 Charlie Clone |
Welcome to Charlie Clone's All Action Figure Revue at SWAFT.info! I'm your host, Charlie Clone! |
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Today I bring you a representative from the Jungle King: Escape from Primal Danger
Rescue Mission Playset...and what a representative it is! As if
to keep in line with our ongoing series of high-profile knockoffs, this
Jungle King figure
is a dead ringer for none other than Lara "Tomb Raider" Croft. All I have to say is, "Hot-cha!" And here I thought reviewing Transformatrix Optimus Prime would be the highlight of my career! Once again, this lovely piece of plastic was picked up in a Dollar Tree and was distributed by Greenbrier International, Inc. of 500 Volvo Parkway, Chesapeake, Very Attractive 23320. As if it needed saying, she was made in China. Breaking news flash: It turns out that Jungle King, as well as a number of other lines I have reviewed such as Dino Power Ninjatron with Ravager Action, Fire Rescue and Ninja Warrior Hero of the Dark are all toylines produced by a company named Chap Mei. You can learn more about this mysterious and secretive mass producer of budget toys at the unofficial Chap Mei Toys Website. From the very thorough research which the boys over at the unofficial CMT Website have gathered, it would appear that most Chap Mei figures are usually packed in larger sets that cost more than a dollar. Keep an eye out for them the next time you are in a K*Mart, National Wholesale Liquidator (which seem to be the Mecca of Chap Mei), or local drugstore. According to the images on CMT, this figure was also available as part of the much larger Jungle King Tower Attack play set, and she might in fact be a repack from an earlier line (CMT apparently likes to recycle their figures even more than Hasbro). Thus, one would surmise that Dollar Tree has struck some kind of deal for these mini-packs containing a single figure and some accessories. |
 And on a related note CMT forums member Ashambri wrote in regarding my previous reviews of Chap Mei Toys: "great reveiws, but about the durability, my kid has had some of these figures for 4 years, plays with them daily, and most are still tight jointed. That's a lot more durable that most action figures out there, like McFarlane, and you just can't beat the price." I would also like to add that this is one of the first toys I've reviewed in a while with consistent warning labels on the package, indicating that this toy is not for children under three, but intended for children three and up. (Incidentally, did you know that even official Star Wars 3.75" figures have fallen prey to the dreaded conflicting warning label syndrome?) |
CONCEPT:
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The essential concept of this toy boils down to two words: hubba-hubba. After that, this toy relies on one other key
marketing strategy for any budget toy line: consumer misrecognition.
The Jungle King package
art, with its jungle background and howling gorilla, clearly attempts
to bank on Peter Jackson's recent special effects extravaganza King
Kong. King Kong...Jungle King...I'm not being too obvious
here, am I? Note that "King" is the largest word on the package. Those
are some clever ducks over at Chap Mei. Movie allusions aside, any male under the age of 35 who spends more than 45 minutes a week killing things on the Internet would immediately recognize the video game character to which this figure pays overt homage. A Lara Croft look-a-like to stand next to me on the shelf for a mere buck? I ain't complaining. Still, I find the pith helmet feature to be slightly distracting. Maybe Lara is trying to tell me something about all the times my clumsy keyboard fingers made her fall from a high cliff while trying to make a death-defying leap to a moving platform in some underground Aztec temple... |
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ACCESSORIES:
I also discovered that a magnifying glass on her belt strap is removable, and it actually almost vaguely magnifies things. Unfortunately, I discovered this after taking the shot of the accessories, so it wasn't included in that image.
I also should note that the crossbow and arrows are actually a repacked accessory from another Chap Mei line.
While the specimen is certainly cool, and seems to go along with the jungle exploration theme, I'm not so sure that the crossbow is really the most logical weapon for her to be packed with. If I was trying to escape from primal danger, I think I'd want something with a faster loading and firing time...not to mention something that I could carry without tripping over.
I decided to root through some of my accessories containers and re-equip her with two G.I.Joe pistols and an Elite Forces backpack. Now she's all ready for some highly lethal, Indiana Jones-style spelunking!
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FEATURES: Like other Chap Mei toys, this figure has
some really detailed sculpting. And I'm not just saying that because
she's a busty adventure woman. The designers went above and beyond
putting intricate bootstraps, laces, and treads on her.
She appears to be wearing an undershirt with a ribbed neck to modestly cover herself despite the open collar of her blouse.
What? I had to look. I'm a professional. It's
my job. Unlike Chap Mei's Dinopower Ninjatron figures, Jungle King's Lara Croft (in miner's
attire) doesn't feature much in the way of articulation. Neck,
shoulders, and legs swivel are all there, but there is no waist
articulation. How is
she supposed to twist her hips and give one of those "come hither"
looks with no waist articulation? Paint is applied minimally, although it is
usually clean (unlike certain action figure lines as of late). There
are some areas that could certainly use a brush stroke or two. Like her
Fire Rescue twin,
she features Chap Mei's patented two-tone tush feature.
She also has two belt straps all the way up
on her right upper thigh that are flesh
toned. I wonder how much it costs to buy belts in nude?
Again, I take my job as an action figure reviewer very seriously. This figure was treated with the utmost professionalism and respect while being photographed.
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PLAY VALUE:
Uhm...so...yeah. Play value.
This toy is probably targetting those creepy men who have to buy every single "chick fig" that hits the shelves. You know who you are. Leia as Jabba's Prisoner army builders, Catwoman hoarders, and those guys who buy those PVC statues of anime girls in school uniforms. The kind of guy who goes to Dragoncon hoping to get a little summin'-summin' with a girl in a Faye Valentine costume. Those upstanding members of the action figure collecting community are probably salivating right now as they look for this figure on eBay...
I mean, sure, I have one...but, I'll buy
anything for a dollar.
I have standards after all.
| Until
next time...
--Charlie Clone |
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