Captain Liberty (The Tick)

by N2 Toys

One of the age old questions – one of those questions that defies the boundaries of time and place – that is still boggling minds around the world is: Who would win in a fight between Captain Liberty and American Maid? I’ll leave that question for greater minds than mine. (Setting the bar fairly low one could argue.)

Captain Liberty (an adult version of the cartoon Tick’s American Maid character) stands about 6 ½” tall and is a better play toy than display piece. She gets marks in

the playability department for a number of reasons: she’s in proportion to the other Tick figures, her accessory is practically un-losable, and she’s tough. The last item on the list – toughness – is owed in part to her exclusively seam jointed articulation points. She has seams at her hips, elbows, shoulders, and neck – the same number as the big blue bug of Justice, the Tick. Sacrificing some of the aesthetic might have

been worth it to put in a couple of hinge or ball joints. As she is, Captain Liberty is tough, just like the rest of the Tick line. Her torch accessory stays in her right hand almost under any condition. Throughout the play test – her 15 minutes of Fame – it remained firmly in her hand even after her hand snapped off. (Oops!) Besides that she picks up scuff marks fairly easily on her exposed skin.

The paint on her skin just isn’t in the same league as that of her costume. Her costume totally nails the TV likeness – gold and red have never looked so good! It has a sheen to it like the Tick’s costume, which makes her really stand out even in low light. The overall sculpt is good but the facial features seem a little washed out. There are similarities but it’s not dead-on. My biggest gripe though is with her poseability.

She’s got one stance that keeps her standing firmly. Finding the One Stance is easy and she stands solidly once it is found. The seam articulation severely limits what kind of poses she can be put in – the stock one being left hand on hip, right hand holding the torch. If change is your thing, don’t look at Captain Liberty. However, that being said I’d like to direct your attention to her hair, which has mobility in mind. Most female figures have long hair that is positioned to render neck articulation useless. Captain Liberty’s hair flows out slightly from her body allowing her neck 180-degree movement. It’s subtle so it doesn’t look amateurish.

Arguably the biggest flaw with Captain Liberty is that the torch doesn’t flip open like on the show. It’s a small touch but it would have scored a few more points.

While everyone has their favorite character from the show, those with a Captain Liberty fetish would do well to add her to their action figure collection. But for the rest of us, she’s the ho-hum figure of the first series. (No series escapes this fact – there’s always one figure that just doesn’t grab your attention or give you a rabbit punch.)

- Omni
(February 27, 2002)