It’s the last of our Wave 2 Q&A with the always awesome ToyBro, aka Jared Elswick. With Wave 1 arriving sooner than you think, we’re ending on a high and talking about the Steeltwins’ male counterpart: Steelwill.
WWMTC: We have another set of twins to deal with, and this time we’ve got the SilverHawks twins. Steelwill is here and he looks like a bulky guy. Is he?
TB: He’s bulky but he’s not HUGE. He’s not really much bigger than the others, except MonStar. But he definitely has some bulk, he’s built like a linebacker.
WWMTC: This is our first foray into the world of wings. Describe how this works, and if there is anything collectors should look out for?
TB: The arms are designed to just pop out of the torso, and that works really well, no issues. However, the swappable shoulders are definitely a concern. I’ve seen a handful of breakages already and I can say for sure that my figure would have broken had I tried to rip the “metal” shoulder out of the arm, it absolutely needs heat. And that goes for both arms, not just the wing arm, the metal arms in particular seem very stuck.
WWMTC: So will you display him with the wings on or off?
TB: I’m not sure yet, the wings are really cool but they lock you into a specific kind of pose just due to the nature of how these are built. I’ll probably go wing-less across the board for actual display but we’ll see, that may change once I have them all in hand.
WWMTC: Steelwill has three heads to choose from as well. That smile does look quite good on him, and the stoic expression does seem to have a hint of a smirk. Then there’s the helmeted head. All good choices. What is the paint like on here and which head is your preferred one?
TB: The heads are all terrific, and the human heads in particular are photo printed, which is a big change. This is easily one of the best human faces we’ve gotten, both of them really, the sculpt is terrific and the photo printing is a big step up from what we’re used to.
WWMTC: Hands here are many. Does having so many options in terms of weapons make it difficult for you when you have nice expressive hands to choose from too?
TB: Sometimes, but in this instance I don’t expect I’ll actually display him with one of these weapons, so it’s probably not much of an issue with him.
WWMTC: Do these effects just slide onto the top of the tuning fork? Would you say that they fit onto it nice and tight or can these fall off easily?
TB: They stay on pretty well, they just slide onto the end of the fork. The rock blast is a bit heavier, so you’ll need to balance it better but the other 2 are super easy to use, none of them are particularly troublesome. Certainly not like with Bluegrass’s effect.
WWMTC: Hands are plentiful as well this time round with Windhammer. One would of course want to use a gripping hand on the one arm for holding the tuning fork, but which other hand would you use here?
TB: I’ve become quite fond of all these pointing finger hands we’re getting. So unless I end up displaying him with a 2 handed pose on the fork, I’ll use one of those.
WWMTC: The bird Stronghold is here in two forms. Are both versions able to sit on him?
TB: Yeah, both of them can sit on him, but they are a little heavy so you’ll have to balance them, but they sit just fine once you find that sweet spot.
WWMTC: What are your thoughts on Stronghold? Can the heads turn or is there any articulation in either of them?
TB: Both birds are just static, but they look great. For little things like this I don’t generally care if they’re articulated or not, the ability to mildly swivel a head or wing or tail or whatever isn’t all that important to me.
WWMTC: The weapons here are iconic, especially the Screamer blaster. What do you like of these weapons? Is there anything you would have wanted to also be included with Steelwill?
TB: Honestly when I think of Steelwill the last thing I think of is guns, so they’re nice to get, since they’re weird obscure weapons, but I don’t know that I needed them. I think based on how I plan to display him, which is really just him with Stronghold, I don’t need much more than what’s in this box, which is already a lot.
WWMTC: The laser effects is also our first entry into the world of shooting from the shoulder, etc. Does this figure’s articulation allow it to be posed in that iconic stance when they would shoot the bad guys from their shoulders?
TB: Sort of? It does and it doesn’t. Since the shoulders themselves can’t do anything but swivel you’re dependent on how the figure is posed, so yes it can work, but it’s definitely a little clunky. The effects also don’t seem to be the best fit for the ports on the arm. They’re tight instead of loose, which is definitely better, but I wouldn’t just try to shove them in.
WWMTC: Steelwill does have a very unique sculpt and they have captured him perfectly. So far we haven’t seen the ab-crunch in any of the solicitations. Does what we have here work well?
TB: Not really, that’s my big complaint so far with the line. We’re seeing more “cuts” in the torso that ultimately don’t do anything. He really has nothing more than a waist twist because that diaphragm cut has no useful range.
WWMTC: We’ll have his twin sister shortly, but for now we’ve got this kind hearted soul to put on our shelves. Between the two Hawks we’ve gotten so far, which one is your favorite and why?
TB: Bluegrass is definitely my favorite. In particular I think he’s more accurate, as I don’t think Steelwill’s color is right, but he also has cooler accessories for my taste.
WWMTC: Any special character wishes in terms of the next wave coming later this year?
TB: I’d really like a Warden Lock-Up, though I’m not sure I can explain why. I think he’d be a really cool, goofy figure in this line. Seymour is definitely up there though.
WWMTC: Thanks again for taking the time to introduce our readers to this new line ULTIMATES! to grace our displays. We’ll be back again to discuss Wave 1 soon!
TB: Sounds like it’ll be sooner than later too, Wave 1 is almost here!
