Review of Chakotay - Star Trek Voyager
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

It's a fantastic time to be a Star Trek fan, an action figure collector, and an aficionado of sixth scale. All these things come together with the series of figures from EXO-6, covering almost every incarnation of the beloved franchise.

While they've already produced figures for DS9, TOS, First Contact, TNG, TMP, and Discovery, it's with Voyager that they've gone the deepest. We already have Janeway, Tuvok, EMH, and Seven of Nine, and this week I received my Chakotay. There are plans to release several more, including Torres and Neelix, but have no fear - the other licenses will be getting a similar number of releases.

The price point on these is another reason to rejoice, coming in far below the current price of other sixth scale manufacturers. Chakotay's original retail was just $175, and he's disappearing fast.

Packaging - ****
EXO-6 has a really attractive art box, and uses very sturdy materials for the slip cover, box, and trays. In fact, they use an extra plastic tray inside as a support system to ensure nothing gets crushed.

The shipping box also includes four hard plastic corners that go over the art box, adding another layer of protection. The figure and accessories are all packed in a very collector friendly way, and there's no reason not to open these up and enjoy them. You can always put them back, no harm no foul.

Sculpting - ****
I'm currently in the middle of a complete rewatch of all Star Trek, and just happen to be on season 3 of Voyager. I highly recommend doing this - you'll get new insights and greater appreciation for a series seeing it fresh, end to end in order.

I have a greater fondness for Voyager now than I did watching it when it originally aired. But I have to admit that Chakotay was never a favorite then, and he isn't now. I blame the writers - he just never seemed to gel. Still, I wanted this figure badly, since he is a key member of the universe.

Thankfully, EXO-6 crushed it on the sculpted portrait. Their work continues to impress, and the accuracy here is excellent. The strong jawline and nose, the shape of the face, the hairstyle, it all looks just like the character and actor. I mention this often, but a good rule of thumb on accuracy is if you popped the head off the body, taking it out of context, would someone recognize the character? There's no doubt that's true here.

It's also very lifelike, another key component. The skin texture is excellent, and the work on the lips, eyebrows, and hairline add to the realism. My one sculpting nit is with the hair though, where there's plenty of finely sculpted strands, but they could use just a bit deeper cut to bring them out, particularly on the top of the head.

Finally, there's the expression. It's important that it have life, and not look like a mannequin. There's a slight scowl, more of a look of concern or seriousness, that works perfectly for this character. It's not extreme, but it's not a zombie stare either.

He stands about 12 1/4" tall, just a bit bigger than Tuvok. You can see him with some of his crew mates later in the review.

Paint - ***
Here's where there will be some discussion and debate, and I went back and forth a bit on my own feelings. I spent a lot of time looking at this figure in hand, on the shelf, and from different angles to decide just how off the left eye is. I did not depend on photos to decide.

But before we get to that eye, let's talk about the rest of the paint work. The dark hair is even and consistent, and the skin tone is just about perfect. It's slightly darker, but still has the realistic mottling and freckling that produces a much more lifelike appearance. The facial tattoo looks great, clean and sharp yet it looks like ink, not paint. Key edges around the lips, eyebrows, hairline, and eyes are sharp and clean, and overall it supports a very realistic portrait.

Ah, but the eyes seem slightly off. This was similar to what we saw with Tuvok a few releases ago. In some ways, it's a testament to how good the human brain is at noticing minute inconsistencies in patterns. Because while the left eye is slightly off, it's millimeters we are talking about.

The eyes aren't crossed. That would imply both eyes were directed toward the same object, but something very close to the face, like the end of the nose. Instead, the two eyes aren't quite lined up looking at the same object. The right eye is looking forward, while the left eye is slightly closer to the nose, looking just a smidge to the your left, his right. I usually refer to this as a lazy eye.

It isn't extreme, but it is there. In hand and on the shelf, it's much harder to notice than it is in macro photos of course, but even in photos it depends heavily on the angle of the viewer and the lighting. While I'd prefer if they got it perfect, as they did with Seven of Nine, EMH, Janeway, etc., it's also far from a deal breaker.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body is excellent, with all the joints you expect, and enhanced articulation with several of them.

The sculpted one piece head and neck can be more visually attractive, but it does tend to reduce some of the head mobility. It's a minor nit, and one of those six to one, half dozen to the other situations. The ball joint at the torso does allow for some decent lean and tilt, allowing for some personality to be added to the poses.

