"Final Faction" Accessory Sets Series 2 Review:
Tonight, I opened all of the "Final Faction" Series 2 Accessory Sets I had purchased yesterday after work. This time around, instead of vaguely themed accessory sets like the majority of those in series 1, each accessory set in series 2 is specifically intended for a specific character. These sets are a cheap and easy means of accessorizing the figures from this line (or any 3.75"/4" action figures), but are also a bit of a mixed bag depending on how you intend to use them.
The sets intended for the Alpha Team heroes are primarily made from hard plastic while the sets intended for the Kharn villains are made from soft and flexible vinyl.
Thunderbolt- this set is intended for the P-131 mech figure that is just now starting to hit across the country, but should be able to be used on the ACRM and F-DO mech released previously. The real stars of this set are the articulated missile pods. The wings are okay for what they are, but suffer from soft sculpts on the rotors and the swivel articulation points are a bit loose (at least on the 6 sets I got). I plan on using these accessory pieces as parts for custom vehicles.
Cyber Arms- this set is intended for Torn but seems like an odd choice for a shadowy spy to use. The cyber arms are pretty well articulated with ball joints at the shoulders and swivels at the elbows and wrists. There are also 4 different tiny accessories that go into the arms, 2 on each arm, but seem rather silly and poorly balanced with the overall design. I plan on using these accessory pieces for a couple of different things. The Cyber Arms themselves may end up as appendages for custom droids while the different small accessories will most likely be fashioned into various hand weapons.
Long Range- this set is intended for Scope and is full of nicely sculpted sniper styled rifles. One rifle is a modified version of the ones that make up the large double gun on the rear of the Arrow ATV. Another is a variant of Scope's standard rifle. The backpack is intended to carry multiple rifles but I cannot fit more than 2 regardless of how I try to put them in. I plan on modifying the rifles into more sci-fi designs.
Striker- this set is intended for the Kharn Brute and is full of big, bulky weapons befitting the Kharn heavyweights. The main draw of this set is the giant warhammer, which would look right at home in the hands of the "Halo" alien baring the same name as the "Final Faction" figure. The arm shield/blaster is basically a bug that the figure holds by the mandibles. There is also a great backpack creature that has 2 removable, non-firing, podlike projectiles. The arm shield/blasters will be the primary firearms for a dozen customs built off of the Drone figures. The backpack parts will end up as organic weapons for another project. The warhammers will probably end up as troll weapons in my fantasy line.
Scourge- this set is intended for the Kharn Drone. This set is a bit of a letdown aside from the great arm shield/blaster. The large gold spearlike weapon has terribly soft sculpting and is made from a very flimsy vinyl making it droop if not held upright. The backpack is an odd design in that it follows the organic designs that are so prevalent in the majority of series 2's accessories, but has mechanical buzzsaws on the end of each tendril. The arm shield/blasters will be the primary firearms for the majority of my Drone customs. The backpacks will be set aside for some future project and the gold weapons will most likely go into my Swap Shop.
Evolution- this set is intended for the Synthoid and features alternative body parts to outfit your Synthoid for a variety of scenarios. The only really good piece is the mass of green tentacles which can replace either arm on a Synthoid figure. The alternate left arm is redundant as it is just a larger version of the same type of weapon already featured in the figure's torso. The remaining parts are a tiny pair of green wings and a pair of light grey attachment parts to secure the wings to the figure's back. The wings are very disappointing as they are way too small to provide sufficient lift for something of the Synthoid's size and the attachment parts mesh very poorly to the design of the Synthoid's back. The tentacles and wings will be used for various creature customs in the future. The left arm weapons will get used for another project someday.
For the $1.25 retail price for these sets, you can amass a giant pile of accessories for less than the price of a standard action figure at Walmart or Target. At this cheap price, even if you can only use 1 or 2 accessories from each set, it is cheaper to buy the sets than to get a cast accessory from an online caster.
Series 2 is currently making its way through the distribution network to Dollar Tree stores across the country and will be plentiful in the coming weeks just as the first series continues to be.
