Nightstrike's Reviews: Iron Factory DJD Part 1 - Tarn

Legal rights aside, this figure was marketed as Iron Factory IF-EX31 Dubhe, but is meant to be an accurate, Legends-scale representation of Tarn, a character from IDW's formerly ongoing comic series. He was essentially the looming shadow of More Than Meets The Eye, heading up a unit designated the Decepticon Justice Division, a skilled, albeit violent, group of elites who specialize in eliminating traitors to the cause, and scaring others into remaining loyal. This team immediately peaked my interest, as they were mysterious, and at times humorous when Nickel joined. However, their origins were . . . unfortunate, to say the least, as the DJD was created when Megatron was at his most vengeful and hostile. Tarn was written in a way that made him out to be a major future antagonist, but sadly he died a death not befitting his usual attitude. (I won't spoil it for you...) Nonetheless, Tarn is a unique character worthy of being delved into in future series.

Ok, now that my rant is over, on to the figure itself.

As is apparently to be expected from Iron Factory, the packaging is crisp and well done, making the figure feel like a Masterpiece, despite figure's diminutive stature. The figure is essentially open & play, as there are no fasteners in the plastic tray. Contents include:

- 2X open-faced hands

- 2X weapon-holding hands (Closed fists are already on the figure)

- Double Fusion cannon (2 Fusion cannons, and connecting bracket)

- Instruction Booklet

Due to combination, I recommend you use the weapon-holding hands, as some of the figures require that, so for the most part, the open hands and fists will stay in the box for me. Iron Factory's standard is 5mm, with 3mm for the smaller figures, so this guy can hold pretty much any standard weapon and accessory. The instructions do help a little with transformation, but your best bet is to figure it out from just looking at the guy, and checking out photos online. However, as this is generally considered a collector's item, it does have key areas to look out for that aren't the strongest, but if you take care, and apply pressure on stiff areas with caution, then you'll find this thing is plenty of fun. Though only Legends-scale, Tarn has an insane amount of detail and articulation that are further complimented by the swappable hands. His mask is even removable, with quite the surprise underneath.

Prior to the reveal and release of IF's DJD, I considered pulling the trigger on Mastermind Creations' Kultur, a "Masterpiece"-scale version of Tarn, as I already had the incredibly brittle Cynicus, their take on Vos. When looking at the figure though, I couldn't quite convince myself, as there were a few details that really drove home the fact that this was more of an homage, than a bona fide Tarn. The figure looked far too blocky, the headsculpt bland, and though the mask was removable, and he had a good amount of articulation, the fact that it was flat, and the very unnatural appearance failed to capture the life he had in the comics. From multiple angles, Tarn's mask is shown to be natural and menacing, with the outer edges of the former insignia-badge sweeping back. Kultur's was very 2-dimensional, and wasn't even shaped correctly. Where Kultur was a collection of pale dyes and paint, Dubhe is bold, and very much seems 'alive.' Dubhe's tank-mode, ironically enough, is actually accurate despite the small size, with MMC opting for a very generic tank with two pairs of treads, the only similarities being the iconic mineplow, and the dual fusion cannon turret. Neither possess rolling treads, or embedded wheels, but they both get the point across pretty well.

Now onto the nitpicky stuff. Dubhe suffers from a minor QC issue, where the joints in the arms, particularly the shoulders, are prone to fracturing. I haven't had that issue, and interestingly enough, the joints are surprisingly loose, but in case of future breakage, Phecda and Mizar come with replacement arms with reinforced shoulders. The fusion cannons don't sit perfectly straight, but with a little force, you can get it almost there. Overall, though, this figure is perfect, and I highly recommend it (as well as the other DJD), even if you're not a fan of the character. As an added sidenote, the scar detail is the same color as the face, so for mine I filled it in with a fine brown Gundam paint marker and it ended up looking exactly how I wanted.

Next up, Kaon & Vos(a.k.a. Iron Factory Phecda and Mizar)!