Category Archives: Reviews

#0351: The Tenth Doctor

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

THE TENTH DOCTOR

DOCTOR WHO (3.75)

It’s a Doctor Who review!  Those are becoming more and more frequent, aren’t they?

For several years, the Doctor Who line chugged along in the 5 inch scale. It didn’t really fit with other contemporary lines (5 inch is really a 90s scale), but at least there was some internal consistency. Recently, however, Character Options opted to move the line to 3 ¾ inch scale. This provided a bit of an issue for people that had been collecting the larger line, and also left some pretty big holes in the smaller collection. Character Options is on board with filling those holes, because it means they get to do yet another release of each of the heavy hitters! The most recent series features a small scale take on the fan-favorite Tenth Doctor. Let’s see how that one turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Tenth Doctor was released in the third series of the smaller scale Doctor Who line. He’s 3 ¾ inches in height and he sports 14 points of articulation. Seems the doctor has traded in his larger counterpart’s hinged hips for a set of hinged shoulders. It means he has the same number of points of articulation, but he can do a little bit more with the shoulder movement than the hip movement, so it’s a good move on their part. Ten features an all-new sculpt, depicting him in his signature pinstripe suit and long coat. Even at the smaller scale, I must admit, the sculpt on this figure improves on the larger figure in almost every way. The likeness on the Doomsday Doctor’s head was pretty good, and this one is even better. That’s very definitely Tennant. I’m also glad to see the long coat, as the Doomsday figure didn’t have that. The biggest improvement on this figure is that the suit is a much better fit, not too bulky at all. That’s nice to see. While the sculpt is a definite improvement from the previous Ten, the paint sadly isn’t. It’s not terrible, mind you. It’s just that the Doomsday Doctor had stellar paint, and this figure’s paint is just okay There’s a few bits of slop here and there, and things like the details on his tie just look off here. Ten includes his sonic screw driver and a red DW logo base. The sonic isn’t as nice here as the larger one, but that’s to be expected. I have no use for the stand, but I guess it’s nice that it’s there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, it’s a Doctor Who review. You can probably guess who I got this figure from. Yep, this is another figure purchased for me by my Super Awesome Girlfriend. While we were at Walgreens looking for Star Wars: The Black Series figures, we discovered that Walgreens also carried the smaller scale Doctor Who figures. I expressed interest in the Ten figure, so she bought it for me. Isn’t that nice of her?

The figure is really good. I still like the Doomsday Doctor for his own pluses, but this figure definitely has led me to consider what the smaller scale has to offer. In the meantime, this can be my “Travel Doctor”! Allons-y!

#0350: Darth Vader

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DARTH VADER

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

Okay, so right off the bat, I’m sure my loyal readers are a little confused by today’s Figure in Question. I’m at another 50 mark with no High End review? Well, for the first 300 reviews, getting through another 50 was noteworthy. Past 300, it’s far too frequent. So, from here on out I’ll be saving those reviews for the every hundred. Okay, on to the actual review stuff.

