Review of Vincent Vega - Pulp Fiction
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Tarantino has done his fair share of masterpieces, but few have rivaled his early work on Pulp Fiction. It cemented his place as a director and filmmaker, and it restarted the career of the underappreciated John Travolta.

Travolta's character, Vincent Vega, has been done in sixth scale format by Star Ace before, but there were some issues. They went back to the drawing board and produced this 'version 2.0', with the pony tail hair style and slightly different outfit.

This guy is just starting to ship, and has two versions. The regular, which runs around $230 at retailers (but you may be able to get on ebay closer to $200), and the deluxe, which draws a bigger price tag closer to $300. However, the deluxe is popping up on ebay at a better price as well, so doing some searching might prove useful. I've included some links at the end of the review.

Packaging - ***
The box has a nice shot of the actor/character in this costume and hair style right up front. It's all collector friendly of course, and you can remove and replace everything with relative ease. The deluxe version is slightly less collector friendly however, because the couch comes in a second box, foil wrapped to the first. You'll have to destroy this foil wrapping to open things up. There's some instructions for the couch too, which can be useful.

Sculpting - ***
The single biggest issue with the original release was the likeness. While they did get the unique hair style correct, the face was off. This release is a big improvement.

The hair looks great again, with the combed back appearance, the pony tail, and some of the hair getting loose on one side. There's plenty of detail in the strands, and the loose section isn't too thick or chunky.

The first time they also did a pretty good job with the chin and lips, and they've matched that again. The sightly pouty look and large chin fit both the actor and character nicely.

But it's in the nose and eyes where they really improved things. At the end of the review you'll see a comparison shot between their first release and this one, and you'll notice the big changes in these two areas.  The nose is a bit wider, less 'average Caucasian male', and more on point to Travolta.  The eyes, their size and placement, as well as the squinted expression, are much more accurate, and makes this an easily recognizable portrait.

Star Ace is upping their game on the skin texture as well. This portrait is much more realistic thanks to the improved texture, and it covers both the face and neck. The head and neck are two separate pieces - which allows for better articulation, but can reduce realism depending on the angle of view - but they've given both the same subtle texture.

The hands might look small at first - they did to me. But Star Ace is actually trying to correct one of the most annoying issues in sixth scale: monster hands. We've lived with widely oversized hands for so long, getting them accurate ends up making you think they are small. I do think a couple are about 10% undersized, but I have to give Star Ace credit for working on this when everyone else - especially Hot Toys - seems happy giving us paws with E.T. fingers.

He stands the same height as the first release, just over 12".

Paint - ***
Another area that shows a big improvement is the paint operations. This is a much more realistic and less doll-like production paint job, catching up with the industry standard.

The skin tone is very realistic, with a subtle variation and depth. The hairline is clean but the transition isn't abrupt, and the lips and eyebrows are just about perfect. Even the eyes are clean, with zero bleed. The lashes are a smidge obvious, but that's not uncommon.

The accessories are generally clean and sharp, and small items like the cigarette pack and book have excellent labels. It's nice to see them step things up in the paint category, because it can be one of the hardest hurdles for smaller companies to overcome.

In fact, this score would have been another half star higher...but what's up with the stain between his eyebrows? I didn't notice this in hand at first. You can see it, but in hand it looks like a shadow, and is very hard to see. It wasn't until I was looking at photos that I realized it was an actual mark, and even then, in some of the photos it still looks like a shadow. Check the comparison photo with the old sculpt at the end of the review, and you'll see how both of them have the same shadow at the bridge of the nose.

But shadow it isn't, it's a discoloration of the skin. I'm thinking the black from the suit got there somehow, but I'm not sure how, since the way he is packed and covered it's unlikely to happen. While I'm docking him a half star here because of it, I suspect this is going to be one of those rare one off situations, rather than a consistent problem.

Articulation - ***
Their underlying body has all the usual articulation, but it's not the best base on the market.

