Review of Mr. Spock One:12 Collective Star Trek Action Figure
The Cage and Mirror, Mirror Versions

Introduction

One of the highlights of the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con was the Mezco One:12 Collective display. While there weren't a ton of new Trek figures, there were some other very cool licenses added to the line up.

But that doesn't mean the Trek line is dead - far from it.  With Kirk right around the corner, we should see several more of the bridge crew over the next 12 months.  And if you know Mezco, you know variants will also be popular.  Spock has already gotten two - a "Mirror, Mirror" (or Mirror Universe) version, available only at SDCC through Think Geek, and a "Cage" version, available through online retailer Vegas Dead Dolls. They were both around $80, and the Cage variant is still available direct from the store.

Before we hit the review, a little background on these two shows. "Mirror, Mirror" is considered a classic among classics, in which Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Scotty end up in a parallel universe thanks to another one of those pesky transporter malfunctions.  As often as those things mucked up, you'd think they'd be far less inclined to use them. In this universe, authoritarian rule is the hallmark of civilization, and the 'evil' Spock plays a major role in resolving the episode.

The Cage is critical because technically it was the first episode - the original pilot.  This was Spock as initially envisioned, and the pilot was later edited and re-imagined into the two part episode "The Menagerie". I'll be referring to it as the Cage variant, since that's so much easier to type and I'm a lazy bastard. It was a fairly unique look for him as well in both sculpt and outfit, making it ripe for a variant. If you can't tell which is which in the photos, you need to be watching more STTOS.

Packaging - ****
The Cage version has a very similar look to the regular line, while the Mirror Universe variant uses a new, more specific logo.  Both are covered with the usual plastic wrap, which you can see in the photo with some scratches. That's what the wrap is there for - to protect that cool box.

And the box itself is great. The logo slip cover comes off, and the five panel box has some good graphics and text. It's all very collector friendly of course, with no damage necessary to get everything out, and it's all VERY sturdy, much more so than even high end sixth scale boxes.

Sculpting - ****
Before we get too far into discussing the likeness, let's see what we're comparing them to. I went with this still from Mirror, Mirror for the sculpt and paint, while this still from the Cage was my reference point. I know he's scowling a bit, but the key elements are there.

Let's start with the Cage. This was a very young Spock, relative to the character in both later seasons and certainly the much later films. We already know that Mezco has the basic likeness nailed, particularly in such a small scale. I can certainly find things to whine about, and there are slight adjustments to the nose and chin that would make this even better, but considering the 1/12 scale, these are seriously small nits.

This portrait does have some key differences though.  First and foremost is the hair, which lacks the super crisp hairline that became such a key part of his look. This early Spock had slightly shorter, choppy bangs, and they've replicated them here extremely well. The expression is also slightly different, with the mouth pinched a bit and the eyes squinted slightly more. The overall effect is extremely good, and instantly recognizable.

On to the Mirror Universe portrait, another outstanding sculpt. We are back to the longer, straighter bangs of course, and Mirror Spock has what every great villain has - a Van Dyke. The sculpting detail on the facial hair is extremely good - remember, these are only 6 1/2" tall!

That's the height on the Mirror Universe Spock, anyway. The Cage Spock is actually a smidge shorter, coming in at around 6 3/8". This is largely due to a taller heel on the kinky boots.

The hands are sculpted to work with the various accessories, as well as a number of key poses. They swap easily, and the sculpts are all in scale.

Paint - ****
If you were pleased with the paint applications on the previous Spock, you'll be happy to see the same quality here. Lines are sharp, eyes are straight and neat, and the subtle shift from hair to skin, particularly around the facial hair on the Mirror Spock and the choppy bangs on the Cage Spock, looks terrific.

I do wish that the eyebrows showed just a smidge difference between the two. The Cage eyebrows were pretty thick, while by the time we got to the Mirror, Mirror episode, Spock had trimmed things up pretty thin. Considering the scale, I can cut them some slack on this one.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body hasn't changed, and remains highly poseable and life-like. The ball jointed neck works particularly well, but the leg and arm articulation allow for most poses, and are tight enough to hold them long term.

I do wish the chest/ab area had a bit more mobility, but the thicker clothes are fairly restrictive. I found myself at a loss this time when trying to bend him at the torso in some poses, although the hips did help make up for it.

The elbows are my one area of worry. They have rotating hinge joints, but the hinge seems a little weak to me, particularly when trying to work with it under the heavier clothes. I'm going to keep that on my watch list moving forward.

Accessories - ***1/2
As variants, the smaller number of accessories isn't a surprise, and they did go with some very scene specific extras.

The Mirror Universe Spock has 7 hands in total - a pair of fists, a pair of open grips, a tight knife grip right, a phaser grip right, and a mind meld left. The latter makes sense here, as I recall Spock doing a mind meld on the transplanted McCoy...of course, my own mind might be playing tricks.

