Review of Earl Sinclair - Dinosaurs
Ultimate Action Figure

Introduction

Once upon a time, dinosaurs roamed the earth. In the Henson sitcom of the same name, they also worked jobs, raised families, paid taxes, and drank beer. Dinosaurs was a scaly version of the Honeymooners, but actually tackled real world issues like gender, sexual orientation, and climate change against the backdrop of anthropomorphized prehistoric beasts.

While the show was generally fun, light, sitcom fare, even when it tackled various issues, it also has one of the very darkest finales in the history of television. If you've never watched, give it a shot.

When the show was on the air - four seasons from 1991 to 1994 - there was the usual merchandise, including a series of action figures from Hasbro and Disney. They did the whole family - Earl, Fran, Charlene, Robbie, and Baby - as well as B.P. Richfield, Earl's boss. And they were terrible. Really bad. I'm talking they were bad by 1990's standards. Trust me, I have them all in the Institute.

NECA announced about a year ago that they were producing at least Earl and Baby Sinclair, and both are now shipping. Expect to pay $35 - $40 each, depending on the retailer. As always, i have some suggestions at the end of the review.

Packaging - ***
This is pretty standard packaging for NECA Ultimate figures. The box sports character photos from the show, as well as some basic information. The fifth panel opens up and you can inspect the figure and accessories. It's relatively collector friendly - I have no issue opening these and keeping the box around in case I need to repack them - but there are a couple plastic ties to cut.

Sculpting - ****
The sculpting on this is outstanding. They've brought the character to life, and looking at him just makes me happy. Isn't that what it's all about?

He comes with two heads. The first is a simple, smiling, basic expression. It's nothing extreme, but it does capture the usual slightly dim witted yet affable look of Earl. The gaze is straight ahead, and this detailed portrait works with pretty much any pose.

The second head has a big, goofy smile, showing lots of teeth. The eyes are looking off to one side and down, giving you the side glance. This is another great look for the character, and it's one of those rare cases where it's truly a toss up between the two portraits.

The detail work on the skin texture is excellent, contrasting realistically with the smoother clothing. While he is part of the NECA Ultimate line, he isn't in a true 7" scale, similar to Alf or the Gremlins. He comes in at about 6 inches tall.

The sculpting on the hands is also worth noting. While they included a couple to hold the accessories, they also included a couple that are posed in very show specific ways, hand poses that only Earl was known for.

It was a given that any figure they did would destroy the old Hasbro series, but this is one of my favorite figures of the year.

Paint - ****
The overall paint work is excellent, supporting and improving on the terrific sculpt.

The edge between the undershirt and plaid shirt is super clean and neat, and the plaid design looks fantastic. There's no slop here whatsoever.

The variations in the skin tone create a lifelike - or at least accurate to the costume - appearance, and this extends across the two heads, various hands, lower body, and tail. It's interesting to see the two different colors of white used for the teeth and eyes. The eyes are a brighter, cleaner white, while the teeth have a much more bone white appearance. It's a terrific detail that adds a lot of realism to the figure.

I do have one nit, and it almost cost them a half star. The wrist pegs are one color - the darker color of the arms. But the palm and underside of the forearm are the lighter color, which creates a pretty obvious clash on the palm of the hand. I wish they'd used a two tone look for the disc, but I get why they didn't.

Articulation - **1/2
You knew there was no way they'd get ninja level articulation in a body like this. I can't even imagine how hard it was for the actor to move in the original costume. They did an admirable job though.

The ball jointed neck has a little tilt and lean, but not too much. You can get some decent poses though with either head and gaze. The rotating shoulders, elbows, and wrists are restricted by the beefy body, but you can still put the arms in poses that work with the accessories.

Swapping both the heads and hands is fairly easy, and they stay in place once attached.

There's also joints at the hips, knees, and ankles, but you'll really just be using them to position the legs to keep him standing. The leg joints actually allow for some pretty weird leg poses that won't look quite right, but it does show their willingness to get inventive with the engineering.

And yes, the tail is articulated as well. You'll be able to move it a bit side to side, and get it positioned against the ground where he generally dragged it. Between the huge feet and the tail, this is a figure that is completely earthquake proof.

Accessories - ***1/2
I mentioned the two heads, and they add a lot to this score as well. I'm always a big fan of getting more than one expression, because it adds a lot of flexibility to the display.

There's six extra hands, and they swap pretty easily. I've mentioned the sculpt and paint earlier, but these are all assets to your display options.

He also has his Fernhill Mint mug, shaped like the head of Cap'n Willie the Old Salt. This was a great episode making fun of goofy memorabilia like items from the Hamilton Collection, or the Noble Collection, or, well, NECA. Earl was willing to trade his soul to own one Fernhill Mint mug.

The point of owning the mug was to prove he was better than everyone else of course, and he got his own captain's hat to wear. This hat can fit on either portrait.

He also comes with a six pack (the kind you drink), and the cans can be removed from the ring. To give him something to do while he's drinking, there's a large TV remote, and one of the extra hands is sculpted perfectly to hold it.

Fun Factor - ****
The accessories, especially that extra portrait, give you plenty of display options. You'll be able to return to the figure and adjust both the look and the pose over time, adding to the fun. Get the baby, and you'll have an even better time!

Value - ***
At around $35, he's pretty much the same as the majority of the Ultimate figures. Thanks to the extra portrait, I'm bumping him up a half star above average here.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. There's nothing fragile or delicate, and you should have no worries swapping hands or heads.

Overall - ****
While this might seem to be a pretty basic release, it's going to be one of my favorite figures of the year. It makes me happy, there's no other way to explain it.  The quality is there, the sculpt and paint are accurate, but it's how well it captures the feeling of the old show that really puts it over the top.

Paired with Baby Sinclair, he looks as perfect as you can get. Now we absolutely need the rest of the family, and I wouldn't say no to Richfield or Roy Hess either. C'mon NECA!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $40. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping, once they are in stock!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the only Dinosaurs figure I've ever reviewed, although I have picked up their Baby Sinclair as well, and yes, he's just as nice as you can see in the photos.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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