Review of Fallout 4 T-45 Power Armor
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

If you watch television, read books, or watch movies...Hell, just watch a political debate...you'll see it's all about the apocalypse. Once upon a time it was an 'if', but now it's way past even the 'when' and 'how'. In fact, if we don't have a zombie outbreak, massive meteor strike, or A.I. uprising soon, there's going to be an entire generation of disappointed geeks.

Video games have been mining the apocalypse theme for quite some time, none more successfully than Fallout. As the thematic successor to Wasteland, the game franchise has given us five games and various other spinoffs. And even non-gamers will recognize Vault Boy, even if they have no idea who he is.

Fallout 4 was released last November, and ThreeZero has picked up the license to produce sixth scale figures based on the property. Their first release is the T-45 Power Armor, but the cool part about these figures is that as they do additional versions of the Power Armor, it can be swapped around, mixed and matched, and used by any other armored figure in the series. Not only does that maintain the feel of the game, it's a damn cool idea on its own.

It's not a cheap idea, however, and this first release will cost around $380, depending on the retailer.  There are also two versions: the regular release, reviewed here, and the exclusive version that includes one additional accessory (the mini-gun) and is available only through the ThreeZero store. This is a VERY early review, as the figures aren't scheduled to start shipping until the 3rd quarter of this year.

Packaging - N/A
As I said, this is a very early figure, not yet fully in production, and therefore there's no packaging with him yet.  I'm assuming it will be attractive and collector friendly, since ThreeZero usually does a bang up job on the boxes, but time will tell.

Sculpting - ****
There's two aspects to the sculpt this time around.  There's the armor of course, but there is also the human head that's included.

Let's start with that human visage. Like everything else in the game, your look is completely customizable, but I assume they are going for the basic male protagonist with this sculpt. It matches up appropriately, and they've gone after that realistic skin texture and aging. In macro photos it might look a little much, but in hand, where details are so much smaller, it looks extremely good.

But the best aspect of this sculpt is the detailed hair.  The thin strands are sharp and clean, lacking the rough, clay look we've seen with some of the other human ThreeZero releases. That's a big plus for those of us hoping for a perfect Jaime Lannister.

Of course, it's really the armor and the undercarriage where this figure shines. He's built up much like in the game, with a jumpsuit visible through the support armor, and even hands and feet where they should be, designed to operate the Power Armor.

I suspect that the blue jumpsuit doesn't cover the entire body, but is designed to appear at key locations, like the neck and legs. Over this is the white-ish carriage that you will use to attach the Power Armor - either the T-45 or some future version.  The armor is attached via plastic posts, plastic snaps, and magnets. It fits together tightly, but is relatively easy to work with.

The sheer amount of detail here is mind blowing. The interior armor skeleton has rubber, cloth and plastic sections, sculpted and designed to appear like it stepped right out of the game. Rubber hoses are really rubber, and this is exactly the sort of flexible material I wish Hot Toys had used on their recent TIE Pilot. There is an extra set of tanks and fusion core (with wheel) for his back, specifically designed for wearing with the exoskeleton.

The exterior armor that snaps into place on this support structure might be plastic, but it mimics the look of metal - worn, used, metal - perfectly.  This is what would happen if Hot Toys had made an Iron Man with a removable suit...

This guy is big too, standing about 14 1/2" tall if you lock out his knees and waist to full height.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work has to create an industrial, metallic, harsh, worn appearance, and it succeeds beautifully.

This is a suit that's seen use and wear. Every layer has damage, from the jumpsuit to the outer power armor. Rust, dirt, and grime make up more of the color than the original paint job, and they've captured that retro yet futuristic look perfectly.

The work on the face is a little weaker, but it's not a deal breaker. The eyes have a little bleed, and are flatter in appearance than I'd like. However, some of this is to his betterment, since he IS supposed to be a game character, and for all our advances, game characters are still more mannequin than human.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying articulation works well, although it can be restricted by the outer layer of power armor. ThreeZero added a couple features to make that less of an issue.

The marketing materials claim 35 points of articulation, and it all works pretty well considering the limitations of the suit. The ball jointed neck does have some tilt and lean, although turning is going to be its greatest accomplishment. The shoulders have a very good range of movement, and they pop out slightly from the torso to give the armor on the upper arms a little more room to move. The elbows are slightly restricted as well, but again, the hand's actually extend down from the wrists, allowing you to shift the entire forearm armor down as well. This gives the elbows a touch more mobility, which is particularly useful when posing him with the gun.

