#67: Pop! Games Bioshock Infinite - Songbird

I've got a few figures from the Bioshock universe, but NECA is done making them. So a Pop! version of Songbird from Bioshock Infinite is probably the only way I'll ever get a toy of him. Unlike standard Pops, Songbird's head doesn't move, which is fair enough given the generally odd shape of him. Other than having an oversized head, his appearance isn't quite so stylized. Since he's mostly brown leather with bronze accents, this is officially the most steampunk think that I own. He feels nicely weighty, and his large feet keep him standing easily.

#14: Bioshock Infinite - Motorized Patriot

The Motorized Patriot is basically Bioshock Infinite's equivalent of the Big Daddies from the previous Bioshock games in that they are very large enemies who are difficult to defeat. A big robot version of George Washington with flags hanging off his back and wielding a huge gun makes for a great visual, so I was pretty hyped when NECA announced they would be making an action figure version of it. I pre-ordered it along with the Spider Gremlin, and they both arrived at the same time. Unfortunately, one of the shoulder pauldrons was missing, but Bigbadtoystore.com was able to send a replacement figure (unpackaged, and sans accessories). Basically, their return/replacement policy is pretty great.

NECA did a great job as usual in making a really good looking figure. There is appropriate detail all over the place, with exposed robot bits, and the paint is all good. The flags on the back are soft goods and pretty massive. The knees and the right elbow are the exposed mechanical joints, where the attached limbs are pretty thin, so it feels a bit worrisome working the joints, but they seem to be sturdy enough. What's not sturdy is the gun. The handles fit into the hands way too tightly, and the main handle broke off when I was trying to put it into the hand. I didn't want to have to bother customer service a second time for another issue with the same figure, so I just super glued the handle back on. The crank handle is designed to pop off, which is good, as it would probably break off otherwise. A cool feature is that the crank on the gun functions and rotates the barrels. The other accessory is an alternate head, showing off what's underneath the mask. Interestingly, the nose and lower jaw have a wooden texture.

This is a figure that definitely falls under the category of an adult collectible, because a kid would probably break it.

#22: Bioshock Infinite - Elizabeth

You know when you're playing a video game, and you have a character with you that's controlled by the computer, they are usually awful? Getting in the way when you're trying to shoot something, getting stuck behind corners, generally being a hindrance? For Bioshock Infinite, Ken Levine and crew wanted to make Elizabeth a computer controlled partner that the player would appreciate having around, and they succeeded. Elizabeth never gets in the way, she is in fact useful to have around, always ready to throw extra supplies your way. As an integral part of the story, she is enjoyable to have around for her interactions with the main character, Booker, and sections of the game where she isn't around made me feel relieved to be reunited with her.

The figure itself is based on one of Elizabeth's too main looks from the game, the one which is featured most heavily in promotional material. NECA once again does a great job with sculpt and paint (although the eyes are perhaps a bit empty looking). The most interesting feature here is that Elizabeth's skirt is soft goods. That is always a dodgy proposition on smaller figures, but in this case it works out quite well. The material isn't too thick, so it actually looks appropriate. Unfortunately, there aren't any accessories. She's a lot lighter than her casemates, the Boys of Silence, so something would have been nice. A vigor bottle, or a gun to throw to the upcoming Booker figure?

Given NECA's attention to detail it is odd that they sculpted her shortened pinky without the thimble at the end. Elizabeth's short pinky finger is an important aspect of her character, although I am not clear on what the thimble is for. Maybe I missed a voxophone recording that explained its significance. I figured that it was intended to visually make the shortened finger stand out more.

#15: Bioshock Infinite - Boys of Silence

So, my second find at the toy show was a table that had a bunch of NECA figures. All for ten dollars each. Score! Unfortunately they didn't have the other figure from Bioshock Infinite, Elizabeth, but I was interested in picking up the Boys of Silence anyway, so this was a deal I couldn't pass up. I'm not sure exactly what the deal is with the Boys of Silence (shouldn't the figure's name be singular?), but I gather from the bio on the back that they are forced to wear these helmets all their lives, and thus are suitably cranky and ready to kill you if you wander across one. There's something vaguely unnerving about the character, in the grand Bioshock tradition. The BOS is well articulated, and I know that some people have trouble with painted joints on NECA figures, but I have been fortunate enough to avoid the problem with my figures. The head has a surprisingly good range of motion, as it's on a ball joint and the base of the mask is soft enough plastic that it can move around more than it looks like it would. There are no accessories or a stand (not that the figure needs one), so I suppose the BOS is more of a hand to hand combatant in the game. The paint is well done, particularly on the helmet which looks like tarnished metal. The little "mouth" even opens up a bit. Now that the Bioshock Infinite line is starting up, I'm still waiting for the release of the spider splicer from the Bioshock 2 line. They were able to get the brute splicer out as a TRU exclusive, so I hope that it will be released as well.

"Hands off, creep."