Review of Marylin Monroe - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Pink Dress Version sixth scale action figure

Introduction

Most sixth scale figures represent movie characters we all know and love. But occasionally, we also get ones that really are intended to represent the actor, not the character.  The character isn't really the point, but rather the iconic actor in the role.

Star Ace has dabbled in the area of classic film stars, having released not one but two versions of Steve McQueen. Star Ace is also well known for their interest in producing more female figures, so it's no surprise that they went after the license to do Marylin Monroe.

They've released a figure based on her character Lorelie Lee from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, one of her best. The movie starred another beautiful and talented actress of the time, Jane Russell, whose character had a very different take on love and marriage than Lorelie Lee. By the way, this film, like most over the course of film history, was a technically a remake, having been based on a novel that had already been done both as a stage play and a silent film previously.

This figure comes in two versions - the pink dress variant, and the gold dress variant. I'm looking at the pink dress version, which is perhaps the most iconic look from the movie. This is the costume she wore while singing the huge musical number "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", a song that would be forever connected to Ms. Monroe.

This is a production release, but it's a bit early too, with the majority of the figures shipping in the next couple weeks. Both versions run around $200, with the pink dress version usually running a little more expensive than the gold dress, thanks to a few more accessories.

Packaging - ***
Nothing too exciting here, but it's very collector friendly, and they went through pains to ensure there would be no bleed from the pink dress onto the body.  Perhaps the most key area, around the calves and ankles, is covered by an additional piece of white cloth, rather than plastic.  I didn't notice any bleed anywhere, although I didn't strip her down completely.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I can guarantee this portrait will be hotly debated. Marylin was a beautiful woman, but like most, she didn't have any extreme features to give the sculptor something to key in upon. Instead, they had to get just the right look in the eyes, nose, and mouth, with just the right shape of the head, and manage to capture the look most people remember.

Let's start with realism. There's no problem there, with a nice, soft skin texture, softly defined lips and eyebrows, and a very detailed and finely stranded hair sculpt. This is one of those situations where going with sculpted hair worked, since it allowed for a more complex style.

When we're talking realism, it's also worth noting the body. This is one of the seamless rubber skin bodies, with no visible joints at key areas. I am not a fan of the articulation on these - more on that in a bit - but they do look great. Again, this was a key choice, since her neck and shoulders are exposed, and any joints there would have ruined the realistic aspect of the sculpt.

I'm also digging the emotive aspect. Monroe's characters were largely seductive or surprised, and surprised wouldn't have worked here. Instead they went with her 'bedroom' look, with slightly drooping lids, the mouth just barely open, as though she's talking to you in a breathy whisper.

Ah, but is it accurate? Is it Monroe?  Here's three stills I used for comparisons, all from the film in question: here she is with Jane Russell, here she is doing the musical number in this particular dress, and here she is in the gold dress, smiling. Do some searches, and you'll find plenty of stills from this classic movie to do your own comparisons.

Based on these images and my own memory, I'm quite pleased with the final result. I think the slightly wide spread on the eye placement looks good, the size and shape of the forehead is right, and even the nose and lips look quite good. I do think the jawline is off, with a little too much weight and thickness. She had a sharper jaw and chin, at least in this film. I still think the Blitzway 1/4 scale statue is superior, but this one is very, very good.

The best test: pop the head off the body and hand it to someone old enough or savvy enough to know who Monroe is. I'm betting they recognize her immediately.

She stands about 11 3/4 inches tall in her heels, and the hands are sculpted to work with different poses and accessories.

Paint - ***
I'm a little torn on the paint - there's absolutely no slop, and the quality is sold work.  Star Ace has improved on their production paint work over time, and while they still have a ways to go, their moving in the right direction.

They are hexed with a particular problem here - blonde hair. While sculpted hair is much better for this particular hair style, getting a blonde hair color in paint is nearly impossible. It can never have that slightly translucent effect that very light colored hair has, and always ends up more yellow or more white than it should. Here, it's more yellow than I like, but it's a valiant attempt.

The hair line has a subtle transition to the skin tone, and the make up has a very 50's style to it. The lipstick is clean but dark, and the eye lashes above and below are quite prominent. The eyebrows are thin, with just a bit of arch. Even the skin tone is good, coming fairly close to the skin on the body even though the materials - and therefore the porousness and absorption - is quite different.

