Review of Captain Archer - Star Trek Enterprise
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

It's an amazing time to be a Star Trek fan and a sixth scale collector. For the very first time, these two passions have united under the EXO-6 company logo, and we have been treated to a fantastic line of figures that is going far deeper across all things Trek than we ever expected.

The latest release is from Enterprise, a very under appreciated show that has gotten little love in the collectibles game. One of EXO-6's goals was to give us all the captains, and we now have Kirk and Picard, one version each so far but more to come, as well as Sisko, Janeway, Burnham, and Archer. Have no fear, Pike is on the way.

This also won't be it for Enterprise. We already have Shran up for pre-order, with the promise of more figures from the show in the hopper.

Archer just started shipping, and will run you about $205 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ****
The outer shipping box is slightly bigger than the art box, and uses small hard plastic corners to help ensure safe transport. The art box itself is attractive, and inside they use the same double tray system to add extra support. Everything is packed in a collector friendly way of course, and there's absolutely no reason not to open these up and enjoy them.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Another terrific sculpt from EXO-6, and it's definitely an actor and character who has a rather unique face.

I do have a couple nits, but they aren't with the realism of the sculpt. In fact, they've improved in a key area here - the hair. The detailing in the strands is much better, with cuts deep enough to provide plenty of texture. The rest of the details - skin texture, eyebrows, wrinkling - is excellent as well, and the overall effect is one of a life-like portrait.

I also like the expression quite a bit. They have the hooded eyes just right, and the serious, tight facial musculature gives him a look that works with multiple poses.

My minor quibbles are with the likeness. There's no doubt who this is - pop the head off the body and hand it to pretty much anyone, and they'd instantly recognize Scott Bakula. It's really the eyes that sell it, but the nose and lips are quite accurate as well. My only real nit is with the chin, which I think is a little rounder and fatter than it should be, making him look a little older than he was on the show. Like I said, it's really minor, and doesn't affect the portrait in hand as much as in macro photos.

He stands just a hair over 12", fitting in nicely scale-wise with the rest of the line.

Paint - ****
I'm probably going a half star higher than I should here, but I'm quite pleased to see straight, even eyes once again after the minor issue with Chakotay. Archer's eyes are just about perfect, with a lot of life and sparkle to them.

Of course, the skin tone and freckling looks great as well, adding realism to the portrait, and the hair line and eyebrows are clean and neat. The lips are a smidge thin, but it's not a real issue here, and the work on the accessories, particularly Porthos, is fantastic.

Articulation - ***1/2
I had no issues doing normal, human stances and poses, and the body has a natural flow to it.

The head and neck are a single piece, making it a little less mobile but more attractive. Six to one, half a dozen to the other. The neck and post are different though, with a larger round post that the head fits over, which is then on a ball joint. I was able to get some very good lean and tilt, and I'm not sure when this was introduced with the EXO-6 male body. Perhaps mine wasn't glued to the large post properly, or perhaps it's a change - either way, it worked well.

The shoulders, arms, and wrists are all fairly standard sixth scale articulation, but remember that the EXO-6 body has the improved butterfly shoulders, making cross body arm poses a bit easier. I was able to swap the hands pretty easily, and they stayed in place as I was working with the figure.

The torso crunches, leans, tilts, and turns, and the costume allows the figure to keep the pose. It's very useful articulation, breaking up those unnatural straight lines in the body.

The hips and knees work well, and the costume is not as restrictive as I expected. Even better, the sculpted boots do allow for some decent ankle movement, at least for shallow and medium stances.

Accessories - ***1/2
While this figure is sold as Captain Archer with Porthos, let's face it - it's really Porthos with a Captain Archer accessory.

There are five extra hands to go with the two relaxed hands he comes wearing, including a couple specifically designed to work with the other accessories. Swapping wasn't too hard, and they stayed tightly attached while posing. It's also worth noting that the scale is much better than what we've seen for years with Hot Toys, where the open hands are ridiculously large.

As with all the figures, you get a phaser with holster, tricorder ('scanner'), and communicator. Of course, these are the early versions from Enterprise, not quite as fancy as the ones we saw on STTOS. The scanner comes with two top pieces, one that makes it appear closed, and one that makes it appear open. These are easy to swap, and either look works great.

The communicator has a nifty little flip up cover as well, and the level of detail on this item was quite impressive.

The holster for the phaser attaches to two small loops on the right leg of the outfit. It's easy to put in place, and stayed there for me while I was posing the figure. The gun fits inside perfectly.

And yes, there's Porthos. God knows, doing sixth scale dogs that look like their screen counterparts seems oddly difficult. Hot Toys definitely screwed the pooch (see what I did there?) when they produced their Einstein. Thankfully, EXO-6 managed to get this adorable beagle just about right. Sure, the brown on the face could be a little lighter, more of a two tone with the rest of the brown, and the black on his back could wrap around to the shoulders a little further. Then again, more than one pooch played Porthos, and you can see his/her coloration varied. In this shot, the black does not wrap around the chest and shoulders...but it's also lighter on the back. I suspect that this sculpt and paint are very accurate to the version provided EXO-6.

If I had one nit about Porthos, it's that he does seem slightly undersized. Not wildly small, but about 10% - 20% smaller than I would prefer.

Finally, there's the usual display stand, shaped like a transporter pad and with two different plastic covers and the support rod. The small info card is also here, and there are the same plastic connectors included to attach the card to the base, or to attach multiple bases together.

Outfit - ***1/2
The earliest Trek uniforms have a flight suit quality to them, and it really lets them stand out. The pips are on the right shoulder, and the various pockets, zippers, and decorations are all high quality and in scale.

The tailoring is excellent as well, with a natural realistic fit throughout. The materials and construction are the usual EXO-6 high quality work, and the pattern and colors match the on screen look perfectly.

I don't love the one piece boots though, although they did use a soft enough material to allow some mobility in the ankles. The boot design really didn't allow them any way to do a two piece version and conceal the joint, so this really is the best way they could do it.

Fun Factor - ***
Okay, he's not quite as much fun...yet. These figures are all great on their own, but it's as a group where they really shine. While Archer and Porthos are terrific together, the fun factor will increase when Shran and other Enterprise figures are produced.

Value - ***
There's no arguing with the excellent value you are getting with these figures. At about $200, he's $50 - $100 cheaper than a lot of the other high end competition, and the quality is fantastic.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. There was no worries about breakage, and there was nothing confusing or odd to deal with.

Overall - ***1/2
I love all Star Trek, but not every show is as good as every other show. Enterprise is not my favorite, but it still had some terrific episodes, and who doesn't love Porthos? Getting all the captains in sixth scale is going to make a fantastic display, and I'm very glad Archer turned out as well as he did. I'll be picking up Shran as well - you can never have too many Trek aliens.

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

Where to Buy 
You can still pick this guy up directly from EXO-6 at their site for $205, where you can also pre-order Shran. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $205. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered almost every Star Trek release from EXO-6 so far, including the recent Chakotay. Seven of Nine, and Captain Sisko.

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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