Packaging - ***
The more I see this packaging, the more it growson me. It's not the
kind of thing that visually leaps at you off the peg, but it does show off the
figure and the majority of the accessories well. The cardback shows the
rest of the series, and gives the most basic info on putting together the
Stargate itself.
Which is still where my major complaint lies - no instructions on just
which pieces go where, and how to put it together. Yes, it's fairly
straightforward, but you could save yourself some time with just a little
sheet with visual instructions.
Sculpting - ***1/2
All three figures sport excellent sculpts, but my favorite for basic accuracy
is Teal'C. He looks the most like the character to me, and the managed
to capture him well in profile and straight on.
His expression is a little wonky, and he looks slightly annoyed to
me. It's not a major problem, but the basic expression works better on
both the black ops version and the Jaffa Warrior version.
Carter is solid work, but she's not quite as pretty as the actual actress.
Still, you'll recognize her easily. It was a smart move to make the hat
non-removable, so that the scale and fit look right.
Both body sculpts have good proportions, and the wrinkles and folds of the
clothing look extremely realistic. Carter has one of the best female
body sculpts I've seen this year, looking tough and athletic without looking
anorexic.
Thor has a nice texturing in some areas, with wrinkles and folds in his
skin. The head sculpt seems a touch elongated to me, slightly longer
from chin to top than it should be, but if it is, it's only slightly.
Unlike some lines - even some lines from DST - the scale here is very
good. These are based around a 7" scale, and Teal'C tops in at
about 7 1/4", while Carter is just 6 1/2". Men are not all the same body type, and not all the exact same
height. And women (Carter so far) are shorter and thinner, matching up with
the personas on the show pretty well. Interal scale on each figure is
excellent as well, with no pin heads or bobble heads, something even DST has
had issues with in the Buffy line.
The hand sculpts of Carter and Teal'C are designed to hold the accessories,
and they do that well. All the figures stand great on their own too, and
can handle multiple poses well, showing off a an excellent blending of sculpt
and articulation.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops on the entire series are extremely good, with nice clean cuts
between colors, plenty of small detail work, and no slop to be seen.
Tampos look great too, like the patches on the uniforms of Teal'C and
Carter. Teal'C's raised emblem on his forehead is painted perfectly, and
Carter's fine lips and eyes are clean and neat. No lazy eyes here!
They even went out of their way to put a gloss finish on the soles of the
boots to differentiate them from the matte finish uppers. Excellent!
My favorite work though is in the 'veining' on Thor's body. In the close up
photos you can tell it's paint, but in person it looks extremely realistic.
One of the things I complained about on Jack O'Neil was the shiny face - he
had a very glossy appearance to his skin. Thankfully, that's not an
issue with either Teal'C or Carter. To see what a difference it makes,
check out the group photo with them standing in front of the gate with Jack.
Thor sports that glossy look, but he's a bit of a slimy alien, so that's
not just forgivable, but also works for him.
Articulation - ***1/2
I'm even being extra generous on the articulation score this time around,
because these really are the best combination of great sculpts and good
articulation I've seen in a long time. Other companies have tried, but
this is an almost perfect marriage.
All three of them have ball jointed necks, and the range of movement is
quite good. You know how I feel about ball jointed necks, the single
most important joint in the entire figure. No other single joint does as
much for adding personality to poses.
The all three have ball jointed shoulders as well, but these don't move too
far out from the body. The desire to keep the sculpts clean renders them
not quite as useful, but they do move out far enough to add some value.
There's also cut biceps on all three, and pin elbows. Teal'C and
Carter have cut wrists too, but Thor does not.
All three have a cut waist, and all three have T hips. However, the
sculpt on Teal'C and Carter does not allow the legs to make any backward
movement, only forward. They can step forward off one foot, or sit
pretty well, but they can't do too deep of stances.
Thor can, however, as his legs can move backward as easily as
forward. He can sit and even do lunges during the company sponsored
aerobics hour
The figures finish off with pin knees on all three, and cut thighs on
Carter and Teal'C. That's plenty of articulation for this style of
figure, and none of it damaged the look or style of the sculpting.
Accessories - ***1/2
Many of the accessories are re-used from the first assortment, but the upside
here is that there's a ton. Also, each character has at least one or two
new items as well, and don't forget the pieces to build the Stargate.
