Friday, September 20, 2013

ThreeA WWR Frank & Snippy

 
When the first sniper grunt was offered through BBICN, I was kinda intrigued but I held out with its purchase because I'd taken a gamble that a similar figure will probably be offered in a different colourway later. Jungler was never really my thing, but the winter camouflage has always been something closer to heart. On 05 April 2013, Frank and Snippy were dropped on Bambaland and stayed on for a couple of days. This time I didn't hesitate with the purchase, even when the fully painted sample of Snippy was not revealed until the sale was over.
 
A couple of days before the sale, a sketch and short story of Frank and Snippy was posted on the blog, possibly as a form of publicity. It did generate more interest for me even though my mind was already set on getting this duo. I like to read stories about A.Wood characters and I do hope that he would do it more often.



As with the Jungler Punter Bot Sniper, Frank came equipped with a jungle hat, a ghillie suit (I admit I don't know the official term for this piece of camouflage fashion wear until I had to write this review) and a vest under some ammo pouches strapped on his harness and belt. For weaponry, Frank like Punter comes with a huge ass sniper rifle (35cm long), which also came with its own camouflage in the form of a long camou-patterned cloth that wraps itself across the length of the gun in a systematic fashion. He also carries a pistol holstered to his right thigh. I didn't really care for the ghillie suit as it obscures a lot of the figure when donned (and rightly so since a sniper should blend in with his environment) but I really do prefer to see the silhouette of a human figure.
 
What is different this time is that Frank sports a new headsculpt (not another clone of the Grunts), and goggles. There is a little irony in the fact that Frank is camouflaged for the winter environment, but not dressed to withstand the cold climate that he ought to. I wouldn't have mind if 3A threw in some winter jackets for ol' Frank here, and lost the jungle hat for the hood of the parka. Alas, we got a pair of goggles instead, and might I add, a pair of goggles that is rather poorly constructed. The lens are not see through (painted opaque) for a start, and they are misaligned when Frank puts them on, giving him a rather comical look (not sure if it is intentional). I am rather inclined to get this set to bash Frank up into a proper winter sniper if it is priced economically... Oh well... character designers sometimes love to defy logic, and since the last sniper that shoots in cold weather I know of is also skimpily dressed, I'll cut Frank some slack. Another thing I would've preferred is real faux leather boots with laces instead of plastic boots. Once you've had a taste of what 3A's capable of, I guess it is rather difficult to fall back on the oldies...







I think it is a genuine concern of folks regarding the balance of the figure since he is carrying such a big gun. I must say though that the gun is designed to be light weight and fairly manageable by Frank. The joints on his arms are pretty well constructed and Frank should be able to carry it without toppling over, possibly a lesson 3A learnt from the disaster that was called the WWR Heavy Bramble. Having said so, I doubt you will be able to get any good shooting poses out of Frank if he is standing upright. The best way to pose him in a position ready to fire is probably with him proning down and with the legs of the rifle near the trigger fully extended.



Snippy is Frank's companion, fully equipped with a smoke stack (with an articulated cap might I add) that blows up thick clouds of black smoke aimed at giving away Frank's position (again, the irony!). As a figure, Snippy preserves the adorable look of his Square predecessors, but with a battle damaged eye. Something different about him is that he has longer legs compared to the Square Mk1s, and they end with feet that resembles snow skis. The construct of Snippy is really well executed too, with joints that are nice and tight.







Frank and Snippy are quite fun to play around with, and I'm glad to add them to my collection. The Sniper figure does have its shortcomings, but nothing too severe. I like the new headsculpt, and I like the weathering that was applied on Frank. It reminds me of what has been done on Flakey Frost, which has white spots that are coarse and grainy to touch (sharks, I just said I like feeling dried paint). IMO, Snippy is an interesting upgrade of the Mk1 Square design, and its presence as a sidekick to Frank helps add a lot of character to both of them.

2 comments:

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Thanks man, really informative. LOL considered not to purchase anymore.

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