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In Brazil, we say “waiting is
the best part of the party”, but I still
had a tough time trying in vain to track the package, Hong Kong, just
in the right size we know to contain a boxed 12-inch figure!
Was all the waiting worth? Well… letīs see! Dah! Whatever! Of course it
was!! Letīs just celebrate it!
Packaging: ***
The box have some very nice shots of Cassandra using her deadly
arsenal, and the title has a glossy finish which I find very classy. It
has a nice crispy texture on the box. Thatīs all very nice, but I think
itīs all pretty standard for high-end figures.
I liked the fact that there is a small credits list on the back, so we
get to know at least the names of the team involved in the creation of
the figure. This should be standard procedure for every collector item,
toy or not.
On the other hand, I missed some background information about what is
an US secret service agent, how they act, what they do, what is their
training, what weapons they use and how these weapons work, etc.
Background information are pretty common on superheroes boxes, and I
see no reason why it should be any different with military figures.
Actually, I think it is even more important. Like I said, I do not have
any connection with military world or weapons whatsoever, so it would
be nice to have that info and learn a little bit more from the toy.
The figure itself comes attached with four twisties, and her hair comes
protected by a plastic piece. There are several layers of plastic
shield to ensure no accessory will fall or be damaged.
Sculpt: ****
My wife will hate me for this, but I cannot give Cassandra any less
than four stars here. She is absolutely gorgeous. I do not think I have
seen many woman this beautiful in real life.
I was afraid her chin might be a little too slim, but the thing is she
looks marvelous on every picture, from every angle, so I really cannot
complain.
Her expression is both sexy and brave, and she has a few expression
marks for good measure, which allow her to play a variety of roles,
from tired secret agent after an all-night mission to angry girlfriend.
I do not think of someone in particular she resembles to; maybe she has
a little of Jean Grey from the old John Byrne classic X-Men. To me she
had to be Cassandra, for no specific reason. Sounded like her.
If I had to point some defect, maybe I would prefer she ha the mouth
closes – right, got the joke: most men prefer women when they have
their mouths shut. But that is not my case. This is really a question
of thinking that if in any aspect at all she is danger of crossing the
thin line between being sexy and a little sluty, that would be this
half-opened mouth. But as it is I can still live happily with that.
Most of the female action figures I saw, specially in kit bashes, go in
this wrong direction and end up, instead of looking sexy, looking like
a friend of Julia Roberts in the first scenes of “Pretty Woman”. So it
matters if a female action figure can be sexy and tasty at the same
time.
About that, I would also like to mention that this is my first female
Hot Toys body. While I think it has some compromises in the
articulation department, she does not have that ridiculous thin waist
Sideshow puts on the figures, not that monstruous breasts DC Direct
puts on theirs, nor the porn-star shape BBI does, which is totally
unsuitable for a superhero or secret agent. So, sculpt-wise, this is a
nice body.
I would also like to point that Hot Toys went for rooted-hair, but made
it in such a way that it stays in relatively in place, maybe slightly
decomposed, which is only right for the character.
Paint: ***1/2
There is not really much
painting here, but what is there is pretty well done. Both the lips and
the eyes have a glossy finish, and she has some shade on her face which
adds a lot to realism. The glossy eyes, to me, are one of the Hot Toys
signature offerings. And the lips were a nice touch, because I always
hear about how women keep on caring for their beauty even when dealing
with the hardest job. So it makes me imagine Cassandra putting her
lipstick inside one of her pockets before going to a mission or
relaxing in white t-shirt after she gets home. One could think it is
not so hard to paint lips, eyes and faces after, but I have tried to do
it many times in my customs, so I know well what it takes to make such
a good job.
Articualtion - **
I had a pleasant surprise when I took the figure out of the box. I
thought she had a fixed neck, but she actually has a rubber torso,
which hides a neck as articulated as any from Hot Toys. It is a softer
rubber than I have seen before, so it practically does not restrain
movement. I am afraid how this will resist to the course of the years,
but for now I am happy.
