Review of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Star Trek exclusive 1/6th scale action figure

Introduction

Among the greatest television shows of all time, one stands tall.  Star Trek was ground breaking in its willingness to use true science fiction (unlike a space fantasy like Lost in Space) to explore the social and political issues of the day, and do it with excitement and insight.

Quantum Mechanix, working with some very talented and very dedicated fans of the show, are producing the first truly high end, accurate line of sixth scale figures based on the original show. I'd be remiss if I didn't call out Nanjin Tam, a massive fan and the man behind this series. While his obsession might border on the crazy, it's his sort of crazy the rest of us need to get something this amazing.

They've already released Kirk and Spock, and very soon their McCoy will begin to ship. This is just a bit of an early review - you'll start seeing shipment notices, even though the pre-order just went up for the regular version. That's because Qmx doesn't like to put up their pre-orders until very close to shipment to avoid fans suffering through long delays.

I'm looking at the exclusive version tonight, available only through the Qmx online store. If the link for the exclusive pre-order isn't live yet, be patient...it should be any day. The exclusive includes one additional accessory - more on that in the Accessories category - and will run you $180, as will the regular release from most retailers.

Packaging - ***1/2
The boxes are smaller, just big enough for the double plastic trays inside that hold the figure and all the accessories. It's also very sturdy, made from heavy stock. The graphics are basic, but I love the design.  The exclusive includes a designation front and center, which even explains what the extra accessory is that makes it an exclusive.

Its all collector friendly too, with no need to damage the package when removing the figure and his goodies. They've included some basic instructions as well, which is always appreciated.

Sculpting - ****
McCoy was the oldest of the three, and his face has a very recognizable look to it. It's really all in the eyes and eyebrows, his version of old school emoticons. Here's a great head shot for comparison, and another just for good measure.

I think they've nailed it again, even better than Spock.  While some will say the sculpt looks too much like 'clay', I think it's tremendously realistic, especially in hand.  While macro photos may make the texture look too obvious, your eyes are going to see it in proper perspective.

They've also captured a perfect, slightly sardonic expression. He's serious, but he's also got that McCoy attitude oozing through the eyes and eyebrows.  Pop this head off, hand it to anyone, and they'll know immediately who it is.

The detail work in the hair is excellent as well, and little touches - like the loose hairs at the front of the part - are extremely realistic.

Some people, upon seeing earlier photos, have said the neck is too thick. It's not. Some angles can make it appear that way, but again, in hand it looks great.

McCoy stands just under 12 1/4" tall, fitting in great with the other two released so far. I've included a photo at the very end of the review of all three together, investigating another new planet.

Paint - ***1/2
Overall, the paint work is very clean, and well above my expectations at this lower price point. The hairline, eyebrows, and lips look terrific, and the eyes are sharp and clean with no bleed.

The drop of a half star revolves around two issues.  First, the skin tone is a little dark. This seems to be a pretty consistent issue in the industry - most Hot Toys figures look like they've spent some time on the tanning bed. But it's still worth nothing, since I think the darker color tends to accentuate the folds and wrinkles.

If that were the only issue, I'd still go 4 stars here. But with my second nit, I had to drop a half star.  The skin, both on the face and on the hands, is a big glossier than I like. Again, it's not awful, but it's just enough to reduce some of the excellent realism that they were able to attain in other aspects.

Articulation - ***1/2
While the underlying highly articulated body is similar to the Kirk and Spock, they've tightened up the joints here, particularly in the arms and hips, making it much easier for him to maintain just about any pose over the long haul.

The ball jointed neck works well, although the one piece sculpt does mean all your tilt and lean comes from the chest, not the jawline. The excellent shoulders, double pin elbows, and double rotating hinge wrists are tight yet highly mobile, allowing for plenty of excellent arm poses. The ball hips, double pin knees, and rotating hinge/rocker ankles are also perfect for natural, flowing stances. The soft boots provide very little restriction to the ankles, allowing the feet to be flat on the ground in short to medium stances with no problem. Both the ab-crunch and waist joint work well, lending more realism to any pose.

Underneath the blue shirt, McCoy is wearing a black body suit. More on that in the outfit section, but it's worth noting that it smooths out the lines of the shoulders, elbows, chest, and waist joint, creating a better look under the clothing without restricting the articulation.

My one nit is with the upper arms on this particular base body.  They aren't too big, but they are too buff. A little less curve to the bicep in the long sleeve shirt would have looked a bit more like the character.  Still, it's a minor nit to be sure.

Accessories - ****
He comes loaded, although that doesn't mean there wasn't an issue or two.

He has hands - lots, and lots of hands. There are five full sets, from fists to open palms to specific grips for various accessories, and they swap easily and cleanly. No worries about breakage, and the hands stay put once attached.

Like the rest of the team, he has a communicator and phaser. The detail work on these is nothing short of amazing. The communicator just doesn't open, it has the proper color 'lights' inside, and the cover is stamped out of metal! The phaser doesn't just look great, but it comes apart to give you both the type 1 and type 2 versions, and both - both! - have magnets that allow you to attach them to the pants!  More on that in the Outfit section.

There's also the belt used in season 1, which has the same small strips of metal on the side and in back to allow the phaser(s) and communicator to attach. This doesn't work quite as well however, and I skipped using the belt for any photos.

He's also not the first to get the outstanding tricorder, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. The top and front open up to reveal the inner workings, where you can see more of the great paint work. Like Spock, you can't have McCoy without a tricorder.

