Depending on who you talk to, the Reydurran Operations Unit Mini Blocker Rig Action Figure is either a figure or a vehicle. This slightly smaller evolution of The Rig from a few years ago, and at 3 1/2-inches tall looks and feels like a cross between an expensive art piece and a cheap toy you had as a kid in 1982.
The design has 4 pieces which pop apart at each joint, although in my experience the arms are really tough to pull out so I won't be doing that again. Due to the placement of pieces, the arms are more or less immobile unless you twist the figure at its waist roughly 90 degrees, in which case they rotate any way you please. You can still rotate them up a bit in the default mode, although it rubs against the body and I try to avoid that sort of thing. The "vehicle".shtmlect comes in from your being able to pop the Rig in half and stuff a figure inside, although with no seating or cockpit it's more of a way to store a figure than to have it pilot a vehicle. (I've had a few arguments over this one, so your mileage may vary.) As it's a contained thing with no visible driver, I see it more as a nifty figure.
For long-time fans of the line, you'll no doubt note the clever reuse of existing parts deployed to make something new. Two of the original Rig's arms were plugged into the top half of a Core Block, which was plugged into the original Rig's feet. The whole thing is given a new paint job with a new paint mask, which looks incredibly great when compared to earlier Rigs. Extra grey panels are painted, as are various red lights and other bits which give this redeco a nice "evil" look.
It has no head to speak of, and feels less like a spacefaring vehicle like earlier Rigs and more like a planetary vehicle. If they ever do this one in yellow, you can be sure I and others will be picking it up because the form does look more than a little like the Power Loader from ALIENS and as such, is totally welcome in any decent sci-fi toy collection.
As mentioned when I reviewed one of the original rigs, its design is very much open to interpretation. Onell Design haven't put this particular Rig in its storyline much beyond a flight mode cameo in the Sonesidar comics, leaving its function more or less to your imagination. Sort of like how every kid in 1982 with an R2-D2 eventually flipped it upside-down to become a cannon, the Mini Blocker Rig easily swivels around into some sort of sentry turret, space ship, manned forklift, or whatever your eyes can see. It's bizarre to think something like free-form play is included in a collector's toy line aimed at adults, but here you go. It works. As such, I'd say go ahead and get a Mini Blocker Rig if and when one comes available to you at the right price. For the deco alone, these little guys are worth the asking price of $20, although when it comes to paying more on eBay you might want to see if someone can cut you a deal... or just wait for the next new release.
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