Thursday, March 9, 2017

(Zhongqu Toys) Black Lily aka Widowmaker (Overwatch) Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 10/10
Articulation 7.5/10
Detailing 9/10
Scale 9/10
Accessories 8/10
Fun Factor 9/10

Hi guys, as I am cutting down on toy collecting and toy photography, I will be updating this blog less! However, this figure is just too awesome to not share with other Overwatch fans, in case they desire a Widowmaker figure to call their own! I hope my review can help you with your decision!



For this review, I will address the figure as Widowmaker, because I cannot take the name Black Lily seriously. Widowmaker comes in a black box, showing the figure's name and the toy company logo, along with pictures of the figure. There is a window showing the figure. No text. Nice and simple, kind of reminding me of the design of figma packaging.


Paint: 10/10
The paint on this figure is just amazing! I honestly found no QC issues in terms of paint for my figure. From the gorgeous face down to the Widowmaker symbol on her rifle, Widowmaker is really well-painted.Even the spider tattoo on her back is sharp. I especially like the shades of metallic purple used for her costume. Really makes it look like she came out of the game.


Articulation 7.5/10

  • Head swivel
  • Ball-pegged ponytail
  • Double ball-pegged Shoulder joints
  • Single-jointed elbows
  • Upper Chest Swivel
  • Waist Swivel
  • Ball-pegged wrists
  • T-joints between the hips and legs
  • Upper thigh swivel
  • Double-jointed knees
  • Ankle joints
  • Ankle pivot
When it comes to number of points of articulation, Widowmaker here boasts quite a handful, almost on par with that of well-known toy brands like figma. And they work beautifully, allowing Widowmaker to do many cool poses. However, not all joints work as well as I hope. For some reason, Widowmaker cannot really move her head around much, apart from the basic left and right. Upward and downward rotation is not much, and so is tilting the head. Also, the two articulation points on her chest and waist do not offer much movement, making poses such as crouching down seem almost impossible to achieve. My last complaint would be the elbow joints. As the elbow is single-jointed, her elbows can bend a lot but not enough for you to rest the rifle on her shoulder. Despite having long legs, and having heels, Widowmaker's legs and feet are pretty solid enough to keep her from toppling over easily. Being a 3P, the joints may be loose. The joints on mine are fine, except for the shoulder joints, which I wish was a bit tighter for her to be able to support the weight of her rifle.

Detailing: 9/10
The detailing on this figure, along with the painting, just blew me away. This figure is so detailed and game-accurate, especially when it comes to the face. The face on Widowmaker is really well done, and I love her eyes and glossy pink lips especially. For an unofficial product, this figure officially nails the accuracy brilliantly. The costume design is well done, and I love the armor on her legs. Even her rifles are nicely sculpted.

Scale: 9/10
Unfortunately, this is the first 3P Overwatch figure I have ever owned, so I cannot really compare the scale. But I placed her beside my custom Soldier 76 figure (which used a Hasbro Marvel Legends figure as a base) and she seems to scale really well! She stands at almost 7" tall. If NECA does do the Overwatch line, and maintain the scale as their Heroes of the Storm line, I think this figure will fit in just fine. Widowmaker will definitely not be in scale with figma's future Tracer figure though, as figma figures are generally smaller. My only issue in terms of scale is the rifles. I checked official photos of Widowmaker, and her rifles are not as big as the ones in this set.It is not a glaring issue, but one that may bother some of you.

Accessories 8/10
In terms of accessories, this figure is pretty impressive! She comes with 3 interchangeable hands (a pew-pew gesture, a middle finger, and another trigger hand), an alternate head with her recon visor down over her eyes, and 2 of her Widow's Kiss rifle (one in normal mode and another in sniper mode). The accessories really completes the figure, as these are things you see in the game. Maybe having her venom mine and/or grappling hook would be nice. My only issue is that her interchangeable hands are only for her left hand, plus the left trigger hand is exactly the same (albeit a mirror of it) as the right hand (which is also a trigger hand). In the game, her right hand is gloved, except for her index finger. Her left hand should be fully gloved, but the left trigger hand has the index finger (wrongly) exposed too. The "pew-pew" gesture hand is a nice addition, maybe inspired by the Heroes of the Storm Nova figure by NECA (which was inspired by the HotS cinematic). The middle finger hand is totally random, but a fun addition.

Fun Factor 9/10
Despite her several minor flaws, Widowmaker is a fun figure to play with. She comes with all the things you need to pose her like in the game. Her articulation is decent, even if it had the potential to be better. I really enjoy posing the figure, despite her long legs and her heels making it a bit more challenging.


So do I recommend this figure? Hell yeah, especially if you are an Overwatch fan! The only drawback would be her price point. She is going for around SGD$130-$140 on eBay, and she can be found cheaper on taobao (a china online shopping site). If you can get past the steep price, and you are okay with her scale, then go for it! You won't be disappointed! If you are looking for more Overwatch action figures, here are ones to look out for (as at 10/3/17:

Official
figma: Tracer, Genji

Unofficial
DX9: K-1 Freeman (aka Bastion)
Zhongqu Toys: D.Va (the character for now, but the meka has been teased too)
Unknown brand: D.Va meka