MAX STEEL - Blade Attack Dredd

Like I mentioned with the previous figure I reviewed for this franchise, I am not familiar with these characters but I assume that this guy is Max Steel's main arch enemy . He looks wicked and menacing and comes with two cool action features. Blade Attack Dredd comes with no accessories but his action features make up for that. Dredd's action features are (1) his right arm emits a red light and (2) make the blades / propeller attached to his right wrist spin. You can get him at places like Wal-Mart for around a 9-10 dollar price range.

Once you remove Dredd from the package, you'll discover that he has very little articulation. The legs move up and down, his left wrist rotates in a 360 degree circular motion. His head can do the same yet it somewhat restricted a little due to these edges on the tips of his shoulder blades. Both arms can move up and down and his right elbow spins / rotates for the spinning action feature.
Speaking of his right arm, there is a real treat for those of us that are curious as to how things work. If you look real closely at Dredd's right arm , you can see the gears and circuitry inside that make his action features function . You can really see them well when his red light is on. The camera really does not do my claim much justice but hopefully you can see some of the gears and even a circuit chip inside his arm in the pics below.

Can you see the micro chip in the above pic? It's right where you see the black button. Speaking of the black button, this is what you press to activate the light up feature. To activate his spinning action, you just press downward on his right shoulder attachment, the one you see in the pic above the one above.
The spinning action is not a continuous long spin. Instead it is a very short spin for a few seconds after pressing the button once. For multiple and continuous spins you must constantly keep pressing the button. Dredd is slightly taller than 6" inches. As you can see in the pics below, the 6" mark is right at his shoulder blade and that he is slightly taller than Max Steel .

On the packaging there is notice of locking up the blades for a power punch. I assume the power punch is referring to the spinning action. Mattel does a nice job of providing detailed instructions on operating the toy. Not to mention explaining how to remove and replace the batteries if you use up the power on his light feature. You can purchase these special batteries at any local Radio Shack or electronic specialty stores.

Of Dredd's two action features, I can not make up my mind which one I like the best. The spinning blades or the red light. The following comparison pic between Dredd's light and Max Steel's light may help you decide who's light feature is the coolest. If you ask me, I like Max's blue light the best. It is very bright and almost blinding . Whereas Dredd's light is more dim, more reminiscent of a forest wood fire at night . I say the brighter the better in my opinion.

                                                 FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Very limited. Since I have already mentioned what parts are articulated in the article, I'll mention a few non-articulated parts here. There are no knee, ankle, or elbow articulate points. No outward movement in the arms and legs.
(2) STANDABILITY - To get my figure to stand well without balance issues, I simply pushed out his left foot ahead of his right. You can also use his blades to balance him by having his right arm downward toward the ground.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT BLADE ATTACK DREDD ? His action features. They both are very cool.. Looks like the perfect villain. Mean with an emotionless expressionless look.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT BLADE ATTACK DREDD ? The limited articulation , however this does not bother me much I still think he's a cool action figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THE FIGURE ? More articulation but as I already mentioned this really is not much of an issue to complain about.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1-10 I give this figure a 9.5. Almost a 10 but the small minus is for the articulation that is not there. Similar to what I already mentioned, extra articulation or lack thereof does not necessarily make or break a figure but it does help.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I am pleased with my purchase of Blade Attack Dredd. He is a pretty decent action figure with cool features. As I mentioned earlier, he comes with no accessories but his action features are so neat he does not need any. Plus I like how he is kind of somewhat of a bulky figure. This bulkiness gives him somewhat of an imposing threatening presence against his enemy Max Steel. It is always excellent when the main villain is physically larger than the main hero. No matter what media or canon, be it comic books, action figures, cartoons, etc. The larger a hero's rival is, the more physically threatening is his/her presence . Popeye and Bluto are a perfect example of what I'm talking about. And Dredd does look physically imposing standing next to Max Steel.