The six includes Redeemer from the third series, Curse of the Spawn from the lucky 13th series, Domina and Clown (reviewed here) from the 20th series, and Raven Spawn and Wings of Redemption Spawn, both from the 21st series. Considering this series is just after the 22nd (it's not considered the 23rd, as it's 'special'), it really is just a redeco of four figures from the last two series with a couple others thrown in for fun.

Redecos are slightly different than repaints. Repaints are exactly that -- simply a change in paint colors. But redecos contain slight sculpting changes as well. Unfortunately, McToys is getting a little loose with the term here. The only redecos in the set are the WOR Spawn (new wings) and the Redeemer Spawn (a different backpack). The other four are simply repaints, with a cloth cape thrown in with Curse of the Spawn for giggles.

You should be able to find these at Gamestop and Babbages stores right now, and I've heard rumors of them hitting Toys R Us as well. The specialty shops are charging the ridiculous sum of $12, but more main stream retailers should be around $10.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Spawn Reborn Clown"

I picked up the Clown figure, but why is hard to say. I didn't get the Clown from series 21, so it's not a duplicate for me. It also was the most visually appealing to me on the pegs, but I suspect many people will be drawn to the WOR Spawn, since he's the only one with new sculpting of any real substance.

Packaging - ***1/2

The clamshell packaging has really grown on me over the last few series, and I'm beginning to prefer it to most other carded styles of packaging. Why? It's practically indestructible, which is great for MOC'ers, it takes up less room, and the carded figures pack away nicely. On top of that, the variety and artwork on the inserts has been terrific, giving you all the attractiveness you want, plus a sturdy package.

For the openers, there's one downside - you'll have to get a knife out to open them up. But considering the deadly weapons all the McToys figures swing around, I'm sure the consumer can come up with at least a rusty butter knife some where around the house.

Sculpting - ****

I'm reminded over and over again just how far action figures have come in the last 10 years. This figure is so far advanced over the original Clown from Series 1 that there is really no comparison. Funny thing is, that Clown was ahead of his time, while this one pretty much blends in with the rest of the current market. McFarlane certainly did an awful lot to raise the bar on sculpting and paint, and he deserves a lot of credit for it.

The sculpt here is impeccable, with tons of detail and attention. Every wrinkle, every crevasse (including some you'd rather not see), every evil in-grown hair is present and accounted for on this figure. The face sculpt alone is amazing, and the teeth and gums are enough to give you nightmares. If that's doesn't scare you, Clown's apparent career change to plumber provides an ample view of butt crack, and surely no one can be strong in the face of that.

Paint - ***1/2

Great sculpts with great paint applications make great looking figures. Other companies have implemented the same game plan, but McToys really was the first company to push the envelope, and their experience shows.

The paint operations here are excellent. There is absolutely no sloppy lines or color bleed, and the definition between extreme colors - such as the shirt and skin colors, or the orange and skin colors on the face - is perfect.

Colors that should be clean and even are, those that should show wear, like the pants and jacket, do so as well. Even the Spawn emblem on the back of the jacket is given a worn, rough appearance with the paint, just as you would expect Clown to have.

One of may favorite touches on this figure is the smiley face button he wears on his lapel. Considering the Clown's personality, it's not surprising that it really isn't a smiley face, but a parody of that 70s icon.

I did deduct a half star, and with such a glowing discussion you might wonder why. They used some paint wash and highlighting techniques on the bare skin that just didn't work, most notably the sweat/dirt streak down the front of his stomach. While it isn't awful, it also doesn't live up to the usual great work, and looks out of place on the figure.

Articulation - ***1/2
They've given the figure just about as much articulation as possible considering the sculpt. He has neck, ball-jointed shoulders (although the range of motion is a bit limited), cut elbows, cut wrists, waist, and ankles. All the joints are well hidden, and none of them hurt the overall appearance of the sculpt.

Accessories - **

Clown only comes with one - a dangerous looking blade. Like the baseball bats or swords we've seen with other McToys figures, the know can be removed from the hilt of the knife, making it possible to remove from his hand. Only the left hand can hold the knife however.

There's an ample spray of blood on the knife as well, but I haven't heard if there are bloody and non-bloody versions of this figure.

Value - **1/2
This is an 8 dollar figure tops, particularly since it's simply a repaint. To charge full price on these, or even to simply release a complete line of nothing but repaints (almost), is providing less than a stellar value to your customers. Take your time and you should be able to find all of them for $10 or under.

Overall - ***

If this were a brand new, never before seen figure, he would have easily gotten another half star, maybe even another full star. The sculpting, paint ops and articulation really are great, but the question you have to ask yourself is "Do I really need another Clown?" I'm pulling a half star of my overall score simply because I think the redecos weren't necessary, and for me that hurts the overall impression.

Where to Buy -
There's been some implications that this series would be "limited," but I don't know what that really means. I've seen these at Gamestop so far, and I've seen rumors of them at Toys R Us already. On-line:

- Beans Toys has a complete set of six available for $54. Considering that some of the figures are probably shortpacked (in the cases I saw, Domina and WOR Spawn were shorted), that's a pretty decent deal if you're looking for a full set.