Since the beginning of Star Wars: The Black Series, there’s been one key player obviously missing: Darth Vader. His absence from the line was a bit shocking to see, given he’s one of the signature characters of the series and he’s generally been Hasbro’s bread and butter. The prevailing rumor was that Hasbro was holding off on Vader until they had gotten a few series in, so they could get him right. Well, here we are, five series in, and we’ve finally gotten a Vader figure. So, did they get him right? The results are…mixed.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darth Vader was released in the fifth series of Star Wars: The Black Series. Just like Luke, Vader’s number shows that Hasbro has reset the numbering on the figures. He’s figure #02, a number previously held by the X-Wing Pilot Luke from the first series. If I’m correct in my thinking, this is meant to be Vader from Return of the Jedi, though it’s possible he’s an amalgamation of the Empire and Jedi looks. That’s what Sideshow did with their Vader, so there’s precedent. Regardless, the differences are minor, so only a die-hard fan will really notice. The figure is about 6 ½ inches in height and features 26 points of articulation. The figure features a mix of sculpted pieces and cloth goods to convey his design. Let’s look at the sculpt first. Overall, the sculpted work on this figure is pretty good. The proportions of the body look right for the character, and there’s some very nice stitched ribbing on his arms, legs and torso. There have been some complaints about the pose of the left hand, but I think it looks really great, and it adds a bit more uniqueness to Vader. The figure has been given a two-piece, removable helmet, like in the movie. The underlying head sculpt is a pretty good approximation of Sebastian Shaw. The eyebrows aren’t painted, so it’s technically Special Edition-ed , but they’re sculpted, so you could paint them if you so desire. The helmet is really the sculpt’s downfall. It’s not bad, per say, but it’s just off enough to fall short of what Vader should look like. To their credit, the helmet pieces snap together really well, and the assembled helmet has no trouble staying on the head. If you don’t want to take the helmet off, you never have to. However, the shape of the assembled helmet is just off enough to throw the whole figure off-kilter. The real issue is that the helmet is just too short and squat for Vader’s helmet in the movie. It’s minor, but when you’re dealing with a design this distinctive you can’t afford to be even the slightest bit off. It’s kinda like messing up Mickey Mouse’s ears, or Superman’s shorts (okay, bad example). If the helmet is the downfall of the sculpt, the cloth goods are the downfall of the figure as a whole. Cloth goods on smaller scale figures are something of a polarizing issue. I don’t mind them when they’re done right, but that’s not here. The major issue here is that the pieces have just been cut WAY too big. The skirt hangs too far in front of his legs, going past the sculpted slot by a good ¼ inch on either side. It also is far too long, leading to it dragging at his feet. The cape isn’t quite as bad. It’s still too long, and it sits too low on his shoulders, but it does have a nice chain clasp, and it looks okay with some good futzing. The paint on Vader is nothing too exciting. It’s clean. Some people dislike the red eyes, but they aren’t that noticeable in person. Vader’s sole accessory is his red lightsaber. It’s well sculpted, and it fits nicely in his right hand, but the blade in mine has trouble staying attached.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Vader was acquired from the same Walgreens where I got Luke, which I was taken to while visiting my Super Awesome Girlfriend (love you!). Vader is a confusing figure. Honestly, he’s not that bad. Were this quality applied to any other character from the franchise, it’d be fine. But this is Vader. This is the guy you have to get right! If he’s not right, it throws the whole collection off. I understand that Hasbro wanted to bring their A-game to this figure, which is why he was pushed to a later series. But, the issue that seems to be cropping up here is that the quality of the line is falling, rather than rising, with each subsequent series. Vader and Luke aren’t bad figures at all, and I don’t regret getting them. I’m incredibly happy have both of them. Still, they could have been better, and that’s a shame.

Well, I said I wasn’t doing a Deluxe review, but I’ve actually written a regular review that’s about the same length. How about that?

#0349: Luke Skywalker

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LUKE SKYWALKER

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

I’d be lying if I said my interest in Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series hadn’t waned a bit. Following the first and second series, I was incredibly excited for the line and eager to see what more the line would offer. However, with the long waiting periods between each series, as well as some cuts in the accessories included with each figure, plus a lack of interest in any of the figures in the fourth series on my part, I’ve become more… moderate in my interest. Still, the more recent Speeder Bike did reinvigorate my interest a bit. In an odd turn of events, Walgreens has begun carrying their own action figure exclusives, and in addition to one exclusive figure, they are also getting the newest series of The Black Series before other stores. Today, I’ll be looking at the most recent figure of Luke Skywalker.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke was released in the fifth series of Star Wars: The Black Series. It looks as though Hasbro has reset the numbering on the figures, as Luke is listed as #03, which was previously the number given to the Sandtrooper from series one. He’s based on Luke’s Jedi master look from Return of the Jedi, specifically from the second half of the film, after he’s lost the vest. It’s an important look for Luke, so we were bound to get him sooner or later. The figure is a little shy of 6 inches in height and he features 27 points of articulation. I’m glad to see they’ve gone back to the usual mix of one forward/back and one left/right joint for his wrists, rather than the two forward back we saw on Bespin Luke. The figure is has no boot cuts, which is a bit limiting, but not terrible. The figure’s sculpt is all-new, and it’s not bad. At first glance, it seems he’s too skinny, but a quick look at some pictures of Hamill from the film show it’s accurate. There’s a lot of great detail work in his uniform, with lots of folds and wrinkles for texture, which is great. The likeness on this figure is better than that of Bespin Luke, but I can’t help but feel the actually quality of the sculpt isn’t quite as good. It feels like the details aren’t as sharp on this one. But, it’s hard to tell because of: The Paint! Yeah, the paint on this figure is definitely a step down from previous releases. The colors are a lot flatter, the hair doesn’t quite stay in the sculpted lines, and then there are the pupils. Apparently, this figure is meant to depict Luke shortly after a trip to the eye doctor, because those pupils are seriously dilated. With some slight improvements to the paint, the sculpt would probably be shown off much better. Luke includes his green lightsaber from Jedi and an alternate front to his torso with the flap folded down. The lightsaber is nice, but the package has left it slightly warped. The alternate flap is a nice touch, and it allows for some variance in the display options.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, as you probably figured out from the intro, I got this Luke figure from Walgreens. There are actually no Walgreens nearby, so I figured I’d just wait till the proper release. However, I was visiting my Super Awesome Girlfriend for the weekend, and I noticed a Walgreens not far from her campus. Living up to her name, she insisted we go there. So, I found Luke and Vader there, which was definitely cool. The figure isn’t flawless, and I’m beginning to grow weary of the endless Luke variants, but he’s not bad overall. It’s an important look for the character, and it’s a decent enough figure. If Hasbro could work on improving the paint work and perhaps start giving the figures a few more accessories, he’d be even better!

