Review of Seven of Nine -Star Trek Voyager
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

It's a great time to be a Star Trek fan, from multiple excellent shows to the best action figure line ever produced - the EXO-6 sixth scale series! Okay, I'm biased because I prefer sixth scale to other scales, but even amongst sixth scale lines, their Star Trek is a major stand out.

They are working almost every show into the series, and we've gotten three Voyager characters so far - Captain Janeway of course, along with Tuvok and the EMH. We also know Chakotay is coming for sure, and there's been teases of a couple more.

But one of the very first figures they talked about, back almost three years ago, was Seven of Nine. Portrayed by the talented and beautiful Jeri Ryan, she was a fan favorite, even with those that didn't watch the show. They wanted to get her right, and anyone who collects sixth scale figures knows just how tricky it is to get beautiful female characters right. Getting the beautiful men right is pretty tricky too - it's us ugly bastards that are easier to sculpt.

She's just started shipping, and will likely be one of the rarer figures in the entire series, having sold out most places long ago. The original price was around $225, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
The usual EXO-6 packaging looks great and keeps everything safe and sound. This box had the additional plastic corners inside the cardboard box, protecting it from further potential damage during shipping, and the interior plastic trays have an extra tray designed simply to add more structural support.

Everything is packed in a collector friendly way of course, and there's absolutely no reason to not open these up and put them on display.

Sculpting - ****
There's no doubt Jeri Ryan is attractive, but she also has some key features that allow her to stand out. She has a strong jawline, full lips, and a somewhat unique facial shape. The sculptor here - Sean Dabbs I believe - has used these features to create a immediately recognizable likeness.

While she had a number of looks across various appearances, this is the one they were going for. They nailed it too, with an extremely accurate match to the character and actress. You could pop this head off, and there'd be no mistake about who it is.

Of course, she has the Borg bits on her face as well, done in extreme detail. The placement is just about perfect, again fulfilling the screen accuracy EXO-6 is known for.

The hair style is unique, and the sculpted strands are fairly detailed. I'd love to eventually see a version with long rooted hair, but this is definitely her iconic look, and deserves to be first.

When I was first working with her I thought "her neck looks long...". And then I looked at some reference photos for Jeri Ryan and Seven of Nine and realized "damn, Ms Ryan's neck is long!" They've actually captured it pretty well here, although the realities of the two piece head/neck mean the top of the neck is a bit thinner than it should be. I also think the neck looks long in some photos, from some angles, but in hand - you'll have to trust me - it looks absolutely accurate. If you'd like to see what she looks like on my shelf with the other three, check out this video where I show it at the end.

It's also worth noting the underlying body here. This body was developed specifically for her - I doubt we'll ever see it used again. It is voluptuous, but athletic, seamless with a silicon flesh covering key areas. We'll talk about this in relation to the articulation later, but here in the Sculpting section it's worth discussing the appearance under the tight body suit. It creates smooth, lifelike lines everywhere, from the elbows and knees to the hips and torso.

She stands 12 inches tall.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is clean and life-like, without adding aging or damage that would be inconsistent with the character.

The eyes are clean and sharp, with just enough gloss to create natural catch lights. The skin tone is realistic, and there's a depth to the color much like actual skin. The lips are well defined, and the eyebrow - that's two reviews in a row with a character with just one eyebrow - is just about perfect.

Small details on the cybernetic facial piece look great, and the hair line is clean and neat. The hair color is the one area up for debate. She's a blonde of course, but it was a rather unique color. This interesting color and the fact that blonde hair in general is extremely hard to replicate with paint makes her a tough one to do well.

They went with a sort of goldish blonde look, and it works for me. In fact, I don't think I've seen many painted blondes that look better, although the right rooted hair can pull off the color better.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body is specifically designed for Seven, and it's likely the only time we'll see it used in totality. It's mostly silicone and seamless, and the shape is superior to most on the market.

Some will compare it to Phicen, but the problem with many of those bodies is the overt sexualization. In other words, they make the boobs huge. Ridiculously so. Seven was a bodacious character, but let's get real. Here, the proportions are much more accurate, and the real improvement is with the musculature in the arms and legs. The skin tight suit shows off the shoulders, biceps, quads, calves...they look athletic and realistic. Oh, and she has an actual butt. That's not something you can say about many sixth scale figures.

However, the seamless nature - which is necessary considering how tight the costume is - means some of the joints are less mobile. The neck works fine, and the torso can crunch and turn better than I expected. The shoulders, elbows, and hips are a bit restricted, but the wrists and knees work well, and the ankles are excellent. You'll have no trouble keeping the feet flat on the ground even in deeper stances.

What this all means is she won't be taking any extreme ninja poses...but that's not really in character. The body gets a good score here because it does take extremely natural poses, and you should have no trouble getting a very life-like stance on the shelf.

Accessories - ***
She doesn't have a ton of extras, but there's several very useful accessories.

As you'd expect, she has extra hands. She comes wearing a set of relaxed hands, and there are four more pairs you can swap with. Swapping was easy, and I had no worries about breakage. The wrist pegs on these bodies are pretty sturdy too, with a unique design. Of course, the left hands have the sculpted bits of Borg. One of these has the 'Wolverine' blades as well.

She was unique in the world of Voyager - she used a belt for her phaser and tricorder. They've reproduced it here nicely, and there are magnets within to hold the two holsters. The phaser and tricorder have all the amazing detail of the previous releases, and yes, the tricorder uses magnets to open up, just as it has in the past.

She didn't wear the belt very often though, so you're more than likely going to go without it in the display. She also has a P.A.D.D., and the compression phaser rifle, which she can hold in one or two handed poses.

As with previous releases, she has the Transporter style base with two different graphics, the crotch support rod, and the 'autograph' character card. This card can be attached to the base with an included clip, and there are clips to attach the bases of multiple characters together to form a larger transporter pad.

Outfit - ****
The skin tight outfit is excellent, made from extremely high quality materials, and perfectly tailored.

This is the outfit after her original silver version, but it still has the 'ribs' in the torso. The silver version was almost impossible for her to wear, but this version was a bit less restrictive on the actress. The soft material looks terrific, and the com badge is tightly attached. The boots are integrated with the suit so there's no broken lines anywhere. The sleeves are long enough to cover the wrists in most poses, and while the crotch can sag a little, you can also adjust it if it's not quite right in certain stances.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Combine her with the rest of the Voyager crew - we already have four! - and you'll have a great time coming up with various poses and displays.

Value - ***1/2
This figure will run you around $220, depending on the retailer. That's about $60 less than an average Hot Toys figure right now, and considering this is a completely unique body that won't be re-used, that the character is one of the best known from Voyager, and the production run is likely to be fairly low, she's an absolute steal. We're already seeing ebay prices jump.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. My only concern is the potential for pilling with the costume. Try to avoid rubbing anything rough on the fabric, and watch out for those nasty fingernails of yours.

Overall - ****
We have an early contender for best female sixth scale figure of the year right here. EXO-6 announced she was going to be produced very early in their existence, and we've been anticipating the final release for some time. It was definitely worth the wait.

They've already gone deeper with Voyager than I expected, and we know they are going deeper still. This is going to be THE finest Star Trek figure series ever produced, mark my words, and collectors will be whining about how they missed out in a couple years. Don't be one of those collectors.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Star Trek Voyager releases from EXO-6 include Janeway, EMH and Tuvok.

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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