Review of Mr. Spock - Star Trek Action Figure
One:12 Collective

Introduction

I've been writing reviews at this site for 16 years now (travel back in time with Usenet, and you can find them as far back as 1995), and during that time there have been only a handful of lines that have become more than favorites, more than something I anticipated, more than merely something I had to have.  They were passions, like Playmates' Simpsons or Palisades' Muppets. Invariably these lines weren't just passions for me in my collecting, but passions for the companies making them, and I hold fast to the idea that this is what truly set them apart.

It's been awhile since I had a passion. There's plenty I still love, like Hot Toys sixth scale figures or Tweeterhead's 1966 Batman statues, but passion? I'd kinda forgotten what it was like.

And then Mezco came up with their One:12 Collective series.  It's been building slowly over the last year in the collector community, but I was sold from figure one.  I could tell it was something with potential, something that would pull me in...and as always, I was right.

We just completed a pretty in depth interview with Mez for the HotToyCast, our podcast on high end collectibles.  In it he discusses the One:12 Collective with us, including current and upcoming plans.  One of the big announcements is original Ghostbusters, which I think are going to simple be amazing. If you'd like to get more info on the overall impetus for the idea, the plans for the year, and other random thoughts from the man himself, check out the HotToyCast on any platform that supports podcasts (iTunes, etc.), or simply follow this link. The interview in question is episode 29, from May 24th.

Back in February at Toy Fair, Mezco released 100 early bird versions of Mr. Spock. I was lucky enough to obtain one, and reviewed it at the time. But that version was bare bones, rushed out for the show. I felt it was only sensible that I cover the final release once it started shipping, and thus we have tonight's review of everyone's favorite Vulcan.

I've heard some people say "Yea, but what if they don't do the whole crew.  I don't want to get Spock and Kirk and that's it." When they say this, I tend to hear it in Tina Belcher's voice. Mezco has big plans for STOS, and have already solicited Kirk and Sulu.  Plans are underway for Scotty, McCoy, Chekov, and Uhura, and if sales remain strong you should be able to complete the main crew. But it's still a risk.  Mezco is doing their part, taking on risk with this license as a manufacturer. If you want the whole crew, you'll have to do your part and take the risk as a buyer. That's the only way it works.

Packaging - ****
The boxes are quite attractive, much like what we've seen with the DKR series. There is an outer plastic slip cover with some of the graphics - like the large badge logo on the front, and the various photos of the figure on the back - printed directly on it, while other graphics are printed on the heavy stock box itself. That's worth mentioning a second time...heavy stock.  The cardboard used is much better quality than what we see from most other manufacturers these days, and will hold up to handling far better.  And no, I haven't removed the plastic wrap over the plastic slip yet.

Inside the box is a double layer of collector friendly plastic trays that hold the accessories and figure safely. It was a little tricky getting some of these trays apart, but you can manage it without any damage.

Sculpting - ****
I raved about this head sculpt in the Toy Fair exclusive review, but I'm going to rave about it again, times two.

Yes, this figure has two portraits in the box.  The first, pictured below, is the same sculpt we saw with the exclusive release.  It's spooky accurate, and one of the most realistic portraits in this scale I've ever seen. You'll be able to find nits - you always can - but if you can't appreciate just how good this work is, you're probably dead inside.

The second portrait, which you'll see at the end of the Paint category, has one major change.  The eyebrows are arched, giving him his trademark WTF look. This second portrait is extremely useful, since it's such a classic expression, and can be paired perfectly with the tricorder or with any multi-figure display.

From the finely stranded hair, to the soft texture on the skin and lips, to the accurate wrinkles, this is an amazing sculpt.  It hits a home run in all three of my criteria - it's life-like, it's realistic, and it's accurate. If we can get a Venkman, Stantz, Zeddemore, and Spengler with this level of quality, Ghostbuster fans will lose their minds.

On the exclusive release, I did complain about the skinny ankles on the sculpted boots.  I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but they appear much better here, with a thicker, more consistent appearance around the joint.