#0348: Cornelius

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CORNELIUS

PLANET OF THE APES (NECA)

Well, I still haven’t gotten around to seeing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes yet, which means I still don’t know if my purchase of NECA’s Caesar figure from the movie was warranted or not. Okay, actually it’s a great figure, and even if the movie was terrible, I wouldn’t feel bad about spending the money to get it. However, that figure was more or less a trial run for what was to come. See, I haven’t seen the latest Apes movie, but I’ve seen all of the originals. And NECA, who are well on their way to being my very favorite toy company, are making a line of Classic Apes figures to compliment the new ones. The first series consists of a generic Solider Ape, the esteemed DR. Zaius, and Cornelius. I’ll be looking at that last one today. Cornelius is one half of the pair of apes that assist Taylor and Nova in the first film, as well as returning for the second film, and gaining a starring role in the third.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cornelius is a part of the first series of NECA’s Planet of the Apes line. The figure is about 7 inches in height and features 24 points of articulation. Cornelius only really ever had the one look in the movie, so that’s what the figure has been based on. The sculpt is completely unique to this figure, and it is just fantastic. It would have been easy for NECA to phone things in a bit on the head, and make it more generic, but they haven’t. Roddy McDowell was pretty well buried under the ape makeup in the movies, but there’s no denying that this figure is based on him as Cornelius. On top of the great likeness, they’ve also included some wonderful details in the face and hair that make the figure look incredibly lifelike (well, for a fake monkey…). The body is pretty great too. Cornelius’s garb is nicely detailed. I really like how they’ve differentiated between the different materials of his clothing. They’ve used a rubber add-on piece for his torso, so that he can have some torso articulation without ruining the flow of the sculpt. Cornelius’s paint is just as good as his sculpt. Everything is nice and clean, with no slop or bleed over. They’ve done a great job using the paint to really accent the sculpt. The paint offers just as much detail and texture as the sculpt, and it looks really nice. Cornelius’s only accessory is one of the ancient scrolls. This same piece is also included with the Dr. Zaius figure from this series. I don’t mind the re-use, but it seems to be a last minute addition to the figure. His hands haven’t really been sculpted to hold it, so there’s not much he can do with it. He’s a perfectly nice figure without it, so it doesn’t bother me too much.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I was younger, I used to stay at my Grandparents’ on a fairly regular basis. My dad wanted me to have some things to play with, so he brought out his old Megos. Mostly, I was just focused on the super heroes, but he had a Cornelius, and I remember playing with that one a fair bit. When I finally got around to seeing the movies, Cornelius was far and away my favorite character. When NECA announced they had gotten the Planet of the Apes license, Cornelius was the figure I knew I wanted right away.

Cornelius was purchased for me by my dad from a local toystore by the name of All Time Toys. I wasn’t certain if I wanted the whole first series of this line, so I wanted to get Cornelius by himself. Cornelius is a fantastic figure and I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who is a fan of the movies. Or if you just like really good action figures. Or monkeys!