There's some turn and crunch action in the abs and waist, as well as hip, knee and ankle articulation. Several of these joints are ratchet style, where the knee or hip will click into place. This ensures the figure can maintain poses even in the bulky armor.

The ankles allow for a little rocker movement, and the wrists are true ball joints with plenty of space to tilt, lean, and turn in any direction. Each finger is also articulated at the three knuckles, and the thumb has a true ball joint where it attaches to the hand.

Working with the laser rifle can be tricky, as the hands don't hold it quite as well as I'd like. You can get some decent poses with it however, and the overall body is more fluid and dynamic than I had expected.

Accessories - ****
Technically, there's only a small number of 'accessories'. But I'm counting the removable armor as well, which blows this score up.

The actual extras are the additional human head, the extra tanks, the extra wheel and fusion core, and the laser gun.  If you pick up the exclusive through ThreeZero, there's also the extra mini-gun, and I have to say that for the extra $18, it's well worth it. I think this guy would look much better sporting that deadly weapon on the shelf.

You also have more than two dozen pieces of armor, each removable and swappable with any future power armor figures. This is the main selling point of the character, and how cool and useful this is can't be oversold.

Light Feature - ***1/2
The light on the left side of the helmet functions, thanks to three AG-1 batteries. This bright light inside the helmet illuminates up the eyes as well, and is bright enough to be easily seen in normal room lighting.  The battery compartment is well hidden in the back of the head, and the on/off switch is the small 'ear' on the left side of the head. Push it in to light it up, pop it out to turn it off. The entire set up works well, although the button did get stuck occasionaly. A little jiggle and it was fine, and I have to say that I really like the use of a suit component as the switch.

Outfit - ****
I've already raved about how cool the multiple layers of this costume are, so there's not really a whole lot more I can say here. But I was really impressed by how easy it was to work with the armor, breaking him down piece by piece and then building it all back up again. None of the armor fell off at a slight touch, but none of it required the sort of force or pressure that had me worried.

That's due in large part to a great design, as well as the judicious use of magnets. All of that isn't cheap, but the end result is quite sturdy and easy to work with.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Let's be honest - the real fun with this figure will come when there's more than one and you can mix and match power armor.  Better yet, how about selling armor and weapons packs at a lower price, enticing collectors to pick up a second figure as a base and work from there? You'll have no trouble finding the perfect pose for this guy on the shelf, and while you may not do a lot of re-posing, you will have fun taking advantage of any future armor.

Value - **1/2
The cost of an average Iron Man figure has steadily increased, with basic versions selling for $250 - $300. Something large, like Igor, was $500 initially, and even the Iron Monger was $450. That was 4 years ago!

My point is simple - $380 ain't cheap, but you're getting what you're paying for.  Considering the level of engineering necessary to create this working multi-layer armor structure, I'd say it's just about an even value.

Things to Watch Out For -
The suit is very sturdy, but there are a couple hard plastic tabs that I worry about. While I didn't have any problems and I doubt you will under normal circumstances, I wouldn't put the suit on and take it off repeatedly just for the Hell of it.  Also, there's one fragile piece on the helmet, the small 'tab' that hangs down on the right side of the face.  Don't put pressure on this or squeeze it when swapping heads.  Otherwise, you should be good to go!

Overall - ****
One of the best things in any industry is when the players push the boundaries of what's possible. We've seen a tremendous amount of change and innovation over the last decade, particularly in the sixth scale market, but it's still rare to see this level of detail and interactivity in an armored costume. This is an impressive figure in person, and will illicit oohs and ahhs from any fan of the game, or any fan of cool, armored characters in general.

The $380 price tag will be a show stopper for many, and that's certainly understandable. But when stacked up against other figures in that same price range over the last couple years, the T-45 Power Armor has all the quality and features you expect.

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

Where to Buy 
ThreeZero is the place to pre-order the exclusive, where they have it for $398. They also have the regular release for $380. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $380 for the pre-order.

- And Sideshow also has the regular release for $380, on pre-order of course.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I haven't covered any other Fallout merchandise, but other sixth scale ThreeZero products include Jon Snow, Tyrion, and Ned from Game of Thrones, and Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. And 3A, a company ThreeZero is closely related to, did this terrific Halo figure as well.

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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