Review of Arrow Real Masters
DC TV Deluxe Action Figure

Introduction

The DC television shows continue to out perform their movie counterparts across the board, and one of the earliest winners was Arrow. The show, a re-imagining of Green Arrow obviously, was the jumping point for several other characters, as well as a key crossover show in the overall universe.

Several companies have produced figures, but Star Ace has incorporated the overall DC line up into their 'Real Masters' series. These are 9" figures (about 1/8 scale) that incorporate many of the better aspects of high end sixth scale figures at a much smaller price point.  I've already checked out their Flash, and tonight I'm looking at Arrow.

There are two versions of this figure - regular and deluxe. The deluxe includes a couple extra accessories and will run you around $130 or so, while the regular is closer to $125.

Packaging - ***
The simple box has attractive show graphics, and declares the deluxe nature of this release on the cover. The contents are packed in a collector friendly manner - no need to damage anything in removing them.  There's a couple pieces of tape holding down the smaller bits, but it an be lifted and reapplied without too much trouble.

Sculpting - ***
There are two portraits - always a big plus. One is wearing the mask, the other not.

Both versions have a ton of great detail for this scale. There's a realistic skin texture, and the hair, including the beard, is finely stranded. The eyes look great, and the mask has it's own texture.

The accuracy to the character and actor varies slightly, and it's a good example of how a small variation can make a portrait appear more or less accurate.  The masked version looks very, very much like the character, and is instantly recognizable not just as Arrow, but as Stephen Amell as Arrow.

Take the mask off, and it suddenly looks less like him. Nothing else has changed, but the large, wide eyes are throwing off the overall look. It's not terrible, particularly because it's still very realistic and life-like, but the accuracy drops without the mask.

Still, I would have gone another half star in this category if I were only including the two sculpts. But I'm also including an issue that could have landed here, or in the Outfit section, or maybe both. The dude needs a little more bulk.

The top of the costume, across the chest and through the arms, is not bulky enough for the character. The basic body needs to be padded up a bit (or re-sculpted parts used) to give him the muscle the character carries.

As I mentioned, these are about 1/8 scale, and he comes in at just over 9" tall.

Paint - ***1/2
The overall paint work is very clean - remember, these aren't as large as sixth scale figures and not as small as Mezco's One:12 Collective.

The hair work is great, with a subtle transition from skin color to hair. The beard, mustache, and eyebrows are subtle but clean, and the lip color is quite realistic. The skin tone is slightly translucent, giving it a bit of depth.  Both heads look great, but the masked version wins here again.

That's because of the large eyes, the same thing that's throwing off the accuracy a bit. They are a striking blue, but the iris' are larger than I think they should be, creating a creepy, almost anime look. He needs a bit more white, a bit less iris/pupil in the eyes.

Articulation - ***
The underlying body is exactly the same as the Flash - which is part of the problem when it comes to bulk. The ball neck - with a ball at the head and one at the torso - gives you plenty of tilt and lean, and the shoulders, elbows, and wrists even allow for very realistic bow firing poses. That's a tough pose to pull off with most figures, even in sixth scale, and they do a nice job getting the engineering right.

The torso can lean, tilt and turn, even in the tight suit. The tight pants do restrict the hips and knees a bit, but the big let down is in the ankles. The cheap looking boots - more on that in a minute - completely remove any possibility of ankle movement. At least the Flash had a half foot joint, but Arrow gets no help here. It means anything deeper than a straight stance won't look realistic, thanks to the inability to have the feet flat on the ground.

Accessories - ****
He's got a great set of extras, although I do have an issue or two.

There's those two heads I mentioned, a huge plus in my book. Swapping is a little tricky, as it's a tight fit, so I wouldn't recommend doing it regularly.

There's also four extra hands to go with the relaxed palms he comes wearing. There's a set designed specifically for working with the bow, and a wider splayed set. They swap easily as well, and stayed in place while posing him.

He's going to have a bow of course, and some arrows to go with it. The compound bow has a nice, stretchy string, and fits neatly in the provided hands. There are 3 arrows with the regular release and five with the deluxe. The additional 'timer' arrow and boxing arrow are the only with the deluxe. There's a tiny special arrow that comes just with the deluxe as well.

His quiver includes six non-removable arrows. The quiver attaches to the back thanks to a hard plastic cross strap that hooks on each shoulder belt. These two belts are separate pieces from the costume that you put in place, and then you attach the quiver between the two. It's not the best fit, and I was replacing it pretty regularly, but the general idea is good. It also comes in very handy when trying to hold down the hood, out of the way.

Finally, he has a basic display stand and support rod. Nothing too fancy, but you may need it for deeper stances due to the limitations of the ankles.

Outfit - **1/2
At first glance, I was really happy with the outfit...and then I looked closer. There's some nits, and they could have been corrected so easily.

The outfit consists of the jacket with hood, pants, and boots. The pants are the best of the bunch, with a good fit, nice tailoring, and lots of detail. They are stretchy enough to allow for basic posing as well.

The boots are the big fail. The sculpt looks cheap, and the hard plastic one piece design means no useful ankle articulation. I'd say this was easily my biggest overall complaint with the figure because it is the one not easily fixed by the average buyer.

I've already mentioned one of the issues with the jacket - the body is too thin. They body needs more padding in the arms and chest, and I think the jacket itself would look far better. There's room for it, which is a plus for you. You can add some padding yourself, and it will fit without altering the clothing.

The other big issue with the jacket is the hood. It's a nice, soft material...with no wire. You can't pose it, and it very much wants to ride high and wide on his head. I was able to force it around and get it to hold a couple decent poses for short periods of time, but you'll need to come up with a better solution long term. You can thread a thin wire in the hemmed edge yourself, and I may try that next.

Special note - observant readers will notice that mine is missing the shoulder armor on the left side. This guy was an early sample, and I actually received him before the production version was shipping (I've just been slow). It appears as though mine was shorted the one pad (it didn't simply fall off, because there's no sign of any damage or glue on the material) and I didn't deduct for it because of the circumstances. The ones I've seen since all had their proper two.

Fun Factor - ***
The boots kill some of the fun, since you can't get the sort of poses you really want - or that the rest of the body is capable of. Two portraits gives you some options though, and pairing him with the other figures like the Flash can add to the display potential.

Value - *1/2
Here's another spot where he really takes a hit. At 9" tall, he's certainly larger than the One:12 Collective (~ 6/12"), and those run $80. I could see $100 here, and the $120 that the Flash cost garnered a two star Value score. At $130, they're pressing it.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. It may take some effort to get the straps and quiver hooked up, but if the strap pops off the front of the quiver itself, a little super glue will fix it right up.

Overall - **1/2
After checking out the Flash and seeing the photos of this guy, I had pretty high hopes. The sculpt and paint work didn't disappoint, but the baggy costume on the arms and chest did. I'm also hating the boots, an area where they really need to improve at this price point.

And that's really the killer here - the price point. Get him for down around $100 and you'll be much more in the right ball park. You'll still have to add some padding and maybe a wire for the hood, but you'll be a lot happier saving a few bucks.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has both the deluxe and regular for $140 with free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I covered the Star Ace Real Masters Flash as well, also based on the television show.

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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