Boon Reviews: bootLEGO Deadpool/Deathstroke

Boon returns with another bootLEGO review -- once again, we don't condone piracy here at the LBC.

After the colossal success of the silver screen adaptation of Deadpool it’s little surprise we find ourselves graced with another perfect commemoration in imitation LEGO. This particular iteration carries no obvious company name,  perhaps in a canny piece of misdirection against the impending cease and desist orders from Fox, Marvel and LEGO themselves.

The box (which was dinged at the top, incidentally) is well-designed, with consistent graphics on all faces. The lone piece of obvious plagiarism  is the wordmark from the movie marketing being used in three separate places.

This particular model, which I was fortunate enough to find cowering behind a dozen or more unlicensed blind bag Minions figurines, is the first in the set of 6 according, to the back face of the box model NO.1289-1. Contrary to most Western attempts at logic, the 1289-1 figure is not in fact the Classic Red suited Merc with a Mouth, but is in fact an almost pitch perfect rendition of DC Comics antagonist Deathstroke the Terminator, detailed in an all black medium gloss finish. In another crack piece of legal maneuvering the design team at mystery incorporated have changed out the traditional orange coloring on Deathstroke’s mask for a fetching shade of yellow, seemingly in line with the Silver Age X-Men Uniforms.... But this isn’t fooling anyone. This is 100% DC’s Deathstroke, which  is oddly fitting as Deadpool began life as something of an ersatz Deathstroke. Deadpool  is merely another  in a long and quite obvious line of DC and Marvel’s borderline plagiarism from one another.  .

Why borrow from Deathstroke, though? Well, while he wasn’t more widely known among the general public until his appearances on Arrow, Deathstroke was actually quite popular among comics readers for most of the 1980s, thanks to his prominence in Teen Titans. So it’s not really surprising that Deadpool popped up as an analogue/parody in the early 90s -- what’s more impressive is that subsequent writers and artists have made him a strong character who’s long since evolved beyond his origins.

The kit itself comes in a single clear polybag within the box. Oddly, the legs, torso and head are preassembled with the arms and hands being separate. The torso comes printed front and back, there’s front print on the legs and a single face detail printed on the head. Plugging the hands into the arms is simple, and the fit is snug with enough movement for reasonably accurate posing, should you wish your Deadpool/Deathstroke figure to wield his dual pistols gangland style (more on those down the page).

The display base supplied with the kit is a 4x4 baseplate with a single row of pegs along the rear edge. The smooth front portion of the base is emblazoned with an ‘X’ lettermark logo, ‘World’ and the instruction to ‘collect them all’, but lacking any further clues to whom we owe our great thanks for the blessing that is this kit.

The accessory pieces that come with 1289-1 are worth the cost of purchase alone. The pistols are an accurate replication of the twin barrel pistol originally released  in 2011, albeit with some additional mold lines, and casting tabs. If these are in fact a common occurrence, a touch up with a hobby knife or nail file ought to knock those off fairly effectively.

The twin katanas supplied are copies of the type 2 minifigure katana, but for some reason the two in my kit are supplied having been cast in two different types, or mixtures of plastics. One is a milky yellow color and the other a translucent shade of the same yellow. Which of the two finishes was intended may never be known, as the only other clues in the box art show the Katanas in black. Wacky color choices aside, these would make excellent additions to your stockpile of tiny plastic armaments should this kit find its way into your wider LEGO collection.

Deadpool 1289-1 is an improvement over Space Batman, having quite reasonable build quality but without the glaring component printing issue that all but ruined Space Batman as a display figure. The plastics are decent quality, without the brittleness one can often encounter  with cheaply manufactured toys. On the whole, the kit is a successful off-brand rendition of a character who is still relatively under-merchandised in spite of his rising popularity, and is likely to remain that way until Deathstroke shows up in the next inevitable trainwreck DC/Warner Bros foists upon us.

If you happen across this, or any other of this line of figures, shoot us a pic of your kit and your thoughts on it.

Boon Reviews: (boot)Lego Space Batman

Today the Lupine Book Club presents a special guest review from Boon, longtime friend to the site. He takes a look at the bootLego version of Space Batman, who originally appeared in the Green Lantern vs. Sinestro Lego set. Editor's note: Please note that the Lupine Book Club does not condone copyright infringement -- all opinions are the author's own.

I think we all remember the pivotal scene in the worldwide blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron when Space Batman saved us all from an age of subjugation under an evil robotic overlord. And what better way to to commemorate and celebrate that life-changing moment than with a Chinese imitation LEGO set?

Manufactured by the 'LELE' corporation and part of the 'Wang World' line of collectable figures, this “deluxe” figure comes with a host of additional action and display accessories. First among them is a bounce clip gift, which allows the user to plug in their miniaturised hero effigy and dramatically launch them into action.

The figure itself is supplied as a plain set of white legs with grey pelvis joint section, a front and back printed torso, plain white arms, grey hands, a white head with a single face print and a helmet/cowl unit that doesn't quite fit right. It sits too high on the facial printing to have the eye visor piece show through the eye holes of the cowl, which is unfortunate.

Space Batman is supplied with two options for his cape, a spreadeagled, full-flight version and a more discreet flowing cloak style. Both are attached to his person by way of the simple but effective flight propulsion unit or 'jet-pack'.

Once you've concluded your movie accurate re-enactment of Space Batman's expertly choreographed action sequences, you may take advantage of the supplied standard base plate for display purposes. This branded clear plastic base proudly bears the manufacturer name and logo next to the product line word mark so you know exactly who to thank in your frequent in your daily gratitude journals.

In addition to the standard base, you are supplied with the components to assemble a rather dramatic flight arm display. This connects to a rather intricate backpack set up that allows you to display Space Batman to his fullest and most majestic. A precision-engineered balljoint at the foot of this flight stand allows for something in the mind-blowing neighbourhood of 20 degrees of offset angle from vertical.

As a play piece, Space Batman offers plenty of opportunity for imaginative play, with his cape options and jet pack giving him the opportunity for flight play. The build quality is perhaps better than I had expected, the arm joints are firm and hold their position well, as do the hands, which can be an issue in well-loved LEGO figures. The leg joints have similar rigidity in standing poses but become looser in seated positions, which leads Space Batman to adopt a leisurely slouch when not supported by a chair or backrest of some kind.

As a display piece Space Batman's major fault is clearly the ill-fitting cowl, which spoils the entire head aesthetic, and I'm reluctant to think this is a one-off manufacturing fault. Factoring in the princely sum of $2.50AUD, I think this figure is all but a must-buy if you happen across it in your local Dollar/Discount store.