We were so delighted when we received the Chibis made by the very cool company Bullsitoy recently that we figured it made good sense to delve deeper into what makes this toymaker tick. And discovered the wonderful Wind-Ups. Right now it looks as though they have two series available at these retailers, The Walking Dead and the Justice League - which we will look at today.
Bullsitoy: Actually this is not my first introduction to these, I spied them in Target one day and that's how I heard about this Iowa-based company. The figures are lightweight (hollow ABS plastic), colorful with super clean lines (appliques rather than paint), and have a nice simple wind-up mechanism. We took a close look at a half-dozen figures of the seven offered in the series (missing was Wonder Woman).
The figures are just about 4" tall (Batman eeks out some extra height w/his mask) and you can pick one, a dynamic duo, or as any completist would, Collect 'Em All! At first glance through the window box I thought they were made of tin, though they are sturdy for ages 6+ and travel about a foot on a single "charge" (er, physical knob turn). Honestly, this harkens to the simplicity of toys of yore and we should celebrate the history of toymaking in general with such a simple and longstanding device.
Characters in the set include (as depicted, sans WW): Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, The Flash and Cyborg (is WW the only "New 52" here? hard to tell). Either way, this version is made up of some of your favorites (no Aquaman) and they stand tall and proud - check this out:
For me, I grew up on Hanna-Barbera's animated Super Friends that ran for thirteen years from 1973 on.....and I'm most definitely excited to see how things will gel for the forthcoming film The Justice League (Part One) in 2017 - to be directed by Zack Snyder. I think the two when compared/contrasted will be complete polar opposites - which shows the diversity in the characters, even though they are both still based on the same premise.
These Wind-Ups, like any similar wind-up toy through the ages, use a simple internal turning mechanism that should only be wound "so far" and then let go to walk forward on feet that are shaped to keep upright. Ours did not topple after many tests (some do as you know).
The only single drawback I saw when put side-by-side-by-side is so miniscule - is that the green and white masks for both Robin and Green Arrow are too similar - only change I might make is the color of Robin's eyes perhaps. It's a teeny tiny criticism overall. Speaking of which....
RATING
Sculpt: 9.5/10
Paint/Labeling: 10/10
Mechanism: 8/10
Design/Packaging: 8.5/10
Of the lot my two stand-out favorites are The Flash and Cyborg, and then the Dynamic Duo (you decide). These will make a nice addition to your collector's shelf - or they will make a great gift for a kid who is just starting to understand comics and such. In fact, if I were a kid (6-60!) I'd love to get these in a box with a few JLA comics - pure bliss!
Watch for Bullsitoy's periodical contests here. You can also find them on Facebook!