Thor has the other half of the ramp to the Stargate. Combine this
with the half from the earlier Serpent Guard, and you'll have the small stairs
and full ramp. Unfortunately, the half that comes with Thor isn't
painted quite the same as the series 1 half, having a slightly different paint
job on the outside of the railing section. It's not a major issue
though, since you can't see both outside sections at the same time.
Thor also has three of the robot spider guys (Replicators, unarticulated, but very cool
sculpts and paint), and his little half egg dealio.
Teal'C has the Jaffa Warrior staff, with the alternate open head. He
also has the P-90 rifle, zat, radio, and G.D.O. that O'Neill had (along with
several other figures). The hand sculpts hold all the accessories pretty
well, although the P-90 remains a bit of a trick. He also has the
tactical vest, which is made from soft rubber and can be removed. He has
one section of the round gate.
Carter also has the removable vest, resculpted and resized for her.
She has the zat and G.D.O., but also has two new guns - a handgun and a funky
rifle (the 'Carter special') I don't recognize. Hey, I'm not that regular of a watcher.
This rifle is much cooler than the P-90's though, and fits great in her right
hand. It looks very much like a futuristic version of a 'tommy gun', and
has a great sculpt. The handgun also fits nicely in her right hand, and
is in perfect scale. There's one other new accessory for her, the long
yellow crayon. I'm calling it that because a) I don't know the technical
name and b) because calling it anything else might imply Ms. Carter is a
difficult woman to satisfy.
She has a section of the gate as well, and one of them - either Teal'C or
Carter - has the section with the three holes that line up with the plastic
base. Sorry I can't be sure which it is, since after I opened them they
got mixed together. Besides, you'll want both these guys, and I'm
betting you actually need the sections of gate from each of them to get it
together correctly.
Speaking of which, the gate looks great when assembled. I don't quite
have a full circle - I never bought Jackson, so I'm missing his piece. I
assumed (incorrectly) that he'd just have another round section, but it looks
like his is shorter than the pieces that come with O'Neil, Carter and Teal'C.
You need all four of these unique characters (or their variant) to get a full
Gate, and you'll need both Thor and the Guard to build the stairs and
walkway. But DST was nice enough to provide unique pieces only with
unique characters, so you don't have to get (or open if you want to keep them
carded) the variants.
The gate is a little small, scale-wise, but it's a reasonable size and the
figures look good positioned on and around the walkway.
Fun Factor - ***1/2
While these aren't designed as kid's toys, they haven't lost what makes real
toys fun. Solid articulation that won't easily break, plenty of
accessories, and even a cool diorama when you buy enough of them. Big
kids everywhere who love the show are going to have mucho fun with these.
Value - ***
These are a great value at just $11 - $12 each. They are still a
specialty market figure, they are low runs, and they're packed with
accessories including a BAD (build a diorama!). And yet, they're coming
in a buck or so cheaper than many other specialty market figures, and even
some mass market figures that have far less complexity and goodies (Spawn 30,
anyone?)
Things to Watch Out For -
Getting the Stargate together can be a bit tricky, but the round sections do
connect. You have to do it just right though to avoid damaging them, so
take your time and look over the connection carefully. Other than that,
you should be gellin' like a felon. God, I hate those commercials.
Overall - ***1/2
Alright, I'm hooked. I hadn't picked up all of series 1 (I'm still
missing a regular Jackson, but one is on the way now!), and wasn't sure about
series 2. But this is an excellent line of figures, and it's just
getting better. Now I have my order in for the series 1 Jackson, plus my
pre-order in for the full set of series 3. And you think my reviews only
get YOU to buy more figures! Hell, I suck myself into new lines as well.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online is your best bet these days, although some local comic shops may carry
them:
- Killer Toys has the regular set
of three for $33, and the black ops Teal'c for $20.
- Time And Space Toys has
been carrying all the figures, but are selling out quick. They still
have the Previews exclusive Replicator Carter for $13, and they have preorders
up for series 3 at just $60 for the set of 5 (includes the chase and previews
exclusive!)
- Alter Ego Comics has this
basic set of three figures available for $38.
- CornerStoreComics has the
regular figures for $12 each, or a set of four (includes the Previews
exclusive) for $44.
- Amazing Toyz also has the
regulars for $12, or the set of 4 for $44.
- and if you're in the U.K., hit Forbidden Planet to pick them up for about
10 pounds each.
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