Article Number

RV0035

Author

Gerry

Toy Line

Stikfas

Manufacturer

Stikfas PTE

In anticipation of SaiZon's Sweepstiks contest. We at Mechaworx , thanks to Stikfas, were able to obtain one of the pieces that you, should you enter, may be able to win. Specifically the new Delux Diver and Octopus set. As I mentioned in a previous Stikfas review, I'm Stuck on Stikfas, no doubt about it. The playability and multi-points of articulation and not to mention the tons of accessories can provide you with hours of fun.

A Little Stikfas History:

Created by Mr. Ban Yinh Jheow and brought to the US by Hasbro in 2002. They were first introduced to the US at the Wizard World Convention in Chicago in 2001. Stikfas got their humble beginnings shipped as a limited edition gray version packed with Electronic Arts' "Dune Emperor: Battle for Dune" PC game and apparently they were a big hit. In 2004 Stikfas took back the license from Hasbro and now today in 2005 SaiZon to be the sole distributor of all Stikfas products in North America. This means that now you can find Stikfas virtually anywhere.

The Packaging

The packaging hasn't changed much over the years. The outer box still has the cool no-nonsense cgi images of the contents contained within. But even today, this design still holds true because when it arrived in the mail, I had to open the package right away. The inner bag containing the contents still doubles as a zip-lock bag in order for you to store your Stikfas when you are done playing with them. No worries about loosing parts and accessories. While you still get three post cards I'm sorry to say that the catchy slogans are not to be found. Those slogans really made me laugh.

One of the cards contains brief instructions in several different languages and the other two are cgi images of the figures contained within with the url www.stikfas.com printed underneath. Still all-in-all I'm glad for that familiar feel that these figures bring.

Diver with Octopus

As usual you do start out with an alpha male figure. This one is a deep navy blue color. You still also get an additional, chest, alternative hip assembly piece, left and right upper arm and left and right upper thighs. To this day, I am still unable to figure out why you recieve an alternate hip assembly. The reason for the extra body parts is to allow for the attachments of heavy duty equipment and the square recesses in these extra body parts help the equipment to stay attached.

You even get a giant plastic octopus that comes on several different sprues. After assembly the octopus measures 5 and a half inches across. Each tentacle has three points of articulation making 24 points total in just the tentacles alone! By simply removing the octopus head and replacing it with the supplied cuttlefish head and adding two more tentacles, you actually change your octopus into another sea creature all together with even more points of articulation. Now you can invent all kinds of play scenarios.

Playability

There are a ton of supplied accessories on two additional sprues. You get a camera, light attachments, a treasure chest, 3 harpoons, a trident, tons of scuba gear and deep diving equipment. Lets also not forget the supplied sticker sheet. When applying the stickers, you will really make these figures come alive and add depth to play.

With all the supplied accessories, your Stikfas figure can be the following:

Deep Diver - with the supplied heavy diving helmet and weighted boots, will enable your stikfas figure to stay under water to explore the deep depths of the sea. Hey may run into an ocotopus that is protecting some submerged treasure and you must fight him off and the treasure will be yours. Or, you can explore deep underwater and use your camera to take pictures of all kinds of undersea fauna.

Snorkeler - With the supplied flippers, vest and storkel equipment you can explore the shallower depths of the ocean and use your trident to pry open a sunken treasure chest.

Scuba Diver - Using the supplied oxygen bottle, head gear and propulsion unit, you can explore deeper depths over a wide area. But watch out for the cuttlefish at this depth! They'll try to pull your mask off!

Here's an Idea!

Why not set up a nice scene in a fresh water acquarium by simply boiling your figures for sterilization purposes and set them up in the acquarium? That would be a great idea for this set. You can set the octopus in a small cave so it can pounce on the unsuspecting diver.

In Conclusion

There's no limit to the play scenarios you set up from your imagination. What isn't in your imagination is that this is one of the sets you can win in SaiZon's Sweepstiks contest. You'll have to hurry though. The contest will be done on August 14th, 2005. Better enter before they're all gone!

You can view other Stikfas figures in the Toy Database section of this web site.