Jakks Pacific Sonic Small Line Action Figures 3

Jakks Pacific Small Line Sonic Action Figures 3

Jakks Pacific got the license in 2019, and continues here in 2020 and 2021.
This page will have their 2020 & 2021 articulated SMALL figures only. They have both modern and classic license, so any figure that falls in the "Small 2-inch Articulated Action Figures" category will be on this page if it was in 2020 or 2021. Bendy type figures will go onto a separate page. But if it's by Jakks Pacific and it's an action figure, check them out here.
UK NEWS: These & other JP figures CAN be at Smyth's Stores!

Sonic Figures HUB Page * Jakks Pacific Sonic Figures 1 * JP Action Figures 1 *Sonic Gear Main Merchandise Page *
Jakks Pacific Deluxe Figures * Jakks Pacific Bendy Figures * Bendy Figures 2 * Jakks Pacific Small Figures 1 * * JP Small Figures 2 * JP Small Figures 4 *

Jakks Pacific has a good focus on variety as they add...Crab Meat the Badnick robot figure!
But which version of it is this supposed to be? This popular robot appeared in several games...but the eyes look way too big for it to be the one from Sonic 1? The giant eyes make the figure look both silly and a bit front-heavy.

The little 'shooters' (where an energy ball would pop out of the claw) are indeed sculpted into there, though you can't see it in the photo. The box back says it has 6 points of articulation which is...more than the actual characters? Hm. You can also note that probably a lot of these the 'blurb' on the back (at the left there) is wrong in all the languages. They gave it Tails' blurb by mistake.
The box back also reveals what's supposed to be released/re-released on the 'wave' with this, which is a modern Sonic, Metal Sonic (again, good), Classic Tails (who is new to the wave of singles), and a re-release on Moto Bug, which makes sense.
Given the sell-outs at Target and Walmart kind of...barely getting anything...it's really positive that they keep releasing popular figures over again for anyone who missed them.
Adding another badnick to the line is really fun. If you get more than 1, you could even set up a Green Hill type scene for figures. This item is in the SonicGear colleciton.

Small line figures gets Super Shadow as well, and he's decent for the size. His paint is nicely applied, but they do miss the detail under the shoes. They don't miss any of his cuff or arm/leg stripe detail. One hand is a fist, the other looks like it could hold something.

This is another figure that can be in the bubble card OR the open card (at Walmart) again, avoid open card unless you can't find him in the bubble--because the nose paint and shoe tips can chip in the store.
His articulation is their usual: shoulder, hip and neck, that's it. Some of these though the hip can be super stuck (as is the case here) and the legs won't move at all for fear of breaking it. It's still ok for 5 dollars.

About a month after people started finding series 1 of these 'half-box' mini figures, series 2 arrives at Walmart.
Register Reminder:
These are ONLY found AT the cash register area (with the gum and snacks) at Walmart. You won't find these in the toy aisle! Know where to go.
Series 2 adds 2 new figures to the small line which are Mighty & Buzz Bomber Badnick Bee. The Mighty seems to be a clone of the larger size, which is just fine, as he looks good here as well. The Tails is confirmed as also being released normally carded rather than this cut-rate halfbox style.
But look at the Buzz Bomber...
It's somehow really well done? Like, the eyes are shaded, and then it's completely bubble enclosed despite being on the cut rate card? They're treating this badnick really well.
Half Card Trouble:
Check before you buy...this open-style packaging may be cheaper to make but they cost the same amount (5 dollars) as fully enclosed figures. As usual, this means to be on the look out for damage galore.

Being at the register means kids are going to be throwing them around. Mighty with broken ears/nose, paint scuffs and dirt on any figures, missing limbs and bashed up boxes will be everywhere. It's no wonder they had to bubble the Buzzbomber, it has too many little details to break. (Then why not just make it nice?? Bubble everything?? Nobody wants pre-damaged toys! They're not even a bargain!)

The Bottom Line:
Someone's looking out too much for the bottom line, and cheapness has to be called out. If these were a dollar less than the normal 5 dollar mini-figures, it would be fine, but they're not. They're the same price for worse packaging and likely damaged figures. Not a good move.
BUT
That doesn't speak for the quality of the figures, which is, as usual for Jakks Pacific, quite good on the sculpt. Mighty & classic Tails look accurate, the Buzz Bomber is somehow extra good, and of course the returning figures Shadow & Sonic (modern) are just fine too. This is still a good way to get these figures & not feel bad about 'opening' them for display. Do notice that the badnick does come with a base so it can stand up for display.

As seen above...
Here's Classic Tails but fully in the bubble on the nicer card. It is exactly the same figure/the same hands pose etc. He looks good here, with 1 hand that may be able to hold something and the other is flat. The usual articulation of hip, shoulder, neck and tails is present.
These are at Target in 2022/spring season for 5 dollars each. It may also be at Walmart in the toy aisle but many stores seem to have stock trouble.

Jakks Pacific Small Line Classic Tails Figure Turns

Here's what the Classic Style Tails small figure looks like out of the package. As is their usual, he's quite decent with good proportions, nice paint application, a pleasant/appropriate expression and good poses for the hands too. The center smile is very cute, and his eye shape/size is also right. The bangs are pretty much perfect to the art & his tails are nice and large/well sculpted as well.

