Obviously, this is quite a bit different than here, where you'll only find such busts at specialty stores or perhaps comic shops. Perhaps the Japanese, like me, realize these things all sell to the same demographic? Perhaps they are light years ahead of their counterparts here in the states? Or perhaps I'm just a freak.

Whatever the case, this week I once again bring a mini-bust into the toy column. This time, it's the Baroness from the G.I. Joe line by Palisades Toys. They've already done both Snake Eyes and Stormshadow, and now Baroness has been added to the series. The next two include Roadblock and Destro. They all retail for around $40 each.

If you have any question, comments or figures you'd like to suggest for reviews, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Baroness Mini-Bust"

The Baroness is one of the more popular characters, certainly because of her marksmen skills, quick wit, and tough personality. Yea, right. That's why fan boys lined up for a block to get their photo taken with the real life version at last year's San Diego Comic COn.

Packaging - ***1/2

The mini-bust packaging produced by Palisades is some of the better in this market. Most companies give you relatively basic boxes, and no way to see the bust inside without opening it. Palisades provides a great window on the front, but still manage to produce a very sturdy box, with thick foam padding to ensure the bust is safe and sound.

They also print the limited edition number "XXXX out of 2500" on the box bottom, and not just on the statue itself. That's particularly good for those shopping for low numbers.

Sculpting - ****

The Joe mini-busts have been consistently solid, and the Baroness continues the tradition. The sculpting is top-notch on both the face and body, with great detail work. Plenty of attention is paid to the hair, clothing, and even the weapon. The glasses are tough to do, since scale is usually goofed up on them. Not here, as they've captured just the right size and style to match the source material.

Scale is great everywhere else too, and while she's definitely hot she isn't done in an extreme style. It looks like she's a natural, no surgical interference required. She's a tad thin, particularly through her torso and waist, but I think it works well in this scale. I'm particularly impressed with the facial sculpt though, and the proportions are simply perfect.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are great, but you expect that in this type mini-bust. When companies set these expectations, it can sometimes be tough to live up to them. Fortunately, Palisades manages to pull it off. The black of the uniform is consistent, and they've used two different blacks for the leather vs. the cloth shirt. The shirt is a matte black, while the leather outfit is a shiny black. This gives added detail where the colors are similar.

The facial tone is fantastic - consistent and even. All the smaller details, like the lips, eyes and eyebrows, are neatly done and look perfect.

Pose - ***

This whole series has been all over the map. Some have arms, some don't, and now Baroness has one. It throws off the look of the group together a bit, but the bases, all styled the same, help pull that consistency back together.

The lack of a left arm on this figure effects the look though for me. Being a female body, and with this particular "tilted hips," pose, I'm reminded of the Venus de Milo way to much. The lack of one arm is just a bit to distracting.

I notice that the male busts all stop at the waist, while the female bust goes down to the thighs. I wonder why that is? Not that I'm complaining.

Quality - ***1/2
The bust is nice and heavy, and the quality of the paint application is such that it won't rub or chip easily. The bust base is large enough to avoid any toppling. The rifle barrel is perfectly straight, and everything feels solid and unlikely to break under normal use.

Value - ***
Forty bucks seems to be the market price for most mini-busts. I think it's a tad steep, and wish SRP on these could be at least five bucks or so cheaper. Still, these aren't toys, they are truly art, and deserve to be treated as such. She belongs in a glass case, right next to Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

Overall - ***1/2
Are you a big fan of G. I. Joe, Real American Hero? Grab this series of busts. They aren't for the casual fan, considering the price point, but serious fans will love them. With at least two more coming out - and a number of variations - they will look terrific together in your display case.

Speaking of variations, Palisades has been producing a variant of each in extremely limited numbers. For example, Baroness was also done in a 'crimson' version, with something like only 150 produced. Keep your eyes peeled for the Destro and Roadblock versions to pop up. The crimson Baroness was for sale at www.kaybee.com for a short period, so perhaps those two will be as well.

Where to Buy -
Lots of on-line stores have these available:

- Aisle Sniper has them in stock for $40 each.

- Big Bad Toy Store has them listed at a great price - $33 each - but they don't appear to be in stock. You might want to call and see when they expect to receive them.

- Beans Toys has them in stock for only $35 each.

I'm always looking for leads on new retailers on-line, so if you have suggestions please let me know!

Toy Fair 2003 Addendum

There was so much to see, and so much to do, at this year's Toy Fair that I managed to miss talking with a couple companies that I really wanted to visit with. One of those companies was Toynami. Since I screwed up and missed them, I thought I'd do a short addendum this week that covers some of the cooler items they'll have coming out this year.

Three of these lines are based on terrific 60's, 70's and 80's cartoons. Thundarr the Barbarian, the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, and the Herculoids are great examples of some of the more creative ideas that were once far more common in the world of Saturday morning cartoons.

The story of Thundarr was set here on Earth, after natural disasters had wreaked havoc. Thundarr worked with a couple other heroes, Ookla and Princess Ariel, to battle various evil wizards and other nasties. The story of Herculoids is a little farther flung from home. Set on the planet Amzot originally, later changed to Quasar, it's the story of King Zandor and Queen Tara, who worked with an unusual bunch of characters called the Herculoids to protect Amzot from various alien invaders.

The third show, Dynomutt the Wonderdog, is a bit more traditional, involving the standard superhero Blue Falcon. But the name of the show is his sidekick, Dynomutt. Think Scooby Doo with super powers. Actually, the Scooby gang even showed up on the show occasionally.

Toynami will be releasing some terrific looking figures based on all three of these lines in the next year. You can expect to see reviews of them all right here, and from what I have seen in person of the figures at SDCC last year, I can say they look terrific so far!