The Eternals' Kingo
By Hervé St-Louis
October 3, 2021 - 08:02
$22.99 USD, $33.99 CAD
Release Date: September 2021
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I must add this important detail, which inspired me to start my review with Kingo first. I have never had nor bought in my recollection, an action figure featuring a Desi character, unless one counts Black Adam as one. It is certain that I have never had an action figure of a Pakistani nor an Indian before. Therefore, Eternals is important. This figure is important for all the collectors and the kids out there who finally have a toy that looks like them. The fact that 90% of my action figures are white men is problematic.
There is another Kingo action figure by Japanese toy make S.H.Figuarts (Bandai) but that one retails for more than twice the price of Hasbro’s Kingo. While the S.H.Fiiguarts Kingo is very nice with detailed and careful paint applications, for most regular collectors, the Hasbro version will do just fine. It’s quite a figure and of those that I own from the Eternals, wave, it is the best male action figure yet.
Likeness
Of course, Kingo’s face is modelled after actor Kumail Nanjiani and looks like him a lot. I will say that the skin colour is off though. Of course, Kingo looks nothing like the comic book version of the character who is a Japanese samurai. Because the movie has not come out yet and promotional pictures are not as available, it is difficult to tell how much of Kingo’s uniform is the correct. He wears an intricate suit with many patterns that can be difficult to compare with the sparse images available at this time.
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Sculpt
I know that I should not compare them too much, but I find Kingo’s sculpt to be much better than Ikaris. He does not have noodle legs and his feet are smaller, thus better proportioned. Kingo is slender with beautiful proportions that make him look human and finer than the usual Marvel Legends action figure. I have had other Marvel Legends figures based on actual people but find that the Eternals’ wave is one of the best. It has the same sculpt quality as the Star Wars Black Series. I wish that the quality of all my Marvel Legends was as high as Kingo’s. My main criticism of the sculpt is the back of King’s hair. The hair should cover the back of his head totally and not leave an ugly skin gap.
There is fine sculpting all over his body. While the S.H.Figuarts Kingo features linework for the detailing, the Hasbro version favours actual sculpting and etching of the Eternals’ design patterns on the plastic.
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Paint
Kingo has sculpted in metallic paint all over his body. On top of that he has gold and silver patterns painted everywhere. Many of the engravings on his body lack gold or silver and I cannot determine if this is normal or not. His shoulders are shinier than the rest of his suit, even though the blue base is repeated elsewhere such as his feet. His eyes are gold instead of brown. The fireball on the tip of his fingers have a nice translucent fire shade. 3D face painting technology was used as his eyebrows are brown instead of black. You can still see the pixels on his face, a trademark of 3D face painting.
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Scale
Kingo is taller than Ikaris even though the actor is slightly shorter than Richard Madden who plays Ikaris. Here, Kingo appears to be one of the tallest male Eternal. Of course, Kingo looks great next to the other Eternals. He is shorter than the average Marvel Legends action figure but on the taller side, when compared to a G.I Joe Classified or a Star Wars Black Series action figure.
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Stability
The figure is stable, but it is so slender and lean that it can topple easily if the weight is not well distributed on both feet.
Articulations
Unless I remove the robe that he wears, I cannot determine if Kingo can rotate at the waist. Based on Sprite whose body has less of the superficial PVC robe material, he may not be able to. He does have abdominal crunches that can also rotate left and right, as well as pivot from a ball joint. While his neck is a separate piece, it does not seem like it rotates. He can look down, up, and rock his head sideways.
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The Eternals have no butterfly articulations. His shoulders can move up to 80 degrees. He has bicep curls, and pinless double elbow articulations which gives him a lot of range. His wrists bend at the palms, but they are limited in their motion by the edge of his sleeves which point in an angular shape and limit possible motion.
His hip articulations are limited by the robe he wears. He can raise his legs and do a limited split. He has thigh curls, but they are hidden under his robe. He also has pinless double knee articulations and bending ankles that also pivot. I find the articulations sturdy and not too tight, nor too loose.
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Plastic
Kingo is a mix of PVC and softer plastic built as layers. Hasbro creates tight soft plastic layers that appear to be more solid, but they are very pliable. It’s on this surface that the paint applications are put.
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Props
Kingo comes with the extra left arm of Gilgamesh, and extra Gilgamesh fist, and an extra set of hands for himself. One pair of hand feature his finger pointing gesture with energy comic out of them while the other pair are fists. The translucent yellow energy blasts are glued to his fingers.
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Packaging
All Eternals come in a gorgeous box with their name. There is a nice photo real painting of Kingo on the side and the back, as well as a short biography in multiple languages. Images of the other non-exclusive Eternals from the wave are included. The inside box has a gold and sky back cover that highlights the celestial nature of the Eternals.
Cost
Kingo costs about $22.99 USD and $33.99 CAD. You can find him for a bit more in many other retailers.
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Availability
The Eternal wave is available everywhere. Kingo will be very popular with Southeast Asians as he has his own following across the world that may not have registered with mainstream audience. I’m saying that Kumail Nanjiani is quite popular, and many will rush to buy his action figure. Because he is part of a build-a-figure, the toy will always be popular with folks trying to assemble Gilgamesh. Once people see these figures in person and realize their quality, they will sell. Don’t wait too long.
Rating: 8.5/10
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