The neck has the two joints, one at the jaw and one in the torso, so you can get some good lean and tilt out of it. While the arms are a bit restricted by the multiple layers of costume, you should be able to get natural arm and torso poses, and there's enough crunch, tilt, and lean in the chest to break up any unnatural straight lines.

The hips are probably the most annoying, particularly when working with the couch. Getting a really natural sitting pose can be tricky, since the legs can't get too close together.  The knees, and ankles work fine however, and there's plenty of rocker movement in the feet.

Accessories - ***1/2
I'm looking at the deluxe version, which includes two additional accessories in their own box.

Let's start with the stuff included with both the regular and deluxe. There's a nice assortment of hands, and they are specifically designed to work with various accessories.  There's a set to do the 'batusi' (that's what it will always be to me), a wide grip right that works great with the cigarette, and three different grip lefts. They swap easily.

He also has a second set of feet, already wearing socks.  If you're going to have him doing the dance, you ought to have him doing it right!

They re-used the briefcase from the first release, with one change. I noted before that it didn't open. Maybe it did, and mine just wouldn't...but it definitely opens now, so you can finally find out what's inside.

For his smoking pleasure, there's three cigarettes of varying burn.  This is particularly cool, since you can use them in a wider array of ways, or you can put all three into the ashtray together. There's a pack too, and there is a hole in the top of the pack where you can insert the cigarette not yet lit. That's a terrific small detail that really adds to the display.

He has to have his lighter of course, and it fits neatly in one of the provided hands as well. It does not open.

There's also a syringe/needle. The needle is awfully small though, compared to how I remember the one on screen...but that might just be my memory playing tricks. The plunger moves in and out as well, another nice small detail.

Both figures also come with the book, Modesty Blaise. It is a solid sculpt, but the outer cover label is really clean and well done.

Finally, there's a basic display stand and waist support rod.

Ah, but that's only it for the regular release.  The deluxe adds two more goodies - the tape recorder, and a couch.

The recorder/player has a decent sculpt, with lots of detail in the knobs and buttons. It's also labeled a Teac, so I'm assuming they are out of business so there's no copyright issues. It's nice and big too, just like a reel to reel player should be.

The couch is made of very high quality materials, and comes in four pieces - bottom, sides, and back. They are held together with magnets, which I was a bit worried about at first. However, it's a really tight fit, and the pleather pieces are sturdy and strong enough to hold the figure indefinitely. There's three soft cushions too.

Outfit - ***
The outfit consists of the suit coat, pants, shoes, belt, tie, shirt, and overcoat.

It's made from high quality material, well tailored, and it's designed to match the on screen look. For example, the collar is a shinier material than the rest of the jacket.  The bolo tie could use a little more detail, but it's properly scaled, and I really, really like the outer coat. I expected this to just be a piece I tossed aside, but the fit is excellent, and the material they used is really nice. I may not use it with him, but I will find a use for it, no doubt.

This almost made another half star, but there are a few minor issues that held it back. The buttons are a bit oversized, and the shirt collar, while well tucked, is still a bit large. But overall, it's a really nice if basic costume.

Fun Factor - ***
Posing and re-posing is a bit more interesting with the couch. While the regular version has some distinct options, this deluxe version gives you a lot more potential for an interesting display.

Value - *1/2
I'm judging this at original retail, which is on the high side, even for the current sixth scale market. However, at the prices I'm seeing some of these go on Ebay - closer to $200 for the regular, and $230 for the deluxe - this would go up another star to an average value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Remember that the plunger can fall out of the syringe, and is very easy to lose. Other than that, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***
There's no doubt this sculpt and paint job are an improvement over their first Vincent Vega release. Ignoring the potential one off stain I had, this is solid work that will look great on the shelf. The costume and accessories are nice as well, and the couch and tape player is worth another $30 or so.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal. This seems to be a pretty good option right now, with the regular going for closer to $200, and the deluxe around $230.

Related Links -
I checked out their first Vincent and Jules.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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