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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of the Punisher
Netflix Sixth Scale Action Figure

Hot Toys
Date Published: 2017-11-08
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Introduction

With five different series and multiple seasons already on the books, everyone has their favorite Netflix lead character.  For me, it's Jessica Jones. For many others, it's Daredevil. For Finn Jones' mom, it's Iron Fist.

He hasn't been a lead yet, but the Punisher is a major fan favorite. He's second on my list only to the bad ass Jessica, and I love both the backstory and the characterization so far. Picking Jon Bernthal was a stroke of genius, and Netflix is rewarding our fandom with a show just for the vindictive anti-hero.

Hot Toys wisely picked him as their second release in the Netflix line.  I'm not sure how many more characters we'll get, because Hot Toys is very shy when it comes to television licenses, but I'm hopeful we'll see them produce a Jones figure at some point.

The Punisher will run you around $235, maybe a little less depending on the retailer, and has just started shipping.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Packaging - ***1/2
Nothing super exciting, but there are a couple small details that add some flavor to this release. This is a slip cover box, and the interior window is cut in the shape of the Punisher symbol, giving it an overall boost to my score.  It also has the Braille letters on the front, similar to the Daredevil package, another small boost. Of course, it's all collector friendly, and opening it up and retrieving the contents is easy-peasy.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Sculpting - ***1/2
The prototype that was on display at SDCC and used for the various marketing photos was simply outstanding, one of the best looking from Hot Toys in awhile. The final production release is still great...but not quite as nice as the prototype, a common problem these days.

It's definitely Bernthal, from the shape of the head to the nose, lips, and eyes. Even the placement and shape of the ears is slightly unique to this character, and there's no doubt that if you pop off the head and hand it to any fan, they'll recognize him instantly.

The realism is good, but I think this is where he falters slightly from the prototype. The skin texture is great, and the stranding of the hair is very detailed. I love the hair cut as well, a great match to his look on the show. Even the facial hair and eyebrows have a clean, subtle texture.

But...it's not quite as good as we know Hot Toys can do. They can produce scary real portraits, and while this one is nice, it's not quite as realistic as I'd expected. I suspect that part of this is actually due to the paint work, but more on that in the next section.

I will give them props for the emotive aspect of the portrait, and the Punisher looks mean and determined without being exaggerated. The slightly squinted eyes and clenched jaw line are a sure sign that you're about to be in a world of hurt.

This is a two piece head/neck sculpt, and they did sculpt and texture the neck to add realism as well. The hands are a little big, particularly the open poses, but it's not quite as bad as we saw with Old Man Luke. He's a pretty standard figure, coming in at about 12 1/2 inches tall. He's definitely bigger than Daredevil, but that's more an issue of Daredevil being too small than Punisher being too big.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Paint - ***1/2
The production paint work is very good, but much like the sculpt, comes up just a hair short of their best work, and is a slight let down from the stellar prototype. While you can argue that there's no way to match the quality of a hand painted prototype, we've seen Hot Toys manage it before, and they've set the bar extremely high, not just for others but for themselves.

The skin tone is realistic, and the subtle work on the beard and short hair on the sides of the head is extremely good. The eyes are clear and bright, and reflect the light nicely.  Even the bloody bruise on the right cheek looks terrific.

But in hand, there's something slightly flat, slightly less realistic about the overall look. Perhaps the skin is a little less translucent...perhaps the finish is just a smidge off. It is clear that the neck is slightly lighter in color than the head, making the two piece construction a little more obvious. In any event, he looks a bit more toy-like than some of their other best recent work (see Doctor Strange as an example). I can guarantee some folks will feel I'm being too nit picky in this category, but my in hand impression is what it is.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Articulation - ***
The overall TrueType body works well, but there was a few nits this time that surprised me.

The neck and head tilt, lean, and turn just fine, giving you the ability to add plenty of personality to any body pose. I can't stress how critical the neck is in creating life-like stances, and this one has plenty of mobility.

The rotating hinge shoulders are pretty tight, and when the coat is in place, somewhat restricted, but you should be able to get normal human movement from them. The elbows are a different story, and I hate the rotating hinge at this crucial joint. Because of the sculpt and the design of the ball, you can't close the gap between the forearm and bicep enough, making many poses with the weapons difficult.

The wrists are fine of course, and they include a couple extra wrist pegs just in case. I had no trouble swapping hands, and they stayed in place while posing.

The torso and waist turn and bend a bit, but the flak vest does restrict it a little. That's a compromise I'm willing to make, considering how good the vest looks. It's also fairly realistic, since vests like this limit your movement as well.

The hips, knees, and ankles are a little loose and wobbly, something we normally don't see with the TrueType. I was able to keep him upright, but it was a bit more effort than normal. The two piece boots help, providing extra stability to the ankles in deeper poses.

