Review of Cable Regular and Exclusive
One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

This is a tale of two Cable's - one the regular, wider release from Mezco, the other the Previews exclusive release.  Both are in their One:12 Collective, of course.

The regular release is available at pretty much any comic shop, online retailer, and Mezco themselves. The Previews exclusive is a comic shop exclusive, which doesn't rule out too many folks, although you won't be able to buy it directly from Mezco. Both retail for around $100, and both are shipping right now.

The regular release is heavily armored, while the exclusive is wearing the more comic book themed yellow and blue costume.

Packaging - Regular ***1/2; Exclusive ****
The regular release comes in the usual cardboard package with slip cover and plastic sleeve. It's minimal in design, like most One:12 boxes, and it's all quite collector friendly. The cardboard is nice and sturdy, and the double set of trays keeps everything safe and sound.

Like most exclusives, the Previews version comes in a large metal tin. The lid is hinged, and the heavy container looks terrific. These are packages that you will use for other stuff, whether it's Cable storage or not.

Sculpting - Exclusive ***1/2; Regular ****
Both figures come with the same two portraits. The fact that there is two is the key.

One is stern and tough, but not extreme. The second has gritted teeth, with a bit more of a 'come and get it' attitude. The eyebrows have a sharper arch, and there's a few more wrinkles in the forehead. Both look terrific, with good detail work in the hair and a soft skin texture.

Both also have the scarred right eye, and these scars aren't just painted on, but sculpted into the skin. It's a very realistic look, and you can't go wrong working with either portrait.

The mechanical left arm on both looks great too, with the exposed cabling and plates looking quite realistic. The various hands are done in grips designed to work with the other accessories.

The exclusive has less sculpted body armor, but the harness looks decent. The armored regular release has nicely sculpted damage, and sharply defined edges. There's a ton of texture on the various bits, better differentiating the leather pouches from the metal armor from the buckles and rivets. It's really impressive work considering the scale.  The regular is just 6 1/2" tall, while the exclusive (thanks to those hunky boots) is about 6 3/4" tall.

Paint - ***1/2
The work is neat, but I'm not quite loving the white hair as much as usual.

The skin texture looks great, and has that slightly translucent quality that gives it depth and realism. The eyes are neat and clean, right down to the tiny blue iris'. The scars are amazing, with a life-like color and transition, and even the teeth on the angrier face are super clean and neat.

My only real issue is with the dirty look to the hair. I know they were trying to fine a way to avoid losing all the detail in the white, but I'm not sure the darker wash is working quite the way they intended. It's a minor nit though, and the overall quality is where you expect it to be.

The wash effect works much better with the mechanical arm, and the armored suit on the regular release has an outstanding paint job.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying standard body works well, but the bulk and some of the costume bits do restrict things slightly.

The ball jointed neck doesn't have a lot of tilt and lean with either version, but you can get a smidge.  The shoulders, elbows, and wrists allow for some decent arm poses with the weapons, including two handed holds, but it can be tough to get the elbows tightly bent.

The hips, knees, and ankles can take shallow to deep stances, but each has their own restrictions. The armored version has better hips and knees, thanks to the cloth pants. The tight body suit on the exclusive release does tend to bunch up and make deeper stances trickier.  However, the ankles on the exclusive have more bend and rocker movement with the simpler two piece boots. The big, honkin' two piece boots on the regular release don't allow for a ton of movement.

Accessories - ****
Both figures are nicely outfitted with extras, although most of them are re-used between the two.

Both have the same two portraits, as I mentioned earlier. They swap easily, and stay attached to the neck when posing him.

The also have the same three extra mechanical left hands, each done in a different gripping pose. They have different colored/sculpted right hands though, matching their respective costumes. These all swap easily too, and stayed attached while I was working with the other accessories.

Both have a small handgun, which fits in a holster on either costume. To round out their firing arsenal, both have huge ass blasters, both with great sculpts and paint. One of these guns has two clips which can attach to the side.

Each figure does have one unique weapon. The regular, armored release has a great looking knife, with a detailed sculpt. It fits in a sheath on the hip of his costume.  The exclusive release comes with a long, deadly looking spear.

To round things out, both have the usual Mezco display stand, appropriately designed for their unique look, and with either the single foot peg or more complex clear plastic support system.

Light Feature - Exclusive ***; Regular ****
Both figures include a light up feature, although one is much more impressive than the other.

The exclusive version has a removable neck post. You insert two batteries (included), and flip a switch on the bottom of this neck post to illuminate the left eye. It works well, creating a fairly bright glow, but if you turn the head too far to either side, the light in the neck will get blocked. It's also a bit of a pain in the ass to turn off and on, since you have to pop off the head and remove the neck post each time.

The regular release has a much more flashy light show.  The batteries - three this time, but still included - are inserted in the back. You slip a cover upward, and unscrew the compartment to insert the batteries. You do have to slip the cover up each time to turn them on or off, but it's not quite as difficult as working with the neck switch on the exclusive release.

Once turned on, not only does the eye light up, but the center logo, four blue sections on the sides of the chest, and several more blue sections on his back glow as well! That third battery really adds some oompf too, lighting these up quite brightly.

Outfit - Exclusive ***1/2; Regular ****
The exclusive design is very X-Men comic book, including the tight body suit, simple two piece boots, and harness/belt arrangement that includes his holster.

It's a good look for the comic fan, and the design will fit in pretty well on the shelf with several of the other Marvel One:12 characters already released. The harness tends to ride up on his shoulders though, a complaint I've had a few times before. It's particularly noticeable in macro photos, but to be fair, in hand it's much less of an issue.

While the regular release is more of a Mezco design, I really, really like it. The armored body also fits in with some of the more imaginative Mezco designs of other characters, and the armor is properly scaled and fits perfectly over the underlying body. The pants are nicely tailored, and the two piece boots, while still somewhat restrictive, look terrific.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Lots of accessories, plus decent articulation, make both of these great toys as well as 'collectibles'. You should have no trouble finding some great poses, and I have no doubt you'll return to them over and over again, adjusting the look on the shelf.

Value - **1/2
The $100 price point is pretty consistent with One:12 figures that have special features, like the lights. I'm good with it, considering the overall quality and the number of extras.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. The figures are sturdy and well made, and I didn't have any issues with potential breakage or loss.

Overall - ***1/2
While I went with the same score for both, there was some variation.  The exclusive release, in his blue and yellow garb, is a solid ***1/2, no doubt about it for me. He has a few issues, but overall is a terrific figure.

However, the regular release is oh-so-close to a ****. He almost slipped over the hump, thanks to the excellent light feature and terrific looking armor. He didn't quite make it, but it was damn close for me.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - Regular ***1/2; Exclusive ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ****
Light Feature - Regular ****; Exclusive ***
Outfit - Exclusive ***; Regular ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is sold out of the regular edition, but has the exclusive for $100 and free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent One:12 reviews include the Toy Fair Gomez, Magneto, Classic Wonder Woman, and Freddy Krueger. Talk about variety!

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