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Introduction
As an old man who watched the Original Series of Star Trek as a kid, it has always been one of my favorite versions. But I'm a fan of Star Trek, not one series, and I have loved them all for various reasons. Deep Space Nine is very high on my list, and is currently third on my all time favorites. As much as I've loved the Voyager sixth scale figures from EXO-6, I've been really, really looking forward to getting some additional characters to go with their Sisko.
We finally have our next character - Quark. The bar owning Ferengi was one of the best characters on a show with a whole lot of them, and getting him in sixth scale is a dream come true for fans. And by 'fans' I mean me. He just started shipping and will run you around $215, depending on the retailer.
Packaging - ***
The box is pretty standard stuff for EXO-6. There's attractive DS9
graphics on the outside, and everything is packed inside in a
collector friendly way. You can take everything out any time and put
it all back later, no packaging damage necessary.
Sculpting - ****
This portrait is screaming 'rub my lobes'! There's no doubt it's
Quark, and the proportions and details are an excellent match to the
on screen appearance.
The sculpt has a very realistic skin texture, and the heavier wrinkling and folds around the eyes and nose add to the realism. Not only is it an accurate sculpt, it's a life-like one as well.
The expression is a bit dynamic, nothing extreme but with enough life and emotion to create the proper atmosphere for the character. The teeth could be a little more janky - Ferengi aren't known for their even, straight teeth - but they are well defined and realistic. The musculature of the face has a tautness that gives him more life, rather than a loose, soft appearance.
The size and proportions of the head align nicely with the body, and he stands about 11 1/4" tall, fitting in great with the series.
Paint - ***1/2
The skin tone looks great, with some subtle shading and variation.
Darker areas around the eyes are consistent but realistic, and the
glossy look of the eyes and teeth adds a lot of realism to the
overall appearance.
I do think the skin could be a bit more - just a little - complex. In the right lighting it looks great, but brighter light tends to wash it out a bit. It's one of those minor nits though, and this paint application looks great on my shelf.
They've also added some key details to the various accessories. The fingernails on all the hands are painted the proper darker color, the wood tone on the book binder looks great, and the stickers used for the pad are even and super clean.
Articulation - ***1/2
There's plenty of articulation in the EXO-6 base body, including
neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and torso.
With a combination of ball joints, pin joints, and rotating hinge
joints, he can take most reasonable stances and poses. This isn't
one of those characters that you'll be posing in ninja stances, but
you want to be able to create natural, flowing poses that look
realistic. They have you covered there.
The one area that is slightly restricted is the ankles, due to the tall boots. The material is fairly soft, so the ankles have a little bit of mobility, but it's not as much as a figure with a two piece boot design.
Accessories - ***
There aren't a ton of extras, but more is included than what is
listed on the box, and that's always a positive.
He has five hands to go with the pair he comes wearing. These are all in various sculpted poses, designed to work with the other accessories. There's even one - the wide splayed left - that has a post sculpted on the palm, which can be attached to the back of the book for holding it.
That book, with faux wood cover and every page printed, is the Rules of Acquisition of course. Be particularly careful with it though, as the binding on the pages is a bit weak. If you start rifling through the pages, they are liable to come loose from the back cover, or from each other.
There's also a bunch of latinum, his favorite thing in the world. There's a huge bar, two large size pieces, three medium size pieces, and four small pieces. This is quite a bit more than he was advertised with, so that's a big plus.
He has a Ferengi PADD, perfect for running his establishment, and the Gratitude Festival Inscription Quill or pen is another extra they didn't originally mention in the marketing details. The quill is such a great addition too, since it's such a Quark specific piece.
As always, there's the transporter display base with two different plastic slips, and the plastic autograph card.
Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit consists of the shirt, waist coat, pants, and boots.
The tailoring is great on all the pieces, and the beautiful colors of the shirt and jacket are bright and vibrant. As you'd expect, it's a terrific match to the on screen counterpart.
There's a couple small sculpted accoutrements, with one covering the front of the jacket where the velcro holds it closed. If it isn't quite straight, simply undo the velcro and realign it so the plastic piece is straight up and down.
One of the great things about this outfit is all the bright colors, including the pants and boots. But the boots are also the one area where I was a little disappointed. The sculpt is a little short of detail, and I really think a two piece design was physically possible. Still, it's not a deal breaker in any way, and the material is soft enough to allow for some ankle mobility.
You may find that the jacket and shirt are riding back too far on the shoulders. It's particularly noticeable with the jacket, when the collar is too far from the neck and the lapels are too high on the chest. You can adjust it on the shoulders and torso though, and get a much better look with a little patience. When you're posing it, just remember that you may have to pull the jacket and lapels forward again.
Fun Factor - ***1/2
This is a great figure, and in combination with Sisko, makes for a
terrific start to the DS9 shelf. We know Kira is next, and we're
sure to get Odo as well, with Bashir and O'Brien a sure bet. I
have high hopes that EXO-6 will take things well beyond that
before they are done!
Value - **
At $215, he's slightly higher than some of the releases. But the
price is still well within the mid range sixth scale cost, and
far, far below the $275+ that Hot Toys is asking these days.
You're getting some great quality here, and a wide range of
classic Star Trek figures, all in sixth scale. You're never going
to see this happen again.
Things to Watch Out For -
I mentioned the need to adjust the jacket and shirt, as well as
being careful with the pages of the book. Other than that, you
should have nothing to watch out for.
Overall - ***1/2
While I've been very happy with all my Voyager figures - and I do
love the show - it's DS9 that I've really been anticipating,
almost as much as their TOS releases. I never thought I'd get this
kind of high end sixth scale Quark in my collection, and the fact
that we have several more characters on the way for the show - not
to mention all the other Voyager, Discovery, Picard, SNW, and TOS
figures in the pipeline - and you have the makings of one of the
greatest action figure lines of all time. Yea, I said it.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
You can get him for immediate purchase right now at the EXO-6 website, where he is $215. Online
options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has him for $215, but it appears he's pre-sold out. However, keep an eye for when he comes in, because they may have stock from cancellations. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping!
- or you can hsearch ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Other recent EXO-6 releases include Locutus, Archer, and Chakotay.
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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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos
and text by Michael Crawford.