Paint - ****
I didn't think the paint could get better than it was on the Toy Fair exclusive. I was wrong.

This production paint is similar in quality to what we are seeing with $200 sixth scale figures. The eyes are extremely clean, straight, and even. The lips are slightly lighter now, just the right flesh color.  Both eyebrow versions - regular or arched (below) - are clean and neat. And the skin tone? Just about perfect, at least in terms of realism.

I suppose you could argue that he could be lighter in skin tone. They did wash out Spock a bit (and make him greener at times) on the show, but I think the compromise here looks great.  There's a mottling or freckling of the skin that gets more and more obvious the more and more macro you get with a photo, and that could look weird. But in hand, it gives the perfect variation and subtle imperfection that creates the life-like, realistic appearance.

Of course, all this was true with the Toy Fair exclusive as well.  So what makes it better? The hair line! On the exclusive version, Spock's Moe cut was straight across at the forehead, razor sharp.  That's great, since any slop would have been verboten. But lets be honest, unless you're painting your hairline in, that's not what it looks like in real life.  This time, Mezco managed to create itty bitty, super subtle ends on strands of hair, giving the edge a slightly jagged but uber realistic appearance. This is the sort of detail that can be overlooked in hand, at least by the conscious mind. But it's these subtle details that trigger your subconscious 'wow' factor, that impresses you with the life-like quality of the overall presentation.

Articulation - ***1/2
This is the slimmer base body, and it has all the articulation we've seen earlier.  The ball jointed neck works pretty well, as do the rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists. In concert with the ab and waist joints, he can take plenty of upper body poses, and the ball hips, hinge knees, and hinge ankles allow for solid, balanced stances. Overall you can achieve a smooth, fluid, flowing appearance in both restive and dynamic poses.

As I mentioned earlier, the appearance of the ankles seems better, but they are still a little more restricted than I'd like. The boot sculpt is to blame of course, hindering some of the forward, backward, and rocker movement, but it's a minor nit.

Accessories - ****
The Toy Fair Mr. Spock was very light in this department by design.  The actual release? Not at all.

Mr. Spock comes loaded with goodies, and perhaps my favorite is the second portrait. I've already discussed the qualities of both sculpts in terms of Sculpting and Paint, but suffice to say that the inclusion of the second head has a huge positive effect on this category as well.  The heads swap quite easily, making it simple for you to switch between looks.

He also has a ton of hands.  The marketing info listed eight, but there's actually nine. There's a pair of fists he comes wearing, a pair of gripping hands that work pretty well with the tricorder, a phaser grip right, a Vulcan sign right, a Vulcan pinch right, a mind meld left, and a tighter gripping hand that works fairly well with the communicator. These all swap easily, and unlike some sixth scale figures, I had no fear of breaking a wrist peg.

The phaser has a great sculpt and paint job, quite detailed considering the scale.  The communicator looks great closed but it also opens!  While the paint work might appear a little sloppy in macro photos on the interior, remember - this thing is tiny. These are accessories that would work with your Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black figures, and that's mighty tiny.

The tricorder has a leather strap that looks great, and allows it to hang much more naturally on his body than a plastic version would. Like the communicator, the tricorder top spins open to reveal the controls, a feature I was not expecting.  You can see it closed on his hip in the very first photo, opened up in a couple others.

It's also worth noting that he comes with the Ziploc bag, with logo, that all the One:12 figures include. This bag is for storing your accessories and extras when you open him up and throw out the box. You know, like a sensible person, says the guy who hasn't removed his plastic wrap from the plastic slip on the outside of the box yet. Pay special attention to this bag, because there's a surprise waiting inside...