The big issue here is the elbows, with their restricted movement and their ugly look. The single ball doesn't help the appearance any, and I would have much preferred a more traditional double pin.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Accessories - ***1/2
A winning category for this figure, with a nice assortment of extras.

He has ten hands in total, made up of five sets. There's the relaxed grip he comes wearing, along with a set of fists, a set of tight grips, a set of gun grips, and a set of wide, splayed fingers. They work with a ton of poses, and can hold most of the other accessories pretty well.

He has a good assortment of weapons, all very show and scene specific to the Punisher.  There's the Smith & Wesson revolver he had when he was questioning the chained Daredevil on the roof, complete with a swing out cylinder that's fully loaded. He has his huge M134 minigun, and there's a rubber ammo band that attaches to one side. 

The one that has me a little confused is the rifle. I think it's supposed to be the SIG-Sauer he used, but from the stills I could find it's also fairly different. The magazine is shorter, there's no grenade launcher, and even the scope is quite different. I'm going to assume I just can't quite find the right scene, because it's rare for Hot Toys to be that far off. In any event, it's a great looking gun with a ton of detail, including a removable scope, sliding bolt action, and folding stock.

To complete his tactical armament, he comes with a Kabar style knife and sheath. The strap on the sheath closes thanks to a small magnet. My only complaint is that there really isn't anywhere great to put the knife or revolver, and at least some straps inside the coat would have been appreciated.

He also comes with a Daredevil mask. The marketing docs said it would be 'damaged', but I'm not really seeing any such damage.  It does look great, but without a Charlie head sculpt, you can't really pose him and Daredevil together with this in Frank's hand.

As with many of their recent releases, he also has a cardboard backdrop. This one is printed on one side, and consists of a alleyway photo. I'm not particularly thrilled with any of these, since they are too short and too narrow to be much use in any display, but at least the graphic is well done.

To wrap him up, he has the Daredevil style base (with asphalt roof texture on top) and a crotch support. It's not necessary, but if you're using the earlier one with Daredevil, it will match up nicely.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit consists of his black two piece boots, pants, shirt, belt (hidden up under the vest), bullet proof vest, and long coat.

The boots are nice, and the two piece design and soft rubber uppers allow for plenty of deeper stances. You can keep the feet flat on the ground, adding realism to poses.  The uppers do tend to ride up the leg and expose the ankle though, so remember to scootch them back down after adjusting the legs and feet.

The pants, belt, and shirt are fine, but nothing to get excited about. The tailoring on the pants doesn't wow me, but it's not terrible either.

The vest looks terrific, and is easily my favorite aspect. The Punisher logo on the front is appropriately messy and looks just like paint - as it should. The plates inside aren't too thick or bulky, and the overall proportions are terrific. The tailoring here is much, much better.

The coat is decent, made from a leather-like material, and the fit is tight.  The tailoring is good, and while the coat doesn't have a lot of detail or complexity, it does have a wire around the bottom edge to improve posing.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
There's plenty of fun to be had posing and reposing this guy, coming up with ways to display him with or without the coat, holding various weapons, and facing off against your Hot Toys Netflix Daredevil.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Value - **
A few years ago, it seemed like Hot Toys prices jumped $20 with every release. Normal figures started to push $250...and I suspect they hit a ceiling because they started to reverse, leveling out for quite some time around $220. That seemed to be the sweet spot, where collectors felt good about their purchase and Hot Toys was making enough money to stay profitable.

Over the last 3 months or so, we've seen the prices start to rise again. It seems like $230 - $235 is becoming the norm, and it will be interesting to see if it sticks this time.  While I like this Punisher quite a bit, I'm not sure the extra $15 or so is justified. I do like the accessories, but the costume isn't particularly complex. It may be a hard sell, and I hope it doesn't hurt the outlook for other Netflix themed releases.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not much.  The instructions aren't great at explaining how to attach the ammo belt to the M134, but there are two holes on one end that slip onto two posts on the left side.

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Overall - ***1/2
I'm very happy with this figure, much more so than I am with Daredevil. In fact, having this guy in hand hurt my opinion of DD quite a bit, so much so that if I were reviewing him today, he'd drop another half star.

I have a few minor nits on the sculpt and paint, and I'm not loving the elbows. But this is a much more realistic figure, with better proportions and overall quality than Daredevil, and more in line with my expectations with Hot Toys. C'mon and make my day - announce a Jessica Jones!

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

Punisher Netflix sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has a great price at $225.

- is at $235.

- is also at $235.

- Sideshow has him for $235 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just reviewed the Netflix Daredevil last week. There's plenty of other Marvel releases however, and the most recent review covered the move Dr. Strange and the TV Ghost Rider.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.