#0347: Snake Eyes & Agent Scarlett

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SNAKE EYES & AGENT SCARLETT

GI JOE VS COBRA

In 1965, Hasbro invented the action figure with the very first GI Joe. The figure offered a take on the traditional doll idea, but meant for boys. He was 12 inches tall, had a cloth outfit, and was a pretty straight forward military man, offered in a variation for each of the four branches of the US military. After the end of the Vietnam War, soldiers and war were seen in a more negative light, so Hasbro had to change things up. This led to the Adventure Team era, which prevailed for most of the 70s. At the end of the decade, they faced another issue. Thanks to Kenner’s smaller scale Star Wars line, the industry was moving to smaller, less accessorized figures. Hasbro had to move quickly to reinvigorate GI Joe for a new audience, leading to the creation of GI Joe: A Real American Hero, which reworked the scale and made the line a collection of unique characters. It also provided the Joes with their first real foe, Cobra. It has remained the definitive take on the GI Joe concept pretty much since its inception. While the line never went away, after the 80s the line dwindled, until it was once again re-worked in 2002. That’s when I came on board. The line operated mostly on new sculpts, but there were a few re-releases mixed in. Today, I’ll be looking at one such release, with Joe mainstays Snake Eyes and Scarlett.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This pair was released as an exclusive two-pack through Toyfare magazine. They were meant to tie-in with the then current GI Joe VS Cobra.

SNAKE EYES

This is the 15th version of the ever silent ninja/commando/everything but the kitchen sink, Snake Eyes! Snake Eyes is 3 ¾ inches in height and he features 14 points of articulation. He’s meant to be a slightly more high quality recreation of the very first Snake Eyes figure, so he unsurprisingly used a lot of the same pieces. He’s mostly built out of the version 1.5, after Hasbro added the now standard swivels to his biceps, but instead of the original, he’s been given that of the second version of Roadblock. Not sure why that is, but I assume Hasbro had a good reason. Anyway, it’s a pretty great sculpt, even if it does show its age just a little. Obviously, it’s a tad more simplistic than most modern day sculpts, but that’s not too bad. He still has his fair share of detail, and he looks pretty great! The paint is a key point on this figure, as the original Snake Eyes didn’t actually have any. For this one, they’ve added some additional details to the various pouches and straps on the body to give him a little more variety. There is also a shade of very dark gray applied to the visor on his head, which was so subtle I almost didn’t notice it at first. Overall, the paint is pretty good, but there are a few areas where he has some bleed over. Snake Eyes included a submachine gun, a sword, some explosives, and a back pack, which a pretty impressive accessories compliment!

AGENT SCARLETT

This is the 6th version of Scarlett, or Agent Scarlett as she’s called here. She’s 3 ¾ inches in height and she has 14 points of articulation. Like Snake Eyes, she’s meant as a recreation of the original Scarlett figure from way back in the very first series of GI Joe: A Real American Hero. The figure is a complete re-use of swivel-armed version of the original figure, which is reasonable. Admittedly, the Scarlett sculpt is not as nice as Snake Eyes. Her arms sit a little bit far out at the shoulders, and the face is rather on the mannish side. It’s not terrible, but it’s not the greatest. The paint on Scarlett is a bit more intensive than that on Snake Eyes. All in all, it’s pretty good. There’s no real slop or bleed over, so that’s good. They’ve also made her a bit more colorful than her original incarnation, which is probably for the best. Scarlett comes armed with a crossbow and two swords, as well as a backpack.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

GI Joe was mostly in a lull when I came into the world of action figure collecting. As such, my first real introduction to the property was GI Joe VS Cobra. Once I had gotten the newer figures, I began looking into the older figures, particularly those of Snake Eyes. Thanks to an article run in Toyfare magazine, I learned of the second version of the character, which I really wanted. It didn’t prove easy to find, so I had to go without it until recently.

In the meantime, I purchased this set from Toyfare to hold me over. I remember being extremely excited when I first saw the order form in the issue in which they were offered! My always supportive Mom was feeling particularly awesome, so she ordered the set for me. Since then, it’s easily remained one of my favorite pieces of my GI Joe collection. It’s a great set and I really love it!

