Review of Commander Michael Burnham
Star Trek Discovery

Introduction

For me, Star Trek is like pizza. When it's great, there's nothing better. When it's bad...it's still pretty great. There are shows and movies in the franchise that I like better or worse, and there are episodes in specific incarnations that are fantastic and terrible. But the overall concept and mythos makes it the greatest story franchise in the history of mankind.

One reason for this is its flexibility. The concept started with an episodic format, which has worked extremely well for a number of the television shows. However, the format translated to a more serialized format in shows like Picard and Discovery with great success.

It has also always - ALWAYS - been about politics and society, and how technology intertwines with these concepts to create a better or worse universe. Inclusivity, representation, and equality have been concepts the shows have pushed to the limits of the time they were produced, whenever that time happened to be. People today don't see the inclusion of Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov as a big deal, but at the time they did it, it was a VERY big deal and represented the sort of inclusion that simply did not exist anywhere else at the time.

I've only watched in full the first season of Discovery and Picard. I started a complete rewatch of all the shows awhile back, and after finishing TOS, the animated TOS, and TNG, I'm currently working through DS9. I had watched the first season of Discovery and Picard when they were released, but then decided to wait and include them in this rewatch rather than get ahead of myself. Yea, I'm crazy. I am watching SNW though - I have only so much self control.

But I really enjoyed the first season of Discovery, and have several favorites among the new characters. Obviously one of those is Michael Burnham, the main protagonist. She's also the latest release from EXO-6, who are crushing it with their delivery of sixth scale figures. It has been only one year since the release of their first figure, First Contact Data, and I now have SIX new figures in my collection. While this is a bit of an early review - Burnham won't be shipping widely for a few weeks - she just went up for pre-order, making the order to receipt time down to less than 8 weeks! We also have Q arriving very soon, and Mirror Sulu, Sisko, and Tuvok will be right behind him.

You can pick up Burnham for around $215 at most retailers, and she should be shipping within the month.

Packaging - ****
The boxes look great, with terrific character artwork and a nice shot of the figure itself. They are completely collector friendly of course, with no need for any real damage when taking out the figure and accessories.

They are also going out of their way to ensure the box stays as perfect as possible on its way to you. Of course there's an outer shipper, but the art box has external plastic corners that hold it away from the shipper slightly, providing a little extra space between the two boxes. That means minor dings and hits to the shipper won't effect the interior art box.

There's also a second clear plastic tray below the black tray. This tray does not include accessories, and is thicker and stronger than other normal trays. It is there only to provide support to the overall package, making it crush proof. Again, this is the sort of planning and thought that EXO-6 puts into all aspects their production.

Sculpting - ****
This portrait is based on her season one look, and she changed up her hair style with regularity over the course of the show so far. One of the features of Michael Burnham is her natural hair. The ability for her to have her natural hair on the show is an excellent example of how Trek elevates us, shows us how we can be better. When TOS put a black woman on the bridge of the Enterprise, it was not a reflection of the world as it was. And when Discovery showed a black woman with natural hair in a leading role, it was not a reflection of the world we live in today. But it is the world we should strive for.

The hair sculpt is excellent, especially in hand. Some of the detail can get lost in macro photos depending on the light, but in hand it looks terrific. The skin texture is also very realistic, and EXO-6 is doing what so many sixth scale companies can not - producing beautiful female sculpts that actually look like the characters, and just not another pretty face.

They've given her a stern, decisive expression, avoiding anything too overtly dramatic or un-expressive. It fits the character nicely, and it works with the broadest range of poses.

To highlight just how accurate they strive to be, and just how much attention to detail they pay, I invite you to notice the small pock mark on her forehead, just above and to her left of center. This is not an error. Zoom in on a photo of the actress, and she absolutely has this small pock mark. That's damn impressive.

The various hands are sculpted to hold specific accessories, and are properly scaled. She stands about 11 1/4 inches tall, fitting in nicely with the rest of the EXO-6 Trek series.

Paint - ***1/2
One area that sets companies apart is the quality of their production paint work. They've done a terrific job here, with a life-like application that improves the appearance of the sculpt.

The skin tone is even, and the eyes are clean and sharp. The make up around the eyes is subdued and clean, and the eyebrows have a sharp line. The eyes themselves are wet and glossy, and catch lights are created naturally in normal lighting.

She even has the 'white roll' or vermilion edge, the slightly lighter skin along the edge of the lip. This sort of detail is what creates a more realistic portrait.

But perhaps the most interesting paint work detail is in the hands, an area where paint work is usually not a key feature. With every human, the skin on the palm is lighter in color than the skin on the back of their hands. This has never been true with sixth scale figures, where the hands are simply cast in one color that hopefully matches the rest of the figure.

EXO-6 is taking it to the next level. Burnham's palms are lighter than the back of her hands, on purpose. They are experimenting with the technique right now, and I expect we'll see a bigger difference with some releases than with others. Again, this sort of detail is what sets them apart.

Now, that's not to say everything is perfect this time. I do think the hairline could be a little better, where there's some bleed that isn't part of a natural transition between the skin and hair. But overall I'm extremely pleased with the quality of their paint work, and the changes to the hands is a very big step forward.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying female body works great, although the costume itself can be a bit restrictive.

The neck is ball jointed of course, but the neck post they use is slightly different and worth mentioning. The head doesn't pop onto a ball, but rather slides down over a long cylinder that itself is attached to the ball. This is worth mentioning because you may see photos of the figure where the neck looks too long, but this is not in fact the case. The head can slide up this cylindrical post though if you're not paying attention, and cause the neck to appear longer. Simply push it back down.