However...
At least on the 'open style' packaging the tails WILL pop off when you open him. They're on a little peg and don't turn/can't be posed but they also don't lock into the figure at all. If he falls off a shelf or someone drops him, it'll also pop off. This isn't great design because kids will lose the piece and it is less fun because you can't pose him very well with them always in the same position. But again, keeping in mind that this is a 5 dollar figure, it's still very ok, that 1 thing is the only real drawback here, and it's not that big of a deal.

Jakks Pacific Small Line Mighty Armadillo

Now, the Mighty is out of the package too for a better look at the turn-arounds. He seems pretty much just like the larger 5 inch line figure, which is good...because Jakks Pacific's sculpts are very well done. However...
Notice how he can't be posed standing all the way up because of the heavy head/lack of leg joints to be able to get him to balance. Naturally, all the figures are head-heavy as it's the very nature of the design. But, that can generally be combatted with

enough pose-ability to balance the head over the center of gravity, or by including some kind of mini stand (Jazwares did) to increase the range of poses while not tipping over.
He's also not 100% mistake free, you may notice overspray on this one, and there's a red mark on the sock (middle photo) of the one here. His exposed-box doesn't do the figures' nose or ears any favors either. Be sure to look them all over before you buy, so you get a good one. The fists seem kind of small? Did classic Mighty always have small hands? (He was a Sonic recolor so they'd of been Sonic's size) Maybe there's an art of him with smaller hands?

In summer 2022, another wave of these diecast (sorta) mini cars appears in Target (and probably walmart too) This wave has all the previous characters, but as you can see from the card back here, it adds 2 new ones: Shadow & Silver. Here's a look at the Shadow one, and as usual, it's just fine. The little figure is good, he's sculpted gripping the steering wheel, and the paint looks all fine/normal. Also as is usual, the only 'die cast' thing about it is the underside/internal of the car, the shell

is all plastic. The box has the vehicle name on it "Dark Reaper", which.....with him as a sort of 'little big heads' out-sized character in the tiny car makes it seem rather corny/over-wrought for a sort of 'silly asthetic' toony item like this. Still, at about 5 dollars it's fine to collect.

Diecast Mini Car Silver Lightron MIB Photo

This wave of mini vehicles is still around in 2023, which is good, because the least common character Silver (and the rest of the wave) can be found in 5 Below stores for 5 dollars each. A good way to pick these up if you missed any of the characters.
Silver is here in his race car the Lightron, which is modeled a bit like his glove with circle/line pattern...and it's probably not a coincidence that the TRON part of the name...means the wheels and side are cribbing from the Tron franchise's look. (An odd move because usually Sonic items don't crib from others and don't rely on pop culutre puns) As is the usual for this set, it does an all right job for a 5 dollar thing.

Series 3 already?
Seems that way, at mid-summer 2022, yet another wave of these 'open front' box figures start showing up at the check out counter aisles in Target or Walmart. With waves coming and going so quickly it's good that they seem to be doing re-releases left and right as well...

The new figures on this wave are Modern Eggman and a crabmeat badnick. As is the usual, these were previously released bubble carded (and thus better protected) previously. Watch out for scuffed eyes and broken arms respectively when you're trying to buy them. This wave has classic Sonic, and modern Tails & Knuckles as repeats. (So the wave is not the same as the wave where they were closed-boxed)

And here they are loose for a closer look.
Eggman is quite decent: he stands well because of his big feet and the balance is ok. Some of the paint is a little thin, but the joints are good to hold poses. He's good for a 5 dollar figure.
The crabmeat is...confusing? It sure is silly looking in this photo because the eyes are so large. Still can't tell which game it's supposed to be from. Notice how far backward the claws are: this is literally about the only pose it can have where it stays standing because it is so super unbalanced. Why not just do the original GHZ badnick?
The 6 points of articulation (which are more than regular figures get) are actually the 4 legs and the 2 claw 'shoulders'. Really, that's about all that could be articulated with it anyway...

The different angles show what angle you have to set the claws at to keep it standing. As it is only 5 dollars, buying more than 1 to place in a GHZ playset could be a good iea.

Ray Flying Squirrel Jakks Pacific Figure MIB

Finally, a Ray figure that can be found by almost everyone?
As the line is both at Target and Walmart as well as Books a Million, possibly Kohls and other stores as well. This is the factory photo first look at him MIB in the bubble card. To fully assess the figure, he'll likely have to be de-boxed to see the details but...

He's a "Flying Squirrel" and so...the actual wings/flaps whatever you're going to call those on the arms would be pretty important to the figure but it looks like they're not there at all. Yes, they'd probably interfere with the ability to 'action' but like...it's kind of a big deal that the flying squirrel character actually has the wing feature. Maybe it's hidden behind the arms? How about his tail? Entry will be revisited when more information is available.

Otherwise, this looks like a decent figure, as is the usual. The face is cute/classic, the darker beige is correct to the art, and the proportions/sculpt seems good and normal.

For the mint in box collectors...
Here's a better version of Mighty. As you can see above, he was on that open-type cardboard package, but here, he's properly bubble carded...and has an accessory too! He comes with 1 gold ring. (Except its yellow because they don't seem to have metallic paint yet)
This IS NOT at Target, if Target gets him, it'll be the bubble carded one with no accessory. In this case, it has been found at 5 below for 5 dollars, which is a good deal for figure and accssory in a nicer bubble card.