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Packaging - ***
I love the clamshells, but these Matrix inserts leave me cold. Some of
these could use some instructions as well - at least a couple basic assembly
photos - but none are in the package.
Sculpting - Morpheus ****; Trinity ***1/2; Niobe **1/2
The sculpting on this entire series is a mixed bag, but these three figures
represent the best and worst.
Morpheus looks fantastic, like he just stepped off the celluloid. Of
course, since he's sitting, he really couldn't step...but you get my
point. He's leaning back in his comfy recliner, phone on the table at his
side. The Fishburne head sculpt is dead on, and this is McToys sculpting
and design at it's best.
Niobe is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Her sculpt itself isn't
terrible - there's lots of realistic detail - but a combination of a dopey pose
and a far too similar look to the Terminatrix makes her less than ideal.
Trinity falls in the middle. The head sculpt is world's above the
previous Trinity, and looks quite a bit like the actress. The grimace and
expression works great for this pose, and while the pose isn't perfect, they get
points for trying something really unique and interesting.
Paint - Morpheus ****; Trinity ***1/2; Niobe ***
Since these are really just statues, the sculpt and paint are crucial to their
overall appearance. They've done a fine job for the most part in this
category as well.
Morpheus is again excellent. The colors are bright and clean, and the
detail work on the chair and table adds to the overall realism. The colors
are consistent, and there's enough variety to make him visually appealing and
stand out from the crowd.
Niobe is very basic, and the color of her leather outfit is subdued further
by the dark wash. While most of the paint application is clean and neat,
the eyes are off a tad, and there really isn't a whole lot of paint work here to
judge.
Trinity suffers from that back in black syndrome, but at least it's a nice
shiny black, and looks very much like leather. Her face work is extremely
good, with the battle damage to her skin looking particularly realistic.
The matted hair doesn't work quite as well, although that's a combination of a
soft sculpt and lack of detail in the paint.
Articulation - **
Sure, there's a few points, but nothing that has a whole lot of value.
Morpheus can move his neck, wrists and shoulders, although only his neck has any
real use.
Trinity can move her shoulders, wrists and neck, but again, once you get her
in the 'pose', you won't do much more.
And Niobe, crippled with the weakest pose, only the most artictulation -
neck, shoulders, wrists, waist, ankles and one cut elbow.
Accessories - Morpheus ***1/2; Trinity ***; Niobe **1/2
See a trend here? Morpheus on top, Niobe on the bottom. Hmmm.
Morphues has his chair, and what a fine chair it is. It looks pretty
damn comfortable, and he sits in it perfectly. He also has an end table
and phone, but neither of these is quite as nice as the Laz-E-Boy. The top
of the table doesn't fit particularly well on the tripod base, and the phone has
a straight phone cord (rather than twisty), with a really long, unnecessary
phone cord that would go to the wall. The phone isn't bad, but if you're
looking for the perfect version in this scale, check out the one that came with
the Muppets Newsman.
Niobe has her base, two guns and her sunglasses. The sunglasses should
have been sculpted on, as these are flimsy, and look too big on her even though
they are practically microscopic. The guns fit in her hands fine, but
overall this is a fairly meh design.
Trinity has two guns with slo-mo blasts, and her unique perspective
base. At least she's supposed to have two guns. Mine only had one,
so pay particularly close attention to the figure you get.
I really do like what they tried to do with Trinity's base. It doesn't
work perfectly, but it shows some creativity that's sorely lacking in the Niobe
design.
Value - ***
At ten bucks, these are priced just about right. I wouldn't pay that
for Niobe, but in general it's a solid value.
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