My latest Tamashii Nations import figure is the Live Aid Version of Freddie Mercury of Queen. This is the outfit he wore for that show, with his blue jeans, tank top, white Adidas and studded arm band. While it's almost the same figure as the older release (that one dressed in yellow jacket), there are some differences that I noticed once I had the figure in hand.
Like the previous release, he comes with 3 heads (serious, open mouth singing and closed eyes intense singing), a mike, a mike on a stand, and 4 pairs of hands (closed fist, open relaxed, closed to hold the mike, and grasping to hold the mike stand). The first thing that I instantly noticed is that they added shading to the faces, which really brings out the details of the sculpt and looks so much better and more realistic, dead on like Freddie Mercury. I had not realized how pasty and mannequin like the prior figure was. The shading helps to make the face appear more slender and narrow, and the eyes really stand out. They also seem to have resculpted the hair line, as it goes back a little farther. This is a significant improvement, though the skin tone on the faces is darker than the rest of his body. I don't really mind that. This demonstrates how much Tamashii Nations have improved their face printing technique over these last few years.
The articulation is mostly the same as the older release, with the exception of butterfly joints at the shoulders that allow him to move his arms very far forward. The elbows are not double jointed, and while the first release didn't have them either, the arms on that one could bend in just a little further. Everything else is the same, including head, upper & lower torso and thighs on ball joints and rocking hinges at the ankles. You can get Freddie into some great poses, everything to make him rock out. He's able to balance well on one foot, too.
Because his shoulders are exposed, you're able to see the lines of his shoulder joints when moving too far in or out. There is also a visible gap when he bends too far forward or backward. If you're willing to overlook those things, then you should be fine. While his outfit is mostly average, they did capture some fine details, such as his studded arm band, his belt and the hair on his chest. He looks great and all his joints are good, though his right arm and lower waist were a bit stiff out of the box. I applied some shock oil to the arm and it fixed the tightness.
His different look and the improvements to the faces really make this figure worth getting, even if you own the older release. Though I imagine if you're a Freddie Mercury or Queen fan, you'll get them both. I'm glad I pulled the trigger and pre-ordered this one. It turned out to be surprising solid and even better. Now I have Freddie in both his classic looks.
That is a really cool figure! It's funny that it's such a simple look but, because of Freddy's natural charisma, it really makes for a very exciting and dynamic toy.
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