Monkeywrench (1986)
Out of all the 80′s Dreadnoks, I think Monkeywrench most resembles a regular biker gang hooligan. He doesn’t have any new wave hairstyle, funky glasses or armor plated jeans. Instead, he’s decided to accessorize with patches and bandanas. In the end, he’s not too wild looking, just a long haired dude in jeans, vest and grenade bandolier. Okay, forget what I just said.
Just what is his weapon supposed to be? Maybe it’s a long range trident, or a high powered frog gig. You know, that last one would make some sense, as the Dreadnoks tend to hang about marshlands, which are populated with the jumping croakers. It would make for a cheap and easy meal. Have you ever had frog legs? I don’t care what anyone says, they’re good eatin’. I don’t know how a long range frog stabber relates to a guy who enjoys blowing things up, but maybe the ‘noks just gave it to him in order to fit in with all the other mostly frivolous melee weapons used by the group.
Monkeywrench, as an explosives afficianado, is at least wearing several grenades. But that’s it, no other accessories, not even a backpack. Maybe pipe bombs, C-4 and the like were too hard to create as accessories that could be held by a vintage figure.
In a way he seems like the fourth wheel (or fifth) of the Dreadnoks. The 1985 trio were badasses with menacing weapons (torch, chainsaw, jackhammer and tearing tool). Here, he has… a fork gun. “Cooking up trouble” no doubt. But, hey, these are toys so they shouldn’t be taken too seriously (seems some collectors hate Monkeywrench). Coming up we would get a pirate with a hammer, a brute with a cinder block sledgehammer and a poacher, so not exactly the most logical of weapons either. His name kind of invokes a screw-up (monkeywrench). I don’t think he’s bad. He fills out the classic gang (the bikers/punks) whereas the others get more exotic (pirates, poachers, and Mad Max).
It would have been funny if Monkeywrench kept his fork gun and another Dreadnok had a knive weapon and another a spoon weapon. Is it supposed to be like a three-pronged bayonet or might it be some kind of triple-barreled laser rifle?