The shoulders are the butterfly style, and you can push them back to thrust out the chest, or hunch them forward. I did find this time that the arms wouldn't remain quite as high, with the stiffer costume pushing them down, but it's another fairly minor nit. The shoulders, elbows, and wrists work well together to create realistic arm poses.

The hands were a tough swap, due to smaller holes in the hands and some harder plastic. I didn't have any breakage fears, but you should use a hair dryer on the hands just to make the process simpler.

The torso crunches, tilts, and leans, which is important for breaking up those straight lines. The hips, knees, and ankles can manage natural shallow and medium depth stances, while the ankle articulation will allow you to keep the feet flat on the ground in deeper stances.

I will add something here that might not really go here, but could also be in the Sculpting or even the Outfit sections...but since I'm not deducting anything for it, where I discuss it is less relevant. He seems a bit thin. The torso on Chakotay is thicker than this - not fat, just thicker. But I'm good with the final look, especially when he's lined up with the rest of the crew.

Accessories - ***
One of the reasons for the lower price point is the fewer accessories this time, but they still get the critical items in there.

Of course he has some extra hands, a set of fists and a set of grips to go with the relaxed pair he comes wearing. As I mentioned, swapping is a little tougher this time so break out that hair dryer. The right grip is designed for the phaser, while the left grip is designed for the tricorder. Neither is perfect for the data pad, but you can get them to work.

And those are the other key accessories - the data pad, the tricorder, and the phaser. The tricorder uses the same magnetic system to hold the two halves together, either closed or open, and both the tricorder and phaser come with holsters that attach to the suit with magnets. These magnets work great, strong enough to hold yet completely hidden. The paint work on the phaser, tricorder, and data pad is also excellent, with lots of screen accurate detail.

As with all the releases, he comes with the octagonal base, designed like a transporter pad. There are two graphics that can be used with the base - one creating a single transporter pad, and the other designed to be used with other pads to create a large pad. There's small plastic clips included to attach one base to another, and there's a black crotch support rod.

Finally, there's the small 'autograph' character card you can attach to the base with a clear plastic clip as well. This translucent printed bio type card is perfect for getting the autograph of the actor next time you see them at a convention.

Outfit - ****
The quality of the uniforms is one of the top features of the EXO-6 series.

The materials are very high quality, and the tailoring is excellent. All the stitches are neat, and small details - like the pips and the insignia - are tightly attached. The fit is just about perfect on the body, tight yet not too restrictive.

The magnets they are using to attach the tricorder pouch and phaser holster are very strong, yet they are not visually apparent. Another nice touch - the sleeves on the blue shirt are long enough to cover the wrist joints, even in bent arm poses.

One of the interesting bits of detail is the 'V' in the neck. Different characters zipped their uniform to different spots. Some, like Tuvok or EMH, had them zipped even with the color band, while others had them zipped slightly lower. Chakotay is one that had his lower, and that's reflected here.

Fun Factor - ***
Combine this guy with the rest of the crew, and you'll have a great time coming up with various display set ups. He's not as much fun on his own, but like Lays potato chips, who can have just one?

Value - ***1/2
Some of the recent EXO-6 releases have been $200, or slightly higher. Even at that price point, they are way below the sky rocketing prices some other sixth scale companies are charging. Chakotay doesn't have quite as many accessories, and rather than simply make more profit, EXO-6 reflected that in a lower price. At $175, you're getting a fantastic deal.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. As I mentioned, heating up the hands will make swapping easier, but there's no worries around breakage or damage.

Overall - ***
I almost went that extra half star here - the sculpting, outfit, and excellent pricing on this figure deserve the recognition. If they had nailed the paint perfectly, it would have been a clear choice.

But he does have the one slightly - slightly - wonky eye, and for me that pulls him down a bit. It's not a deal breaker by any means, I certainly wouldn't skip him because of it, especially if you're building your full Voyager crew, but I do hope EXO-6 takes note and corrects for it with future releases.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

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Related Links -
EXO-6 is crushing it with their Star Trek releases, and you can find most of them reviewed here at the site. The Voyager releases include Captain Janeway, the EMH, Tuvok, and Seven of Nine. Use the search function below to find the others.

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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