Tron is an old school favorite of mine. I haven’t been able to find a copy of the original movie lately (I had financial problems during the Anniversary release and have not been able to find another copy since getting my finances in order. As such it’s been several years since I have seen the original Tron. Still as we all know there is a long awaited sequel and it looks pretty good honestly. Hard to say for certain but I can say I like what I saw in previews. I could do some speculation in this but I will hold back as I am sure many want the movie unspoiled.   

I have fond memories of Tron and the game as well (especially the light cycles), and I still feel it’s a film that never caught on because it was too ahead of its time (it appears I am correct in that deduction). Unfortunately the toy line that was released from Tomy with the original Tron was not a head of it’s time. While the original line was up to par with the Star Wars figures of the time (with 5 points of articulation) there were still plenty of line that had mastered the O-Ring style that became popularized by GI Joe in 1982. But as early as 1979 lines like Dukes of Hazarrd, Chips, and the “other Disney Sci-Fi movie” The Black Hole had released some well received O-Ringed lines. Thus the Tron figures felt like a step backwards to the Star Wars line, and while the argument to not change Star Wars once I had kicked into such a huge franchise is a valid one, I think ultimately it hurt the Tron line which was a line that was interesting but didn’t feel like a great one even at the time of its release. I mention all of this because it seems we might be seeing history repeat itself.  

With this series I already know I am going to get a bit repetitive so I am going to run down some generalizations with the ratings and then talk about the ratings of each figure. The major thing about these figures is that there is now type of body/torso articulation. At first I thought it was a result of the light feature in the torsos, but the more I thought about it I came to the realization that the light gimmick could be pulled off easily with a waist turn of some sort. Still it’s not a terrible thing necessarily but it does limit the articulation slightly.  

The light up gimmick is kind of cool and is reminiscent of the old movie. Of course it’s not exact to the first film (or even to the current) but it is still nifty. I keep thinking that this is a feature that might have gone over better on some deluxe figures rather than the regular line. Hopefully too this would have reduced the price of the single packed figures as well. The light up feature is only in the chest, thus the rest of the figure’s lights are simply painted in. I think some figures with just the paints would have made this line much more accessible and less expensive. Just a thought but I am thinking the main characters (Sam Flynn, Clu, maybe Rinzler) warranted the light up feature.  

Also I will point out now I did not grab the Black Guard simply because I felt the figure is a bit plain. Even with the light up feature, the figure has nothing really special about it. Just stating it for the record.  

Price is the major function that almost kills this line, with the exception of Toy’s R Us this line sells for around $9.99 (TRU is at $7.99, which is ironic). I say do your best to grab them at TRU because the lower price feels better at least. The fact is these figures are not worth ten bucks each. The vehicles are the same across the board, which is strange. This line puts me in mind of the Avatar line from last year, which ended up being clearenced out due to the exorbitant prices, I have a feeling the same thing will happen to the Tron Legacy line, which is kind of a shame cause it is not a terrible line, just overpriced.  

The figures could stand a bit more articulation, not just the torso but also the legs I think. Still it’s not at all terrible but something I think this line deserves.  

All of the figures come with at least one disk (a staple of the old Tron movie). The disks fit perfectly into the hands of each and every figure I have gotten, which is a very important thing. If they didn’t I would have to call this line a major loser.  

Accessories also help to differentiate the various characters. Clu is major one in this regard as he comes with what looks to be a lightsaber. I don’t know if I should be happy or laugh at this fact, but somehow it ends up being cool. Of course a major revelation about Clu is in the previews (not going to spoil it for you, but defiantly makes him a more interesting character).  

Clu’s light up gimmick is a bit weak though, not sure if this is purposeful or some kind of malfunction in my figure or a design flaw  

Sam only has a disk and baton, but being as he looks totally different from everyone else that is enough for him. Despite his head looking a bit like a hasmat helmet I do like Sam quite a bit. He most defiantly fits the part of the hero in this new generation of Tron.  

Rinzler is kind of interesting, he has two batons and two disks. The description says he is the only fighter who fights with two disks. I think it does make him a bit interesting if but a little cliché’. Still in the Tron Universe there has not been a fighter like that before so for now I will keep him in the interesting category.  

Clu’s Sentry is a bit odd too in that he appears to have the Heat Viper V2 head from GI Joe. But what it lacks in originality does make it work as a faceless, nameless trooper for Clu. However the sentry is also the figure that has the most issues. He has a skirt that actually limits his hip articulation. There are literally thousands of ways to change this to where the legs would not be hampered but for whatever reason Spin Master didn’t do that. This kind of hurts the overall figure.  

Then there is the oddball of the figures, Kevin Flynn. Kevin looks as he does in the previews of the film, barefoot in all white. This is fine but the light up feature seems a waste on the figure and in fact makes the mold of the figure not match what we have seen in the previews. Of course the face sculpt looks nothing like Jeff Bridges which is another bad point of the figure. But as there is no Tron figure (Which at this point it’s hard to say if this might be a story point of some sort. Bruce Boxlightner is in the film at least at the beginning but it’s hard to say if he will reprise his Tron role or not), this is the one connection to the original film and thus becomes a must have figure. I wish Spin Master had pushed harder with this figure and given us something really awesome. What we do get is just fair and leaves us wanting.  

But one of the coolest aspects of this line is another chance to snag a Light Cycle. I always loved the Light Cycles in the first film and not getting one originally is one of the few regrets I have from childhood. This new white one is very cool and matches up to the old ones pretty well. I will say they are overpriced though and could be cheaper (around $10 to $12 would be a more fair price IMO, that Is with the light up feature). Still of all the pieces that is the one that really caught my eye and I really love it. It’s got a loose roller on the front to be able to simulate movement. The roller is well hidden and not noticeable when it is on the ground.  

The new “Updated” Light Cycles don’t seem to have that same feel though. They are functional but also they look like they are too understated. While I understand the desire to look more updated and stream-lined, at the same time the old Light Cycles were so unique and, I dare say, so Iconic that changing them seems to violate some unwritten law. As they are presented they look to be a different scale than the “Core” figures. Of course I am not positive and I will probably only find out when these hit the eventual clearance isle.  

To which that is what I think is the ultimate fate of this line, like Avatar from last year, the line’s light up gimmick pushes the price to a point that most people pass on the line. When the Avatar line hit clearance this fall, that is when I really stocked up on them. At this point however the Tron toys are to the point I have all I want, so unless there is another wave at some point I doubt I will wait for the inevitable clearance price (with the exception of the Light Cycles and the Light car). I have to say though that I firmly believe a more completive price would make this line welcome by a great many collectors.  

One last word of caution as well, everyone of the figures I have bought have had very tight necks and heads. So tight that I actually questioned if they had neck articulation. But I have seen reports of people who twisted the heads so hard they broke the necks right off. I would be careful how you apply the force to that first time twisting as it appears it can break the figure and at the prices they are at it is a shame you have to be so careful. But being careful I have avoided the break and the necks work fine after that initial twist. So proceed with caution as it would be a shame to break a figure that so much money went into.  

I believe the proper colloquialism for something really cool is “That is just sick!” In this case I would have to say the line looks like it has a case of the sniffles or maybe a 24-hour bug rather than sick, and yes I am purposefully trying to sound like a dork. But my point is that a lower price would make this line more “sick” than it is now, and that would work for everyone I think.