Next to Jyaaku the Nightmare, Dojo is the biggest figure of the Spawn 19 series. He’s big, green, has cloven feet, and sharp-as-hell spikes all over him. To say he’s a dangerous figure is nearly an understatement. Display him on a low surface, like

a desk, because if he’s knocked from a higher perch you could be risking serious bodily harm. The sharpest areas are his back, his tail, and a hidden one on the underside of each hand. The first time I repositioned his hand, I bruised my thumb on a spike. For the spikes alone, I wouldn’t recommend playing with Dojo, especially for the younger kids. (You could

take an eye out!) The two included accessories (a couple conjoined shrunken heads and his spiked club) can be lost easily. The shrunken heads can be hooked onto any number of the sharp protuberances but they are tiny so expect them to vanish. The club fits loosely in either hand, which is a plus/minus. Plus, because it’s easy to put in his hand. Minus, because it becomes easier to lose. There are a couple other accessories for Dojo (a spear and a battle standard) but are only available through the Collector’s Club.

The overall impression of Dojo is that of a jail warden, especially when he’s holding his club. Detail is high and the sculpt is very good. Nice touches include the tail, the armor, and the imbedded heads in his stomach. There’s a lot to appreciate. I like what they’ve done with the tail, too. Instead of going the "bendy" route, McFarlane has made the tail sectional – a seam joint where it attaches to the torso and another one half way down the tail. It works very well in keeping Dojo standing. Without the tail he’d fall backwards. There’s not much to say about his poseability and except that it’s not very good. Shoulders, wrists, and neck all move to some extent – limited by the armor and too-often-mentioned spikes. Unfortunately, only his right leg can be moved. His left leg (at least with the review figure) seems to be stuck to the loin armor. It should be able to move but it can’t and I don’t want to force it. Dojo’s not really a figure I want to snap a leg off of or – even worse – tear off the loin cover.

His green skin makes Dojo stand out from the rest of the line. The paint application is excellent – there’s no oversplash even with the Japanese characters on the armor. And there are little things about the paint job, like the way the skin manages to look really unhealthy (dry and flaky) or the brown bumpy bits at the base of each spike on the tail, that puts Dojo in the running for best paint job of the year.

All I can find wrong with Dojo, besides the reliance on spikes and poor articulation, is that his helmet (or at least his faceplate) cannot be removed. And his medallion-like armor on his knees can be torn off.

- Omni