.

The figures are packed in a bubble tray, and have no twist-ties holding them in. Instead, a second clear tray piece fits over the top and then locks in, meaning that these figures are held in well and can be seen from each side.

The back of the packaging is new and only shows waves 8 and 9.

Assault Punisher is the second version of the Punisher to be done for the Minimates line. The first was a summer 2004 convention exclusive, which was well received but the fans wondered why the Punisher didn’t have any of his weapons? In this set, all their prayers have been answered!

The first Punisher Minimate’s face had a lot of detail on it, and the Assault Punisher continues this with craggy features and a scowl on his face that’d churn milk. This is one ticked-off vigilante! As with most of the wave 8 and 9 figures, Assault Punisher has a peg in the centre of his hairpiece to hold it to the head block better.

The white gloves and booties of the first Minimate have been replaced by a much grittier and urban look. The long trenchcoat is made of very inflexible plastic and is a right pain to remove, but does look the business. I particularly like the way it flows past the Punisher’s various holsters, it looks great and is practical because the small gun and knife pieces are easier to remove. The skull logo on the chest is slightly different to the first one. Another nice touch is the Punisher’s fingerless gloves.

This new Punisher really lives up to the “Assault” part of his name with his accessories. As mentioned above, he has two holsters attached to his body – one on his ankle and one on his thigh. These hold a knife and a pistol respectively. The removable holsters themselves have been executed really well, not hindering any of the leg posablity, and the knife and pistol are both well detailed for such small pieces. Crucially, Punisher looks great using them. He also has a rifle to use, which seems a bit undersized and more basic-looking than it should be. Finally, like all the new Marvel Minimates, Assault Punisher has the C3 feet.

Overall, this is a superb version of the Punisher, and the extra weaponry pieces will really add a lot to any Minimate, making him a must-have.

MMC Score – 9 out of 10

The second figure in the set is Blade, a vampire who can exist in the daylight. Wesley Snipes has played him as a dark, muscular presence in the 3 Blade films, which is something they have gone for here too, and it works, as much as a 2″ block figure can be a dark, muscular presence.

The facial expression and detailing on Blade is superb. His toothy scowl and prominent cheekbones are complemented by his cool sunglasses. The shades are attached to the hairpiece, as is usual for glasses-wearing Minimates. When removed, you can see the fantastic detailing on and around the eyes. Blade has the pegged hairpiece/hole in head combination like most of his wave 8 and 9 brethren.

Blade is dressed in a trenchcoat, with a bandolier of non-removable grenades attached to it. The trenchcoat, like the Assault Punisher’s coat and New Cyclops’s jacket, is made of harder plastic than usual and isn’t very flexible, but it can be removed to show all the muscular detailing on Blade’s chest block.

Blade comes with a sword and sheath which pegs into a hole in his back. The sword is long and nicely detailed on the sword grip. He also has a “batarang”-style throwing weapon which clips into a hole on the belt in the same way as the Lord of the Rings accessories do. He looks great using either of these weapons.

Overall, this is another quality Minimate realeased in waves 8 and 9, with a nice combination of looks and accessories. 

Review and pictures by Danny Mills

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