACER

SPEED RACER (RESAURUS)

In 2014, I wrote reviews for four figures from the short-lived Resaurus Speed Racer toyline from the ‘90s.  In the twelve years since, I have mentioned Speed Racer twice in passing (one of those also being in 2014) and…well, that’s really it.  Bit of a gap there, huh?  Well, I’m bouncing back from the gap!  Oh yeah! And now I’m writing in one long stretch so as to convey very fast so as to properly line all of the words up to the movements of the mouths as they have already been animated and so now I am just saying as much as I can as quickly as I can with no breaks because that’s how you talk about Speed Racer, haha!  Anyway, here’s Speed Racer (haha!).

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Speed Racer was released in the first series of ReSaurus’s Speed Racer line in 1999.  He was the first of two Speed figures in the line, and the one that actually stuck to Speed’s in-show look, functioning as your basic, standard, regular version of the guy, and specifically designed with the line’s accompanying version of the Mach V in mind.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 8 points of articulation.  Like the rest of the line, Speed’s articulation is the standard 5, plus wrist and waist swivels, which is a pretty decent little set-up for this scale.  Speed’s sculpt was all-new to him, and remained unique, not sharing any parts even with the Speed variant from the second series.  For this line, ReSaurus took the general designs of the characters as seen in the show, figured out all of the important defining details, and then expanded on that, so they felt like the characters seen in the show, but also had a ton of extra detailing that adds to the overall appearance.  In Speed’s case, that means wrinkles and folds in his outfit, stitching and seams on his pants and shoes, and even a proper pattern on what we can see of his socks.  The first series were a little more pre-posed, and that’s true of Speed, who’s sort of mid-step, with his arms ever so slightly bent (perfect for holding the steering wheel of the Mach V, so it makes sense).  The one area this figure somewhat suffers is paint.  While far from terrible, there’s definitely a fair bit of slop and uneven coverage, especially on his shirt, and its various color changes.  The yellow used for the “G” is very thin, and sort of hard to see.  On the plus side, the head is quite nice, especially the eyes.  These figures were always pretty well accessorized and Speed’s no exception.  He gets his helmet, a handgun, a duffle bag, a trophy, and a display stand.  The helmet is the same one used with the second Speed, minus the extra red stripe.  It’s got a moving visor and fits snuggly on the head.  The rest of the extras are all pretty neat, and are very nicely detailed, much like the main figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got this figure after the initial run by a fair bit.  I was in high school, I think the summer that the movie came out, and found him and Trixie at a dealers table at a local con, and the dealer offered me a deal for both, which I was happy to take advantage of.  Admittedly, the Grand Prix Speed was the one I’d wanted more, but after as much time as had passed since I’d seen any version of Speed at all, I was happy just to have one.  This is such a great little line and every figure is really just a fantastic little gem.  Speed’s a great basic version of the character, and just a fun little figure in general.

INSPECTOR DETECTOR

SPEED RACER

As an animation geek and a toy geek, Resaurus’s Speed Racer line has fascinated me for quite some time. It’s a slightly out there line, and it was easy to overlook at the time, but it’s probably one of the coolest toylines to come out of the 90s. And that’s coming from a guy who got into toys in the 90s! Anyway, they covered most of the pivotal cast members from the show, plus some more minor ones. Today I’ll be looking at one of the show’s recurring heroes, Inspector Detector, who both inspects and detects. What a value!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Inspector Detector was released in Series Two of Resaurus’s Speed Racer line. He stands a little over 5 inches tall and features 8 points of articulation. He’s based on the appearance of the character on the show. As far as I know, Inspector Detector only had the one look, so it was a pretty clear choice. The sculpt was brand new to this figure, and it looks to emulate the character’s design pretty well. In particular, they really managed to get the Inspector’s oddly shaped beard down in three dimensions, which is really impressive. Like the rest of Series Two, the Inspector has a more basic pose than the earlier figures in the line, which works in his favor. The paint work on Inspector Detector is pretty good overall, though there are a few slight areas of bleed over. The figure is accessorized with a walkie talkie, a pair of binoculars, a hand gun, a pair of hand cuffs, a police badge, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I got Captain Terror and the Assassin at Balticon, it occurred to me that I was only two figures short of a complete set of Speed Racer figures. So, I tracked down yesterday’s Grand Prix Speed and the good old Inspector from a seller on ebay for a pretty great deal. The Inspector isn’t one of my favorite characters from the show, but he’s a unique looking figure, and he rounds out the set nicely.

