Buzz-Saw (with Shredator) (SilverHawks) Review

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Buzz-Saw (with Shredator) (SilverHawks) Review

Buzz-Saw (with Shredator)
SilverHawks (Kenner)Silverhawks wasn't high on my list as a kid, but once in a while, I'd find something I wanted anyway. Buzz-saw and Mon-Star made their way into my collection, but the easily worn vac-metallized parts and fragile wings turned me off the heroes. Having found this guy once more, I may as well cover him.
For starters, I can't get over how much Buzz looks like he stepped right off an animation cel. Not from the show proper, mind you, but perhaps early concept art or even a coloring book. He's all flat colors and simple angles, but it works. The bright green/yellow is a nicer contrast than the near-total goldenrod of the show. Limited paint means limited scraping, so apart from the ever-present danger of discolored plastic, it's a good tough chunk of plastic with a satisfying heft.
Articulation is a bit of a mixed bag in this line thanks to the various action features, but apart from swivel elbows, it's not bad: swivel shoulders, peg hips and hinged knees. The head doesn't turn, but that's because they decided to have some fun with his action feature: pull up on it, and the upper jaw- the whole top half of the head, actually- opens just over half an inch. Press it back down, and the blades on his shoulders spin. Anyone else would have just put a lever on the back, but whoever designed this thing saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. It's just so much fun!
If I had to make a complaint here, it'd be in regards to the accessory: one of the few villains with their own birdies, Buzz is accompanied by the orange robo-falcon Shredator, which plugs onto either hand. Two problems arise here, one of which is a pretty weak set of shoulders. Dude can barely hold said bird up, probably due to having to work around the sawblade mechanism. I also take issue with Shredator's action feature: frankly, these things are too small to incorporate anything fancy, but they tried too hard here.
The idea is that when you press the head in, the body/wings spin around like a drill. Which is fine in theory, but the things almost universally fail to make more than one or two rotations. They just couldn't manage a decent mechanism in such a small space. Kudos for still being good enough to retain functionality 30-odd years later, though. It's not too bad on display if you pretend it's got a vulture neck or something, but that's a stretch.
In closing, I'll just point out that unlike most of the line, Buzzsaw still boasts proper shoulder joints, unobtrusive action features, AND the ability to murder three people at once without even lifting his arms. The only things holding him back from a better rating are the loose shoulders and underwhelming birb.