Packaging - ****
Here's a terrific example of excellent packaging. I suspect the
rather stark nature of the front of the box is due in part to the subject
material, but the graphics on the inside flap are well done, with an
interesting style and design. The box is jet black, but in the photo
at the left it looks lighter due to the bright lighting.
While the graphics are a bit
sparse, the collector friendly aspects are in full swing. There's no
tape on the box, simply tabs on the top and bottom. The entire
interior slides right out, and the figure is already inside the display
case, along with the accessories in the usual tray. The whole case
is shrink wrapped, in case you want to display the figure in the case this
way.
Once you remove the shrink
wrap, the figure comes out of the display case easily, and all the
accessories pop right out of the tray. Included with the packaging
is a cardboard Nazi flag design which can be cut out and fits nicely in
the back of the case if you'd like.
There are actually two errors
on this early figure, that was corrected after the first 100 were
manufactured. One of those errors is with the flag - it's
reversed. Fortunately they caught that one before too many were
made. I'll mention the second error when I get there later in the
review.
Accessories - ***1/2
There isn't too much I'm listing under the 'accessories' title, since the
majority of his extras involve his uniform. The only thing I'm going
to put under this category is the display case.
That might not seem like
much, until you realize that this is pretty much the same display case
that Dragon was selling for $10-$15 each. I say pretty much the
same, because they've improved this case in a major way - it's larger,
both in width and depth.
I liked the Dragon case, but
this is definitely an improvement. There's three holes in the back,
and two included rings to allow you to attach the figure if you feel the
need. And as I mentioned earlier, you can cut out the flag and fit
it into the back of the case as a back drop.
Uniform - ****
This is one of the nicest overall uniforms I've ever seen, and that's
saying a lot. Sure, there are other uniforms that have had this
level of quality, but never with this sheer number of pieces.
Adolf starts out with white
socks and boxers. Yes, DP has answered the age old question boxers
or briefs for us. I couldn't resist the photo of Hitler as he might
look first thing in the morning.
Over this we have a very well
done, cuffed white shirt and brown pants. These are historically
accurate, done in a 'riding' pant style, and include decorative metal
rivets at the ankles that you won't even see if you don't remove the
boots.
The brown jacket is very well
cut, fitting him tightely but well. The belt and shoulder strap are
real leather, with a metal SA buckle, and metal hooks and clips.
Everything that would be metal in real life is here as well.
Soft rubber knee high boots,
a SA arm band, a Commander Cap, and a black tie finish off his basic
wardrobe. The tie is the only piece that I can find fault with, as
the top of the tie rides too high on the neck band. That's a minor
complaint though.
But that's not the end of his
outfit. He also has a full length field coat, also extremely well cut and
great fitting. And to top off his uniform, he comes with three die
cast metal badges (WWI Iron Cross, Wound badge, and NASDP pin) and a Iron
Eagle tie tack.
The pins are where the second
error occurred. The first 100 figures have a WWI Iron Cross with a
swastika in the center. That's most definitely incorrect - the WWI
Iron Crosses had a wreath. The prototype was correct, but when it
got over seas, an overzealous worker 'corrected' it, thinking that what
was intended was a WWII Iron Cross, which did have the swastika.
It's been fixed again, this time to it's correct version, so future
figures shouldn't have this error.
The quality on this uniform
is outstanding, with great stitching, great fit, and excellent
materials. I have great expectations for George Custer, a guy with a
really complex uniform, now that I've seen this figure.
Sculpting - ***1/2
The head sculpt was done by Eric Nickel, a well known sixth scale
customizer. One of the cool things I've noticed about DP is that
they use the talents of fans and collectors, rather than just industry
types. Another example is Andy Garringer, a long time collector who
will be doing the art work for several of the western packages.
Back to the sculpt - it's
definitely Hitler, although whether it's the Hitler you expect or not may
be very much up to personal bias. The head is a little small
compared to other sixth scale figures, although I didn't notice it until I
put him up next to a Dragon figure.
This is an older Hitler, and
the choice of a simple expression was wise. There's no grimacing
here, no ranting madness. There are several Hitler head sculpts
floating around right now, and this one certainly ranks well with them.
Paint - ***1/2
There's not a lot to talk about in terms of paint ops here. Other
than the face and cap, there's not really too much with extensive paint
applications.
But what is here is
excellent. And yes, Hitler did have blue eyes I'm told.
The paint work has clean
lines, with no bleed, and the face does not look zombified, or have any
sort of weird flesh tone problems like so many 12" figures do these
days.
Articulation - ***
The Hitler package claims 33 points of articulation, and I don't doubt
it. I stripped him down to check out the new body.
DP is going for the same
level of poseability as the other major players, like Dragon, bbi and
Sideshow. They've put together a similar, yet quite different
approach.
Adolf has a cut joint neck
(the heads can be popped on or off the bodies pretty easily, and there's a
neck post underneath), interesting ball jointed shoulders (see the close
up of the floating joint inside the chest cavity), cut joints on the
biceps, ankles and thighs, double jointed knees and elbows, ball jointed
waist and chest, wrist joints, and even a jointed foot.
Adding to the articulation,
the hands are a soft rubber with wires running through the fingers,
allowing you to pose each finger individually if you'd like. I don't
know how well they'll hold a weapon over time, but they worked really well
for posing the fingers.
Along with the changes to the
shoulders, feet, and hands, they've done something a little different with
the double jointed elbows and knees. The connector between the upper
and lower part of the limb is longer than on most other figures, and this
means that the two limbs can be brought together even closer, giving the
joint a wider range of motion.
The only negative here is
possibly the seams of the pieces. The long pieces of the body are
made from a very hard plastic, and I have some concerns that the seams on
these pieces may break apart after too much posing. I'm sure that as
DP gets more experience with the new bodies improvements will be made, not
to mention the improvements that will occur in the manufacturing process
over time, but it's the one area I'm a little worried
about.
Value - ***
$50 is pushing it in the sixth scale market, but it's rare that we see
something of this quality. Sure, in the Barbie world dropping fifty
bucks is pretty common, and even Hasbro often thinks they can charge that
much. But most of the smaller companies are working in the $35-$40
range.
Those figures don't include
quite this level of detail and accuracy though, and the addition of the
display case is an easy ten bucks added to the value.
Overall - ****
I have little interest in the subject material here, but I can't possible
ignore the great quality and detail. The outfit is fantastic, the
new body has great possibilities, and the desire for accuracy is
evident. With Sideshow and Drastic both working on some excellent
12" product this year, I'm going to be broke.
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