ARCHIVE: McFarlane Toys Fred Flintstone in Cruiser box set

Article originally published 09/08/2006 at figures.com

McFarlane Toys has set out to put their spin on a classic series of cartoon figures. In this review I look at the Fred Flintstone in Cruiser box set, part of McFarlane's Hanna-Barbera Series 1. With this line McFarlane looks to capture the spirit of the Hanna-Barbera universe, both with the sculpting and playability of the figures. This piece is McFarlane’s first offering in their ongoing Hanna-Barbera line and sets the tone for the rest of Series 1.

PACKAGING:
Packaging for McFarlane box sets has been fairly consistent over the past few years. The box includes a window that provides a clear view of both the figure and its base. The back highlights the Cruiser’s ‘wheelie-poppin’ action feature as well as a rundown of the rest of Series 1. The front full-color packaging shows artwork from the original cartoon.

SCULPT AND CHARACTER LIKENESS:
I remember watching The Flintstones as a child, but I don’t recall seeing an episode where Fred went racing in his prehistoric hot rod. So, I can only relate the character likeness of this set to the overall spirit of The Flintstones. That said, I believe that this piece will undoubtedly make any hard-core Flintstones fan happy. McFarlane’s take on Fred Flintstone is a perfect example of how cartoon figures should be made. Fred includes just the right amount of detail in his face, but not too much to detract from the ‘cartoony’ feel of the figure. Despite how nice Fred turned out, the highlight of this set is the Cruiser. This prehistoric racer looks like it was carved directly from stone and wood. From its rustic odd-shaped stone wheels to the tiny dinosaur (providing ‘fossil fuel’) hidden under the hood, the Cruiser’s intricate details show how much passion the McFarlane sculptors put into creating this part of The Flintstones world.

PAINT AND COLOR:
The majority of this set, including the Cruiser and its base, are painted in shades of brown and grey. The contrast that these normally bland colors provide to the brightly-painted Fred Flintstone and the pterodactyl makes this set look stunning. Fred’s paint apps are very crisp and the coloring of cigar-chomping pterodactyl looks great. Even more impressive are some of the minor details that have been incorporated into the Cruiser. Tiny white candles with orange flames have been included as headlights and a dark green lizard has been added under the hood. Even the brown log-like front and back bumpers stand out.

ARTICULATION:
This set includes an action feature that encompasses most of its articulation. The Cruiser sports ‘wheelie-poppin’ action and can be posed in a number of different levels. While I dig the concept of the action feature, I was hoping for a little more movement within the remaining pieces of the set. The Cruiser’s hood and front axle move, but that’s it. Added articulation in Fred’s arms and the Cruiser’s doors would have been easy to include. One other additional frustration I encountered was trying to keep the Cruiser on its base. The car fastens to pegs on the base but after time, these weren’t strong enough to keep the heavy Cruiser from tilting. After posing the car via its action feature a few times, one of the base pegs began to crack. A little bit of glue fixed this, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough support in the pegs to withstand both the weight of the Cruiser and the pressure of the ‘wheelie-poppin’ action feature. Luckily, the Cruiser is removable from the base and the action feature is optional. So, my Fred & Cruiser will be displayed sans-base from now on.

ACCESSORIES:
Aside from the base and antenna/pterodactyl, this set doesn’t include any removable accessories. Even Fred Flintstone is glued to the seat of the Cruiser. Past box sets from McFarlane have included very few removable accessories, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

VALUE AND OVERALL IMPRESSION:
I think that McFarlane Toys did an amazing job of capturing the essence of The Flintstones universe with this set. Displayed on a shelf, this set looks awesome. However, as stated above, I’m not a fan of the action feature. The ability to move the car up and down worked only the first few times before the Cruiser began leaning to the point were the feature was useless. This set is a nice companion piece to McFarlane’s Hanna-Barbera Series 1 and is something that most classic cartoon fans will enjoy. The Fred in Cruiser box set is on shelves now and retails between $20-$25.