The shoulders, elbows, and wrists can be used to create very natural arm poses. The tight suit does restrict the shoulders a little, but less than I expected. I did manage to break a wrist peg, but that's mostly on me because I was pushing things a bit with one of my pose attempts. The wrist pegs on these female figures are pretty tiny, and I think it might be a good idea if it's cost effective to add a couple extras with each figure. Better yet, since EXO-6 is already selling their own releases direct rather than only through distributors, they could provide extra bodies and wrist and ankle pegs through their store.

The torso turns and crunches, and since the jacket is short, it's less restrictive than most on this movement. The tight pants do make the hips less useful though - don't expect any sitting poses - but the knees work great. The sculpted boots allow the ankles to turn, but there isn't much backward and forward movement or rocker movement.

Accessories - ****
Discovery is a very different Trek from an earlier time, and hence requires very different accessories.

Michael comes with a nice assortment of additional hands, and they swap easily yet remain in place when posing. There are 11 hands in total, nine extras to go with the pair of relaxed hands she comes wearing. Most of the grips are designed to work with other specific accessories, and there's even two very Vulcan hands - one doing the Vulcan salute, while the other is doing the Vulcan pinch. Nice!

There's also the usual translucent character card that you can use for autographs, if you are so inclined, as well as the transporter base with a crotch support rod. There are several small clips included to attach multiple bases together, and a clear clip to attach the character card to the base.

She has the usual trio of tricorder, hand phaser, and communicator, but of course all of these are very different than any versions we've gotten from EXO-6 to this point. The Tricorder is a bit chunkier, a bit meatier, and it has an amazingly detailed paint job. The small hand held scanner pops out as well, and can be held in one of the gripping hands.

The phaser is both type 1 and type 2 of course, the two parts held together with a strong magnet. These early phasers are also larger, and even have a 'magazine' of sorts that fits in the handle, providing power to the phaser. The side of the grip is cut out, so you can see the level of power in the magazine. Pay close attention and you'll notice the tip of the barrel is also the three barrel design, unique to these very early phasers. That's the sort of attention to detail you expect from EXO-6.

The phaser rifles on Discovery are perhaps my favorite designs, and they bring it to sixth scale beautifully here. The front stock folds up and out of the way, and the back stock extends.

Finally, the communicator is the chunkier early version as well, and the paint work on the inside, along with the gold metal cover, really make this one pop. Again, there are specific hands designed to work with these accessories.

This was before the various doo-dads were held on the uniforms by the magic of velcro, and there is a holster for the phaser, and pouches for the communicator and tricorder. The pouch for the communicator can be opened, but I'm going to just leave it closed and put the communicator away when not in her hand.

Of course there has to be a belt for these three items to rest on her hips. I was a bit worried about it, because it took some effort to get the small post to stay put in the rubbery belt. However, once I got it fully inserted, the belt didn't pop off or open up while I was doing the shoot.

Outfit - ****
EXO-6 is crushing it in a lot of ways, but their costuming for Trek is perhaps their greatest achievement. They are working very hard to create outfits that match their on screen counterparts perfectly, from the smallest detail to the most difficult color.

Burnham has the two piece suit - jacket and pants. The jacket has the appropriate stripes and patches, and what's really cool is the small emblems. Yep, every one of those silver 'dots' you see on the sides of the tunic are actually Star Trek emblems. The tailoring on this outfit is impeccable, fitting her snugly and yet allowing most of the articulation to be useful.

The belt is a key part of the costume. It hangs on the hips perfectly, just below the jacket so it's out of the way but still completely visible. There's two holes for the buckle post to attach - I used the second to have the belt just below the line of the jacket. If you'd like it lower on the hips, you can use the first hole.

The sculpted boots look great, but I do think they're a smidge bulky. It's not a major issue, and does not detract from the overall realistic look of the outfit, but it was the only nit I had.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
You'll have plenty of fun finding the perfect pose for this figure, and you'll return to her again and again swapping things up. With a nice variety of accessories, you'll find new ways to display her, and the inclusion of the Vulcan themed hands add some interesting possibilities.

Value - ***
For those that are not regular readers, my value score works as follows: at **1/2 stars, the figure is an average value. You're getting what you're paying for, and the score won't affect my Overall assessment either up or down. Any score over **1/2 is a positive toward my Overall - any score below is a negative.

At $215, she's not quite as cheap as some of the other EXO-6 releases. But compared to other figures at this same price point, she's far better in quality. In fact, she rivals figures that now cost almost $300 at their base price, and considering the popularity of this license, we are fortunate to be getting these characters for this price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Everything is sturdy and well made, and I had no worries about anything. I did snap a wrist peg, but that was more on me being a bit too over zealous with a particular pose. If you're concerned about it, remove the hand and move the wrist peg itself into the spot you want it, then replace the hand. I did it the wrong way - pushing on the hand itself to move the wrist into position - and got too extreme.

Overall - ****
It's a fantastic time to be a Star Trek fan. We have Discovery, Picard, and now the great SNW all available to watch. And EXO-6 is creating the greatest line of Star Trek collectibles ever produced for the franchise. These sixth scale figures are outstanding, covering every series in the franchise, and are coming at the perfect time.

EXO-6 is also pushing the boundaries for the overall market with changes to areas like the painted hands, the extreme attention to accuracy in costumes and accessories, and their amazing production schedule. If you're a fan of Trek and are passing on these, you're going to be kicking yourself later.

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

Where to Buy 
You can order her directly from EXO-6 for $215, and you'll get her pretty quickly that way. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $215, but with free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other EXO-6 releases include Mirror Mirror Spock, Captain Janeway, the EMH Doctor, First Contact Picard, and First Contact Data. Qmx also did a nice assortment of sixth scale Trek, including Spock and Kirk, Scotty, Sulu, Khan, Picard, and McCoy. They even did a great Captain's Chair for TOS!

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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