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I’m a big fan of the NBC Heroes TV series, and I was looking forward to an action figure line pretty much since the very first episode aired. When I heard that Mezco had gotten the license and would be making toys based on the characters, my excitement heightened and then promptly nosedived when I saw the initial prototypes. The figures have been released and are in stores now, and I’ve had a chance to look at the Peter Petrelli figure in person. How does it measure up (or down) to the weirdly horribly prototype toys? Check the review and photos after the jump to get the full story.

This is the first time I can remember being happier with the final product of a collectible than I was with the prototype photos. The initial pictures release of the Heroes action figures were disappointing and, honestly, scary. Most of the figures in the line bore massive heads that were out of scale with their bodies, and they looked cheap overall and with bad or goofy likenesses. I was fully prepared to not like this series, and then my entire opinion changed when I got one of the toys into my hands.

This Peter Petrelli figure is the Previews Exclusive version and comes with a transparent “flight” display base, as well as a mini-print of one of Tim Sale’s (drawing as Isaac Mendez) paintings for the TV series. There are so many improvements on this figure from the original advertised photos that it’s hard to name them all. Firstly, and most obviously, Peter’s head is the correct size, as opposed to the massive noggin he bore in the photos. Secondly, the likeness is really, really good. He’s definitely recognizable as Milo Ventimiglia, and the outfit is top-notch with a lot of neat details.

The figure’s poseability was another pleasant surprise for me. There are sixteen points of articulation on the figure, but they’re built into the design in a way that doesn’t compromise the overall look of the toy. Peter’s just as awesome as a playable toy as he is as a displayed collectible. His head is on a ball joint, allowing him to turn his head as well as nod it or tilt it. The shoulders are similarly articulated, giving forward and backward motion, as well as side to side. His elbows have hinges for front and back movement, and the wrists can rotate to pose his hands in different ways. One of the most interesting pose points is at the waist, where Peter can rotate or tilt back and forth without moving the legs. On the legs themselves, there are rotating joints at the hips and upper thighs, hinge joints at the knees, and ball articulation at the feet, allowing them to rotate or even to point the toes downward, which works excellently for flight poses.

The mini-print that comes with Peter shows Peter leaping off the building from the beginning of season one of the TV show, and it measures 3″ by 5″. The flight base has three parts to it: an elliptical black base, a clear plastic curved support that snaps into the base, and a clear ring that fits around the figure’s waist and then snaps into the top of the support. The ring holds the figure well, but be careful when moving it around, as it comes apart from the support piece very easily. I’ve unceremoniously dumped Peter off the base several times. If you get him clipped into the base correctly, it makes for a neat display. My only real complaint is that the placement of the clip around the waist, along with the little curved bit that holds the figure in place at the crotch, is a little restraining. I wanted to pose Peter like he is in the Tim Sale painting, but the clip prevents him from leaning forward or backward on the support at all.

The sculpt is dead-on and looks great. The likeness is a good one, and I’m now looking forward to seeing the rest of the Heroes figures in person to see if my preconceived notions are shattered for those as well. Peter’s outfit has a lot of good detailing to it, from his hoodie with string ties down to his highly detailed sneakers. The paints are awesome as well, and the outfit chosen gives him some varied colors to make him stand out on the shelf.