In spite of that… It breaks my heart, but the score has to be lower
here. There are two reasons for that:
1. the gloves are too restrictive for the hands. In theory, they have
the same double-articulation we see on every HotToys, but it actually
can only work as a cut-joint.
2. The knees have a single-joint articulation, which only allows her to
make a 90 degree movement. I have tons of Max Steel action figures and
I forgive them for such a limited movement, but on a Hot Toys… that
cannot be. The feet do not have the same range of movement as the True
Type either. It is a shame really. Double-jointed knees are one of the
main articulation an action figure must have, in my opinion. It adds so
much to the dynamics and realism. I can think of several poses
Cassandra will not be able to perform, even in her immediate
environment.
No doubt Hot Toys should think about a better articulation for the
female body.
Outfit - **1/2
The basic outfit is pretty simple: black shit, plant pants and boots.
While they are well done, there is not really anything spectacular
here. I would imagine secret service agents use lighter and more
flexible type of fabric underneath all their equipment. The shirt has a
nice feminine design, but the pants in general look a little masculin
to me. I would prefer if it had a lower waist. But I do not know if
this is for accuracy sake. In any case, I donot see here anything that
is so far away from a regular GI Joe fabric costume, or that one could
not get with a kit bash, and for the price asked I always expect it
from Hot Toys.
The big jacket is an exception; it is very detailed. But it hides so
much of the figure I think I will not use it.
The cap was a low point for me. It just does not fit well in her,
although it is possible to find a good angle on the pictures
so that it will not appear so much.
Accessories - ***
Besides a couple of nude bodies, my only figures by HotToys are
Superman/Clark from the Returns movie, and ED-209. While I love them so
much, I have always felt they are too overpriced considering the
accessories area. I could never be in peace with the fact that a Power
Team figure, which I consider of very good quality, costs a tenth of a
HotToys an brings ten times more accessories.
But getting Cassandra, my first military Hot Toys figures, made realize
that might have to do with licensing issues, because she has got plenty
of stuff to play with. If I do not give four stars to her, that is
because she does not have an extra par of bare hands, nor a
stand. Let us divide everything in categories and talk about that.
1. Extra hands
They are not here. It is a big shame, since the gloved hands are so
restrictive in the movement area. She had to have bare hands, and maybe
a couple of extra poses as well. I do not understand why Hot Toys is so
economic on this area. Come on! We are spending a small fortune on
these figures; just include three sets of hands on each!
2. Stand
It is not there. I always read Michael saying a good 1/6 action figure
should not need a stand, and I completely agree. But, now that it is
not here, it makes me wish it was. This female body is not as nearly as
stable as the True Type and I just do not trust it will not fall from
the shelf.
3. The P90 machine gun
I guess this is the big star here, since its name is on the front box.
Like I said, I do not know anything about military equipment, but from
what I saw on the internet, this is a very accurate reproduction of
this weapon. It is pretty detailed, with lots of moveable parts. The
only problem is not its fault, actually: because the gloves restrain
the hands movement so much, it is not easy to find a good shooting pose
for this weapon.
4. M9 pistol
Very well done, again with lots of detailing and moveable parts.
5. Knife
I am not sure if the blade was supposed to move. I like it, but I wish
it fit a little better in the hands. The way it is, it is not possible
for the figure to hold the knife.
6. Radio
Nice, with the Motorola logo printed on it.
7. Lights
Pretty reproduction, but again too thin for Cassandraīs hands.
8. Bullet proof vest
Simple, well done, fits very well, does its job. But since we have to
choose between it and the cool tactical vest, I bet most guys will not
use it.
9. Tactical vest
This is the most elaborate accessory. It is very nice, with lots of
texturing, pockets and places to keep all the other accessories. It
looks very nice on the body.
10. Sun glasses
Nicely designed and fits perfectly on her face.
Fun factor: ***
I still think of my action figures as toys more than anything else. To
me Hot Toys, GI Joe, Max Steel and Power Team are all in the same
universe. This figure is as playable as any toy we have on various
rooms for me and my kids to play. Of course, in this case, their hands
will be far from Cassandra, because she has so many small accessories
with tiny breakable parts, but, apart from that, she is sturdy enough
to support hard playing. The basic figure is not on any risk of
breaking if falling or anything.
