When I first got interested in Hellboy after seeing the movie in 2004, my first order of business was to obtain a trenchcoat Hellboy figure from the movie. I gazed longingly at the great photos from Michael Crawford’s review (this was definitely one of those cases where a review got me to buy a toy–or five).

But this was a few months after the film had come out, but before the release of Mezco’s “Wave 1.5,” so there were hardly any trenchcoat Hellboys to be found. Fortunately, fellow OAFE reviewer yo go re had scored the Extended Features Hellboy, so he was willing to sell me his trenchcoat Hellboy.

To this day, I think it’s one of the best action figures I’ve ever owned. I remember telling Rustin Parr that I thought the figure’s facial likeness and paint work were so good, it seemed to have a “presence.”

So much of this figure is executed perfectly. First there’s the sculpt, which–like most Mezco figures–is slightly exaggerated and doesn’t quite have the realistic proportions of, say, the Gentle Giant movie Hellboy. But I think the exaggerations work very well here, particularly on the larger Right Hand of Doom (which also doesn’t look as much like a movie prop, since it’s attached higher up on the arm than it is in the film).

This figure also features the best execution of a plastic coat I’ve seen on a toy in this scale. It has a great texture, and it’s made from a pliable yet strong material that holds the paints well (unlike the Golden Army figures, whose coats feel like individually-wrapped cheese slices).

Then there are the paint applications. While they’re well applied throughout the figure, there’s some especially fine work on the pants, the face, and the Right Hand of Doom. It’s notable that not all the figures in the line–particularly Kroenen and Rasputin–got paint work this nice. Extra care appears to have been taken for HB.

Finally, there’s the accessories. The corpse looks great, and while it does come from the movie, it’s also a reference to one of the best Hellboy stories, “The Corpse.” The noose around the neck is a great touch, too. And finally, there’s the Samaritan, with its excellent metal dry-brush and, best of all, hinge so it can be opened and loaded.

Trenchcoat Hellboy isn’t perfect. He’s wearing a black sweater, since he’s based on the scene in the first movie in the snowy graveyard; for me, a perfect “regular” Hellboy would either be shirtless or have a T-shirt, not a sweater. But it’s a flaw that’s easily overlooked in such a great figure.

Due to rising production costs and the necessity of cutting corners at every stage of production these days, the Golden Army figures just aren’t as nice as this one. I’ve seen it go for decent prices on eBay, so if you’re a lover of the movie line and don’t have this one, I highly recommend it.

This one’s so big, it has a table of contents! (more…)