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Resident Evil Biohazard - Sheva
Hot Toys

Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

   "The following is a guest review.  The review and photos do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Michael Crawford or Michael's Review of the Week, and are the opinion and work of the guest author."

Haru Haruko is back tonight with a terrific Hot Toys review...take it away, Haru!

Firstly, thank you to Michael for his continuing service he provides here with this site.

So, Biohazard currently remains the only Videogame license Hot Toys have produced figures for. With Biohazard 5, we are being treated to a slew of figures, which only cover 3 of the characters from the 5th installment, but all welcome additions.

Hot Toys' Sheva Alomar figure has gone through some updates since the initial magazine articles and Hot Toys official press release, through to their blog entry and toy fair images in July showing redeveloped Hot Angel arms with hidden joints that have been the subject of some debate. Not to mention the apparent differences in the final head sculpt and/or paint.

Packaging - ***1/2
My main praise for the packaging is that what it does well is protect the figure inside. Multiple tray covers, spacers, cellophane wrap, neck braces and sturdy cardboard leaves no question that the figure inside is secure.

I spent an inordinate amount of time feeling the different textures used on the printing of the box graphics, but the graphics themselves and the familiar fold out design with magnetic closures, when compared to the innovative packing of Iron man, Predator, Alien Big Chap and Terminator Salvation, does come off as a little perfunctory if not robust. Plus they 'shopped Sheva's elbow on the back of the box.

Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

Sculpting- **1/2
Hot Toys as a company have delivered to us head sculpt likeness from Brando to Schwarznegger, Worthington, Ackerman, Jackson and so many more with baffling accuracy.

Perhaps there is something about video game characters that makes them harder to sculpt - perhaps the CG models are more lights and textures than they are useable 3D reference. Or perhaps there is some more desultory explanation as to why this particular head sculpt just doesn't seem capture the character as well as other Hot Toys figures.

The head sculpture itself is very nice no doubt, professional and very high quality. But it just doesn't look all that much like Sheva. The flatness of the forehead, the broadness of the apex of the bridge of the nose and the roundness of the tip of the nose, the length and angle of the philtrum and the chin and the shape of the parting of the lips are all aspects that looking at a few CG images of Sheva, doesn't take long to notice the discrepancies which work together to throw off the likeness.

I feel the hair has an unwelcome 'anime' feel to it as the detail is rendered in contoured lumps with a smooth high gloss finish. Again professional looking but doesn't equate to the nicer realism of other hair sculpts HTs have put out.

The sculpture of the arms is actually very nice. The proportions don't equate to Sheva's in-game arms, which are much more toned and muscular with more pronounced deltoids, but they compliment the Female TT body type and could be used generically for future products. 

Paint - ****
Perfectly applied, really. Coefficient with the sculptural parts its just amazing. Couldn't find a single bleed on the gloves where they meet the fingers.

If there was anything worth nitpicking it would be that the drybrushing on some of the larger, flatter areas on the weapons is evident as just that; and the gloss paint on the necklace looks a bit funky. The eyebrows are very thin compared.

The printing of the tattoo on the left arm is particularly nice but take note that the paint used on the rubber arms is not 100 percent durable.

Articulation - **1/2
Lets talk about the arms. They are a rubber sheath over a metal armature which can give more than the recommended 100 degree bend at the elbow should you choose to risk the rubber. There is a hinge for abduction/adduction at the actual shoulder and a true ball joint located in the torso at the shoulder.

For a video game character that spends the bulk of her time shooting all manner of guns and rifles and whatnot, it's disappointingly awkward to pose the arms to hold the majority of the weapons included with the figure akin to how Sheva does in the game. This is really evident mostly when trying to get the figure to shoulder the guns included. Most noticeably confounding this is the lack of biceps articulation. The inner torso ball joint does help to alleviate this somewhat but usually this means contorting the torso rubber.

It kinda works, it just doesn't comfortably work and that is disappointing especially when considering the character.

Notwithstanding, you have the Female TT body, with it's superb double neck joints, good range of motion from the two torso joints, excellent wrist joints etc... The wrists joints were fairly stiff where they connect to the arm but swapping hands on the other end was unproblematic.

The hips are noticeably restricted which is mainly the fault of the pants. Forcing the hip joint to flex causes the velcro holding the pants closed to pull apart. Not great.

The feet can rotate and flex but do not allow inversion and eversion of the foot so the soles cannot sit flat on the ground in this way in deep stances.

The individual articulation points in isolation are all good, but perhaps more importantly the range of motion overall that the fully costumed figure offers is quite lacking in some respects.

Outfit - ***1/2
Its difficult to divide up the outfit and accessories a little but I'll stick to the soft goods and what was already attached in here and play the rest by ear.

The outfit is really exquisite, with the highlights for me being the belts. The scaling and detail just looks great. They function just like a real belt. But then again for all intents and purposes considering their construction, they are real belts. The belt buckles are plastic and so do not let the light kick off them as convincingly as a metal buckle, and the belt holes and studs appera to be metal so the contrast is a little more evident.