He also has a phaser, as well as the unique knife and sheath he wore in the episode.  Back stabbing, quite literally, was a key feature of the Mirror Universe. The sheath has a tiny clip that allows you to attach it on his right side, and the cool knife sculpt fits inside cleanly.

The Cage Spock has only six hands - the fists, the open grips, a phaser gripping right, and a communicator gripping left.

The unique aspects here are the special communicator and the special phaser, only seen in the pilot. These make picking up the variant all the more attractive.

Both figures also have the display bases, with the Mirror, Mirror base switching to the logo as seen on the box.  These bases can use either the clear plastic waist holder supports, or you can simply use a foot peg support.

Outfit - Cage ***; Mirror ***1/2
I hunted up some reasonably good stills for comparison of the Mirror, Mirror outfit,  as well as his look in the Cage. He wore the jacket when on the planet, but also went without it during the ship scenes.

I have some issues with the double layers here, but I also have to admit that these are some REALLY cool outfits, done extremely well considering the scale.

Again, let's start with Mirror Mirror. He has his basic black pants with a black shirt, covered by his blue tunic and kinky boots. He finishes it off with a cool gold sash around his waist.  The belt is already neatly tied, and I wouldn't recommend taking it off unless necessary. There's also a small loop on the pants on the left side, perfect for the phaser, and a tiny loop on the right side for the clip on the knife sheath. That's a particularly nice touch, and not obvious at first.  I used the belt for the knife to get it out of the way of the hips when I was posing the figure, but the lower loop allows him to wear the knife in a way that is screen accurate.

The boots are a two piece affair, with a separate foot.  That allows full movement of the ankles, and yet the sculpted foot and fake leather uppers are almost seamless. The tailoring and fit on the uppers is also quite good, and manage to look in scale. The tunic had several 'badges' in place on the show, and they've replicated those here with a combination of embroidery and appliqués. It's a good option, particularly with details so small.

The outer tunic is a bit tough to futz around, but the tailoring is still top notch for a 6" figure.  I'm particularly impressed with the boots, which could have easily gotten wildly out of hand.

Then there's the Cage version, which has bigger issues with fit.  Part of that is due to the overall design of the outer coat, which looked pretty silly in the show as well. The thickness issues start at the shirt, however, and work their way out.  The underlying shirt is a fuzzy material, matching the velour shirts they used in the early episodes. It's tough to pull off in such a small scale, and in macro photos it will look too thick, too fuzzy. In hand however it looks much, much better. The darker color is also more accurate for this particular episode.

It is thicker than the nylon shirts though, and once you put the rigging on over it (which they used to hold various pieces of equipment) and the outer jacket, you get a pretty puffy Spock. I think I'll be going sans jacket and rigging, since the fuzzy darker shirt provides him with enough visual difference. It's great that they went to the effort to create all three layers, and the accuracy is quite good...but three layers might be pushing it.

Fun Factor - ****
Sure, they're variants, but they are such key variants!  This is really the only figure I need from the Menagerie - I have no desire for a Captain Pike, although I wouldn't argue about a Talosian or a Vina - but I could use several more Mirror Universe figures to go with Spock. Make it so!

Value - **
The usual figure runs around $70, but some are hitting $80 depending on the license and the accessories. These were both in that $80 range, which isn't terrible. There's a swap here - they don't have the extra head sculpt, making them a worse value, but they are exclusives (lower production numbers presumably), making them a better value. In the end, I docked them slightly below average in this category.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. I didn't have any trouble working with these figures or their costumes and accessories, and was never worried about breakage or damage.

Overall - ***1/2
Out of these two, the Mirror Universe Spock is my favorite.  The better tailoring and chance for a wider group of similar figures puts him higher on the list, and he's currently easier to obtain.

The Cage variant is cool, thanks to the unique head sculpt, unique communicator, and unique phaser, but I wish the fit on the outer jacket was a bit better.  However, you can strip him down to his faux velour shirt and still get a great look on the shelf.

The One:12 Collective figures remain one of my most anticipated, no matter the license, and I can't wait to add Kirk to the basic set up in the next couple months.

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

Where to Buy 
The Mirror, Mirror Spock was an exclusive from ThinkGeek at this year's SDCC. They don't have him listed on their site right now, but you might want to keep an eye on it. I suspect they had product left over and will make it available at some point. The Cage version was an exclusive with Vegas Dead Dolls, where it is still available for $80, and should also be available this coming weekend at the Star Trek Convention in Vegas. And as always, you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Most recently, I looked at the One:12 Sulu, and I also checked out the first Toy Fair exclusive Spock, as well as the regular release version. Other One:12 Collective figures released so far include Dredd and his Lawmaster, the NYCC exclusive Judge Dredd, the DKR Batman and Mutant two pack, the Batman exclusives, and the initial DKR Batman.

And if you're a big ST:TOS fan, but want something a little larger in your figures, check out the superb sixth scale Spock and Kirk from Qmx.

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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