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There
were only 600 of the exclusive produced, with another 1250 of the
figure itself released. The regular figure sold for $90 through
Sideshow, although I have some sponsors (listed at the end) carrying
for less than $85. The exclusive version was a whopping $175, making
the frig an $85 add on. Ouch!
Packaging - ***
If you're only buying Indy, your score here will be higher. He comes in
the usual exceptional box, with tons of background text, magnetic
closures, and cool wrap around lid. It's all collector friendly too,
with the figure and accessories easily removed and replaced without any
damage necessary.
I'm
deducting some here for the frig, however. It comes in the usual plain
white box, or at least usual for the extra diorama pieces. But inside
that white box is that damn cheap Styrofoam, you know the kind, and
next thing you now that crap is all over the house. It's a personal pet
peeve of mine, and always costs in this category.
Sculpting - ***
The head sculpts that Sideshow has
produced in the Indy series - at least when it comes to Indy - have all
been good. They haven't always been properly sized for the Prometheus
body, which has hurt some (German Disguise Indy) more than others
(ROTLA). Here the head is still slightly too big, but it's as much of a
result of the slumped shoulders of the Pro body as the oversized
noggin'.
This is old Indy, not 30-ish
Indy, and the sculpt
reflects that. Actually, I think the sculpt doesn't look as old as it
should, oddly enough, but it's still a solid Ford portrait. It doesn't
shoot particularly well, but in person I'm reasonably happy with it.
The
hat is sculpted in place, always a smart choice. There was really no
need for a second hatless portrait, but I'm sure some folks would have
preferred it.
The hands he comes wearing are
intended to hold the
accessories, particularly the Webley revolver and the whip. They work
pretty well, and the softer material allows you to place the weapons in
the hands without damage.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint work on the head and hat is quite good, certainly better than
some releases we've recently seen. The eyes are clear and sharp, and
the stubble is some of the nicer production work we've seen from
Sideshow. This still isn't quite Hot Toys level, but that's a zenith
they're still shooting for.
Problems
we've seen before aren't present here. There's no bleed into the whites
of the eyes, and the skin tone is very lifelike and consistent. The
lips are just the right shade, and the finer hair work (like the
aforementioned stubble) is quite realistic.
Even the work on the hat is
great, showing wear and highlighting the sculpted texture.
Articulation - ***
This is the standard Prometheus body, and it's much tighter than what
most of us experienced with the original ROTLA Indy. The ball jointed
neck joint is particularly good, remaining tight in just about any
tilted, turned or twisted pose.
The
hands swap pretty easily, and each is complete with the full wrist peg.
They're quite sturdy, and breakage, while not impossible, is highly
unlikely.
I was able to get him to hold
some great poses, and the
Pro body is certainly an improvement over the old Buck. I still have
some issues with the hips, particularly the way they bulge in some
poses, and the shape of the shoulders makes the fit of the clothes a
bit wonky, but I'm not driven to swap out the body for a TrueType.
Oddly enough, I thought the body worked better for the old guy version
of Indy than it did for the younger version. Maybe it's the way the
pants ride high on the hips?
Accessories - ****
Now this is where this figure really shines! We get a ton of extras,
some we saw previously and some that are brand new.
I've
already mentioned the pistol a couple times, and it comes with not one
but two cylinders that are easily swapped. One is empty, the other is
loaded with bullets. The bullets aren't removable, which is a good
thing, since they are much too tiny to handle without losing them.
Actually, the
cylinders are a little too easy to swap. The Webley doesn't snap
closed, and the cylinder can pop out if you're not careful.
The
gun fits in the holster on the belt, which is made from real leather.
It's a little too thick and oversized, and I didn't like it riding high
on the hip like it came in the box. Instead, I loosened up the belt
almost all the way and dropped the holster down low on his leg. While
it's not particularly screen accurate, it didn't pooch out the jacket
as much and I thought it looked better.
This belt also has the
small loop with a magnetic closure that holds the coiled whip. The loop
is a little small, making it tough to get the whip to stay in place (it
tends to force open the magnet), but you can get it to work with a
little patience.
