Do you like facial expressions on Action Figures?

[TrueDave]

I am really suprised i seem to be such a minority in this. I'm tired of the "Waiting for the Bus" face. I think it's the only thing holding me back on the Twilight Zone figures.
What do you think? What do you prefer to Buy/Make?

[thunderbolt]

Always loved Kirk's smirk. I don't mind facial expressions on headsculpts, well except the Famous Covers screaming guys.

[CrimsonGhost]

I like expressions if it's character appropriate. A smirk on Guy Gardner, Kirk, or Han Solo is fine, but not on Superman, Spock, or Obi Wan. And I don't like the screaming thing either.

[livnxxxl]

I like expressions on the faces vs. the same ho hum boring look all of the time. Even though I do like the original sculpts and am pretty happy with them I am working on spicing them up a bit by adding my own custom expressions.

I am mainly doing this for a series that I will be working on in the future. Just for fun! I was inspired after watching some really cool Star Trek Mego fan made movies on YouTube.

[jimsmegos]

I like expressions if it's character appropriate. A smirk on Guy Gardner, Kirk, or Han Solo is fine, but not on Superman, Spock, or Obi Wan. And I don't like the screaming thing either.

Agreed

[bobws]

I like expressions if it's character appropriate. A smirk on Guy Gardner, Kirk, or Han Solo is fine, but not on Superman, Spock, or Obi Wan. And I don't like the screaming thing either.

I'll make this three, all in favor raise your hands.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I think it depends on the character. I'm always after the best representation of any given character, and for some that requires some sort of emotional expression. Screaming Superman? Meh. Screaming Hulk? Perfectly fine. (The one downfall of the Mego 12" Hulk is his slightly perturbed expresstion. "Grrr! 'House' is rerun today!!!!")

Don C.

[sprytel]

I actually appreciate the "Waiting for the Bus" expression.

I read that baby dolls and stuffed animals often have neutral expressions so young children can project the emotions onto the toy. I think the same concept applies here. It increases play possibilities (which is a good thing for a toy).

The "Kirk smirk" is a brilliant bit of sculpting. If you want Kirk to be happy, it is clearly a smirk. But the expression can also come off as serious, or determined, or empathetic... there is a lot of room for interpretation there.

By contrast, figures with smiles are the worst. A smile is seldom the appropriate expression for fighting bad guys and saving the day. And there is no room for interpretation.

And just to be clear... even though I may not get down on the carpet and play with my Megos as much as I used to... I still think a successful toy should work "as a toy".

[jessica]

I don't usually like expressions on the sculpts, but after seeing Arnie Lee's several iterations of Bruce Lee, I can't help but love it. Of course, they are all quite subtle. Subtlety is what works best.

[hawkmike]

I Like An Expression Other Than The Blank Expression Most Figures Have.

[jwyblejr]

You got to be careful. You don't want to wind up with someone with The Thing's expression.

[MIB41]

Expressions have to be done with care, even when their character appropriate. Take Shazam for instance. Look at the fallout that came from that initial prototype. Smaller figures will typically have less of a register on the face, simply because it's easier to please a broader base that way. Getting an expression to look "just right" can be much more subjective since everyone has their own ideas about what makes that character work.

[CrimsonGhost]

Expressions have to be done with care, even when their character appropriate. Take Shazam for instance. Look at the fallout that came from that initial prototype. Smaller figures will typically have less of a register on the face, simply because it's easier to please a broader base that way. Getting an expression to look "just right" can be much more subjective since everyone has their own ideas about what makes that character work.

That had more to do with the paint than the sculpt. The sculpt never changed from proto to production, well except for a slight neck shortening.

[thunderbolt]

Loved the Big Red Cheese headsculpt, suited the character and captured Beck's artwork perfectly.

[Boywonder0]

NO FACIAL EXPRESSIONS!!! My vote is for the kind of head sculpts done for the Hasbro 9" DC Heroes line! PERFECT!!!