The Avengers 3.75" Hawkeye

Ya know, what is it with guys with a bow?  It's like they hit a target and everyone thinks they're cool.  Seriously, they're not!

Just look at those guys in that whatchamacallit Games going on right now in London...That's right, the Olympics!  Ya don't see taught, tight, muscular bods, cool shades, pointy ears, or designer haircuts.  You see (some) overweight, bespectacled, ordinary-looking dudes shooting at stationary targets.  Stationary targets, fer cryin' out loud!  This guy is even legally blind in one eye.  And he won a gold medal by beating his own world record!

Really, he's legally blind!

But in all honesty, those guys (and gals) are marksmen through and through.

And I'm delighted to say ol' Clinty Barton here is from the same stock as a former Olympian himself!  (Or at least at the Olympian level.)  Sure, those guys at the London Games aren't gonna be shooting into the wind at Chitauri from the edge of a building, but what they do is about just as hard, I reckon.  And I even bet if you asked them to try a no look shot they could hit the target too!

Avengers Movie Hawkeye, though, is on another level.  He's gotta be--dashing, cool as a cucumber, nicely muscled, has all that super spy training, a cool superhero name, and can shoot and hit gods, even if it was just Loki.  And yeah, he's also got a hot superhero wife in Mockingbird.  What's not to like?

So I expected his action figure to be disappointing, especially since this movie line lacks a lot of articulation.  But I was so happy to find him that I had to grab it, since I have a thing for 3.75" actor-likenesses.  And I think I can safely say I was somewhat surprised.  Somewhat.

Like: The impressive new head sculpt.  It's clearly Jeremy Renner with shades on.

Like: The body proportions.  Instead of a standard buck, they seem to have given Hawkeye arms and legs that are similar in length to the actor's.  His legs a little shorter than your comic book proportions, with nice and long arms!  All the better to sling those arrows with. ;)

Like: New Hips/Legs joints.  I can't say how much I like this new joint.  I'd wish they'd use it for all 3.75" figures.  They're the best in the scale barring the Star Wars line ball hips, which I'd say are just as flexible.  The joints are different, but equally afford a great range of motion.

Dislike: No ankles, no waist.  Argh, I can't say enough for everyone how this is so annoying.  Ankles I can sometimes live without.  No waist or chest pivot?  Now that's a 3.75" cardinal sin these days!

Like: The length of his bow.  It's a nice log piece which looks pretty in scale with Hawkeye!  Lots of times archers get short changed and end up with what looks more like short bows.  There no problem with that here.

I'd also like to add that the bow is very detailed too and looks very much like the high-tech weapon it's meant to be in the movies.

Dislike: That the quiver isn't removable!  Alas, that really decreases playability.  It's a pity because it's also very detailed in sculpt.

Also, Hawkeye is the one Avenger that doesn't have super powers, so it would've been nice if he could be outfitted with all sorts of harnesses, webbings, backpacks, and gear pilfered from GI Joes.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8/10 - There's no denying that he's the movie Hawkeye, all right.  besides the head and the proportions, I especially love the tampoed S.H.I.E.L.D insignias on his torso. For the size they are, they've done a really sharp job.  The sculpting overall is excellent, from his bow and quiver to his vest, legs and even the muscles on his arms.  The paint could be a little sharper though, but at least the got the shades on his face right.

Poseability: 6.5/10 - And archer needs wrists and this guy doesn't even have swivels!  No waist/chest or ankles, and a limited head kinda throws a wrench in the works of this one ever being better than a 6 or 7.  He gets the 0.5 for the cool leg/hips, which don't need any sort of alignment to go one way or another--they just move and move well.  The shoulders are also good for a full range of free motion.

Fun: 7/10 - It's hard to make this guy look like he's doing anything convincingly other than stand there and look cool.  I guess he can stand upright and look like he just fired off an arrow, but that's well, kinda of not-fun.  He can't kneel and fire, because the knee hinges only give about 80 degrees of bend.  He can fire an arrow while doing the splits, but it just isn't what you'd like Hawkeye to be doing.

Value: 6/10 - Hawkeye comes with his bow as well as this other missile firing cannon that has a similar bow glued onto it.  I guess it's supposed to be his "play bow."  It's nice that they gave 3 different "arrow" missiles for it with 3 different heads.  But they're just way too big to look like he would even carry the arrow heads around, let alone the whole "arrow."  It's really a waste of plastic, though, because it would've been great to have some "trick arrows" that are in scale with the figure.

Overall: 6.9/10 - Above Average with Obvious Flaws - I was kinda surprised Hawkeye wasn't any worse than I thought he would be.  But it 's always easy to be pleasantly caught off guard when you set your expectations low.

Any archer needs a bow, arrows, and swivel/hinge wrists. There's no excuse there.  Any 3.75" needs ankles, and waists, at the very least.  So it's just a pity something that looks so movie accurate and has a relatively good sculpt ended up not fulfilling its potential.  At least he looks stylish just standing there.  But the one good thing is that now I can go about attempting a custom movie Hawkeye because I already have a movie accurate Jeremy Renner head.