Review 1: MC TOYS 1/6th scale Dark Climbing Kroenen Set for 12-inch action figures - CoOL!

Mountaineering or mountain climbing is no small feat. Mountaineering is often called Alpinism, especially in European languages, which implies climbing with difficulty such high mountains as the Alps. A mountaineer with such great skill is called an Alpinist. Besides the right attire to keep one warm against the extremely cold weather, special equipment is also needed to traverse the difficult and unpredictable terrain. Basic gear includes crampons and ice axes.

The subject matter was what attracted me to this set. This is the MC TOYS 1/6 scale Dark Climbing Kroenen Set which I had gotten in November 2014 - see my toy blog post HERE. The 1/6th scale climbing gear and outfit looked to be quite nicely detailed and pretty amazing in miniature scale. The preview pictures made the whole deal very tempting (posted earlier HERE).

Besides the outfit, the 1/6th scale head sculpt that was included with this set was rather odd, to say the least. The sixth scale portrait is that of Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, a fictional character in the Hellboy comic book series, created by Mike Mignola. Director Guillermo del Toro created a significantly expanded biography for the character, to appear as a villain in the 2004 film adaptation. I don't recall seeing Kroenen being outfitted in this getup. This set can be just a generic mountaineering set with a generic head sculpt or as the title suggest, a Dark Climbing Kroenen 12-inch action figure with the head sculpt included with this set. The whole black ensemble also appeals to me as well.

Scroll down to see all the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better views.

The packaging is very basic and simple, with the product clearly shown on the cover. Lifting the lid reveals the box contents, with the 1/6th scale Kroenen head sculpt packed safely inside the black foam tray.

MC TOYS ITEM: F-042 1/6 scale Dark Climbing Kroenen Set comes with 1/6 scale Kroenen HEAD SCULPT, Black Cap, Neck Gaiter, black Down Hooded Jacket, Shadow Shell Pants, Alpine Gloves, Rocky Mountain High Gaiters, Sabretooth Clip Crampons, TNF SLOT Winter Grip boots, Black military mountaineering backpack, Climbing Rope, Climbing Harness, Black molle belt, Screwgate Carabiner x 2, Nalgen 1000ml water bottle, water bottle pouch, Carbon Ski Pole x 2, BD Viper Ice Tool x 2, Spinner Leash with Screw Lock, Silver D-ring x 2. It's everything I'm most unfamiliar with growing up in a sunny country without winter seasons or mountains to climb but I am glad that I can get to handle these unique equipment, albeit in 1:6 scale.

Here's how the MC TOYS 1/6th scale Dark Climbing Kroenen outfit looks on a basic 12-inch action figure body which is not included. The Alpine Gloves were the hardest to put on, especially on fixed pose hands (gun gripping hands with trigger finger). These gloves are usually much easier on flexible bendy hands which seem to be a standard feature of all ArtFigures products - check out my most recent post HERE and HERE of the Art Figures AF-015 1/6th scale Heavy Armoured Special Cop "DREDD" 12-inch figure which was one of the top figures of 2014 for me.

Scroll down to see the turnaround views of this MC TOYS 1/6th scale Dark Climbing Kroenen wearing Neck Gaiter, Black Down Hooded Jacket, Shadow Shell Pants, Alpine Gloves, TNF SLOT Winter Grip boots and holding on to two BD Viper Ice Tools (ice axe)

The 1/6 scale Black Down Hooded Jacket is very cool with all the decals, working miniature size zippers and fur-lined hood. Kroenen's expanded biography appears as a series of comic panels in the book "Hellboy: The Art of the Movie". As a teenager, Kroenen loathed his awkwardness and developed an extreme form of body dysmorphic disorder (termed "surgical addiction" in the film). In his obsession with physical perfection, he conducted brutal experiments on his own body, including surgically removing his own eyelids, lips, and his toe- and finger nails. He also designed a tight-fitting gas mask to filter out germs, which he wore almost permanently.

The decals also extend to the back pants pocket. The Shadow Shell Pants are nicely detailed.

The TNF SLOT Winter Grip boots are not too shabby either.

The BD Viper Ice Tools are connected to each other via a Spinner Leash with Screw Locks

MC TOYS 1/6th scale Dark Climbing Kroenen wears his love on his sleeve ;p

NEXT: Fully kitted out MC TOYS 1/6th scale Dark Climbing Kroenen 12-inch action figure with the rest of his gear and accessories.

Related posts:
October 13, 2007 – Sideshow Collectibles Kroenen, Hellboy movie version posted HERE
October 13, 2007 – Customised version of Nazi Occultist (pictures HERE)