Review of General Chang
Star Trek Undiscovered Country
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

EXO-6 is battling all sorts of economic issues world wide, including American tariffs, that is making it mighty tricky to produce sixth scale action figures right now. Thankfully, they are still winning more often than losing, making it possible for us to still get amazing sixth scale Star Trek action figures.

The latest release is a new Klingon, definitely something our shelves need more of. This time it's General Chang, played by the late, great Christopher Plummer. They've already hit up the movie Star Trek Undiscovered Country twice, with Captain Sulu and the Vulcan Lieutenant Valeris, so adding in the critical antagonist seems fitting. And with another slightly different design to the Klingon appearance, he has plenty of his own uniqueness to make him a worthy addition.

He's now available through their site - and other online retailers - for $285 plus shipping.

I also did a quick video review of this guy you can find here.

Packaging - ****
It's the usual suspects - well designed outer shipping box that's pretty tough to squish, attractive art box that has interior plastic trays to hold the figure and accessories, including an extra thick lower tray that is included to add additional strength in case the worse happens.

Overall it's attractive, sturdy, and holds everything inside safe and sound. On top of that, it's all collector friendly, with no need for any damage to the package to remove the figure and his extras.

Sculpting - ****
This is another slight variation on the look of the Klingons, a race of people that has gone through some pretty serious alterations during the course of the various shows. Here, he's got a lot less hair, has far less prominent ridges, but still isn't as 'normal' as the TOS versions.

The realism is excellent, from the slightly textured skin to the various ridges and bumps over the head, to the savage eye patch screwed to his face. The wrinkling around his one good eye is quite life-like and belies his age, while both the eyebrows and simple facial hair are well done.

The accuracy is extremely good as well. Again, this is Christopher Plummer, and many of the changes to the look of the Klingon were at his request for this film. They've captured his likeness as well as the look of the character extremely well.

And of course, there's always the expression. Chang is clearly a serious dude, but there's a bit of a wry grin from certain angles. It's a look that's fitting, and it's one you don't want to see if you're up against him.

Because of the plastic adornments on the costume, there's also quite a bit of sculpting there. I'll get into it a bit more in the later section, but the detailing is beautiful here as well, especially on the sash and belt combo.

Paint - ***1/2
EXO-6 has put in a lot of effort improving their paint operations over the last couple years. This is another excellent example of those improvements.

The skin is extremely realistic, with a nice subtle variation in tone, and some great shadowing to create depth and add pop to the texture and ridges.  The eye is clean and straight, and the details on the eye patch add additional realism. No, it doesn't have the little Klingon symbols on the heads, but you couldn't see them on screen either.

Like the sculpt, the paint work extends to the costume, particularly the huge funky sash. The gold here is a tricky color - it can be tough to get a realistic coverage, with no thin spots or slop. But this looks like actual gold, consistent and very clean.

My only complaint overall is with the eyebrows and mustache. Gray hair is notoriously difficult to do, and they gave it the old college try, but it's the most obvious of the paint work here.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body has all the great articulation you'd expect - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, knees, and ankles - but the costume does restrict some of those well designed joints.

The neck is a single ball joint, down inside the clothing. That's to get a smooth, consistent transition from the head to the neck, particularly with the skin texture. Because the single joint is very mobile and unrestricted, you can get some good lean and tilt out of it.

The soft material for the majority of the torso clothing does allow for movement, especially the wrists and elbows. But the shoulders are a bit harder to use, and the torso is pretty much locked up by the sash. In fact, the sash is really the problem overall, since it is very stiff. While you can get some movement in the arms and torso, doing so may make the sash sit oddly or awkwardly.

The hips and knees work pretty well, but the tall, solid, one piece boots restrict the ankles, so straight standing poses are going to be your go to. Thankfully, the boot sculpt works great with the legs to keep him standing with no forward or backward lean.

He's not going to be taking any ninja stances, but you'll get some decent, natural stances anyway.

Accessories - **1/2
Here's the one area where he comes up pretty light.

There's a total of six hands - a set of fists, a set of relaxed hands, a gun grip right, and a posed left. They swap pretty easily, and once they were properly in place, they didn't fall off when posing with them.

He has the terrific looking Klingon blaster as well, which fits in the holster that's part of his costume. More on that in the next section.

And there's the usual hexagonal base with cover and support rod. And that's it. Like I said, a bit light this time, but most of the budget went into the costume.

Outfit - ****
This is both a gorgeous and complex outfit, and while this guy costs quite a bit more than the average EXO-6 release, you can see why when you see this outfit in person.

There's plenty of intricate pieces here - boots, pants, tunic, belt, gauntlets, and holster. Every aspect is perfectly crafte, with excellent stitching and high quality materials.

The boots are a real standout. High quality sculpting and paint work make them really pop, and although they are sculpted plastic, they look like soft material.

The pants and tunic have the detailed stitching, and the furry arms look great. The fit is extremely good, with excellent tailoring all around.

The sash - or baldric - is very finely sculpted, with a ton of detail and sharp lines. The paint work backs that sculpt up, adding depth and detail.

While he never had a holster in the movie, this one looks great, fits on the hip thanks to metal attachments, and holds the blaster perfectly.

Overall, it's a fantastic Klingon costume!

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Add him in with Valeris and Spock, and you've got the beginnings of a really fun display. Better yet, and in the other Klingons - c'mon, Worf! - and you'll be able to provide some visual history to their look right on your shelf.

Value - **1/2
While this guy is a bit more expensive than the usual EXO-6, he's actually closer in line to what most companies are charging these days. Considering the likely low production run along with the very complex costume, I'd say you're pretty much getting what you're paying for, and this score won't raise or lower my overall.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I found that when messing around with the holster, the little leather-like loops could open up, releasing one side or the other. I didn't have any trouble getting them snapped back on, but it's worth handling it with care. Otherwise, everything is sturdy and solid.

Overall - ***1/2
I have only a few lines that I still collect as a completist. Even fewer where I anticipate every release quite the way I do with these sixth scale Trek figures. EXO-6 is producing a line the likes of which we've never witnessed before, and are very, very unlikely to ever witness again.

You don't have to be a fan of Undiscovered Country to get this guy. As a Klingon, he gives you another classic antagonist for your display, something every shelf needs.

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

Where to Buy 
Your best bet is to do direct with EXO-6 at their online store where he's $285 plus shipping.

Related Links -
I've covered a lot of the EXO-6 releases, including Hoshi Sato, STMP McCoy, and the most recent Captain Picard.

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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