As a figure collector, I’m always intrigued when a new line of Wizkids/Neca’s line of Heroclix gaming pieces are released. For this long-running collectible game, it seems no character from the Marvel or DC pantheon is too obscure or out of date to make an appearance in miniature form. The only unfortunate thing is the size: most figures are barely over an inch tall making detail, paint, and sculpt quality spotty at best. But every once in a while a special larger figure is released as a chase figure or a limited convention release, which is what gives us Colossal figures like this fabulous Fin Fang Foom.
Serious Heroclix players will always have a reaction when met with this intimidating figure. Some will regale you with tales of the time they beat the great Fin Fang Foom, others will scoff and claim he is the weakest of the colossal sized figures that include other larger-than-life villains such asĀ Galactus and the Anti-Monitor. But they’ll all agree that this 2007 special release figure is something to be admired when it comes to sculpt quality.
Considering there are some truly fantastic sculpts out there in the Heroclix line including greats like Phoenix, it’s easy to forget that these figures are meant to be played with competitively and not just enjoyed as statues. It’s a pity then that WizKids doesn’t go out of their way to credit the amazing sculptors behind these figures that have such a fan following.
The attention to detail in every Heroclix, even the one inch figures leads me to believe the sculptors behind these must be a very dedicated lot. A pity then that I was unable to find any creator information about Fin Fang Foom here. It’s not often you can say a gaming piece compares so favorably to a Bowen Designs figure or even beats a highly sought after and expensive Build-a-figure set you are required to buy an entire case of action figures to obtain. Yet this is the high regard the Fin Fang Foom Heroclix is held in in many fan’s eyes.
These giant sized Heroclix figures are not just for the gamers, their quality and construction are at a level that they should be in the collection of any serious fan of the character. Jack Kirby fans should have no complaints about Fin Fang Foom as he is available not only in this normal version but also wearing his classic purple pants and a San Diego Comic Con exclusive Orange version.
At over 12 inches tall, He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun is an imposing figure on any shelf and even commands attention next to similar sized dragons on my bookcase. When used in a game his moves can literally scatter other heroclix pieces and throw any strategy into question. Mine seems content to threaten my action figures and pretty much is begging to be made into a diorama.
If you’re as taken by Fin Fang Foom as I am, he is still available on Ebay pretty regularly, though the orange version is getting pretty hard to find. If you plan to use him for gaming, each version carries the same base and point values. Just make sure you have a good place to put him when you’re not playing, as you’ll want to stare at him pretty much all the time!