Finally, he comes with the round Star Trek logo base. This includes both a clear waist support and a foot peg, your choice.  I much prefer the foot peg, since the joints are tight enough to keep him standing. If he should topple over - say, when your idiot friend banging into the shelf - the foot peg will at least ensure he stays on the shelf, and doesn't hit the floor.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit is *almost* the same as the exclusive release, but it appears there's been a late edition to the mix. I say that because the marketing materials for this release - at least the ones I saw - didn't mention a belt.  There is a belt, and further evidence that it was a late edition comes in where it's hiding in the package. Rather than getting it's own spot in the trays, it is packaged inside the small Ziploc bag that comes with every One:12 figure.

This belt is made from the same leather material as the strap on the tricorder, and is very thin and tiny.  It has a heavy duty metal snap for a buckle, and this works great, although you'll want to take extra care opening it up again.  The snap is a good one, which means it requires no small amount of force to open, and you do NOT want to pull on the belt to separate it.

There is a small leather pouch to hold the communicator, and a stretchy strap formed into a holster of sorts to hold the phaser. The actual 'belts' on the show varied over the years of course, and you can see one short lived version here (look at all the red shirts!), or the more common 'belt that didn't really seem to exist' version here. I always had the impression that it was a Velcro sort of thing, where the communicator and phaser just sort of stuck to their pants, but there actually was a belt with Velcro hiding in there. I've included a photo with the included belt spun around so you can see the snap, pouch and holster all in one shot, but you can spin it around so the snap is in back, along with the communicator, and the phaser hangs on the right side. The phaser is angled a bit odd in that position, but it's workable.

The shirt and pants are identical to what we saw with the earlier release.  The materials are very high quality, with very tiny stitches and a micro weave.  The emblem on the chest looks great, as does the stripes on the sleeves, and most of the edges are hemmed. The one edge that isn't is around the inside of the neck, and it is largely out of view.

Fun Factor - ****
This figure is a ton of fun, thanks to the amazing sculpt and paint, along with the terrific articulation and accessories.  While you'll want to have clean hands when handling him, the suit didn't feel particularly fragile or easy to damage.  You will want to take some care with the strap on the tricorder and the belt, but you shouldn't have any serious issues under normal conditions and with a little common sense.

This is also a figure that's going to get more fun the more figures you get.  Add in Kirk and McCoy and you'll have a perfect away team!  Well, as long as you can swap in at least one red shirt...

Value - ***
I know that $70 seems like a lot to some people for a 1/12 scale action figure. Of course, others pay that much regularly for figures from companies like Figurarts for their Movie Realization figures in a similar scale. Mezco is working hard to get the quality of a high end sixth scale figure in a 1/12 scale and at one third the cost, and they are pulling it off. This figure isn't a steal - they aren't running a charity after all - but he is a solid value at this price point, particularly compared to other imports currently on the market.

Things to Watch Out For -
The belt is the one area to take particular care. Make sure you are popping the buckle open from the center, either with a finger nail or a slim edge, and do NOT pull on the belt itself. Pulling on the belt to open the buckle is likely to pull the belt free from the snap, and you don't want that.

Overall - ****
Yep, I'm loving me some One:12.  I have all the DC, all the Marvel, all the everything on pre-order. But there will be certain licenses that rise to the top of my personal favorites, and STOS is absolutely one of those.  What Mezco has here is not just a great figure, but a great new medium, bringing high end soft goods and quality manufacturing to this scale.

This is the time to get in. If you're a Marvel comics fan, pre-order Punisher, Daredevil, and Cap. If you're a DC Comics fan, pre-order Green Arrow and Flash. Universal Monsters? Frankenstein is already up for pre-order, with other horror icons like Pinhead and Freddy on the list. This format has a tremendous amount of potential given a chance, and Mezco is willing to take the leap of faith that fans will respond. But it takes two to tango, and fans must make their own leap of faith in Mezco and their dedication. I've already leapt, how about you?

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $70 too.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I covered the Toy Fair version of Mr. Spock back in February, but that figure was a stripped down version for the show. Other One:12 Collective reviews include the recent Dredd and his Lawmaster, the NYCC exclusive Judge Dredd, the DKR Batman and Mutant two pack, the Batman exclusives, and the initial DKR Batman.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!