It never ceases to amaze me how some fanbases react to figures. Snout Spout seemed to capture a small amount of scorn, which is odd because to me this was a figure I was actually really looking forward to seeing updated. (Heck, I was looking forward to him in the 2002 line, before he became a statue.) Like most figures in the line, we're basically seeing the same body with a new head and new gear. It's remarkable just how much you can get out of a single, fairly good body sculpt.
Unless I'm mistaken (as some of my figures are still being unpacked) Snout Spout has new hands and feet, which is nice to see. The head is the best new element and actually has a lot going on-- the design retains the simplicity of the 1980s figure with more detail and paint, plus some articulation. Not content (or able) to merely spray water, this time the nose is a soft foam which has an armature that allows it to bend, which is a lot of fun to play with. Oh, it also makes me incredibly nervous about how he'll hold up to aging over the coming years. Bendy material sometimes doesn't like to age gracefully, you see.
The axe accessory is based on the vintage weapon, which had a claw at the end used to prop up the figure so he could remain standing while you pressed on his head to squirt water. Obviously, the new one can't squirt water, so it basically either just looks cool or serves as a sort of a tripod display stand. It's amazing to think that back in the 1980s, toy companies put thought into letting figures remain standing during play (or display) which we see less and less of these days.
A second new accessory is new to this release, and is basically the Jaws of Life. It plugs into his hand and has two jointed, uh, prongs with which to grab or pry or cut or whatever. On my sample they're a little uneven, warped slightly, but it's still a neat toy. I do find myself wishing it had some plunger-activated spring-loaded snapping action or something, but that seems strictly verbšten in this line. Which is a shame... because a little more fun could go a long way.
I've heard of issues with paint flaking on the belt, but so far mine's just fine-- but at the time I write this, he's been out of the box for about six hours. The orange plastic body has a dark wash to bring out detail, and he generally looks like an awesome display piece. I had fun futzing with it and he's probably going to go right up there with Scare Glow as a figure I enjoy far more than I should. If you have the means, and the price is good, I suggest you make sure you get a Snout Spout.
I almost forgot to mention that the figure included a bonus sticker sheet with various logos you can affix to your carded figures. Which to me is b.shtmlhemous-- I don't g.shtml affixing a sticker to a mint carded figure for any reason, but this figure includes "Galactic Protectors," "Powers of Grayskull," "Evil Horde," and "Snake Men" logos for your various needs. I might slap them on my clipboard or something. It's a nice bonus and I'm glad it's included.
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