DIABOLIK is the titular character of a popular Italian comic book series created in 1962 by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani . I admit, I was unfamiliar with the character before Mezco Toyz brought him into the One:12 Collective. After doing some research and spending time with the figure, I can now understand why Diabolik gained so much popularity. A master thief who typically steals from criminals for his own benefit, Diabolik uses various gadgets and weapons to assist in his heists. For Mezco Toyz, Diabolik is an atypical foray into the world of pulp, and I hope they continue to see it as a world worth pursuing.

DESIGN 10/10

Part of what I think makes Diabolik so iconic is his all black suit which conceals the majority of his body head to toe. Aside from concealing his identity, the suit is able to store all of his various gadgets and can be used as a diving suit. To top it off – it’s even fireproof! There are a couple of differences I spotted between the Diabolik One:12 Collective figure and the art in the comics. The most notable is the throwing dagger sheaths on each wrist which I think are a great addition to the figure. The next is the thigh sheath for his combat knife; with the sheath itself being removable. Overall, this figure is a really well executed adaptation of the character as he appears in the comics.

As a Mezco Collector and wannabe toy photographer another great thing about Diabolik is how versatile the figure is. He can easily fit alongside other characters as a villain or henchman and he is also a great base for custom figures if that’s an avenue you choose to to explore. I’ve seen the body used for Nightwing, Snake-Eyes, and with the included night-vision goggles, he can make a pretty good Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series of video games!

ARTICULATION 10/10

When Mezco Toyz first released images for Diabolik I was a little worried about how the suit would affect articulation. With the body suit being basically skin-tight I figured there would be at least some restriction to movement. Now that I have the figure in hand I’m glad to say that Diabolik poses fantastically and the suit poses no real concerns in getting the figure into even extreme poses. From what I can gather, Diabolik is on the Gomez/Spider-Man buck which has just over 30 points of articulation. There’s very good range of motion in the torso and you can get some great natural and acrobatic poses with both the arms and legs. The head and neck are also separate pieces to allow you to swap with the included unmasked head.

The only thing I would be weary of is keeping him in too dynamic of poses for extended periods of time. I haven’t owned a Mezco One:12 Collective figure long enough to see any deterioration in suit fabrics or materials but it can happen if you don’t take steps to prevent it. If you are anything like me and enjoy posing your figures based off of source material then you’ll have a great time with Diabolik.

ACCESSORIES 9/10



Diabolik One:12 Collective is packaged with a solid number of accessories with my favorites being the night-vision goggles and the wrist watch. The goggles can also be fitted on the unmasked head sculpt if you plan on swapping that out for your display. Besides these, the following are also included: a backpack that can be opened to store accessories, two suction cup climbers, one diamond, and an egg (a fancy egg!). I think the last two are great because of their potential as props for other figures and for creating scenes for your toy photography. There are also spare combat knives and throwing daggers included which is a nice bonus if you are like me and tend to lose things. The standard display base and post are also there, of course.

The suction cups work!

While Diabolik does comes with a ton of accessories I think a few more items would have benefited the figure more. Another trademark of Diabolik are the photorealistic masks he wears to impersonate his enemies. While I’m not familiar enough with the Diabolik world to suggest who the mask could be it still would have made a cool accessory to showcase the character’s abilities. Diabolik is also known for his use of poisons and sedatives to incapacitate enemies. Something to visualize this such as syringes would have made a great addition as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Not only did I love having the Diabolik One:12 Collective Figure in hand I also loved diving head first into the research for the character. Diabolik is a perfect pulp fiction icon and it’s good to see Mezco Toyz put the spotlight on what is for all accounts a lesser-known character. From the all black suit that allows you to project yourself as the character to the classic spy gadgets like the suction-cup goggles.. there’s nothing I don’t like about Diabolik. Even though Mezco Toyz primarily works with more popular brands, I hope they are able to produce not just more figures from Diabolik, but figures from other lesser-known properties like it. It adds a certain variety to the Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective line that you don’t see much these days with all the super hero releases we are fed on an almost daily basis.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.5/10

Like this: Like Loading...