MOTUC Rio Blast!

[teemu81]

I think the figure itself is fine,but it's the execution that fails! (especially the front flap).I agree,it is personal taste,but Rio Blast is not worse than figures like Standar,Molar,Octavia (terrible unposable tentacles and loose angkles) or even Snout Spout (disintegrading nose) or exploding plastic green goddess....plus a few other.....Rio is a good figure,he's just not great because of all the design flaws done to him

[Dark Angel]

I only got mine today. I tried to like Rio, I did...but he's just so terribly executed. I swear, his armor looks like it was purposely bulked up!

[Black Zodac]

This review pretty much sums up my feelings on the figure:

http://www.preternia.com/2014/09/18/...-blast-review/

[Captain Atkin]

teemu81, it is all a matter of personal taste. For me, Rio Blast is the 2nd worst figure in the line (Double Trouble is the worst figure in my book).

[RoboSteveo]

I think in general 2014 was a very bad year for quality in MOTU Classics. Rio, Extendar, Double Mischief, Entrapta, Goat Man, Sea Hawk, Hydron, NA Skeletor.... its hard for me to think of a figure that didn't have an issue of some sort. Rio though is the worst. They should have given him a new torso so that his simple action feature could work (which COULD have been reused again for Buzz Saw Hordak!!)

[teemu81]

yeah, there figures in this line definitely worse.

[Toywolf]

I would have to agree with Captain Atkin's assessment. Rio was one of my favorites of the 80's figures. This MOTUC version is really poorly executed. His arms are unable to rest at his sides in a "quick-draw" style pose. Ridiculous considering he's supposed to be a gunslinger. For some reason mine is unable to stand up straight. There is something going on the hip joints, legs, or the way the bottom of the boots sit on the shelf that is not lining up right. The only way he stands is if he's got one hip kicked out to the side. Still trying to figure out what the issue actually is with that. My hopes were high for this figure but I ended up very disappointed.

[Mechanizor]

I just received my Rio Blast yesterday, and he is terrible. The worst male action figure of 2014 (of any toyline). My figure had paint splattered all over his lower torso. I was able to scrub it off with soap and water, but it took me 10 minutes to do so. The lines left on the face during the production process look like scars. The armor is really bulky, and just looks like crap on the figure. I cut the tab off the inside of the flap, but even with that removed, it doesn't press flush against the armor. Gluing it down might make it look better, but it will still leave some gaps at the top. The sides of the armor at the tabs are the fattest I've seen on any of the MOTUC figures. All of the guns are terrible. The red guns have a gritty feel to them, and the silver arm guns don't connect very well. The laser backpack is poorly made. The plastic feels very cheap, and mine was warped at the top on the visor. Compared to the well made backpack that came with the 80s figure, this just feels cheap.

The 80s figure was a classic. The staction was an impressive reimagining of that character. The MOTUC Rio Blast just fails to measure up to what came before.

Interesting to see you rant on a figure like that, it's a little unlike you! LOL... I wasn't too impressed with this figure either, but I've seen worse.

[Captain Atkin]

I just received my Rio Blast yesterday, and he is terrible. The worst male action figure of 2014 (of any toyline). My figure had paint splattered all over his lower torso. I was able to scrub it off with soap and water, but it took me 10 minutes to do so. The lines left on the face during the production process look like scars. The armor is really bulky, and just looks like crap on the figure. I cut the tab off the inside of the flap, but even with that removed, it doesn't press flush against the armor. Gluing it down might make it look better, but it will still leave some gaps at the top. The sides of the armor at the tabs are the fattest I've seen on any of the MOTUC figures. All of the guns are terrible. The red guns have a gritty feel to them, and the silver arm guns don't connect very well. The laser backpack is poorly made. The plastic feels very cheap, and mine was warped at the top on the visor. Compared to the well made backpack that came with the 80s figure, this just feels cheap.

The 80s figure was a classic. The staction was an impressive reimagining of that character. The MOTUC Rio Blast just fails to measure up to what came before.

[_RZ_]

It's an obvious dodge. It probably took a whole 20min to figure out how to unanswer it!

[Shawn]

Bet you $20 that was Scott who said that huh barrasco?

I think he misunderstood the question, that is assuming he wasn't avoiding it purposefully. I read that as Scott talking about the clothing, the sculpted detail on the shirt. Like Death Star Luke Skywalker know what I mean?

http://www.jedibusiness.com/images/actionFigures/The-Legacy-Collection/The-Legacy-Collection-Luke-Skywalker-Jedi-Death-Star-II_Big_2.jpg

[Shawn]

Pride in your work and being an ethical person is what gets you fired from Mattel.

