Review of Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction
Sixth Scale Action Figures

Introduction

There are very few directors that I feel do almost no cinematic wrong. There are perhaps three who give me confidence about any movie they work on - Quentin Tarantino is one of them. While not every one of his films is a perfect outing, I've enjoyed them all, and some really stand out for me.  While his dialog heavy style and extreme violence isn't for everyone, it's just about a perfect combo for my tastes.

His first big film was Reservoir Dogs, but it was really Pulp Fiction which proved his mettle and his consistency. Anyone can have one great movie, but when you put two back to back, you get noticed. It also served as a comeback vehicle for John Travolta and a break through role for Sam Jackson. While Mr. Jackson had lots of smaller roles in some really great (and really awful) films prior - everything from Jurassic Park to Jungle Fever - it was this leading role that catapulted him to starring roles in future movies.

Back in the day, Mezco did a series of sixth scale figures based on Reservoir Dogs, but I don't think anyone has officially produced Pulp Fiction figures in this size before now. Star Ace picked up the license, and have announced both Jules - who I'm reviewing tonight - and Vincent Vega.

Jules will run you around $220 depending on the retailer, and will ship in the next few weeks.

Packaging - ***
The five panel box has attractive graphics, and I love the use of spot gloss to make Jules pop on the cover.  Everything is collector friendly of course, and there's some basic instructions included.

Sculpting - **1/2
Here comes the big debate - is this a good head sculpt or not?  Let's talk about it with an emphasis on three areas - realism, expression, and accuracy.

Star Ace has come a long way when it comes to the realism of their portraits. There's a subtle skin texture, and the lips and eyebrows have properly sculpted variations in texture to set them apart.  The hairstyle was a trick one - trying to capture the look of the Jheri curl wig was not easy, but they've included a ton of detailing in the curls, and kept the hair fitted to the head tightly, with no weird gap along the forehead. It could have been a little puffier...but that's hard to pull off in sculpted plastic.

The sideburns and mustache are also critical, and both look terrific. This still isn't quite Hot Toys at their best levels of realism, but it's certainly appropriate for the current market.

The expression isn't blank, but I do think it could use a little more intensity.  One thing every Sam Jackson character is - intense. The eyes are a little wide, and some more squint would have gone a long way to creating a more character appropriate emotion on his face. It's a minor nit though, and he isn't zombiefied in any way.

And then we get to the final aspect - accuracy. Is this Jackson as Jules? I looked at this guy from 50 different angles, and I can tell you it really, really depends on the angle.  From some, I recognize him immediately. From others, it's more like a very good cosplayer.

The chin and lips are excellent - I compared to several photos, and they got the shape just about perfect. The nose needs to be a little broader at the tip, and while the eye size and placement is good, they really, really need that squint to give off a Jules vibe.

It seems like Jackson is hard to pull off - Hot Toys missed it with their first Nick Fury too. But their second attempt was much better, and I think the nose on that release makes it the most accurate so far.

He's sixth scale of course, and comes in at just over 12 inches tall. The hands are decent in scale and they are sculpted to work with several of the accessories, but they are a bit soft in detail.

Paint - **1/2
I have one big nit with the paint which pulls this score down.

The hair, including the facial hair, looks good. No slop along the edges, and there's a subtle transition where appropriate. One of those little details that makes a huge difference is the vermillion border, or the light line separating the vermillion (lip) from the darker skin. You can see the line pretty clearly on Jules in the photo from the movie at the top of this page.

I think the skin tone is good as well, although the face and neck are a bit darker than the color of the body. It's not noticeable until you switch to the shorts and t-shirt, so if you plan on sticking with the suit, you should be fine.

The eyes area a killer though, with lots of bleed. Even the iris' are sloppy and not quite straight, something that is completely unacceptable at this price point.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body has all the usual articulation - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, torso. Most of it is unobstructed, but the engineering isn't quite as good as the best bodies out there.

The neck allows for some tilt and lean, but with two joints (below the neckline and in the torso) I would expect better. If you can't get a lot of tilt out of the neck at the jawline, you should just go with a one piece head/neck. It's more aesthetically pleasing, and you aren't losing much in this case.

