The Pyro rounds out the first wave of NECA’s Team Fortress 2 series along with the Demoman. Like mentioned in the previous review NECA decided to take on the daunting task of converting Valve’s cartoon-like characters into fully articulated action figures. The conversion was an absolute success and these figures are as an exact a replica of the game characters that you will find.
The Pyro is one of the most feared of the Team Fortress 2 cast, as can be seen in their featurette: Meet the Pyro. Nobody knows what is behind that mask, or what murderous and terrible thoughts he (or she? or it?) is thinking as he burns his victims to death. In fact the Pyro is one of the big mysteries in the TF2 universe because nobody knows much about him besides him being a Terminator-like killing machine. A lot of people hoped “Meet the Pyro” would reveal something about him, but instead Valve took a pretty hilarious storytelling route that kept him as mysterious as he was prior.
So the Pyro gets the honor of being in the first wave of NECA Team Fortress 2 action figures. He comes packed with his flamethrower, axe, and an in-game code for a TF2 item. This is everything he needs for a full load out, but I do kind of wish he had come with a flare-gun since it’s a character specific item we probably won’t get with anyone else. However if they packed a flare-gun they would have probably needed to change the hand sculpts, or add an additional hand like they did with the Demoman. These are $20 figures and I understand they have a budget to maintain so they can’t just throw the kitchen sink in with each figure release because Jon wants a flare-gun!
One thing I really like about their weapons is that they are very detailed and large. Often times with six-inch figures the weapon or accessories are almost an afterthought. They will end up too small or not painted. When you get really nice accessories like the ones that come with the TF2 cast its a wonderful surprise. That’s not to say it’s a surprise from NECA because they seem to always put as much effort into their accessories as the figures. A company a long time ago used to do that too, Palisades, in facr I use a lot of their Muppet accessories in my reviews because they are so good. The Pyro is specifically made to hold his weapons, however I have put the flamethrower on a Marvel Legends Crossbones and he looks great using it. Great accessories can make a decent figure great, and they can make a great figure really stand out.
NECA obviously wanted these to be as posable as possible so they fully articulated the figures despite some of the Pyro’s odd proportions. They also prioritized the articulation to let him do his typical game poses, most importantly holding his flamethrower, holding it above his head, and playing his axe like a guitar. He can pull off all of these poses great. I will say his arms get a little frustrating because his gloves block him from being able to hit a full 90 degree angle. If you fiddle with the elbows a bit you can get the joint to open up a bit, mine were pretty tight when I took him out of the package. The only other articulation issue I have is the same one I had with the Demoman and his tiny feet. The joints on the pyro’s ankles and feet came pretty loose and it can take some effort to get him in a good spot to stand. Otherwise he has a great range of movement from his articulation scheme.
I love the paint on the Pyro, unlike the Demoman I got, Pyro’s paint is very clean for the most part. This leads me to believe my Demoman was more the exception than the rule. The charred detail into the Pyro’s red suit is a really nice touch as well. He has his emblems painted onto the shoulder’s of his suite in case you weren’t aware that the dude with the huge flamethrower is the Pyro!
The Pyro is a great addition to the Team Fortress 2 line. Of the two released so far the Pyro is my favorite because they did justice to one of my favorite characters from the game. While I could have asked for more articulation, he would have started deviating from the source material as he got more cuts in his sculpt. NECA made the right decisions as far as when and how to articulate him to keep the game aesthetic. I look forward to the remaining members of the series as well as the Blue Team variants coming out later this year.
Do you want to purchase this fine piece of video game history? Grab the TF2 figures from Amazon at the following links:
- NECA Team Fortress 2 – Pyro
- NECA Team Fortress 2 – Demoman
- NECA Team Fortress 2 – Plush Pyro (For the kids!)
- NECA Team Fortress 2 – Plush Scout
these TF2 figures are looking great!
Yeah I can’t wait to add the rest of the team to the shelf!
Nice review! Which figure did you end up liking more – the Demoman or the Pyro? I tended to like the Pyro the most =)
Thanks! Yeah I really like the Pyro, they are both really great but I think in-game I dig the character of the Pyro more. The Pyro can also get into some really cool poses with his flamethrower!