Series: Spawn 22, The Viking Age

Craftsmanship: 9.2 out of 10

- Plenty of useful articulation

for display

- Lots of trademark

McFarlane detail

- Stands easily (and even has a pegged foot!)

- Fits with the rest of the series

- Left shoulder joint loose

Playability: 7.8 out of 10

- Chain can snap off easily

- Mace-end of battleaxe can

be lost

- Not exactly a kid friendly toy

- Some pointy bits

- Good articulation

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Spawn the Bloodaxe (Spawn 22) by McFarlane Toys

spawn the bloodaxe

I’ve never really noticed it, but has Spawn ever gone to the dentist? I’m sure a dentist would be able to suggest something for oral maggots. If plaque is bad, just imagine what the Dental Association says about maggots! In the case of Spawn the Bloodaxe, the maggots are just another example of McFarlane’s emphasis on high

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detail. Not only is high detail achieved, McFarlane seems to be hitting the high notes when it comes to functional articulation.

Bloodaxe possesses 16 points of articulation (although I may have missed a point or two) and only his neck is somewhat limited in terms of mobility. It doesn’t move side to side very well but it also has a slight hinge to

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grant some vertical movement. The combination ball, seam and hinge joints allow a wide variety of poses. (We’ve seen this combination as far back as Spawn 19 – with the PVC pipe “cheats” – but I like to call it the MGS2 model.) He stands easily as well – he even has a peg hole in his left foot for added stability if you want him on a display base. His arms offer the greatest option for radically different poses, but with the review figure his left shoulder was extremely loose resulting in lost poses.

The left hand holds the big battleaxe snuggly. The mace unpegs from the shaft to allow the axe to be put into his hand. His right hand is solid, which is a bit unfortunate since having two weapons would have added to the “cool” factor.

Sculpt and paint are both up to McFarlane standards. There is loads of texture and small touches to appreciate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Spawn wearing so many belts – it almost looks like he escaped from a Final Fantasy game. (Or possibly Enclave.) A problem that Spawn figures often have is the cape. Thankfully, in the case of Bloodaxe, the cape is not as long or heavy as previous incarnation so poseability isn’t limited by it in any major way. If there is oversplash it’s hard to tell if it’s deliberate or accidental. For the most part there isn’t a lot of spottiness or areas that look rushed. One nice touch is the chain draped from his right shoulder.

The chain is probably the only thing that will get ripped off if you play rough with your toys. The cape is also susceptible to being torn off and the mace-end of the battleaxe lost. Actually, the axe is quite compatible with 12” figures. (Darth Maul with a battleaxe has a certain appeal.) I wouldn’t recommend Bloodaxe for little kids (the package suggest “5 and up”) since there are a few hard pointy bits – especially the ones running down the middle of his helmet. I have to admit that I didn’t put Bloodaxe through a rigorous play test, opting instead to set up dioramas with the other Viking Age figures. It’s not that I don’t trust McFarlane to make a solid figure, it’s just that I have enough broken (and semi-repaired) toys to fill a large Rubbermaid bin and I didn’t feel like adding Bloodaxe to the ranks.

In the end, we get classic McFarlane Toys detail and some very effective articulation that allows good poseability. Plus, he’s the titular character so you should snap him up if you find him.

- Omni
(October 6, 2002)