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Introduction
Too often we hear the whine that 'remakes suck', ignoring the ton of excellent remakes, and some of them (like The Maltese Falcon) are not just better than the original, but some of the best movies ever produced.
When they announced the remake of the Planet of the Apes (and technically it's not a remake, but a re-adaptation of the book), there was much of this whining. There was some basis for trepidation, as it had already been attempted by Tim Burton and was a huge failure. As a serious fan of the original movies, I was interested to see what direction they would take in a modern age.
And I was not disappointed. The three films are excellent, and using the same basic premise, tell a very different but compelling modern story.
However, the ape characters - done much more realistically than in the classic version - don't make for quite as good of collectibles. It's sort of like doing a Bruce from Jaws. You can pay all that money for the license, make an expensive collectible, and most people will see it and say 'hey, cool shark!'. It might even be worse with the new Apes films, because you can do all that and they'll say 'Sweet monkey, dude!'.
But a few companies have released some nice stuff, including Star Ace. They have just released a sixth scale vinyl statue of Caesar on horseback, a classic look from the second film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The statue comes in two versions: you can have him holding a spear in his right hand, or wearing a gun on his back. Both versions sell for around $300.
Packaging - **
The package would appear to be quite sturdy, and inside there's the
thick, soft foam trays. The figure is pretty hard to damage, being
soft vinyl, but the horse is a poly resin blend, quite heavy, and is
breakable. I know, because mine came with a broken back leg.
Thankfully, I didn't have to put him down, but simply repaired it,
but even with the foam tucked between his legs this happened.
Hopefully mine is a one off, perhaps handled too roughly by the
delivery folks, and isn't a consistent problem.
Sculpting - ***1/2
One of the great things about the new films is they aren't really a
remake (or re-adaptaion), but rather prequels. These films start us
off, explaining the beginning of the rise of the apes. That allows
them to create effects that still look very, very much like a
realistic modern ape, yet have a very intelligent, sentient
expression. And there's absolutely no reason why you wouldn't expect
these apes to evolve into the characters we saw in the classic
films.
Capturing the film look means creating a super realistic ape sculpt, a super accurate Caesar sculpt, and getting that spark in the eye and expression that implies the intelligence behind the face. Star Ace has done all three remarkably well. Sure, someone might still say 'cool ape' when they see it, but they'd have to be living under a rock not to recognize who this is specifically.
The expression is serious, pissed, and ready for battle. It works well with the concept, as Caesar is clearly not taking any more shit from you or anyone else. The skin texture on the face, hands and feet is craggy and rough, while the sculpted hair has plenty of detail and depth.
I do think they could have fit him to the body of the horse slightly better. The feet stick out a bit further than I'd like, making him look less stable in the saddle. It's a minor nit though, and one that doesn't hurt the overall appearance.
The horse sculpt might look familiar. That's because this is the same horse they sold with James Dean earlier. It's on the smaller side of average, but is not undersized. It actually works even better here, where the apes would be looking for horses on the lower end of the size spectrum for them to ride. The detail work is excellent of course, as I mentioned in the previous review. It's also quite heavy, being a resin blend rather than a vinyl statue.
I don't fault them for using the horse again, because as I said, the size actually works better here. They changed up the saddle and bridle of course, and the black hair mane adds some additional realism. But the re-use means they couldn't give us a more specific pose, something where the horse is walking forward, which would better fit the pose they gave Caesar. Again, it's a minor nit, but added together these small nits cost them a half star.
The soft saddle, reins, and bridle are all leather with metal connections, and look like they should hold up to age well.
By the way, they call figures like Caesar 'soft vinyl', but they aren't soft in any way you'd expect. The material is much like what is used with modern sixth scale head sculpts, more porous than traditional resin blends, and more able to absorb paint for better looking applications.
Paint - ****
Caesar's realistic sculpt is enhanced with a terrific paint job. The
work on the face and eyes is excellent, and the hair has a subtle
transition to the skin. The wash highlights the details yet looks
life-like, and the 'war paint' on the face and chest is clear but
not excessive.
The horse might be the same sculpt as before, but it's not the same paint. Instead of brown, it's closer to black, matching the mane and tail nicely. This darker color works well with the colors on Caesar too.
Articulation - N/A
This is an information only category, with no effect on the score. I
just want to ensure you understand that this is a true statue, with
no joints anywhere.
Accessories - ***
This is one of those odd categories for a statue, where they
normally get no score. That means any score, even a low one, is a
plus for my Overall.
I'm counting the figure and horse as the main component, so the only accessory is the spear. And it's a true accessory, because you can skip it if you'd like. In fact, the rifle version has the exact same Caesar hand sculpts, designed to look good with or without the spear inside the grip. If you skip the spear, the reins are long enough to be held by both hands.
Value - *1/2
This is where he takes a hit, at least for me. The set is around
$300, depending on the retailer of course. I suspect you might find
some deals on ebay if you're patient.
This is the same price they charged for the James Dean figure with this same horse. And yet, they got a half star higher in this category for the earlier pairing. Why?
It's pretty simple. The James Dean figure was a complete sixth scale figure, with multilayered cloth outfit and accessories. A figure like that goes for at least $180 on his own, and they were actually charging $220 for him. The horse is easily worth $80 - $100. It wasn't a perfect value - I think $270 - $280 was more in line for that set - but it was close to average.
Here, you're getting that same horse, but with a much simpler vinyl
rider. Caesar is nice, but he's not $200 on his own nice. The one
aspect we can't really assess is the cost of the license however,
although betting the new Planet of the Apes costs more than James
Dean isn't much of a stretch.
Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned, while Caesar is vinyl, the horse and spear are
breakable, so take a little care.
Overall - ***1/2
I don't love the price on this one, but I also know that a lot of
collectors - particularly those dealing in vinyl status in this
scale - are accustomed to it. If money is less of a subject for you,
you're going to have little to worry about here.
He will look great on the shelf, and I'll be putting mine with the classic apes in their display. Scale-wise, he fits in nicely, and is likely the only sixth scale Caesar we'll be seeing any time soon.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - N/A
Accessories - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has either at $340 with free shipping.
- or you can search ebay for a deal.
Related Links -
Star Ace has done several DefoReal vinyl figures from this license,
including these two.
And if you're just into the new Planet of the Apes, check out either
the Hiya Toys version,
or the NECA figures.
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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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos
and text by Michael Crawford.