#0346: The Riddler

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RIDDLER

DC SUPER HEROES (TOYBIZ)

If there’s one positive to Toybiz’s DC Super Heroes line, it’s that they managed to do a few more figures in the Super Powers style. Most of the figures weren’t up to the same standards, but some mix in alright. One such figure is the Riddler, the well-known Batman foe. What’s interesting about the Riddler is that is seems that everyone but Kenner wanted to add him to the Super Powers line up. When Argentinian toy company Pacipa purchased the old Super Powers molds, they released their own Riddler, dubbed El Acertijo, made from repainted Green Lantern molds. Toybiz followed suit, also releasing their own version of the Riddler, which I’ll be looking at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Riddler was released in the first series of Toybiz’s DC Superheroes. The figure is about 4 ½ inches tall and features 7 points of articulation. The first series of DC Superheroes made use of Super Powers molds with some slight retooling, and Riddler follows the trend. He’s a slightly retooled SP Flash figure with a new head. Flash has a pretty great sculpt, so Riddler has a pretty good starting point. They’ve made adjustments to give him his proper gloves and belt, so it makes him different enough from Flash that they don’t look bad on the same shelf. They’ve also tweaked his right hand so that it can hold something, which doesn’t really work. It just makes the fingers look really stubby. The new head is… well it’s a sculpt. It manages to be neither good nor bad. It’s just there. Which is okay, I guess. The paint is fine. Once again, it’s not amazing, but it’s not bad. The question marks are handled pretty well, so that’s good. The figure included no accessories, which is super annoying because they clearly re-sculpted his hand to hold something!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Green Lantern, Riddler was part of the rather sizeable selection of figures I picked up from Yesterday’s Fun over the summer. I mostly picked up Riddler to accent my Super Powers collection. For that purpose he’s not bad. I must admit, while he’s not a particularly good figure, he’s not horrid either, and he looks okay mixed in with other figures. He’s certainly better that the GL figure and he’s probably one of the best figure’s Toybiz released in this line. So there.

#0345: Green Lantern

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GREEN LANTERN

DC SUPER HEROES (TOYBIZ)

The now defunct toy company Toybiz is a name that is most commonly associated with making Marvel toys. This isn’t surprising, of course. They ended up bailing Marvel out of bankruptcy in the mid-90s, leading to them becoming a part of Marvel proper and thereby passing the name onto Marvel’s in-house toy making branch. However, their first major property was not Marvel. No, it was actually Marvel’s main competition, DC. See, when Super Powers ended, DC was looking to move the DC license elsewhere. They turned to a small upstart company by the name of Toybiz, who launched a line simply titled DC Superheroes. The line was pretty much the same scale as Kenner’s Super Powers, mostly because it was pretty much just a slightly lower budget version of Super Powers. The sculpts were just slightly tweaked and made out of inferior plastic. Needless to say, DC wasn’t thrilled by this offering, and after just two series, the rights reverted back to Kenner. Today, I’ll be taking a look at that line’s version of Green Lantern!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was released in the second series of Toybiz’s DC Super Heroes line. The figure is just shy of 5 inches tall and he features 7 points of articulation. The second series is a little different from the first in that they actually featured new sculpts, rather than just retooled SP ones. So, for better or for worse, GL got a brand new sculpt, wholly unique from his SP counterpart. I suppose it’s not fair to compare the work of Kenner at their prime to that of Toybiz in their infancy, but the sculpt of the TB Green Lantern is not up to the quality of his predecessor. The sculpt is wide and oddly proportioned. He’s got these bent arms, which are honestly impressive, because I’m surprised he could bend arms that thick. The torso is huge and ill defined, and the legs lack any real detail. The head looks not unlike a papier-mâché head sculpted over a balloon, which is not a compliment. To top it all off, the joints are horrendously obvious, to the point where you have to question if they did that on purpose. I suppose if I were really trying to find something nice to say, I’d say he bears a passing resemblance to the Filmation version of the character, which isn’t a terrible thing. The paint is…well it’s there. It’s mostly cleanly applied, but other than that, there’s not much to be said of it. The figure is incredibly shiny, which really plays up the whole obvious toy angle. The figure came with an array to let him squirt water from his ring or something. I don’t know, I bought mine loose.  [EDIT 02/06/26 — Through the magic of buying a not loose one, now I have all of his accessories, which I discussed in his Addendum!]

