Scunner

It's been a while since we got any new Pacific Rim figures, but this big brute has emerged just in time for Horror Month. click to embiggen Scunner was one of the two Category IV kaiju who came through the breach at the same time, acting as bodyguards for the first Category V, Slattern. As you doubtless know, the monsters were all based loosely on real animals, because that made it easier for audiences to understand them. Scunner's inspiration is clearly a bull, what with the two giant horns sweeping forward off the sides of his head. he has two eyes on each side of his head, but since his vision would normally be impaired by those excrescences, they're on a hammerhead shark-like cephalofoil. His jaw opens and closes, but he does not have the movable tongue that Knifehead did. Thank goodness. As far as the special effects in the film go, Trespasser, Knifehead, and Scunner all use the same basic CGI model, so it's no surprise the toys all share a lot of the same parts. The movie's excuse was that we never saw a full-body shot of Trespasser in the opening, and Knifehead was always half-submerged during his fight, so Scunner was the only time the entire body was visible. NECA's excuse is that making toys is expensive, so reusing molds is a reality of the industry. Besides, they always find ways to make these look unique, even if they do share the same arms and legs. In Scunner's case, he gets new hands. It may not seem like a lot, but since he has small paws on his big arms, and no thumbs on his little arms, and neither of those statements are even a little bit true about his two forebears, it would be a pretty big mistake if they hadn't given him new ones. He's also got a new tail with five spikes on the end, and his own unique back-pad. Since he's a Category IV to Knifehead's Category III, he should really be bigger, right? (By 126 feet and 530 tons, according to the artbook.) NECA couldn't really do that, but they did throw a big rubber shell over the existing Trespasser torso to make him bulkier. Honestly, I don't care enough about the relative scale of these figures to find that problematic, I just want cool monsters. Maybe he's far away. Actually, since Scunner's fight took place entirely underwater, pose him as though he's swimming and you'll never notice his size issues. He's got all the joints you'd expect: a bendy tail, balljointed ankles, swivel/​hinge knees, balljointed hips and waist, balljointed wrists (all four of them), swivel/​hinge elbows (big arms only), swivel/​hinge shoulders (times four), a balljointed head, and of course, the hinged jaw. The range on the head is especially good - NECA must want you to make him swim! Scunner's another awesome Pacific Rim figure, but come on, NECA: we need a Raiju to keep him company! -- 10/18/14

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