The coiled whip looks great, but
they also
included a bendy version that can be posed above his head, around his
feet, or any way you'd like. It's quite long, and the bendy feature
works well. The fit in his left hand is a little loose, but he can hold
it with a little effort on your part.
Speaking of hands, there's an
extra set in a fist pose. As mentioned earlier, they swap quite easily.
This
Indy also has his man purse, with a real leather strap and magnetic
closures. It looks great, although I'm not convinced that it matches
the on screen version perfectly.
Because this is Indy, he comes
with a few artifacts as well. There's the crystal skull,
which is
really well made. It's a very clear plastic with no mold lines, and
perfectly in scale. You may already have one in this size if you bought
the Gentle Giant crate that happened to have it inside, but if not this
is a great alternative.
There's also a ceremonial
Orellana mask,
as well as the Nazca dagger. Both are very detailed, with excellent
sculpts and paint work. These are nice adds, since you can improve the
display of any of your Indy figures with them.
Then there's the
fridge. The site claims the fridge includes polystone and metal parts,
and there are - the hinges and handle are metal. The racks on the door
are plastic as well, so it's truly a mixed media piece.
The size
seems a bit small to me, but old refrigerators were certainly smaller
than our modern day versions. The polystone outer shell has that
sculpted resin look - you know what I'm talking about, that slightly
irregular appearance that doesn't translate to a metal or machined
appearance. While the concept was cute, and the inclusion of the fridge
improves the already great Accessories score, on it's own it is
certainly not worth the extra $85.
Oh, I almost forgot - there's
also the usual display stand.
Outfit - ***
The quality and materials used on the outfit are top notch but the
underlying Pro body makes some of the fit and tailoring difficult.
The
leather jacket is a little short, but the fit is about as good as it
can get on the sloped shoulders underneath. The pants ride high, but
with the jacket closed a bit in front they look pretty good. Hey, he's
an old guy anyway - aren't the pants supposed to ride high?
The
boot sculpt is excellent, and these fit on the standard ankle pegs.
There's also an underlying shirt, s well as the normal belt to round
out the costume.
You know, the more I think
about it, the more I think I might swap this out onto a TrueType and
see how it looks...
Fun Factor - ***
The figure is pretty sturdy considering the price point, making it a
decent toy. But since Hasbro couldn't give away most of their movie
based action figures, I'd be surprised if any kids felt the need to
have this guy either.
Value - *
Remember, I'm grading the exclusive version here, not the regular. Had
I just picked up the figure, I would have given him a much better score
in this category.
But
the inclusion of the refrigerator doubled...yes, DOUBLED...the price.
And if we're going to be brutally honest here, it simply isn't worth
it. There's no way anyone (even me) would have paid $85 for
this
ice box on it's own.
Things to Watch Out For -
It's
pretty easy to loose the cylinder(s) for the Webly, since it flops
open on its own. Keep it in mind to avoid giving the cat something else
to play with.
Overall - **1/2
If I were grading the figure by itself, he would have garnered another
half star. The saving grace here is the excellent accessories, which
really are a nice addition to the display.
However,
getting the refrigerator exclusive cost some serious green, and simply
isn't worth it. Unless you're a serious Indy fanatic, I'd let the
exclusive slip on down the road.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- the exclusive with the fridge
was available only through Sideshow for $175. He's long sold out, but
you can get on the wait
list, or get on the wait list for the regular
for $90.
-
Alter Ego Comics
has the regular
edition for $81.
-
Big Bad Toy Store
has him for
$85.
- or you can peruse
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links -
I've covered quite a bit of Indy merchandise:
- Sideshow's last release was
the excellent Professor
Jones Sr.
- Sideshow has also done the German Outfit Indy, Toht (with Ark), Belloq with the Fertility Idol Environment,
and ROTLA Indy
himself.
- Medicom has released Dr. Henry Jones as well,
and Young Indy.
- and Hasbro did several
figures, including Indy in
German Disguise, Cairo
Swordsman and German Soldier, and two versions of Indy.
- also in approximately this
same scale is the Kotobukiya
Henry Jones Sr. statue.
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