Review of Gwyllm, Ebonite Interrogator
Outer Limits sixth scale action figure

Introduction

The first two figures from the new Sideshow Outer Limits line are now shipping Gwyllm from the episode "The Sixth Finger" and the Ebonite Interrogator from the episode "Nightmare".

I found them at Media Play this week for $30 each, but they are also available directly from Sideshow, and a number of other on-line retailers I list below.

Also, for the big fans of the show - there's a DVD for the original series coming out this fall!  Check out Amazon.com (search the DVD's for Outer Limits) and you'll see it listed there for pre-order.

Other upcoming figures in the Outer Limits and Twilight Zone licenses include Ikar and Ikar's Soldier, the Zanti Misfits, the Doctor and Nurse from Eye of the Beholder, the Kanamit from To Serve Man, and the Gremlin from Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.

And after you get done reading the review, be sure to head over to this month's Giveaway, where you might win a completely free Gwyllm!  All you have to do is fill out a short poll, selecting a couple new choices for future Outer Limits figures, and you will be in the drawing.  It's that easy!

2015 Update: Obviously, the giveaway is long over. But my passion for all things Twilight Zone and Outer Limits lives on, and I really...REALLY...wish we'd see someone revisit these licenses. These older figures have actually held up extremely well in terms of head and hand sculpts, outfits and accessories.  Swapping them onto a more modern body is a must, but we really don't need anyone going back to any of these exact figures, but rather hit up the license for another dozen or so great creatures. Yea, I know - profit, revenue, demand, blah, blah, blah. I love what I love, and getting more Outer Limits and Twilight Zone figures on the shelf would be the ultimate.

These guys run in the $75 - $100 range on ebay these days, making them remain a pretty reasonable deal considering the current market.

Packaging - Gwyllm ****, EI ***1/2
These may be the best boxes so far.  I know, I know, I keep raving about Sideshow packaging, but still they somehow manage to get better.

Both boxes have terrific graphics, with lots of shots from the show.  Even better is the text, with the actual opening and closing remarks, and a detailed synopsis of the episode.  This is the most detail I've seen them put into the text of any licensed property, and it's a welcome addition.

The only reason the Ebonite Interrogator (EI) gets a slightly lower score is because his isn't quite as collector friendly as others.  There are small plastic tabs holding the 'wings' of his costume in place, and you'll have to clip these to remove him.  He'll never quite look as good back in the box again.

Sculpting - ****
I can't find anything to complain about on either head or hand sculpts of either figure.

Both may seem to have rather large heads, but look at the pictures and you'll realize that matches the source material.  All these make up devices had to go on over regular sized heads, so of course the end result was bigger than normal.

EI is a great head sculpt, matching the show extremely well, but he has a tough time going up against Gwyllm.  There isn't as much detail there, through no fault of Sideshow, since that's the character design.  Gwyllm is absolutely wonderful, and is perhaps the best single head sculpt in the entire Sideshow universe so far.

Both have detailed hand sculpts as well, matching the character.  The hand sculpts also hold the accessories well, particularly EI.  He hold both accessories perfectly, and it's obvious they sculpted them with this in mind.

Paint - ****
The majority of the paint ops are on the faces here, although the hands have some work as well.

Both faces are done extremely well.  There's a lot of detail here, in terms of texture, color and shading.  Maybe I just got a good set, but the faces were perfect.

The body of EI is entirely jet black, and it looks like it's paint work, rather than the color of the plastic.  This is very important, since you could see the flesh color through the black material of the uniform if they had left it unaltered.

Articulation - EI ***1/2, Gwyllm ****
I like the Sideshow body quite a bit, although some folks may prefer the Dragon or bbi style.  It has excellent articulation, and I had no trouble getting either character to stand on their own.

For those unfamiliar with this body, they have all the expected joints - neck, ball jointed shoulders, cut joint biceps, double jointed elbows, waist, chest, ball jointed hips, cut joint thighs, double jointed knees, and ankles.  Plus, both these figures have the 'special' Sideshow wrists, which allow for both a twisting range of motion, and a complete forward and backward range of motion.

Gwyllm does slightly better than EI because he has the 'sorta' ball jointed neck, giving him more range of motion and head poses.

Accessories - ***1/2
Neither figure comes with any accessories that are too exciting, but that relates back to the source material.

EI comes with the control wand that allowed them to do pretty much anything to humans.  He also comes with a hand held electronic box, perhaps his Ebonite PDA, and both pieces have solid sculpting and paint ops.

Gwyllm comes with two books, both of which we've seen in other versions.  One is the Descent of Man by Charles Darwin (so appropriate to this character) and the other is Music for Piano by Bach.

Both figures also come with one of the cool new stands that Sideshow has developed.  Unfortunately, the one for EI doesn't work particularly well since his 'wings' are in the way, but they still both look great.

Outfit - EI ***, Gwyllm ****
Once again, Gwyllm rocks.  The lab coat and pants look exactly like the source material, and are actually much more detailed than might appear at first glance.  The buttons at the neck, the front pocket, and the belt across the back are all nice details that really look great.  The quality of the outfit is also above average, with metal snaps all around, even at the wrists.  Gwyllm has a shoe sculpt that's a re-use, and a pair of black socks as well.

EI's uniform is slightly disappointing after the terrific head sculpt.  It is jet black, with highlighted areas on the thighs and chest.  The wings under each arm look good, but there needs to be a hem on both wrists and along the edge of the wings.  The wings tend to cause the sleeves of the costume to ride up the arms, exposing the wrists.

Another touch that would have really looked great would have been thin wires in the wings, as they appear to be in the photos of the actual creature.  Without them, and without a hem, the wings are difficult to pose.

Value - ***
These are $30 at Media Play, which makes these a pretty good value.  They don't have as many accessories as some $35-$40 Dragon or bbi figures, but they are licensed characters, which is another cost that shouldn't be ignored.

Overall - EI ***1/2, Gwyllm ****
I'm really happy with both of these figures, particularly Gwyllm.  You could use him in many lab/monster/sci-fi dioramas without ever seeing the original episode.

I have great expectations now for the future OL and Twilight Zone figures, and plan on buying the entire series.  I'll plug the other upcoming figures one more time - Ikar and Ikar's Soldier, the Zanti Misfits, the Doctor and Nurse from Eye of the Beholder, the Kanamit from To Serve Man, and the Gremlin from Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - Gwyllm ****, EI ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - EI ***1/2, Gwyllm ****
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - EI ***, Gwyllm ****
Value - ***
Overall - EI ***1/2, Gwyllm ****

Where to Buy 
The only bricks and mortar stores I'm sure will have these are the Sam Goody family - Sam Goody, Media Play, and Suncoast.  But there are plenty of on-line options:

- Sideshow themselves of course.  Retail is $35 plus shipping. The big advantage here is that you'll get them right away, since they are shipping them.

- Entertainment Earth has both for $70 a set plus shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

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