I like the Mega Construx collector lines a lot. The figures are genuinely excellent small action figures, and the building kits are often quite nice as well. I don’t buy the sets all that often, and when I do it’s typically when I’ve found them at discount retail. They make really good impulse purchases at that point. When I do get the building sets it’s almost always based on if it comes with an interesting or unique figure or accessories. But every once in a while, the set itself strikes my interest. Like Sidecar Pursuit from the Call of Duty collection.
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This is a very simple idea, just an oldish motorcycle with a sidecar. The sidecar is itself something of a novelty, but what really got my attention was how surprisingly detailed the engine looked on the package photos. To do that with mostly stock parts in a small overall parts count sounded interesting! And it was on discount! (I think; I bought this at least a couple years ago.) While the motorcycle is the focus of the set, the included figure and its accessories aren’t just hanging out in the background. The figure is standard collector grade build, and is generic enough to be a soldier or not if you leave the gear off. The helmet is affixed to the head, so that’s not going anywhere, or shareable with other figures. But that’s no big deal.
The accessories really add up though. There’s pouches and a holster to attach to the belt and/or shoulder straps; a backpack plugs in and gives additional tabs to store accessories.
There’s a machinegun, and a rubberized cord to attach to it so the figure can have it slung over-shoulder, an effect that works surprisingly well given the scale. There’s also a rifle with bayonet, and a shovel, to bury the bodies. I assume. I generally keep the rifle and shovel on the backpack. It’s remarkable that the figure is able to carry basically all of the accessories. There’s actually two more than I have loaded up, though.
The sidecar has a storage compartment that I left the other pieces in: A canteen, and a set of binoculars. Impressively, the figure can hold the binoculars very naturally. Though when two-handing them, it’s hard to not have them pointing a bit downward. But if you have the figure on top of a hill…
The motorcycle is a really good design. As promised by the packaging, the engine looks surprisingly good, even if the fine detail is kind of non-existent. But the outline is there, and it reads right, so that’s good enough. Especially when an alternative might have been having a single purpose, unique engine-block element to use instead of building something up.
The wheels spin freely, and the front fork is articulated, so the wheel will actually turn, and in theory the rider’s hands will go with on the handlebars. In practice the handlebars themselves may shift out of position as the rider’s arms don’t want to move quite as easily. I appreciate the detail though. The sidecar can indeed seat another figure (sold separately). There’s also a port just in front if the seat where a mounted weapon might be attached, if you have some spare gear. I, uh, didn’t think of that when I was shooting the photos. But this gallery already became twice as big as I planned anyway, which should only serve as evidence of how engaging the whole thing can actually be.
The sidecar is not integral to the build, and indeed, there’s a smaller kit similar to this that is just the motorcycle without the sidecar. To facilitate solo operation, there’s a little kickstand/balance bar on the bottom of the motorcycle. When deployed correctly it holds the front tire up a bit, but it can be set just far enough to stabilize the bike without lifting either wheel up, if you’re particular about how a display looks.
The Call of Duty Mega Construx stuff is often a highlight of the collector lineup for me. Usually a ton of extra gear, a decent variety of build styles from modern or even near-future tech to historical-ish stuff, and all the kind of vehicles and set pieces that go along with it. Oh, and those freight containers in the background of the photos? Those are Mega Construx Call of Duty items too! About the only barrier for me in collecting it is space to keep stuff. But these small ones are a kind of luxury I’ll allow myself whenever they become available.
That wraps up the first full week of Photober! Tomorrow is Sunday, which means it’s time to unlock another gallery that’s been on exclusive preview for my patrons. Come back for Photober the 11th and see it yourself!