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure is another from the haul I picked up during the summer from the super cool Yesterday’s Fun. As an avid Green Lantern collector, it’s a figure I’d been looking to pick up for some time now, I’d just never gotten around to it. They had one for a reasonable price, so I went for it. Now I’m reminded of why I put off buying it. It’s not a terrible figure, it’s just overwhelmingly mediocre. It feels like one of those incredibly obvious toys they’d use on a TV show to more easily convey that it’s a toy. I just don’t quite know what they were thinking with this one, especially since it followed up figures that re-used the far superior Super Powers sculpts.

#0344: T800 Terminator

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T800 TERMINATOR

THE TERMINATOR REACTION

The ReAction line is certainly a line of ups and downs. I appreciate what Funko are trying to do with the line. I like the style they’re aiming for, and I really love a lot of the properties they’ve managed to secure in this scale. That being said, a fair number of figures in the line haven’t been as good as they could have been. Of the four figures I’ve looked at from their Terminator line, one was good, two were alright, and one was downright bad. That’s not terrible, but it could be better. There’s one figure left in the series, based on one of the film’s more definitive looks. Has Funko managed to pull this one off?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Terminator was released as part of the first series of The Terminator ReAction Figures. He is just shy of 4 inches tall, making him the same height as the Tech Noir version and just a little shorter than the Endoskeleton, and he features the same 5 points of articulation standard for the line. The figure is based on what is probably the T800’s most distinctive look from the first movie, usually referred to as the “police shootout” version. It’s the look the character sports during his attack on the police station where Sarah and Kyle are being held. The figure, like just about every other ReAction figure, features a brand-new sculpt, and a very good one at that. While he doesn’t quite have the girth of Schwarzenegger in the movie, he very nicely translates the look into the Kenner aesthetic. There aren’t any strange proportions or issues of flatness on this sculpt. What’s more, the likeness on the head sculpt is pretty much spot on, which is certainly a change of pace with this line. Even little, seemingly-pointless things, like the slight bend of the arms, have been handled pitch-perfectly. The figure’s paint work is also pretty good. The glasses in place of painted eyes really helps, and I love the heavy shine they put on his jacket. The figure includes a Spas-12 Shotgun and a stockless M16, which are the two weapons he carries through the police station. Both are handled pretty nicely, though the M16 is a little lighter on the details than the other weapons in this series. Special thanks go out to Tim Marron of Timiscal Thoughts for helping me properly identify those weapons!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Just like every other figure in this set, the Terminator was ordered from Amazon. Thrilling story, right?

I had certain ideas about this set of figures when I ordered them. I knew Sarah would be the weak link. I figured the Endo would be my favorite, and I was looking forward to Kyle and the other Terminator. This one…eh, I just didn’t know. He’d probably be cool, right? Little did I know he’d end up being my favorite figure in the series. Heck, he’s my favorite figure in the entire ReAction line! This figure looks like he stepped right out of the Kenner Star Wars line, and that’s amazing. I hope that this figure is indicative of the future of the ReAction line, because he is a heavy step in the right direction!

#0343: Kyle Reese

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KYLE REESE

THE TERMINATOR REACTION

Well, yesterday’s review was a bit of a downer. Not every figure can be a winner, but it’s still sad to see it happen. It’s especially sad to see it happen with Funko’s ReAction line, because it’s already under enough criticism based just on the style choice alone. Fortunately, the figures seem to be improving as they keep going. I still have two figures left from the first series of The Terminator ReAction Figures, and fear not dear readers, it’s only an uphill stride from here. I’ve looked at the title character and the target, and today, I’ll be looking at the hero of The Terminator, Kyle Reese, the human resistance fighter sent back to save Sarah Connor. He also happens to be portrayed by Michael Biehn, also known for playing Hicks in James Cameron’s Aliens, and also the lunatic villain in Cameron’s The Abyss. Cameron just really likes this guy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

