Psycrow with Major Mucus
Earthworm Jim (Playmates)
Psycrow with Major Mucus
Earthworm Jim
Playmates Toys 1994
Appearance – 4 out of 5
The figure is a really close representation of Psycrow from both the cartoon and the Earthworm Jim videogames (Including his massive hook gun from the first game). I love the high contrast between his bright yellow suit and abstract crow head. The inclusion of a fully painted buddy figure (Major Mucus) make this a great looking package for any Earthworm Jim fan.
4 out of 5 is a high score… In fact, it’s one of the highest scores possible. It would have been 5 if Playmates managed to improve on the character. As it is, Psycrow is an incredibly accurate representation of the character but it doesn’t hit a 5 like Henchrat does. Playmates does earn points for adding some details into Psycrow’s suit, like the belt and electronic panels, but it’s a shame his tail feathers aren’t black.
Articulation – 3 out of 5
Playmates standard swivel head, shoulders, right elbow and left forearm with ball-jointed hips. One thing that was a little disappointing is the helmet itself doesn’t have any articulation. There’s no visor movement or way to remove it completely but at least Psycrow doesn’t have to worry about getting space dust in his eyes.
His legs are particularly stiff and his feet don’t give him great support, but I still find Psycrow easier to stand than the standard Earthworm Jim. Not great articulation from Jim’s arch-nemesis but overall, Psycrow has a pretty neat looking stance, not overly expressive but dynamic enough.
One thing worth noting is that it is possible to pose Psycrow holding his large hook-firing gun using both his hands. In my opinion, it’s by far the coolest look for him and keeps him well balanced. Just like other buddy figures from the Earthworm Jim series, Major Mucus doesn’t have any articulation and is molded from a solid block of green plastic.
Accessories – 4 out of 5
I love Psycrow’s design, but I can’t help but feel the accessories is what makes him a fantastic action figure. Psycrow comes with two types of guns, a simple hook pistol (Worm-Gutting gun) and a larger hook firing spring-loaded cannon. The hook is tethered by string to the gun and you can reel up any excess string. This is the weapon I usually choose to display with Psycrow, lifted straight from the first videogame and I think it looks far more impressive especially when being held in both hands.
You also get Psycrow’s antenna and jetpack separate which will need attaching and then finally, Psycrow’s buddy figure, Major Mucus. Major Mucus was another boss in the Earthworm Jim. I don’t remember seeing Major Mucus in the cartoons and in the second game he was incredibly large so I’m going to assume here he serves as a distinctive nod to the original game where Earthworm Jim has to defeat him in a bungie jumping competition. Unlike a lot of other buddy figures out of Playmates Toys, the Major gets a full paint job in all his snotty goodness and fits in well with some of the other buddy figures like Evil the Cat.
Value – 2 out of 5
I paid too much for my Psycrow action figure, AUS$37 posted from the United States, mint on card. I was about to give up on getting Psycrow but I had a bit of a financial windfall and decided to treat myself.
This is one of the coolest Earthworm Jim figures available (alongside Henchrat). It’s a good quality figurine with some great accessories, a cool buddy figure and some awesome accessories that clip straight onto Psycrow. This is the only figurine I would ever pay more than $30 for, but the hard part was I saw him 100% complete for $12 (posted from the states). I didn’t have the spare funds at the time so I passed but at that price I would have given Psycrow full marks.
At the moment on eBay, Earthworm Jim figures seem to be selling relatively well and a few Psycrow’s have come and gone. Before postage my Psycrow was US$25 which may actually be considered a good price judging by the current pricing of the figure MOC.
Coolness – 5 out of 5
Even if you’re not a fan of the Earthworm Jim series, a giant crow in a spacesuit with a hook gun makes a pretty interesting character that fits in well with some of the other Playmates characters throughout the ’90’s. I seriously love the abstract look of Psycrow in place of any elaborate and intricate sculpting.
If you were only going to get one villain from the Earthworm Jim line, I’d recommend Psycrow solely because he’s the coolest. Henchrat has a better appearance, #4 has a unique action feature but Psycrow is just a clean looking figure and his accessories accompany him perfectly.
Overall – 4 out of 5
Psycrow has a lot going for him, unfortunately, price doesn’t seem to be one of his more attractive factors. I think overall, Psycrow makes it to the very top of my favourite Earthworm Jim action figures, if he didn’t I wouldn’t have shelled out the money but he’s far from a perfect figure.
If you’re not a fan of the Earthworm Jim series, it may be a lot harder to get excited about Psycrow. Due to the cost of the figure, I waited a long time until I finally put my money down on him but I’m really happy with the figure and .
This review format has been ‘violently robbed’ from Dork Dimension. I did that because it’s a great blog with some awesome toy reviews and in my humble opinion, it’s a great ‘standard’ for action figure reviews. All words and photography contained within the format are my own. Scores are out of 5.