Funko The Fifth Element Ruby Rhod ReAction FigureFunko, 2015
Day #1,244: August 11, 2015
The Fifth Element Ruby Rhod Your Chris Tucker Figure Is Here
The Fifth Element ReAction Figure
Item No.: No. 5212 Manufacturer:Super7 x Funko Includes:Cane microphone Action Feature:n/a Retail: est. $9.99 Availability:May 2015 Other: Radio Host to the Stars
Increasing most action figure collections' Chris Tucker quotient by one, Ruby Rhod is something of an oddball on numerous levels. He's got Q*Bert's snout on his head, he talked amazingly fast, and was basically what an E! host would be like in the distant future. Post-post-glam in appearance and mannerisms, the character stopped the movie cold and earned a Razzie for worst new performer. As he was neither worst nor new, it was an odd choice - there haven't been a lot of characters like him in sci-fi movies and as an action figure he turned out quite nicely.
The sculpt is good, and it does a fine job of replicating the radio host's extreme wardrobe. The distant future of male fashion looked a lot like a variation on women's wear of the 20th century - big collars, a scooped-out neck, and leopard print were old hat by the time this movie came out. But on dudes? Well, this was new - the figure is molded in a tan color with lots of paint to keep the cat pattern consistent. This is something above and beyond what you'd get in this style of figure, as are the painted rings on his hands and the painted necklace.
Quality control slipped a tiny bit on my sample, as the metallic ring around his neck wasn't painted exactly where it should have been. It's pretty close, though, as are his earrings and various jewels. This is one of the more intricate figures from this line, and even though they left out his personal microphone I won't fault it because of his slick wave pose of the fingers on his right hand. This renders it somewhat useless, but it does give off the "bzzz" vibe from the movie quite nicely.
My sample has great articulation, although the weird squared-off butt makes an appearance when you rotate the legs to a seated position. I guess nothing's perfect, but at least it's pretty good - none of the joints are stuck nor are there any feelings of potential breakage. I appreciate this.
Face paint is clean and even for this kind of figure, as is the silver microphone's cap. The detail is missing, but if you buy the conceit that this was a 1980s figure that fell out of a timewarp you can probably pretend it's right on the mark. He can wave it in Korben's face, and then Korben can be irritated. That's a good accessory.
The only thing really missing from this figure is his distinctive mustache - other than that, it's a pretty nifty representation of one of the most famous people from the future. We don't get a lot of "celebrity" characters in science fiction, so little glimpses at movie stars or radio hosts of the future are a bit of a rarity. Seriously, does anyone know who is famous in Star Trek's future? I sure as heck don't - maybe it's Ruby Rhod.
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