As noted in the opening, Kyle was released as part of the first series of The Terminator ReAction Figures. Kyle is 3 ¾ inches in height and features the same basic 5 points of articulation as every other figure in this line. Obviously, he’s based on Kyle’s look in The Terminator, specifically his 1984 look. Kyle wears both a green and a blue jacket over the course of the movie. The figure goes with the green one, which is the one he wears earlier in the movie, most notably during his showdown with The Terminator at the Tech Noir club. The figure features a cloth piece to emulate the coat, which isn’t the greatest. The sleeves are really baggy, and the collar sits oddly, which makes it look more like a bath robe. Once it’s removed, the figure actually improves greatly. Kyle’s sculpt is unique to this figure. It’s not bad. Not the best ever, but not bad. Certainly better than the coat lets on. The torso is still a little too flat, like so many of the other ReAction figures. Aside from that, the rest of the sculpt is a pretty great translation of Kyle to the Kenner style. The etched stripes on the shirt look pretty great, and the proportions aren’t bad. The head is a little too generic to be a spot on Biehn, but it isn’t too far off. It’s close enough that you can tell who he’s supposed to be. Kyle’s paint is pretty good. It’s a little on the clean side, but that’s mostly to do with the style of the figure. There aren’t any issues with slop or bleed over, so that’s good. In addition to the removable jacket, Kyle includes his modified shotgun and a small revolver.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kyle was, surprisingly enough, flung at me by an angry homeless man while I was walking to class the other day. For real guys. It was weird…

Okay, not really. Like the rest of the series, I ordered Kyle from Amazon. I had initially been pretty excited for Kyle, but that excitement waned once the prototype pictures surfaced. However, I came across a few pictures of Kyle in-hand, especially without the coat, and that was enough to sway me back. Kyle isn’t without his issues, but he’s really not a bad figure, and he certainly makes me feel better after the very sad review I had to do for Sarah. If you’re a fan of The Terminator, you could do worse than this Kyle figure.

#0342: Sarah Connor

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SARAH CONNOR

THE TERMINATOR REACTION

What separates Funko’s ReAction line from many of the other lines to tackle such licenses is the selection of characters Funko is releasing. See, Funko’s not just doing the one or two distinctive characters from a license. They’re also focusing on doing figures of characters never before released. Although The Terminator, has been granted a few figures of key players like the T800 and Kyle Reese, one figure that’s never been released is Sarah Connor, the Terminator’s intended target. Sure, she’s had a few figures based on her appearance in T2, but her original look has never been covered before. Funko has seen fit to release that particular version of the character in their Terminator line. Let’s see how that one turned out.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sarah was released in the first series of The Terminator ReAction Figures. She’s a little under 3 ¾ inches tall, making her one the shortest of The Terminator figures, and she has the standard 5 points of articulation. As I noted in the intro, she’s based on Sarah’s look from the first Terminator movie, specifically the look she is wearing while she and Kyle are on the run. For what it’s worth, Sarah’s sculpt is totally unique to this figure. That’s probably for the best, because simply put: it’s not very good. I suppose the body sculpt is alright, but she seems to be a little too frail looking. She also seems to slope outward from the top, not unlike a pear. One of the more defining things about Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah in the movies, is that she has somewhat broad shoulders. The sloping shoulders throw the whole figure off, and she ends up looking like she has really stubby arms. Unfortunately, the body sculpt is nothing compared to the head. Sarah suffers from a serious case of man-face, but not just any man-face, ugly man-face. Both of the T800s are prettier than this. Heck, Sloth from the Goonies line is prettier! On top of the bad face sculpt is what can lightly be described as a hair helmet. Sarah’s hair in the movie was pretty bad, but it didn’t look like this! All of that is rounded out by a neck that is definitely too long. Combined with the body, this sculpt gives Sarah a really odd look. In what is definitely a change for a Funko figure, the best part of this figure is her paint. She still has the problem of her eyes being set too far up that we saw on Kaylee, but otherwise, the paintwork isn’t bad. In fact, she’s gotten the proper white stripes on her shirt, which even the prototype lacked. Everything is nice and clean, and there aren’t any issues with slop or bleed over, so that’s pretty good. Sarah comes with no accessories, which is kind of a bummer. Was the upper half of an Endoskeleton too much to ask for?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Sarah was another figure acquired via Amazon. Mostly, I bought Sarah because I was buying the rest of the set. I can’t really see why anyone would want this figure otherwise. Sadly, this is one of the worst figures Funko has put out so far. I really would like to focus on the figure’s positive qualities, but there really aren’t any to speak of. It’s nice to have finally gotten this version of Sarah, but the figure doesn’t really do much for the look. I’ve noticed that the biggest downfalls of what Funko has released seem to be the female figures, which is a shame.

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