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Sculpting - ***
There was much concern when the prototype for this figure was first
shown, due to the size of his head. Hey, let's be honest - Sideshow
already has enough problems with normal sized heads ending up too big,
what would happen to a guy who has a big head to start? Most people
were expecting a Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. But
the final product did NOT come out looking like a pointy bobble head.
The scale is actually quite good, although there's an entirely
separate issue with the small body. Had they gone with the normal body,
this guy would look perfect. The sculpt is also very, very
detailed and realistic. In fact, this is one that has more of a 'Hot
Toys' look and feel, with nicely detailed facial hair, and very
expressive eyes. The hands are specific to this character (with
sharper, pointed fingernails), and he has a gripping right hand and
gesturing left hand. As
I mentioned (and will again in the
articulation section), they went with the smaller body. This makes him
about 12.5 inches tall at the top of his pointy head, about the same
height as a normal Sideshow figure, and he looks too short
to me. The smaller body, combined with the elongated head, makes him
appear very stubby. As you'd expect, the smaller body also has thinner
legs, and these look odd on him. I'd suggest putting him on a larger
body now, but of course that means the tunic and shirt will be too
short, and he doesn't come with the usual Jedi robes that could cover
it up. The choice of this smaller body is one of two factors that
brings the overall sculpt score down for me. The other is the
mold lines along the side of the head. Obviously, this is created by
the manufacturing process, but at this price point, more care in
designing how these will be produced needs to be taken.
Paint - ***
As you might expect, most of the paint work is concentrated on the head
and face. And most of it is extremely good, with a realistic skin
tone, and great shading on the eyebrows and beard. The yellow eyes are
also very clean and life-like, with a piercing, sharp stare. Only
one issue brings this score down - the red under the eyes.
Obviously in a flash photo, this color is going to be even more
distracting, but it's quite obvious in person as well. I didn't throw
too much light into his eyes in any of my photos, but in hand I can
tell you that the red is obvious, and it is a bit too much.
Articulation - **
Yea, it's that damn Buck body. If I consider that a) the Prometheus is
now available, b) this guy is at the new, higher price point and c)
when I had my old Captain Action figures out last week, I realized even
THEY had a better posing body than the Buck, then I can't have a whole
lot of love for getting another Buck figure. With the recent Gandalf, I could
cut them some level of slack, since the character isn't going to be in
wild poses. But this is a Jedi, man. He needs to be able to
take and hold some cool fighting stances, something the Buck simply
can't do well.
Accessories - **
Sideshow has been adding in quite a few extras in their more recent figures...until poor Mundi, that is. He
gets his two lightsabers of course, one lit and one unlit. Something
seems off about the hilts to me, but I'm not an expert on them. He
also has a little sculpted bag, with leather strap. The strap came
unglued on mine about 5 seconds after I took it out of the package, and
I immediately tossed it back in. There's the usual display stand of course, which will be a relief for those of you in earthquake zones. And that's it. Not even any additional hands. At this price point, that's a huge disappointment.
Outfit - ***
There's not a whole lot to his outfit here, but there's one saving grace that kept the score at three stars. He
has his shirt, with pirate sleeves and all. Over this he has his Jedi
tunic, which is actually a sleeveless hoodie. I don't expect any
one will put the hood up, but it has the usual wire through the edge to
allow you to pose it nicely on the shoulders. There's also his pants, which fit about as best as you can expect on those skinny small body Buck legs. Over
the tunic is his cloth belt, and then his leather belt with slot for
the unlit saber. I had one Hell of a time getting the saber to
stay on the belt though, which is usually not an issue. What was
that saving grace? Why, the boots of course! Sideshow has
consistently produced great looking boots, and this time they did them
in a softer, rubber like material. That means you can actual pose the
feet...a little...inside the boot, getting some use out of the ankle
articulation. They look terrific too, easily the best part of his
otherwise basic outfit. Yep, that's it. No outer robe, either. How much did I pay for this guy again?
Fun Factor - *** Another
good example of a sixth scale action figure that remembers its roots.
Yep, a kid could play with this guy, and other than that damn little
bag with the glued strap, it's unlikely he'd break anything too fast.
Or at least, not any faster than your average mass market toy.
Value - *1/2
It's a pretty high edition size for a C level character in the prequel
movies. And they put it on a body that's clearly outdated. With very few accessories. And a stripped down outfit. Seventy
bucks? No.
Things To Watch Out For
-
There's a big one - that pony tail of his. It is VERY easy to break
off, and I almost did it just turning his head. You can probably glue
it back together if you do, but why risk it in the first place? Don't
rest your hand on it when posing the figure or moving the head.
Overall - **1/2
I really want to give this guy a better score - the head sculpt is
better than this, certainly. But the smaller Buck body, along with the
lack of accessories and a basic outfit all at a very high price, are
too much to let him squeak out anything more from me.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - **
Accessories - **
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
Originally you had to go with Sideshow, since it's a
domestic
exclusive. There's only the one version because of this.
They've sold out, but you can wait list and have a shot at getting one.
Or you can search ebay with the sponsor MyAuctionLinks.com.
Related Links -
I
have tons of sixth scale Star Wars reviews:
- the recent Obi-Wan in Clone Armor
is easily their best to date.
- then there's Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke and Han Solo.
- Sideshow has had a strong year
so far with Commander Praji,
the exceptional Palpatine/Sidous
and ANH Obi-Wan,
and the not quite so exceptional Ilum
Padme.
- also in the sixth scale line,
I've reviewed Leia and
Bespin Luke, the Holo-chess
set, Sideshow's
Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin
Luke, the Endor
Troops, Jabba the
Hutt and his
throne, Bib Fortuna,
Jedi
Luke, Darth Maul,
Obi-Wan,
Bespin
Han Solo, regular Anakin
Skywalker and Kit
Fisto.
- I also have guest reviews of
the SDCC Anakin Skywalker,
Mace
Windu, and Qui-Gon
Jinn.
- in the premium format line,
I've reviewed Darth Vader,
Princess
Leia, Boba Fett,
Obi-Wan
Kenobi, and Han
Solo.
- the most recent Medicom was
the Clone Trooper Captain.
- other Medicom's
include Wicket, Darth Maul, the 501st Clone Trooper, Jango Fett, the Sandtrooper, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, the regular Stormtrooper,
and Clonetrooper
and Blackhole Trooper, and I've had guest reviews
of the Shock trooper,
as well as ROTS
Vader, Jedi Luke,
VCD
Yoda, Boba Fett,
and the Trooper.
Discussion:
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