A review of Action Figure Archive Volume 2: WTF!?, Fringe 2022

I didn’t catch volume one of Steve Mclean’s Action Figure reviews, and I wish I had, as I enjoyed volume two.

I turned up on Black Wednesday, that notorious Fringe day between the hype of launch, after the discounts, but before the week and expected to potentially be alone in a basement with McLean. Awkward.

I wasn’t. If you turned up with a group of friends at the last minute, you’d have to have sat separately. Yes, there were empty seats on Black Wednesday, but not many.

In part, that’s because Steve McLean has a track record of being funny and fun, but also because the show looks attractive, geeks are everywhere now and despite the lack of freebie-finding app this year.

That’s right, Action Figure Archive Volume 2 is part of PBH’s Free Fringe which you can donate to here to support. I wish I could find a money donation/tip/support site for Steve McLean, I can’t and that’s a shame as his card reader wouldn’t connect to the bank system from the Roti’s basement. He may be a geek, but internet fanboi he is not and the best I can find is a Facebook profile(ish). Tip: Bring cash.

Action Figure Archive Volume 2: WTF!?

By McLean’s own admission, Volume 2 is a bit of work in progress and a last-minute substitute for an abandoned show idea. You can tell as there’s plenty checking through notes. You can also tell this isn’t McLean’s first rodeo, as it all hangs together well.

We get a few action models, or figures held up for discussions. We compare G.I. Joe figures, discuss Transformers and ask questions like ‘Do you remember when… ?’

I think it’ll be worth it if future show evolutions have one or two more models.

I infer Steve prefers Hasbro to Mattel, Marvel to DC, and I’m not sure how much of a gamer he is, as, despite ample opportunity to explore D&D, we just skirt it. Perhaps the new D&D movie action models will appear later, maybe some Stranger Things ones. There are plenty of choices, as a trip to ebay confirms. Would it be cheating to include the weird and wonderful action figures that people 3D print in Steve’s lineup?

I wouldn’t change the show’s location, though, as it is the perfect home for the Festival Fringe 2022. Yes, it’s in the basement of an Indian Restaurant (Roti). No, I’m not happy I paid nearly £3.50 for a small bottle of diet cola while I was there. However, Forbidden Planet is on one side, and the Gold Brother’s Rebel Base for Harry Potter merch (boo to terfs) and Star Wars merch on the other. You can browse or shop before or after the show.

Speaking of terfs, Steve is thankfully a good sort of geek, not a gatekeeper but expect more than one “I’m on your side, sister” quip. Good! But let’s not pretend it’s unusual for anyone other than fat spotty men to be geeks.

Lastly, Steve occasionally gets audience participation or throws jokes at your expense. You don’t have to be terribly thick-skinned, but it may be an issue if you’re uncomfortably cautious about it.

Overall

Steve Mclean’s Action Figure Archive Volume 2: WTF!? is the spirit of the free fringe. It’s in a basement, run out of a suitcase, and the audience sits surrounded by upturned chairs while a restaurant readies for dinner.

It’s a work in progress, but it’s more gem than rough, and I’m glad I went.