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Since the first Cy-gor was released in 1996 (yes, it was originally spelt with a lowercase G [that is how they do it --ed.]), he's been a fan-favorite, ending up one of the most popular figures every time he's seen a new release. So naturally, now that - finally! - Spawn has come back back to the toy aisles, you knew Cy-Gor wouldn't be far behind.
Michael Konieczni was Al Simmons' friend and squad mate. When he discovered the truth about Al's murder, he attempted to blow the whistle on Jason Wynn. However, he was stopped and subjected to project Sim, the Simian experiments of Frederick Willheim and became the beast known as Cy-Gor, short for Cybernetic Gorilla.
Well that's different: Cy-Gor's had a couple different orgins over the years, but the last time we got one this specific, his name was Stephen Smith, not Michael Konieczni; are there two Cy-Gors running around out there? Was one name an alias or cover identity? Did Todd just forget that he'd already named the guy? Decide the name was too whitebread and opt to make it something more "ethnic"? Could be any of the above! (In case you're wondering, it's Polish, and would sound like "Koney-ECKSH-Nee.")
The original Series 4 figure was no larger than his fellows, but this new Cy-Gor (which is spelt "CyGor" on the box and on McFarlane's site [or at least it was until they changed it --ed.]) is a "Megafig" for Series 2, which means he's much bigger than the standard characters and sold in a bigger box, similar to the way King Shark was. Even hunched over and walking on his knuckles like a real gorilla (a first for any Cy-Gor) he's about 9" tall - as tall as 1998's Cy-Gor II, which had a fully vertical posture!
The sculpt is excellent; would you expect any less? The fur is furry, the cybernetics are cybernetty, you know the deal. There are big red scars running all over his torso, wounds held shut with big, ugly sutures. Frankly, the "piecemeal" nature of his body was done better on the '98 figure: it looked like it was cut open and repaired over and over, while this one just gets a couple big lines. It's not as cool.
It would be nice if the various Cy-Gors had more consistency. Six of these things, and the only feature they've all had in common is that the left arm is mechanical. Sometimes they have one leg replaced, sometimes the other, sometimes both, sometimes part of the head is replaced,
sometimes none of it is... we're not asking for the shape of the machines to be identical every time, but he should at least have the same bodyparts missing. Like, imagine if Bucky Barnes suddenly had his human hand back, or Vic Stone showed up with his own legs again. It'd be weird, right? So why are Cy-Gor's mechanical parts all over the place? Pick a set of upgrades and stick with it. This one gets the full left arm, the right arm from the elbow down, both legs below the knees, his entire back and the left pectoral muscle, and a large segment of face like Kano from Street Fighter.
We already mentioned Cy-Gor's appropriately simian posture, but this isn't like the immobile 2004 figure: this ape can move! He's got a barbell-jointed neck; swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists;
a balljointed waist; swivel/hinge hips (under a flexible PVC pelvis), swivel thighs; hinged knees; and swivel/hinge ankles. Considering how solid and heavy this toy is, the joints need to be very stiff to support his weight, so be ready for a real chore when you want to move him. The wires that run from his natural right triceps to his mechanical forearm get stretched taut when you bend that elbow, so you really need to be careful with how you have everything turned when you do. He can't lift his arms over his head, and since the hands are posed for walking, they only do a passable job of posing as fists. On the other hand, thanks to his posture, he's got an absolute dumptruck ass. He's like a hockey goalie. Or a Pixar mom.
Cy-Gor doesn't come with any accessories, just a disc base that he would never ever need. His paint is rather plain, since he's mainly just black fur and grey metal, but they did do some extensive washes to highlight the excellence of the sculpt and did a few golden tubes on his arms, but he could really use some purple - that's always been Cy-Gor's signature accent color.
Thanks to all the detailing, paint, and play features, Series 12's Cy-Gor II remains the best toy representation of the character, but this new one is awesome in his own way. He's bigger and more poseable than you might expect, and he actually looks like a gorilla rather than a man in a gorilla suit.
-- 05/21/22
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