16
points of articulation.Turns : wrists, waist, biceps, ankles.
Bends : knees, elbows.
Ball-joints : shoulders, neck, hip.
Dr. Phil Van Neuter
16
points of articulation.
Turns : wrists, waist, biceps, ankles.
Bends : knees, elbows.
Ball-joints : shoulders, neck, hip.
Dr. Neuter comes in as the tallest Muppet figure to date, which is saying a lot for a line that keeps in relative scale from Rizzo the Rat on up. Taller than the Chef or even the massive Sam, Phil is a tall guy, about the comparitive size of a human (and the upcoming figure of Jim Henson himself), with more than a passing resemblance to Andy Dick. In a related observation, both men have names that in some way describe them. He's a thin, rubbery figure, and almost all parts of him are pliable, especialy his soft humanoid gloves.
His appearance on TV and in the Muppet movies is that of a man whose clothes and skin are way too big for him, draping and drooping everwhere. A lot of this is sculpted into the figure, and while some of it looks more puffy than slack, Palisades has sculpted up a figure that looks like a coat hanging off of a rack, which is just what it should be. I can't say that I'm a fan of many of the new Muppets, which were mostly post-Henson, but I have a particular affinity for mad scientist characters. The Professor and his palm-tree lazer beams, Doctor Doom, Egon. I aspired to be one of these people once. As a youth, I mostly excelled in making concoctions that made test tubes explode and stain the kitchen table. It's a wonder that I maintain my original eyes.
Dr. N is first and foremost an unclean man. Following in the footsteps of Bunsen and Beaker, but favoring the biological end of science over the mechanical, Neuter is covered with brown grime, both airbrushed and drybrushed. Of the two, the drybrushed stains look much better than the gentle, clean undulations of the airbrush. His skin is a solid, pale green, and his pants bear the checkered pattern that only Palisades has had any success in applying to figures. He's a great fit for the original Muppet Labs playset, and his accessories match the decor. His coat isn't a flat off-white, but something of a more opalescent shade. Instead of fabric, it looks plastic. It also strikes me as odd that his apron is sculpted onto his coat, instead of existing as a separate piece. Creating layers of clothing as different objects just seems to be the norm for Palisades.
Like the other figures in this wave, his multi-layered, delicate hair is excellently sculpted. His (nonremoveable) goggles have clear lenses in them, much like the recent Sinister Six Green Goblin figure, and this detail always manages to look classy. Tell me if I'm wrong, but glasses are the sexiest thing since no underwear. Am I right? Ladies?
His articulation is everything one could want from a figure of this nature. The rubbery labcoat hides the low-placed ball-jointed hips, as well as allows them to be useful. He passes the flamingo test, with the ability to balance on one leg. While the bicep turns are pretty loose, small adjustments in positioning will allow these to hold the positions you desire, displaying beakers or gesturing excitedly, or gleefully holding up one of the many, many McFarlane decapitated head accessories.
Speaking of accessories, Phil comes with 5 crystal clear beakers, a holdermajig for one of them, a clock (with a hook on back, though nowhere to hook it) and a carton of egg nog. Said carton fits excellently into the Kitchen playset. Given the extremely rubbery hands of Phil, the beakers are very easy to place into his hands.
Of the four regular figures in this wave, Phil is my favorite by far. He's a character that can visually stand alone, and Palisades has kicked some crazy ass with Dr. Neuter.
