TOY REVIEW ARCHIVE    LIVING WITH LATE FEES    FEATURES    LINKS    BIO    MISSION    EMAIL    MAIN PAGE >


T3 Endoskeleton Bust

Tonight's guest reviewer is Scott Turnbull, who did the terrific review of the Movie Maniacs Sarah Conner figure.  He's back with another Terminator related review...take it away, Scott!

This review is of the SideShow Collectibles Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines Terminatrix Endoskull sculpture. I came across this as a runnerup for a SideShow website contest, but as a long time Terminator fan, this item had already caught my eye.






Packaging - ***
You can't get much more basic than this. A plain white box with black lettering. Oddly enough, it catches my eye. The blank white space with the movie title and product name declare "No Nonsense, Not a Toy". Inside the box is a lightly styled split foam block. There's some protrusions and a raised T3 logo that lend it the air of something more substantial than foam.

Inside the foam block is the sculpture, safely cradled and wrapped in a thin foam sheet. There would have to be some heavy handling of this package to damage the sculpture inside.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Obviously this is the important category for this item. It's a sculpture, so it hangs it's worth upon the quality of its sculpting. It is nicely done, with a beveled pedastal supporting a pair of vertebrae and the robotic skull. There are nicely defined sculpted protrusions and indentations. There are also finer scribings on and around the major details. The size is somewhere between 1:6 and 1:5 scale.

Paint - ***
The paint on this piece primarily consists of a dark chromed base with a darker wash to bring out recessed details. There are some blue highlights in the eye sockets and the side rings. This is designed to imply the glowing portions of the movie character's head. The blue is a pretty subtle effect, and is only noticeable under bright light. I'd like to see the base color not quite so dark. This would help keep the sculpt from becoming a dark blob in ambient light.

Quality - *** 
I like the heft of this piece. It has significant weight and feels substantial. The bottom of the base is covered with felt that has product information printed on it. There are rubber feet to protect that printing from shelf scuffing.

Value - **
SideShow is asking $15 for this piece. That seems a bit steep considering I previously picked up a T2 Endoskull done as a keychain for $6. The heft and detailing is similar, though the keychain attachment point is a distraction. I came by mine as a runner up in a SideShow contest. You can't beat free.

Overall - ***
This is a nifty little display piece that reminds me of the malice behind the mask in T3. I am a collector of many things 1:6, and all things robotic. This will make an excellent accessory in a 1:6 robotics lab diorama.

Where to Buy:
I've only seen these advertised on SideShow's website.

About the Reviewer:
Scott Turnbull is a computer systems engineer who has been obtaining and playing with his toys since the mid-60s. Few survived his curiosity and prying tools, but the memories of toys gone by live on.

KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR LOTS MORE PHOTOS!


Figures from the collection of Scott Turnbull.

This page copyright 2003, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved. Hosted by 1 Hour Hosting.com