Goliath comes in a huge box for the packaging, reminiscent of NECA's new deluxe kaiju boxes. The other figures in the series come in smaller, Black Series-size boxes, but somehow Goliath, in his giant box, has the same price tag.
Right out of the packaging, Goliath looks like a very good representation of the in-game model (judging from pictures online). Though some liberties were taken in order to add joints, particularly in the head area, any fan of Evolve should be able to recognize on-sight what this is supposed to be.
The sculpt and paint on the figure is much, much better than you'd expect from a mass-market figure. Goliath has some dark grey shading throughout his body, while his claws and spikes are also given some paint detail to highlight the sculpt. My favorite area definitely has to be the face though, with the eyes given some very good red and yellow paintwork. The inside of the mouth is bright pink, but it also has some darker red shades to simulate the inside of a mouth, and it's fantastic.
While most of the sculpt is very well-done, some areas seem a bit soft, as if Gentle Giant stretched some areas of the digital sculpt without adding in any sharper details. However, this is hardly noticeable, and it is still miles ahead of any Marvel Legend, reaching NECA territory.
Goliath's articulation is also surprisingly good. He has:
- a limited balljointed neck (making it more of a swivel)
- an articulated jaw
- swivel/hinge shoulders
- single-jointed elbows
- swivel/hinge wrists
- a functional ab joint, allowing for forwards and backgrounds tilting as well as rotation
- ball-jointed hips
- a thigh swivel
- two bends in the leg to accomplish a "chicken-leg" stance
- and Hasbro-style ankle rockers
While his size may prevent some extreme poses, all the joints are there, making Goliath one of the more poseable monster figures I've handled in a while. The articulated jaw in particular is quite fun, though there isn't THAT drastic of a difference between his open/closed mouth.
Goliath has no accessories besides his spiked tail, which attaches to a hole in his back. This is where the gripes with this figure begin. Firstly, the tail doesn't like to attach all the way, leaving an unsightly gap. The tail on my figure tends to fall off as well.
In fact, the quality control issues are what prevent this figure from going from great to perfect. He uses the clear peg joints that are widely feared by buyers of Funko Legacy, for these will break incredibly easily. I haven't had any issues of breakage, but it's definitely something to watch out for.
Also, on my figure and some other samples, the thigh joint has been stuck out of the package. A fix can be found here, and it would be helpful to boil and pop before proceeding with the figure.
The final quality control issue is in the shoulders. These are incredibly stiff, metal joints, so it would be wise to boil/use a hair dryer to loose them up before using them. Also, after I tried to loosen them up, the paint started wearing off, as seen in the picture above.
Once you fix all the issues and take the proper precautions though, Goliath is a wonderful figure. Although I don't have any of the other Evolve figures, Goliath is right at home with Gipsy Danger.
Another thing to consider is also the value of this figure. He stands taller than a standard 6-inch figure, and is much heavier than any others at his price point. If Goliath had been a "deluxe" figure at $30, he would've been a harder pill to swallow, but at the same price as a Black Series figure, it's a no-brainer.
In fact, this is one of the best offerings of the Legacy line I've seen so far. With stellar sculpt, paint, articulation, and value, the only thing holding this figure back is the quality control, and even that is manageable if you're willing to work for it.
he looks awesome. good thing you included the tuturials on the joints. is he roughly the same size as the other kaijus?
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