The skin is a little - but only a little - glossy. This is from the material, not the paint itself. In hand it's not an issue, but in brighter light the finish can look a little different than the shoulders and neck.

My only other nit is that the pink gloves don't quite match the upper cloth sections. The hands are just a smidge darker, and while I think they went with the best solution for the long gloves overall, I wish the color was just a slightly better match.

Articulation - ***
I'm not a huge fan of the seamless bodies. The knees and elbows tend to pooch out, making them no more realistic looking than a joint. And to get that seamless skin, you give up posability.

The neck post and wrists posts are metal, with ball joints. The lower neck is also articulated, even though it's inside the skin covered chest, and adds some much needed mobility. The shoulders work as well as a normal human, and thanks to the long gloves, the elbows don't show signs of the bending skin. The wrists are just posts with a ball - no hinge movement, and that's a big loss for most arm poses.

The torso bends as well, and the ball hips, hinge knees, and rotating hinge ankles allow for more mobility than the long dress will allow. The ankles are tight enough to hold a pose long term, but it's a good thing Star Ace included a stand here, because getting her to remain upright in those high heels can be tricky at best. With the long dress and the crotch support stand, you should have no trouble.

Accessories - ***
The pink dress variant comes outfitted with - what else - lots of diamonds.

But first let's talk hands. There are five in total - a pair of relaxed hands she comes wearing, a pair of pointing hands, and a special left to hold the fan accessory. They swap easily enough on the metal posts.

There are two diamond bracelets and a diamond necklace to go with the permanently attached diamond earrings. The necklace doesn't lay on the neck and shoulders quite as well as I'd like, but I'm going to try using some heat to get a better shape.

I mentioned the fan already, and it does fold up or can stay open. It fits well enough in the intended hand, and I really liked including it in various poses.

I mentioned the stand, which is quite basic but does allow you to feel secure when the figure is on the shelf.

Outfit - ***
As mentioned in the opening, the pink dress was perhaps the most iconic look from this movie. It consists of the dress (with bow), gloves, heels, panties, nylons, and mink stole. It also includes the diamonds of course, but I covered those as part of her Accessories.

The tailoring, fit, and quality on the dress is excellent. It fits tightly around her body, and velcros shut in back. There's a belt as well, but it's part of the overall dress. Under the dress are white stockings over pink panties, showing some nice attention to detail on Star Ace's part.

The bow attaches to the back of the dress with two metal - not plastic - snaps.  You can go without if you prefer the look, but the bow was part of the outfit. There's a wire in the edge, allowing you to scrunch it up in various ways.

The gloves were tricky - how do you do full length gloves and have swappable hands? They did it by separating the cloth upper and plastic hand. It works pretty well, although I do wish the color was a slightly better match.

There's nothing particularly exciting about the heels, but the mink stole looks terrific. It hangs over the shoulders and arms easily, and adds quite a bit to her look on the shelf.

One issue is with the color of the dress - it seems off to me. Of course, that depends on your eyes, as well as the coloration in the old film. This may actually be quite close to the real dress, but what was on screen may have taken on a different hue. It does have the proper sheen, however.

Fun Factor - **1/2
This isn't a super 'fun' figure - you're not going to come up with 50 poses for her. Once you have your favorite, she'll stand on your shelf for many years, looking great.

Value - **
At around $200, she's in the average price ball park, but the costume and accessories aren't particularly complex. Of course, I have no idea what the license cost was, and I'm sure production numbers on a character like this are far lower than Iron Man, but I'm still docking them slightly off average for value.

Things to Watch Out For -
You'll need to remove and replace the head at least once, when you put the diamond necklace in place. When you replace it, take lots of care with the earrings. They can get trapped between the neck and head, and you could damage them.

Overall - ***
I'm quite pleased with the final result on Marylin. Early paint tests were looking a bit disappointing, but they managed to get a production application that allows the sculpt to come through. I have no doubt that some talented customizers will end up repainting this one, and it will shine even more.

The outfit and accessories aren't complex, but they're well done. She's not one of those super dynamic action figures for your display, but she is a truly iconic actor, and this is one of her more memorable roles.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has this pink dress version for $210 as well, and the gold for $200 - but they also have free shipping!

- or you can search search ebayebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the one and only Marylin Monroe collectible I've covered up to this point.

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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