Way back in 2021,
Wandering Planet Toys announced a
Kickstarter campaign to get backing for 4" retro style action figures of Number Six, aka
"The Prisoner". Their plan was to offer a handful of different versions, some with accessories.
I personally found out about the figures a bit too late to officially score the special "Arrival" figures, offered to the first backers. But a couple of emails later, I was given a way to order two of them, along with a nice t-shirt.
Just in case, I pre-ordered one of the other versions from Big Bad Toys, as did my boyfriend as a present. We then waited.
Fast forward 2022 and I started reading about the figures getting out into collector/fan hands. So I tried to find my BBT preorder info, and came up empty handed. Turned out I either never actually placed that pre-order, or the order got lost. That left me with the figure my boyfriend pe-ordered for me.
Then, in late December 2022, what arrived in the mail but two
"Arrival" figures and a shirt! They didn't forget me! Then, late January 2023 brought the
"Beach Escape" figure my boyfriend had pre-ordered for me!
Now, I haven't bought an action figure since I was a kid, and I didn't buy those... Mom did. I collect lots of stuff, BUT not action figures. So when I suddenly owned 3, I needed to do something to keep them in nice condition and dust free. After searching online forever, I couldn't find a source for single clear plastic protective cases.
Then I accidently learned about a store called
The Toy Vault in a Massachusetts mall that looked like a great place to ask about cases... they sell EVERYTHING from Funko Pop figures to vintage Star Wars play sets. I took a drive to see what I could find, and not only did I score 3
ProTech cases (the clerk was very helpful), but a nice 1/64 AMC Javelin AMX for one of my OTHER collections.
So what about the actual figures? Well, they are not intended to be exact, fully operable copies of Mr. Patrick McGoohan himself. Instead they are reminiscent of the 1970s action figure styles. That means non-articulated arms and legs. It also means little holes on the bottom of the feet (for planting on playsets) and also in the hands (to hold accessories).
They do look a little like McGoohan. The hair is too light, but parted on the correct side and in the correct style, if a little "full". The eyes are a tad too close together, and should be mesmerizing-electric-blue, not that there's much room to apply any paint! People can argue if Number Six's actual jacket was black or dark brown, but 99% of people think it was black, so the figure's is also black. The "Arrival" version is simply the same figure painted all black.
If you are a Prisoner fan, you should try to get at least one of these figures. You'll have to find one on Ebay or at a collectibles show, though, as they are sold out at Big Bad Toys. That means one thing: MARKUP. The market will decide the actual value of these figures in time, but don't get ripped off. As badly as I wanted one, they are, after all, only bits of plastic.
