We Love The Black Series 6-inch Line, But What's Up With Those Paint Jobs?
Date: February 24, 2014 at 12:29 PM ET
Topic: Rants and Raves


You have seen The Black Series 6" wave 3 completely analyzed in our Research Droids Reviews now. While the anticipation and excitement for this line is palpable, there are still some things that just aren't meeting the mark. Longtime JTA and personal friend Rich Alot weighs in on a specific issue that he feels is really affecting the line. Click through to read his thoughts and be sure weigh in on the issue in our comment.

        



Listen up, Hasbro, paint applications on the 6-inch Black Series figures are a problem!

Paint applications, also referred to as paint operations, is the term used to describe the process of applying paint to action figures. Simple enough, right? Longtime collectors will recall minor differences in paint apps on figures, especially on eyes, eyebrows and hair, going as far back as Kenner's original line.

While Hasbro's 3-3/4-inch line has had some ups-and-downs with the occasional missing tampo prints, lazy eyes and even awkward color washes, figures have never been as consistently bad as they are in The Black Series 6-inch line. I mean paint applications as bad as the first batch of Hasbro's Indiana Jones figures or the Target exclusive Battle at the Sarlaac Pit Ultimate Battle pack. If you recall, those figures were reminiscent of dollar store toys with ghastly skin tones and bugged eyes that looked like they were painted as part of an elementary school art project; a Halloween one at that.

With Hasbro's Toy Fair reveals indicative of their all-in attitude for the expansion of the 6-inch line, Hasbro needs to pay attention to the quality control on their paint applications for their 6-inch Black Series figures. There is no reason the carry-forward Han Solo figure in a wave 3 case (meaning it's not a first run of the figure), should have the eyebrows of drag queen Divine or that the Luke Bespin figure should look like it would rather be taking a nap than standing in a saber-wielding battle pose on my shelf. Even the color washes on the figures look more like a mixed Bob Ross oil palette, than the finely detailed highlights or low-lights they're supposed to represent.

Many of us use paint applications and paint operations interchangeably, but I've been hesitant to do so because operation implies surgical precision, while application is a broader term more consistent with the paint slathering the six-inch line has been getting. I'm begging you Hasbro, please improve the paint applications on the 6-inch Black Series figures so that they compliment some of the great sculpts they're now detracting from. Give us a reason to call them paint operations again.

Rich Alot







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