SPEED RACER – GRAND PRIX

SPEED RACER

Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go! Yep, it’s time for more Speed Racer reviews. This time around, it’s the main man himself, Speed Racer!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Speed was released as part of the second series of Resaurus’s Speed Racer line. The figure stands about 5 inches tall and features 8 points of articulation. The figure is NOT based on a look from the show, a trait unique to this figure. Instead, he’s a hypothetical figure, based on what the toymakers thought Speed would look like, were he to take part in the Grand Prix. The big difference between basic Speed and Grand Prix Speed is the latter’s spiffy racing jacket. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like the two versions of Speed share a torso and waist, with all the other sculpted parts being new to this figure. As a Series Two figure, he has a more subdued pose than his Series One counterpart, which actually works in the figure’s favor. The head also features a more intense expression, and generally has a better likeness to the character than the first version. The paintwork on Speed is pretty good, with no noticeable areas of slop or bleed over. I was also impressed by the Mach V logo on the back of his jacket, which looks really great. Speed includes his helmet (with a racing stripe), a hat, a hand gun, a trophy, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After picking up Captain Terror and the Assassin at Balticon, I figured I might as well complete my Speed Racer set. Grand Prix Speed can be a pricey figure, but I was able to track one down on ebay for a good deal. Grand Prix Speed was actually the version of the character I had wanted when I was younger, but I never saw one in person. I’m happy to have finally gotten a hold of one!

ASSASSIN

SPEED RACER

Continuing yesterday’s theme, today is another figure from the 60s cartoon Speed Racer. It’s another villainous figure, this time depicting the Assassin. Interestingly enough, they weren’t referred to assassins in the original Japanese version of the show. They were called ninja, the Japanese word for assassin. The group dubbing didn’t think the United States would get the concept, so they renamed them the more generic “assassins.” If only they’d known…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Assassin was released as part of the second series of Resaurus’s Speed Racer line. He stands 5 inches tall and features 8 points of articulation. The figure is based on the appearance of the assassins from the episode “Gang of Assassins.” I suppose it technically counts as an army builder if one were so inclined. The Assassin features an entirely unique sculpt. The second series featured less pre-posed sculpts than the first, so the Assassin features a more generic stance. This allows the articulation to be more effectively utilized than on the figures in series one. The sculpt is an accurate representation of the look from the show, simplistic but still full of character. The highlight of the figure is his head sculpt, which perfectly captures the exaggerated proportions and expressions of a Speed Racer character. The paint work is decent overall, though the figure does suffer from some bleed over around the line between his face and his mask. The Assassin includes a handgun, a machine gun, a backpack, a rope, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Captain Terror, the Assassin is a recent addition to my collection, purchased in the Balticon dealer’s room this past Memorial Day. I’d seen this figure a few times over the years, but never got around to picking one up. He’s a pretty cool little figure, and I’m very glad I decided to finally buy one.

CAPTAIN TERROR

SPEED RACER

Like Ultraman, it might be a bit surprising to find out that I’m a pretty big Speed Racer fan. It’s a bit before my time, but like many other such things, I became a fan nonetheless. My dad was a fan of the show in its initial run, and this, coupled with the convenient release of Resaurus’s toyline in the 90s and my status as a bit of an animation geek led to my love of the series. Today, I’ll be looking at one of Speed’s wacky foes from the show, Captain Terror!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Terror was released as part of the first series of Resaurus’s Speed Racer line. He stands about 5 inches tall and features 9 points of articulation (if you count the moving head feather, which I totally do!). The figure is, obviously, based on Captain Terror’s design from the original Speed Racer TV show. He has a completely unique sculpt, which seems to capture the Captain’s design pretty well. He is a bit more detailed than his animated counterpart, but that’s actually a point in the figure’s favor. He has a cape add-on piece, sculpted to convey his cape in a windblown state. The character was depicted in such a way at least once, so it’s a nice touch. The paint work is superb. There isn’t any noticeable slop, and he has some nice washes to help bring out some of his details. Captain Terror includes a gun, a pair of binoculars, a walkie talkie, a roll of dynamite (with a working plunger!), and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Captain Terror was a recent acquisition for me. I picked him up from the dealer’s room at Balticon just this past Memorial Day. I actually remember looking at this figure when it was originally released, but for whatever reason I never got one. I’m happy to finally have the figure, and it’s certainly a fun addition to my collection.