He does have some unique goodies all his own, starting with his pinky ring. DeForest Kelley wore his mother's ring on the pinky finger of his left hand after she passed away, and it was a part of the McCoy character to fans. Adding it here was a nice but necessary touch.  The ring is plastic, and can be slipped on the finger of the hands where the pink is separated from the other fingers. Be careful though - as I said, it's plastic, and swapping it back and forth a lot increases the chance of breakage or loss.

His medical kit, designed for away team work, is also included. There's the small medical scanner, the funky hypodermic, and four vials of something - samples, medicines, let your imagination take over. These are all individual pieces and you insert them in their appropriate spot in the pleather bag. This bag, like the phaser and communicator, can be held to the body via magnets. Unfortunately, the kit does not hold as tightly, allowing it to drop off at the slightest touch. This was a problem for the other pieces on Kirk and Spock, but that's been corrected with McCoy. It's a pity the kit still needs work.

Getting the pieces into the kit can be difficult as well.  The vials and hypo went in with a little work, but you want to be careful to avoid damaging the pleather underneath.  I never did manage to get the scanner into it's elastic holder - the fit was simply too tight.

Finally, here's the standard stand with the Trek logo. You won't need it for most stances, but for those who like using them for long term display, it's a valuable inclusion.

Outfit - ***1/2
I'm counting the shirt, pants, boots, and underlying black leotard.  The exclusive includes an additional shirt and second leotard.

The standard long sleeve blue shirt looks great, pretty much just like Spock's.  The emblems are a little big, but only a smidge, and they are very high quality. Underneath this shirt is the black leotard I mentioned earlier, which smooths out the torso and arms. The sleeves come down just past the elbows, and it attaches at the groin with velcro.

The exclusive includes the second, short sleeve medical shirt.  This one has a very wide collar, as it did on the show. There's another black leotard, but this time the sleeves end just before the elbows.  Again, it smooths out the shoulder and torso joints.

I don't love the short sleeve shirt, although it is a better look than I expected. The collar rides high on the shoulders thanks to a thick area along the stitch. The tailoring here isn't quite as nice as it is on the regular shirt and rest of the costume, but I'm not bothered as much by the bare elbows as I thought I'd be.

The pants are designed to allow the phaser(s), communicator, and medical kit to attach via magnets.  Kirk and Spock has some trouble with this, and the magnets weren't strong enough to hold the accessories tight. They will attach, but slight bumps knock them free.

They've corrected that issue with the phaser and communicator for McCoy.  They attach tightly, and in the correct spots, with the phaser on the hip and the communicator on the lower back.

Unfortunately, the kit doesn't work quite as well. Of course, part of the reason is the size, as well as the thickness of the material. It also sits up on the shirt, making it necessary for the magnet to fight an extra layer of material as well. In the end, you can get it to stay, but any slight movement will knock it off.

The boots look great, and are soft enough to allow good ankle mobility. They have a real zipper, properly scaled, although it does pooch out a bit at the bottom. One is worse than the other on mine, so I think I can futz it around and make it less noticeable with some effort.

Speaking of zippers, there's also one in the back of the pants, rather than velcro. This sort of high quality closure makes for a cleaner looking fit to the clothes. As you'd hope, all the zippers are in scale.

Before I get 300 emails, yes, he's holding the hypo upside down in the photo below. Nanjin would never make that mistake. Hey, I was focused on getting a shot of the ring and the shirt.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Thanks to all the amazing accessories and terrific articulation, this guy is a ton of fun for collectors. Kids too, if they love the original show...and can take care of a figure at this price point.  You'll be re-creating scenes from the show with the other two figures for a very long time.

Value - ****
This guy is only - ONLY - $180.  In a world where we regularly pay $220 - $240 for figures that have far fewer accessories, weaker costumes, and poorer sculpts, I'd say that's an outstanding value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Getting the vials and instruments in the pack can be tough. Take your time, and use something tiny to help open the elastic bands up a bit before sliding the items in.  I never did manage to get the scanner in place, so I just tucked it in the pocket for now.

I mentioned that swapping the ring a lot is asking for trouble. It works best with a couple of the splayed hands, and once I get a long term pose I like, I figure I'll pop it on and leave it.

They covered the velcro closure on the exclusive leotard with a little strip of cloth. I'd keep that in place on whichever leo you aren't using, to avoid snagging any of the polyester cloth.

And when you're swapping leos/shirts, pop the head and hands off first. Much easier to switch the shirts that way, but you will have to work the black collar of the leotard up and out of the joint when going to the short sleeve look.

Overall - ***1/2
I really love this figure, so much so that even with the handful of issues I almost went the full four stars.  My heart says four, but my mind reminds me of a couple things that still need to be cleaned up.

The kit should fit tighter to the body to avoid falling off, the biceps are a bit on the buff side, and the skin is just a smidge glossy. Correct those three issues, and this is a full four star figure no problem.

But let's be honest - like the Qmx Kirk, this is the very best McCoy we've ever gotten. I physically need the rest of the bridge crew at this level of quality, lest I lose my mind. We've seen Sulu and Scotty, and I can't imagine they'd make us go Chekov-less.  But there have been nasty rumors about possibly not doing Uhura...c'mon guys, you can't let us down now!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- To get the exclusive with the short sleeve medical shirt, you need to head over to the Qmx Online store. He's $180.

- Sideshow has him at $180 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've already covered the Kirk and Spock released by Quantum Mechanix.

If your looking for something just as good but smaller, Mezco's One:12 Collective has their Kirk, Spock, and Sulu so far.

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

Discussion:
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