The biggest disappointment are the cheap paint jobs. The colors are vibrant enough, but the details aren't as finely outlined as they were in the original three. This is most painfully apparent in Sonic's and Amy's eyes. They have this distant, artificial look that makes them seem like psycho dolls from a cheesy horror flick or something. My favorite thing about the first series was how alive they looked; like they'd be ready to leap right off the shelf and cut a few runs through Speed Highway or something. Ah well.

   On the bright side, the models themselves are right smack on the mark. From Amy's tiny nose to the dual straps on Big's shoes to E-102's hover disc, series 2 carries on the legacy of remarkable accuracy introduced in the first set. Even Sonic's spines have been adjusted from the slightly off-model original.

   It's kind of weird to have Sonic on skis when the only place the skis ever actually showed up was in some promo art, but we can thank Toy Island for stealing Sonic's more identifiable snowboard. Incidentally, the skis are again a dead-on replica of the set portrayed in that lone pic, going so far as to add a bold "SONIC" on the bottom of each. A quibble about the ice picks is that they lack the red stripe just below the handle, but that's just nit-picking.

   Amy's is the only figure with an immobile head. Apparently the little ditz has no neck, but her whole torso can be twisted at the hip. Her accessory is, obviously, her now-trademark Pikopiko Hammer. The ugly news is that, when molding Amy's hand, someone neglected to include sufficient opening to actually get the handle in it, although it's clearly designed to be holding a thin cylindrical object. I finally succeeded, and have the bleeding thumb (literally) to prove it. I'd like to comment on the accuracy of the mallet itself, but it's based on the one you start with and I have the Long Hammer on my save and don't feel like starting over just to check the design. It'd be cool if it spouted little plastic hearts when you whack it, though...

   Big is...big. There's not too many different ways to pose him, but face it: Big is not a very posable character. In all the art I've seen, official or otherwise, the only way to differentiate is to draw him from a different angle. My major complaint is the modelling. He looks good until you turn him around...I guess they intend that side to face the wall, but Big's back is bodaciously bare. He lacks the fur spikes or whatever you wanna call 'em on the back of his head...it just looks bald. Also, if you pay attention, there's a single V-shaped splotch of dark that extends about halfway down his back in the game. There's absolutely nothing in the figure, and from behind, it makes him look a bald, naked fat man painted purple. Of course I'm nit-picking again, but darnit, who else is gonna pay $7 for an action figure but the hardest of the hardcore fans? I want details. They were nice enough to include his fishing pole, which is another remarkably accurate replica, but again they neglected to include enough space to actually get it in his hand. Gee whiz...

   And then there's the pièce de résistance, coolest of the Adventure crew, E-102. Unquestionably my favorite of the bunch. In tune with his game model, he's the biggest of the crew. As far as I can tell, every little detail is accurately captured...even the "floating" Jet Booster that attaches to his back. I just wish he were a bit more articulated...the only movable joints are his head, arms, and torso. The three Ninja Turtle fingers on his left arm are kind of skinny, but I'm glad they bothered to separate them. My biggest complaint is that his torso seems a little too spherical, but the actual shape is never well-defined and very hard to capture, so I forgive that.

   In general, the whole set seem to have a more 'solid' feel than the first, which were kinda limp and difficult to stand. Too bad they shifted away from the metallic tones in the stands themselves...Sonic's is gray, Amy's is purple, Big's is green. Gamma, again, is the pleasant exception with a glossy onyx shade.

   All in all, while in general not quite up to par with the first set, they're still top-notch shelf material that any serious Sonic fan should be happy to own. I'll be happy man when ReSaurus announces Series 3, including Eggman, Tikal, and Chaos. Then there'll be the giant Perfect Chaos figure, which fits into the collapsable Station Square playset. Okay, maybe not...but that'd be awesome...

   -- Green Gibbon!

Compiled and arranged by Jared "Green Gibbon!" Matte. Hosting provided by Emulation Zone and Emulation World.