Banjo by Toy Biz

The most obvious question with Banjo is, how the hell does he see anything with that huge nose in front of his face?

Banjo is one good figure. That’s about how he can be summed up in as few words as possible. The paint job is bright, applied flawlessly, and is pleasing to the eye. (Gamers will note that his shorts are yellow, which differs from the blue ones he wears in the Banjo-Kazooie series.) It’s a perfect replica of his car from Diddy Kong Racing (N64). The sculpt is downright uncanny. Banjo himself has all the right accessories – backpack, belt, and necklace. (None of these are removable.) Articulation and balance enable Banjo to be displayed in a wide variety of poses. His shoulders are ball-jointed and his ankles move. He’s solid on his feet even when leaning over. What baffles me is that his waist is not articulated, but since he’s incredibly poseable without it, it doesn’t hurt the score. Banjo’s kart gets big points for having rubber wheels. Attaching the rear fin is easy and it stays in place under the roughest play. When the kart is dragged back, the back wheels wind up the motor. Letting it 

go, Banjo takes off at a pretty good rate, although the speed is very dependent on the surface. (It won’t move on carpet.) What’s most worthy of note about the kart is the projectile launching system.

Pressing the steering wheel pops open a compartment (the big "6" on the front) where the projectile is stored. It’s seamlessly integrated into the body of the kart. Except for a small notch, you won’t even notice it. I like innovation, which is why I’ve got to mention the projectile itself. The warhead is solid plastic and trailing behind it is a tightly rolled strip of shiny plastic. When 

pressed down on, the rolled strip behaves like a spring. Getting it into the launcher is easy. When the lid flips open, the projectile gets launched. It gets okay distance but the high point is that it doesn’t look hokey. The downside is that 1) the projectile can be lost and 2) the shiny spring can be unraveled, making the projectile useless.

The only other downside is that Banjo can’t actually grip the steering wheel. But that’s a minor point – you’ll be having too much fun playing with Banjo to notice. (And if you get tired of Banjo, try your GI Joe figures in the kart – they’re a perfect fit!) Banjo’s not only a great video game likeness, he’s also a great toy.

- Omni