Review of Tuvok - Star Trek Voyager
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

EXO-6 continues to crush it with their sixth scale releases for the Star Trek license. They've just started shipping the third figure in the Voyager set, following up Janeway and the EMH with Tuvok.

Tuvok is a criticaal character on Voyager, and a full Vulcan, making him a great addition to the family. We'll also be getting Chakotay, making the Voyager crew one of the largest from EXO-6 - at least so far. I suspect that once things get going with TNG, TOS and DS9, they'll rival the rest.

Tuvok started shipping last week, and will run you around $200 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ****
EXO-6 goes out of its way to ensure the art box gets to you safe and sound. The outer cardboard shipper is slightly larger, allowing for hard plastic corners to be inserted and add additional strength. There's also a thick plastic tray included in the interior of the box, making the storage tray sturdier and less likely to get damaged.

Everything inside is packed in a collector friendly way of course, and even the plastic put over the hands, head, and feet is done without wrapping it too tightly. You can slip it right off, without the need to cut any tape.

There's also a QR code on the package. Scan it, and you'll be taken to a useful video on posing and working with the figure.

Sculpting - ****
This is another terrific likeness from EXO-6. They've nailed all three key components - realism, accuracy, and emotion.

The sculpt is life-like, with a finely detailed skin texture and just a hint of wrinkles around the eyes. The hair is a tough one, a tight cut with a difficult pattern, but they've nailed it right down to the hairline.

It's also very accurate, with the various aspects - nose, lips, eyes, jawline - matching the actor and character extremely well. The Vulcan ears look great, and there's less space between them and the head than we saw in the prototype.

Finally, there's the emotive quality. When you're talking about a Vulcan, and a pure Vulcan at that, you'd think that might mean no emotion. But there still needs to be a life in the expression, a realism that captures both the character and the essence. They went with an appropriately stoic look, but it's not mannequin-like or dead.

He stands about 12" tall, and looks fantastic with the rest of the crew.

Paint - ***
This is the first time I've had a major quibble with one of their paint applications, and it's one you'll most likely notice right away, at least in macro photos.

But let's start with all the good. The hair and hairline look good, with a subtle transition between the hair and face. The skin tone is excellent, slightly lighter than what we see in the prototype on the box cover, and more in line with the actual character. The lips and eyebrows are sharp and clean, and all the accessories and doodads, from the pips to the tricorder, are perfect.

The eyes are also clean, but unfortunately, not quite even. The left eye doesn't quite line up with the right, trailing off just slightly. And I do mean slightly. If you were to measure it, you'd be surprised how small the error is, but humans pick up on the alignment of eyes extremely well. Even a slightly lazy eye is noticed, and while it's one of those things that's more or less important based on your angle to the head, it's still going to be the number one issue discussed with this figure.

Articulation - ****
The underlying body remains one of the best currently available. The joints are designed to maintain realistic poses, and the mobility is excellent. One of the highlights is the butterfly shoulders, which can also move up into a square position, or down into a slightly slumped position.

The ball jointed neck and crunch torso can lean and tilt, allowing you to break up unnatural straight lines and add lots of personality to the character. The costume fits perfectly, but does not restrict the articulation or force the limbs out of position. The rocker ankles keep the feet flat on the ground even in deep stances, and while Tuvok isn't a character for ninja poses, the body can certainly attain and maintain them.

Accessories - ***1/2
The figure includes all the necessary elements, but many are re-used from other Voyager figures. No real surprise there.

There are seven additional hands to go along with the pair he comes wearing, specific to the character and accessories. They swap easily, and stay in place while you're posing. There are hands designed to hold the other accessories with great accuracy. There's also two very Vulcan hands, one doing the 'live long and prosper' salute while the other is doing a mind meld. A third works great for a Vulcan pinch.

He has both his phaser and tricorder, with holsters for both. As with other releases, these are held on the costume with strong magnets. This works great, and the items themselves fit cleanly in the holsters. Remember, Tuvok is left handed.

Magnets are also used to hold the two pieces of the tricorder together, an excellent design.There's a PADD as well, and a type 3B Phaser Rifle.

As with the rest of the series, he comes with a hexagonal base with two different transporter base inserts. These bases can be attached together to form a larger transporter.

There's also the autograph card, with specifics about the character and a clear plastic clip to attach it to the base.

Outfit - ****
The best action figures are created by people who have a deep connection to the license. One of the areas where EXO-6 shows their love for the Trek Universe is the costuming. It is done to perfection, with tremendous love and dedication.

The colors are as accurate as humanly possible. The tailoring is spot on, fitting the figure in a realistic and natural way. The pips, the badge, the various minor details are shown the same level of attention and focus as the more obvious areas.

Fun Factor - ****
With three characters already in the Voyager crib and more to come, this guy has tremendous shelf potential. Posing and re-posing are likely to be a regular occurrence.

Value - ***1/2
The prices of sixth scale figures have gone through the roof. Companies assume they can charge $300 and more for releases, and fairly basic characters are now blowing past $250.

And yet EXO-6 is producing excellent quality in low numbers for a major license at...$200. I don't know how long they'll be able to keep it up, but they deserve kudos for it, and a tip of the hat for the sort of business acumen necessary to make it happen.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. It's all sturdy and well made, and I had no worries while working with the figure and accessories.

Overall - ***1/2
This was almost a four star figure. Everything is here, from the sculpt to the costume to the articulation, all at a fantastic price. But that left eye, that slightly off left eye, brought them down a half star for me.

It's also important to note that while in macro photos that discrepancy is clear, in hand it's not as obvious. Tuvok looks terrific with Janeway and EMH, and I can't wait to add Chakotey to the mix.

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

Where to Buy 
You can pick up Tuvok right now direct from EXO-6 for $198, and they still have a few Janeway and EMH figures for immediate shipment as well. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him at $198 with free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
EXO-6 has two other Voyager figures already out - Janeway, and the EMH. There's two STTOS so far, the Mirror Mirror Spock and Mirrror Mirror Sulu. and Discovery has Saru and Burnham. So far, STTNG just has Judge Q, but First Contact has gotten both Picard and Data.

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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