I had the most fun posing, dressing and undressing her for the
pictures. When the times comes to use her on my photostories, I am sure
she will always be a thrill.
If I do not give her four stars here, that is because the single
jointed knees, which limits posing so much. I know I have already
graded her low on the articulation section because of it, but this is
such a big problem for the fun that it deserves losing a star here too.
Value: ***
Oh, yeah! I had forgotten I had to pay for her! Maybe it will come
stronger to me when my credit card bill arrives in a couple of weeks… I
was lucky the customs did not tax this one, or it would have cost me
twice as much. The way it was, it was $130, including shipping from
Hong Kong to Brazil, and that is just about what can be found on eBay.
I am sure Michael will have some excellent suggestions with his
sponsors.
Had she an extra pair or two of bare hands and a double-jointed knee, I
could give her four stars. Apart from that, she has pretty much
everything that she could.
Knowing figures from all kind of price range, I think $130 is arguably
a fair deal on such a gorgeous figure like this, but still…
Not long ago someone could be put into treatment for spending this much
on a toy. I remember when I got my first Hot Toys, Clark/Superman
Returns, I lingered for many weeks until I did it, on the basis that it
was really an unique item of a very dear character and that I was madly
curious about seeing a Hot Toys in person, but it made me a bit sick
for quite a while and it was a long time before I took the figure out
of the box to have a proper look at it. Now suddenly it is normal to
spend 100 bucks on an action figure. Crossing lines is a very dangerous
thing.
I am in Brazil. A considerable amount of our families live with that
much for a month. For a middle-class guy like me, this is the kind of
acquisition that weights on the house bills, it really has to be
planned and implicates on several sacrifices. One has to have very good
arguments to spend that kind of cash on a toy and still be in peace
with his conscious here.
I was so enamored of this figure I decided to face it all. Only because
of that I am giving three stars. She is gorgeous, she might be the best
female figure of my life, so all things considered it was a fair deal.
But I do think these high-end figures in general are away too
overpriced, and, honestly, not all of them give the right value for our
money. I admit Hot Toys has a way of reaching a few very sensitive
points of me, but I also now that right now there are on the market
quite a few low-price figures of excellent quality, and the distance of
them and high-end brands is getting smaller every day. Even among the
top brands of action figures, we find very good items that will cost
half the price of a Hot Toys. Seriously, it is about time we collectors
think more carefully about that and think about how we will react to
it. For my turn, I am already being very very very selective about what
I get.
So Cassandra here gets three stars, but that is because she was just a
special figure to me, therefore it cannot be seen at all as a reference
to judge other figures.
Things to Watch Out For -
She is very sturdy, so there is not really anything too worrying.
The rubber body concerns me a little. I trust Hot Toys thought about
it, and that it will be alright as the years go by.
I suggest the tactical vest has to be prepared before being put on the
figure. It is better to put everything on the belt and all, and then
dress it.
One thing important: the knife falls very easily from its pocket, so
there is danger of losing it.
Also, the US flag that can be attached to the tactical vest tends to
fall easily too. By the way, none of the pockets on the figure closes
well. It is a good idea to check them before taking pictures.
Both the P90 and the M9 weapons have a couple of tiny breakable parts.
I accidently damaged a bit of the fixing point on one of the P90
targeting lenses, so it is a bit fragile and requires a bit o care to
be handled.
Overall: ***
This is the best female sculpt I have ever seen, with lots of
ultra-cool accessories, most of them of top-notch quality, and a
priceless charm. I will discount a bit because of the knees joint and
the lack of extra hands and stand, but apart from that she is
everything I hoped for. Considering how beautiful she is and how unique
she is in the toy universe, Hot Toys price tag was a fair deal on this
one.
SCORE RECAP:
Packaging: ***
Sculpt: ****
Paint: ***1/2
Articulation: **
Outfit: **1/2
Accessories: ***
Fun factor: ***
Value: ***
Overall: ***
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