Billy Ray
Well-known member
German Mechanic
Another one of the vintage figures, brought up to modern standards, this is one of those figures (like Toht) whose absence made the line feel incomplete.
Hasbro did a great job capturing Pat Roach's hulking frame, adding just the tiny bit of flabbyness that he had in the film (not that I am one to talk). This figure is an awesome compromise of asthetics and articulation, giving him just enough to be posed battling Indy while looking great at the same time. He even has some very nicely concealed ankle articulation that I didn't even notice at first. His outfit, consisting really only of pants and boots, is spot on to the movie and the cap is a nice touch (and fits him very well). My only quibble here is that his only open hand, his right one, is a rather tight fit for his accessories, which is why I have him holding the wrench like I do. I didn't even try to force the pistol in there, as it seemed as if it would be a fruitless attempt.
The headsculpt is pretty nice. I wouldn't say it is 100% Pat Roach, but it captures the essence of the character nicely. One thing I noticed is the oddly askew mustache. I guess maybe he is meant to be sneering, but his straight mouth doesn't reflect this. I couldn't find a screen shot that showed his mustache at this kind of odd angle, I guess Hasbro just took a little poetic license. It doesn't really detract from his awesomeness, just a weird little thing I noticed.
Considering he didn't even have some of these items in the film, the German Mechanic makes out pretty well in the accessory department. He has the removable cap which, as I said, fits like a charm. He also comes with the obligatory wrench which, correct me if I am wrong, he never actually wielded on film (it was the other mechanic) but, well, he is a mechanic and the vintage figure had one...so what the heck. He also comes with a nicely sculpted Walther P-38, which he also never used in the film and he can't seem to actually hold. Don't get me wrong though, after countless Lugers, I am ecastatic at finally getting a P-38! Toht sports one of these, as do a few of his thugs, and the pilot of the Flying Wing. Indy also uses one to shoot the line up of Nazis on the tank in TLC, yet we have never gotten one in the line. They easily could have just given us another Luger and no one would have cared, so it's inclusion is very welcome. Since he can't really hold it though, I am giving mine to Toht. You can also see in this shot the nicely concealed ankle articulation the Mechanic has.
I realize I didn't take as many pics of this guy as I did other figures, a fact that will be remedied in my "round up" review later on. Over all, this guy is great! He looks great while having just the right amount of articulation at the same time. They could have maybe added wrist joints, but I prefer the way he is I think. I can't think of anything else he could have come with, the only other thing he had on flim was a shirt, which he swiftly removed. Not sure how they could have pulled that off, so best to leave it alone. One thing I did notice, and this is really minor stuff, is that when his waist is twisted to any position other than "straight ahead", his upper torso noticeably hangs over his waist. Not a huge deal, like I said, and I am not really sure how they could have avoided this. I also realized, too late to post, that I didn't take any comparison shots of him and the Giant Thuggee, which I will also remedy in my "round up" review.
Next up....Toht
Another one of the vintage figures, brought up to modern standards, this is one of those figures (like Toht) whose absence made the line feel incomplete.
Hasbro did a great job capturing Pat Roach's hulking frame, adding just the tiny bit of flabbyness that he had in the film (not that I am one to talk). This figure is an awesome compromise of asthetics and articulation, giving him just enough to be posed battling Indy while looking great at the same time. He even has some very nicely concealed ankle articulation that I didn't even notice at first. His outfit, consisting really only of pants and boots, is spot on to the movie and the cap is a nice touch (and fits him very well). My only quibble here is that his only open hand, his right one, is a rather tight fit for his accessories, which is why I have him holding the wrench like I do. I didn't even try to force the pistol in there, as it seemed as if it would be a fruitless attempt.
The headsculpt is pretty nice. I wouldn't say it is 100% Pat Roach, but it captures the essence of the character nicely. One thing I noticed is the oddly askew mustache. I guess maybe he is meant to be sneering, but his straight mouth doesn't reflect this. I couldn't find a screen shot that showed his mustache at this kind of odd angle, I guess Hasbro just took a little poetic license. It doesn't really detract from his awesomeness, just a weird little thing I noticed.
Considering he didn't even have some of these items in the film, the German Mechanic makes out pretty well in the accessory department. He has the removable cap which, as I said, fits like a charm. He also comes with the obligatory wrench which, correct me if I am wrong, he never actually wielded on film (it was the other mechanic) but, well, he is a mechanic and the vintage figure had one...so what the heck. He also comes with a nicely sculpted Walther P-38, which he also never used in the film and he can't seem to actually hold. Don't get me wrong though, after countless Lugers, I am ecastatic at finally getting a P-38! Toht sports one of these, as do a few of his thugs, and the pilot of the Flying Wing. Indy also uses one to shoot the line up of Nazis on the tank in TLC, yet we have never gotten one in the line. They easily could have just given us another Luger and no one would have cared, so it's inclusion is very welcome. Since he can't really hold it though, I am giving mine to Toht. You can also see in this shot the nicely concealed ankle articulation the Mechanic has.
I realize I didn't take as many pics of this guy as I did other figures, a fact that will be remedied in my "round up" review later on. Over all, this guy is great! He looks great while having just the right amount of articulation at the same time. They could have maybe added wrist joints, but I prefer the way he is I think. I can't think of anything else he could have come with, the only other thing he had on flim was a shirt, which he swiftly removed. Not sure how they could have pulled that off, so best to leave it alone. One thing I did notice, and this is really minor stuff, is that when his waist is twisted to any position other than "straight ahead", his upper torso noticeably hangs over his waist. Not a huge deal, like I said, and I am not really sure how they could have avoided this. I also realized, too late to post, that I didn't take any comparison shots of him and the Giant Thuggee, which I will also remedy in my "round up" review.
Next up....Toht