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M.A.X. Elite Heroes - Special Ops
The Minimates M.A.X. (Mobile Action Xtreme) brand is in-house and new to DST, featuring an assortment of vehicles and figures designed entirely by Art Asylum. These are the first series of the Toys R Us exclusive sets; each set has two figures with tons of accessories and gear. The lineup includes Special Ops, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters & Smoke Jumpers.
Packaging
The packaging is the blister card pack with figures showcasing the accessories and gear (GEAR UP). This is a good draw and very unique for Minimate packaging. Major kudos for this design, you got to love seeing all that you get. Not to mention this should get good store display mileage and draw people in. The front has the TRU exclusive logo, GEAR UP showing all the accessories with the control art for the figure on the side. The back shows stages of gearing up along with the other figures available in the series.
The Figures
M.A.X. Elite Heroes - Special Ops
The Special Ops pack comes with two figures but they are essentially the same figure and will be reviewed as one figure, see the pictures for the different combinations and accessories.
They both have the same minimal facial detail and expression, sort of a blank stare. Would have been nice to have one with a more animated facial expression; come on, show us your angry face. There are two hairpieces (red & brown) both again are pretty generic, which isn't a bad thing. There are also two helmets, one open face and other with night-vision goggles; these are fantastic pieces with great detail and paint aps. The helmets line up well with the face and fit snug as the heads have the usual peg hole.
Only one figure has shirt detail on the front, the other is blank military green. I find this a bit odd as to why both wouldn't have the same shirt detail. The one with detail is nice, had a zippered shirt with pockets and badge, also get a glimpse of his black undershirt. There are two torso jackets, both the same. They are outstanding, very detailed with good paint apps too. There’s even holders on the front for the handheld guns, a comms device on the shoulder that connects to the back. So much detail with the pads and attachments around the belt. The pelvis and legs continue the green with black for boots starting around the ankles. There is one belt available that has a holder for a small gun. Also for full gear there are two sets of knee pads with the pads on the front and side (nice touch).
Now the other accessories: four handheld guns, two large guns, one large shotgun and a jaws of life. Some of the larger guns are more difficult for the figures to hold, but to have such a large assortment is very nice. The small guns fit well in the belt and torso jackets, although do tend to fall out of the jacket with a lot of play. And the jaws of life, oh my goodness is that thing cool, either holding it with two hands or going for the one hand claw look.
So many different ways to display (gear up) and a bevy of accessories, what’s not to love! DST/AA have gone beyond what we could hope for with generics/civilians Minimates and they're a great entry point for newbies. The draw of mixing/matching/changing/creating is outstanding. There are so many possibilities with these figures, not to mention the tons of accessories!
In conclusion, this is a great start to the M.A.X. line, with the only drawbacks being just the one detailed chest block and the identical and rather blank expressions on the faces.
MMC Score - 9 out of 10
More pictures
Review and pictures by Lurch77
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