Detective Pikachu, Pokémon

Detective Pikachu | Figure Multi-Pack Review

Look. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a Pokemon fan. Honestly, more so than any other franchise on the planet. When we first received word via Pidgey that Legendary Pictures was working on a Pokemon movie, I was incredibly excited. The excitement waned when I heard it was Detective Pikachu. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the game, but for that to become our first live-action movie? Needless to say, the trailers (and designs) have more than won me over. There’s no way I could possibly be more excited for this film…until you brought toys into the mix. The TCG has a tie-in set, you can snuggle with some plushes, or adorn your desk with a plethora of realistic critters.

Wicked Cool Toys’ line-up of Pokemon toys is rather diverse, ranging from figure 2-packs, single pack figures, larger battle action figures, figures with Poke Balls, plushes, so on and so forth. Retailers naturally like bigger ticket items, so Wicked Cool often packs some of their 2-packs and single pack toys together in multi-pack releases. Detective Pikachu is no exception, with a $29.99 multi-pack release that throws the entire figure line into one box…except it replaces Mr. Mime with Ludicolo! The box in total combines four $6.99 releases (Pikachu and Psyduck, Pikachu and Bulbasaur, Mewtwo, and Ludicolo), with the small additional cost most likely coming from the fact that the Ludicolo is marketed as an exclusive figure to the set.

The two Pikachu, Psyduck, and Bulbasaur all feature no articulation but have some darn good paint applications and some spot on molded in detail. One Pikachu is in a standing position, while the other is waving, perhaps trying to get Tim’s attention, or waving down Ludicolo for another cup of coffee. Both Pikachu offer a slight bit of artistic liberty with the realistic design but capture the look well. Both bodies feature small fur detailing, particularly noticeable in the tail, with small tufts poking out. Psyduck, despite having quite a terrifying face and oddly lanky arms, also works rather well, with small feather detailing on the body, much like the actual Psyduck model. Bulbasaur worried me a bit, but the actual toy looks wonderful. I would have preferred some more paint on the bulb, but the molded-in detailing (making the bulb sort of look like a head of lettuce) is incredible.

Mewtwo’s design adds a slightly more human proportion to the Pokemon in comparison to the thinner design of the games. Despite being small, the eyes are very well done and the purple to white gradients on the toy are chef’s kiss perfect. Mewtwo features rotations in both shoulders and the middle of the tail. Ludicolo is just perfect. The poncho body design is molded to resemble fur and the brown lines fade into the yellow to add that bit of realism. Ludicolo features articulation in the shoulders. Finally, the individually packed Mr. Mime is, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch. I usually like Mr. Mime, and I love the Mr. Mime design seen in the film, but the transition into a toy just didn’t quite hit the mark. It’s unfortunately in some middle space between game Mr. Mime and movie Mr. Mime that just doesn’t quite click and it mostly comes down to missing details, particularly in the red spots and the “hair”. It also has problems standing due to the small feet. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

At the end of the day, while they’re not perfect, for the price, these are wonderful little desk-toy representations of Detective Pikachu designs. Unfortunately, if you are a Ludicolo fan, you might have to splurge for the Multi-Pack, but if you happen to adore Mr. Mime, Mewtwo, or any of the two-packs, the individual purchases might be the way to go. Regardless, I really hope this line continues, because I would love to get more iconic Pokemon in this style such as Snorlax, Snubbull, Jigglypuff, Machamp, and the list goes on. Good job Wicked Cool Toys!