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Sculpting - ****
The sculpts on both portraits - regular
and snarling - are excellent, perhaps even better than the actual movie
character. He has a dangerous, deadly look, and either expression is
going to look great on the shelf.
The excellent sculpting
continues on to the arms, hands feet and legs, where the scales cover
the skin. These might look a little silly, since they are so long and
extended. But that works with the screen look, where his limbs were a
bit cartoony.
The extra hands and feet are
sculpted for specific
purposes, and all look great. It would be nice to have a few more, but
with the extra sculpting that was necessary for the arms and legs, I'm
not surprised we only got one extra set of each.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint
work on the scaly face is terrific, giving the detailed sculpt depth
and realism. The eyes have a glossy coat that gives them life, and the
teeth and tongue (on the snarling head) look excellent.
I also
like the choice of green. To me, it both matches the on screen look
fairly well, and it's not a cartoony shade. Green is a tough color -
too much, and it looks garish. Thankfully, this shade reminds me of a
lizard, but isn't too bright or outlandish.
The only reason the
paint lost a half star is because of the arms and legs. The scales and
detail here aren't highlighted in the same way. The work isn't as
realistic, and ends up a bit more toyish and plastic-ky. That being
said, I love the slightly translucent white on the finger and toe
nails. In person, they look amazing.
Articulation - ****
This is the latest version of their Prometheus body, with the inclusion
of those new long forearms and legs.
The
articulation is very good, including a number of true ball joints. The
neck is one of those, and has a reasonable amount of tilt and lean
action even with the large collar.
The shoulders, elbows, wrists,
hips, knees and ankles all work great. The ankles are true ball joints
as well, which allows the feet to lay flat on the ground in most poses.
That's always a big plus, and helps add a realistic look to deeper
stances.
There's the waist and ab-crunch
joint as well, and these aren't too restricted by the costume.
You
should have no trouble getting good poses out of this body, and it
flows fairly well. The long forearms make it tough to call any pose
'natural', but you'll be happy with the way he looks.
None of the
joints are loose either, a common problem with earlier Prometheus
bodies. Everything is tight and solid, and none of the joints feel
fragile.
Accessories - ****
I'm grading this on the exclusive reviewed here, which includes one
extra accessory.
While
'one' might not seem like a lot, it makes a huge difference. It's an
entire additional portrait of a snarling, angry Bossk. I've already
raved about the paint and sculpt in the earlier sections, but here it's
worth noting that the extra head really makes a big difference in the
Accessories and Value categories as well. I love the snarling look, and
I'm going with this one for my display.
There's only six other
obvious accessories. There's another set of hands, designed to hold the
grenade launcher, along with the very cool launcher itself. The sculpts
are great, and the gun can be held in a number of excellent poses.
There's
also an extra set of feet, a somewhat unusual addition. These feet have
the claw toes at a 90 degree angle, perfect for deep knee bends and
other action stances.
Hands and feet swap easily, and
they
all have their own pegs. The heads swap pretty easily as well, although
the snarling jaw puts a bit more pressure on suit collar.
He also
comes with the standard display stand with the Star Wars logo. You
won't need it - he stands great on his own - but it's nice to have for
consistency.
At first glance, that's it. But
upon closer inspection, you'll see some additional extras.
Several
of the pieces on his jumpsuit are removable, making them technically
accessories. There's a black switch or dial on the pant leg that's
removable, as well as all the canisters on his leg bands. There's 22 of
those! In addition, there are four of the smaller silver tubes on his
belt.
I'm assuming the larger cylinders on the legs are ammo
for the grenade launcher, and including so many is a nice touch. These,
along with the other removable extras, really adds to the overall value
and realism of the outfit as well.
Outfit - ****
So let's talk about that outfit. he's wearing his flight suit, a suit
that's very similar to the X-Wing pilot suit. The collar and wiring
hookup around the body appears to be completely removable (it's even
velcro'ed to the front of the suit), but I didn't' try to take it off
completely.
The
wires that run through the assembly are just that - wires. That makes
them a bit more sturdy, and you can bend them a bit to get just the
right look. Be careful of course - wires can still break.
The
cloth and stitching is very high quality, and the tailoring very good
considering the unusual physical proportions. The chest piece seems to
ride up a bit on him, but you can only bring it down so far, because
it's snapped in place along the bottom edge.
The legs of the suit
can be pulled down a bit as well, but like the vest they tend to ride
back up the funky legs. Still, even at the top position I think they
look terrific, and they cover the knee joint nicely.
Fun Factor - ***
While
this isn't a 'toy' in the true sense of the word, it is high enough
quality that with normal handling and posing, you'll have no issues.
Collectors will have plenty of fun finding just the right look for
their shelf.
Value - **1/2
The suggested retail on the exclusive is
$160, and because it's a Sideshow exclusive, you probably have to pay
it. With the extra head sculpt though, he's somewhat similar to the Hot
Toys Red Skull from last summer, and that figure was $20 more. You
aren't going to feel like this figure was a steal, but it's an average
value.
However, the regular edition is
only $10 or so less at
most retailers, and that's a bit too steep to pay without the second
portrait. But why would you when you can still pick up the exclusive
from Sideshow?
Things to Watch Out For -
When
you're swapping hands, take a little care. The wrist posts are a bit
thin and long, and while I didn't have any trouble, you could damage
them if you rush it.
Overall - ****
Sideshow has been doing a great job with the Star Wars license over the
last 18 months, especially when they've worked on the aliens and
troopers. With IG-88, Greedo and Boba Fett, they had a terrific start
on the bounty hunters, and this Bossk might be my favorite of the
entire series so far. Of course, part of that is my love for the
character design, but Sideshow deserves the kudos for this work.
Now all we need is 4-LOM and
Zuckuss, and I will be a very happy Star Wars fan. No announcements
yet...but I can always dream.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****
Where to Buy -
Sideshow has the regular
and the exclusive
still available for $160 each. Other online options for the regular
edition include these site sponsors:
- Alter Ego Comics
has the regular at just $148.
- Big Bad Toy Store
has him for $150.
- Things From Another World
comes in at $144 for the regular edition.
- Fanboy Collectibles
is at $144.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links -
Other sixth scale Star Wars reviews include:
- you should check out their
IG-88, and excellent companion to this figure.
- The Battle Droid and STAP is
cool as well, along with the double pack of Droids.
- other reviews include the Tusken Raider,
the Bepin Luke
(from Hot Toys), Sideshow's Boba
Fett,
the big Dewback and Trooper, Figrin D'an. the Sargeant Clone Trooper, Yoda, the Gammorean Guard, Admiral Thrawn and his command
chair, Lando
Calrissian, he Shock
Trooper, Darth
Vader, the Utapau
Trooper, the Imperial Stormtrooper, Captain Antilles,
Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan in Clone Armor, Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke, Han Solo,
Commander
Praji, Palpatine/Sidous, ANH Obi-Wan, Ilum Padme, Leia and Bespin Luke,
the Holo-chess set,
Sideshow's
Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin
Luke, the Endor
Troops, Jabba the
Hutt and his
throne, Bib Fortuna,
Jedi
Luke, Darth Maul,
Obi-Wan,
Bespin
Han Solo, regular Anakin
Skywalker and Kit
Fisto.
- I also have guest reviews of
the SDCC Anakin Skywalker,
Mace
Windu, Emperor
Palpatine and his throne, and Qui-Gon
Jinn.
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