The holster on the thigh has excellent push fit closures but can pop open easily if knocked.

The arm guards are very accurate in the cut. Upon close inspection the thinness of the material does trace a line between flimsy or cheap, and realistically scaled, but from any sort of distant they look fantastic.

My major complaint with the outfit is the top. Its a marvelous piece and with all the details of the CG counterpart and some intricate webbing on the back. It's so nicely made if one could scale it up you'd feel comfortable wearing it. Mmm...maybe not. The cut of the V neck is very wide compared to the game character, although through no real fault of its own - the shape of the Female TT torso rather dictates that. More irksome is the coloration of the pattern of the top. The pattern itself is accurate, although not accurately positioned, but the purple used 'behind' the double zigzag sections should be about the same as the darker purple. This has two esthetic effects in that the low contrast means the pattern on those sections doesn't stand out which is a shame, but also gives a distinct purple/white vertical banding effect making it look akin to a jester's top, rather than...well, Sheva's.

The pants are really cool, very thin material to give a realistic effect. There are leg sleeves underneath which have small sections of foam over the front and rear of the thighs; presumably to add a little extra bulk and to fill out the gaps at the hip articulation, preserving the realism. The latter benefit marginalized somewhat due to the restriction the hip articulation has in the first place. The color used is debatable but nothing much to gripe personally.

Boots are awesomely made and I really like the choice to go with material rather than plastic or rubber in this particular case. The feet are noticeably smaller than the game model, perhaps no biggie, but there should be hoops on either side of the ankle to be accurate but they are only on the outside.

Special mention for the earrings that look great as well.

The band on the left biceps is a bit wide compared to the video game version and the color banding on it and the choker are a little off, the choker being the length of the color sections shouldn't be of equal length as they are. Additionally the colored balls on the necklace aren't accurate. All miniscule points really.

Accessories - ****
Weapons include:
Beretta 92FS
Vz 61 Skorpion SA
Ithaca 37
HK PSG-1
AK-74
Smith & Wesson Model 29
Benelli M3 Super 90
Hand Grenade

The guns are all amazing pieces, with all but the Ithaca having moving or removable parts, with some nice little touches like the removable muzzle break on the AK-74, the adjustable cheek plate and rubberized eye piece on the PSG-1, the break-open feature of the Skorpion and the moveable hammer on the magnum to pick just a few of the multitude of features the weapons sport. To be game accurate all the guns should have laser sights mounted, save the PSG-1, but only the Beretta and the Skorpion have them.

The harness, rather interestingly is made of a flexible plastic. I can't initially see the benefit of this over a material harness like used for the belts, other than the durability, considering the complexity of the harness. Regardless, functionally its sound and can hold the Icatha shotgun securely albeit somewhat loosely.

The radio and earpiece (the radio being carried over at least from the T:S John Connor figure) are very nice, the wire being flexible and poseable. It clips very securely onto the harness and the earpiece sits comfortably on the ear but alas, is prone to come off when turning the head in certain directions or when being overenthusiastic with the neck joint.

The knife sits snugly in it's sheath and fits perfectly in the gripping hand presumable designed specifically for it.

Sheva is left handed so the hands provided tend to work better in this configuration for the majority of the weapons included although a right hand 'pistol' grip is included and a more closed grip left as well.

You also get a stand...
You might need it since the figure isn't always the most stable of figures probably owing to the style of boot and the comparatively heavy torso and arms.

Value - ****
950HK$
Hmm...No, there's no need to mince words here, I think you are getting great value for every dollar paid here because the quality of the product is so superb. Beyond any esthetic or accuracy disputes the figure is amazing quality. The fabrics are fantastic, and the intricacy, detailing and execution of basically everything is stunning.

Things To Watch For -
Apart from due care and attention that this kind of figure would call for. Everything is sturdy but self evidently delicate - anything thin I suppose...perhaps pay attention to the wire on the radio set up where the wire meets the plastic jacks. Also the lanyard ring on the stock of the AK-74 has come off unbeknownst and its very small...

Overall - ***
On paper (or screen) it is easy to criticize certain aspects of the figure, but it is equally easy to disregard those aspects when the figure is in hand.

The head sculpt and the range of motion on the arms and legs are the biggest detractors for me. How those aspects balance out against the amazing accessories and superb costuming despite any nits they may have will vary depending on your preference.

For what Hot Toys accomplishes with this figure, the quality and detail, stacked with accessories and the innovation with the arms, its amazing. But for where it falls short, the questionable likeness, inaccuracies and hindered articulation, are unfortunate in light of other Hot Toys figures that have strived to get these elements correct.
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys
Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys

Sheva Resident Evil Biohazard sixth scale action figure by Hot Toys


This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Haru Haruko.

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