The rest of the articulation allows for natural stances, and you should have no trouble coming up with stable, good looking poses for the shelf. The body is thin, which looks right in the suit, less so in the shorts.

Accessories - **1/2
Considering the price point, he's a little light in this category, and what's here isn't of the same quality as the market demands.

There are several extra hands to go with the relaxed pair he comes wearing. There's a gun grip right and two different grip lefts that work well with the burger and drink.

Yep, there's a burger alright, and there's a drink from Big Kahuna as well. The straw is a separate piece that can be removed if you feel the need to save some whales. These two items look fine, but aren't anything of exceptional quality.

He has his gold bracelet too, and if you pay attention you'll notice the pinky ring on his right hand. This ring is removable, but does not fit on the pinky of the gun grip right.

Speaking of guns, he comes with the Star model B straight from the film. In hand, the sculpt is a little soft on this one, and I think they could have done a better job differentiating the chromed body from the pearl grips.

He also comes with his leisure clothes, a pair of red shorts and the t-shirt with the Krazy Kat cartoon strip on the chest.  There's an extra pair of feet, clad in sandals, to go with this outfit.

Finally, there's a basic display stand with waist grabber support. Considering the price point, I think a few more extras would have been nice, particularly his wallet.  The briefcase is another obvious one, but we should get it with the Vincent figure.

Outfit - ***
Jules comes with two outfits - his black suit, and his comfy shorts and t-shirt.  This score is a combination of my assessment of both.

The black suit is very well made, with good tailoring and clean lines. The collar and lapels are properly scaled, the belt and buckle look great, and the black shoes, while basic, capture the proper look.  Suits shouldn't be hard to do, but they often are. Star Ace nailed this one.

The white shirt and black tie aren't quite as perfect. The collar on the shirt is a smidge big, but not ridiculous, and the same can be said for the knot of the tie.  The tie does hang naturally though, and they included some cardboard under the collar to keep it looking nice.

The t-shirt, with it's Krazy Kat cartoon, is a decent fit, but does tend to ride up a bit on the shoulders. The shorts are goofy looking...but let's be honest, they should be goofy looking. We should get the shorts and t-shirt for Vincent too, and I don't expect them to be any less silly looking.

Fun Factor - ***
You should have a good time posing this guy, but the fun will really start once you get Vincent next to him. Until then, poor Jules will just have to eat a burger by himself.

Value - **
This figure will run you around $220, about average for a high end sixth scale figure on the current market. Only problem, this isn't really a $220 figure.

For comparison, here's a recent $220 figure that's priced about right - Hoth Leia from Hot Toys. It's a moderately complex and definitely unique outfit, with a number of very unique, very detailed accessories, and a sculpt and paint job that's top notch. She's not loaded up like a Jack Sparrow, but her cost to value ratio is much better than poor Jules.

Jules is really a $180 figure. I can't imagine they made a ton of him though, so the smaller run size is sure to play into the unit cost. Still, it's going to be tough for folks to find a good justification for paying full retail.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - **1/2
If you're a huge Pulp Fiction fan, the biggest issue this figure has - the price point - may not be an issue at all. We recently saw something similar with Jack Burton, a figure also overpriced for the general quality. Even so, most BTILC fans were willing to cut them a lot of slack on cost, thankful they just got a reasonable Jack.

I think some of that will be true here as well. It's not a perfect Jackson sculpt - better than Hot Toys first try, but not as good as their second - but it's recognizable as the character. While there's nothing too exciting about the suit or the accessories, fans of the movie will be very happy to be able to put Jules and Vincent together on the shelf. From what I've seen so far, the Vincent looks like a slightly more accurate likeness as well, a big plus for picking up the set.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $235 with free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
While I have a number of Pulp Fiction goodies in my collection, including some of the Mezco 12" figures, I have only reviewed one other set in the past - the NECA GeOms. Other Sam Jackson sixth scale figures includes the recent Marquis Warren from the Hateful Eight, as well as two versions of Nick Fury from Hot Toys.

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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