[Shawn]

While I think that SOME of these figures are "definitive" IMO, your right it certainly doesn't apply to all of them.

Man-At-Arms springs to mind as "definitive". Mattel cared when they where trying to woo us. Now they have us and they can be lazy cause they don't apprentice us any more. The spark is gone out of the relationship LOL.

[_RZ_]

That is quite the insulting answer. Whoever answered that must not have passed the 5th grade, and should not be employed if their job is reading, writing, or understanding. But par for the course at this point. I really honestly hate to say the sentiment "This person should be fired" because it's cruel and over the top. But it's kind of over the top too, that someone can either be so stupid, or so dishonest, and still be employed in the world today.

[Draego-Man]

I read that too and was disgusted. What a bunch of jerks. You have to spell it out like you would to a bloody 2 year old.

[barrasco]

There's only one thing I truly H-A-T-E with MOTUC, and that is blatant dishonesty:

Question: Why doesn't his chest flap lay flush against his chest?

Looks odd to me, always hanging forward and never completely closed.

Answer: The unbuttoned look on his flap is a detail that came directly from the vintage figure.

The question is pretty clear yet these compulsive liars keep on dodging them questions to avoid admitting their total incompetence. Totally disgusting!

[Battle Ram Man]

I've noticed a lot of armor these days is asymmetrical at the lats - including Goat Man and NA Skel

[_RZ_]

What's the point of making the shirt flap articulated if it doesn't even close all the way? It just looks stupid and lazy. I mean, the person doing the engineering of these panels couldn't take a few minutes out of the day and look at their work for a second? Double check it a bit?

I don't want to personally insult the people working on these toys, but seriously, there are millions of qualified people worldwide looking for employment; you'd think that the people who work at Mattel with their cushy jobs would respect their privileged place in life, respect the people buying their products, and maybe have a little pride in their work in between lunch breaks, and not turn out stuff like this. There are tons of talented people just wishing for a job like the ones these folks at Matty have. Do they even care what they're doing, or is it their sovereign right to be paid to do the bare minimum? How much lazier can you get? No one saw this Rio Blast as having issues and no one stopped and said, "Hey, maybe this isn't so great, and we should fix it." This type of stuff is why people stop collecting this line. The 4H do great work, and then some lazy office drone messes it all up because they're too lazy or bitter or who knows why. Mattel could have reissued these things for decades to kids and fans would have eaten it up, they're some of the best figures ever made. Instead some idiot can't be bothered to problem solve a bit because, why, they'd have to click their mouse a few more times that day or stay late 5-10min?

How many thousands of dollars in work hours were put into sculpting and designing this Rio Blast figure? Because it was all just put into the toilet bowl because somebody got lazy. Just flick the handle and flush all that money down the drain. If I still had stock in Mattel, I'd be royally pissed that my investment in their company was being wasted like this. They could have just had him permanently with all the panels open and non-moving and saved themselves some money and their customers this downer feeling. I mean, you might as well glue all the guns down in place, as you can't display him properly all closed up now. Ok, you could dremel that peg off, but honestly, I'd have to buy a second figure at $30+ and cut it apart just to get it to do what it should have from the start? That's just stupid. This was easily the most requested figure left, people were excited for this one...

[Dark Angel]

...I thought he was at least passable, but after seeing the rest of the pics...

[Draego-Man]

You can't rotate the hand guns? Bwahahahahaha! EPIC FAIL! This is the one feature on Rio Blast that everyone expected and is basically MANDATORY. What a joke!

[barrasco]

It's figures like this that make me think "why even bother making a classics version" This is a downgrade from vintage

Very well put. Calling some of these figures their "definitive version" is nothing more than just being delusional. With Rio Blast you even have the staction version which is light years away from this one, and a sad proof of how good MOTUC would've been if managed exclusively by the 4HM and sold by NECA.

Thank you very much Mattel for running your own brand into the ground just so your sad excuse of a brand manager can have a shot at some kind of illusionary glory...

[JimPansen]

I just saw that you´re not even able to rotate the handguns?!? With the not closeable chestflap, we ´re condemned to display him in "action mode" then.
He is really a figure full of flaws - subjective and objective.

[Novelty]

Mattel produces Barbies. What do you expect? Big chests, small waist. We see that here... Someone needs to tell Mattel that Rio Blast is not Barbie's boyfriend though, and this line is not Barbies of the Universe.

[barrasco]

I think this picture really illustrates my view of the figure being clunky... these guys from Mattel design have no clue about proportion... it's pathetic!

[Captain Atkin]

I don't think it is the head that is too small, but the armour is too big (which makes his head look small in comparison). I noticed his head looked fine in the shots of him with the armour off.