Throttle (Biker Mice From Mars (Nacelle Company)) Review

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Throttle (Biker Mice From Mars (Nacelle Company)) Review

Throttle
Biker Mice From Mars (Nacelle Company) (Nacelle Company)The 80s and 90s were a time for many a unique property in both toys and television, with everyone striving to be the next He-Man or TMNT. One of those concepts was Biker Mice from Mars, and clearly, they were doing something right, as it proved enough of a cult classic to be brought back in the 2000s. The Nacelle Company, who now owns the property, is seeking to bring back the show yet again, but first, they put out a new line of figures. They've been out for a while now, mainly through comic and collectible retailers, but Walmart has them in as well for a little cheaper.

The packaging is very uniform on these, being window boxes with a primarily orange motif, though each character has a unique bio on the back. They're based of the Galoob line, and while simple, they do the job well. They're also designed with collector-friendliness in mind, as you only need to remove some tape to get everything out.

The mice share a lot of similarities in appearance, such as muscular build, funky clothes, and red antennae, because how else would you know they're aliens? Throttle, the leader of the trio, carries some unique attributes from the others, with more curved ears, a full head of hair, and shades, which can be removed to reveal the (sorta creepy) eyes underneath. He has three different heads: neutral, happy, and wearing his helmet. They are very screen-accurate, and while you may need some heat to swap them out, they'll provide plenty of different looks. Nacelle didn't bother crediting the crew behind the mice, but it's confirmed through ToyCollectr that Arlen Pelletier sculpted them.

Throttle comes up to about 7" tall to the tip of his antennae, putting him in a 1:10 scale so these can fit with lines such as MOTU Classics, NECA TMNT, Super7 Ultimates, and what have you. Throttle has the most biker-like outfit out of the three, with a leather jacket, neckerchief, belts, and boots. The pistol in his holster is sculpted into it, so don't expect to be able to remove it. The jacket and neckerchief, which are one sculpted piece, isn't glued on or anything, so you can remove it, but you'll need to heat up the shoulder sockets and pop out the arms to do so. These figures are matte paint from head to toe, and the finish is great, with clean lines. However, my Throttle has some stray red marks on him, with a very noticeable one on his right forearm. Given how much of these Walmart managed to get on the shelves, you'd think I'd find a cleaner one.

Next is Modo, the big guy of the bunch. And big is right, at 8" tall, with bigger, chunkier parts than Throttle. He's a little more war-torn from the Plutarkian attack than the others, with an eyepatch and a notch missing from his right ear. He has the same head options as him, but the happy head has a grin instead of an open mouth. The legs are what give him more height, and the kneepads and boots are more colorful than the others. His most notable feature is his robotic right arm, having lost his organic one in the war. The prototype had a metallic finish to the arm, but the final product is matte to match the rest of him, but the wrist joint has a metal-like wash to it, making it stand out. The arm is a simple, geometric shape, but it matches the show perfectly, and the paint overall is very clean aside from some sloppy edges.

Lastly, there's Vinnie, and while he's the shortest at 6 3/4", he does share a couple parts with Throttle. Specifically, the torso, upper arms, and tail. The legs are shorter, and also have studs on the sides (though the paint could be cleaner). The boots are more plain, and his only upper body clothing is a harness and another neckerchief. The neckerchief is a separate piece, and can be removed when you pop off the head. Speaking of the head, the right side of his face was burned in the Plutarkian attack, so he wears a piece of metal over it. Despite this deformity, he remains chipper, with a smiling head, a happier head, and one with his riding helmet. Each of the helmets have unique accents, with Throttle's having black on the ends and studs on the top, Modo's having blue accents, and Vincent's being red. The antennae are a softer material, so that you won't have to worry too much about damaging them when swapping.

Nacelle may be a little new to the figure game, but they know how to do articulation, and do it well. The main setup is a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders and ankles, double-hinged elbows and knees, swivel biceps, waist, thighs, and shins, ball-jointed chest, hips, and tail, and revolver joint wrists. The only one different is Modo, as his robotic arm has a single-jointed elbow instead of a double-jointed one. Some of the joints can be tight out of the box, but everything moves great and holds up just fine. There's no peg holes for the feet, so you'll need a posing arm stand to hold them up on one-legged poses. They each have the same three pairs of hands - gripping, relaxed, and closed - and like the heads, you'll want to heat them up to make them easier to swap.

As for accessories, the trio all get the same blaster and hot dog, but they also have unique weapons, lifted from the Galoob figures. Throttle has a big "sprocket launcher," which does exactly what it says. It works like the older figure's weapon, as you push on the thing in the back to send the sprocket flying. It's hard to push out, but man, does it go far! Three sprockets are included to launch, and both the weapon and projectiles have a great metallic wash. Modo has a rocket gun, but unfortunately, it's just a solid hunk of plastic; no action feature present with this thing. On the positive side, they recreated the older version perfectly, and this one has a shiny bronze finish. Vinnie has more of a tool than a weapon in his grip claw, bearing the same wash as Throttle's weapon, and it can open and close. He also gets his crowbar, and while it doesn't spin, he'll look nice with it.

Getting figures from a property as niche as Biker Mice is unexpected in the new 20s, but Nacelle took a shot at it, and they managed to nail it. The great sculpts and finish, useful articulation, and good value (even if you're not buying from Walmart, they're still usually under $40) make them worth getting even if this is your first time hearing of the show. Nacelle has already announced more characters, including the main villains, and "Sports Bros" variants are coming pretty soon, and hopefully we'll be able to build up the line as soon as possible.

- 11/28/24