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Hot Toys ERT Secret Service
With  G36C (Male) and P90 (Female)

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from 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."

Jeff Parker checks in tonight with a look at a very cool pair of Secret Service figures - What's the scoop, Jeff?

A big thank you to Michael, we’ve already had one cool guest review of the female Secret Service- Emergency Response Team (ERT) officer or ‘Cassandra’ as Gulherme likes to call her, but I thought I’d wade in with a double whammy of her and the male counterpart.

OK, there’s a situation at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, who ya gonna call? Well actually you have quite a choice, and to be fair you won’t have to call them, they’re already there, lurking in every shadow! (20th down in the list of federal agencies… Cheez, you guys take security seriously, lighten up a little!!!)

But right here, right now I am referring to the Secret Service- ERT, these are basically the guys who protect domestic dignitaries, the President, Vice President, Ex-Presidents, Presidential candidates and their families as well as Ambassadors and Embassies.

In the event of an assassination attempt or terrorist attack these are the frontline in protecting the targets from harm. So if you want a security detail for your VIF (very important figure) like Harvey Dent or perhaps the DiD Obama then how can you feel safe in your bed without this set, it also doesn’t hurt that the female officer is one of the hottest female figures of the year (OK, OK I know we’re only in February but go with me here!).
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Packaging - ***1/2
With HT military figures you know what you’re going to get, there’s no messing about, no clever-clever details, just a nice solid box, clean unfussy design showing the figure and the configuration of its accessories (thank the lord, because you won’t find any instructions).

It’s the classic 5 panel flap fronted box, the inside front panel has a clear plastic tray attached (easily removable so you don’t have to lay waste to the packaging), opposite is the deeper plastic tray housing the figure held down by five twisties surrounded by the bigger accessories not in the other tray.

Though unfussy these are still two very attractive boxes with nice weathered backgrounds and plenty of strong graphics and a host of images, so they both meet their brief more than adequately.

Sculpting - ****
These are two generic characters, not based on anyone specific though some have said they see James McAvoy in the male agent and Keira Knightly in the female, I admit I can see a ‘little’ of both, but certainly not enough for it to be them. 

They both have strong personalities coming through, if that makes any sense? What I mean is that ‘generic’ sculpts can often end up being bland and lifeless where as both these are very far from bland… or lifeless. 

The male has beautifully sculpted hair and a strong determined expression, the eyebrows are slightly arched and the eyes looking off slightly to the right. The female is slightly more pouty, but still deadly-serious with eyes straight forward, she’s beautifully sculpted, but beautiful as well. 

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys

If she were flesh and blood she’d be a super model, I’m getting a little Natasha Kinski coming through, but at the end of the day I think Yulli just wanted to give us a ‘hot’ girl that’s an amalgamation of many of the ‘hot’ actress’ du jour, be that Jolie, Knightly or Portman.

Now for the surprise, she comes with rooted hair instead of sculpted, (as will The Spirit Silken Floss figure) it’s a thing that polarises 1/6 collectors, though I have to admit I like both for different reasons. I still have many Takara fem figures and a couple of ZC Girls, I like them a lot but the aesthetic of the face sculpts is much more ‘doll’ like, meaning the rooted hair can make some feel they swerve too closely to the Barbie camp, this face sculpt however is very far from Barbie like. 

As I said, pouty but deadly in a good way, her mouth is slightly open, her nose rounded but well formed, her eyes are quite far apart making me think of yet another ‘beauty’ Uma Thurman (see, I said… they’re all in there!) whilst her hair sweeps across her face from a left side parting. The ears are fully sculpted but mostly covered by the hair. It’s often difficult to get the hairline right on rooted figures but HT have created an invisible ‘step’ so the hair is in effect counter sunk, a simple idea that works pretty well. The hair colour is one of the sticking points for some ‘military’ collectors as well, it’s an unusual tone. It looks like someone with mid brown hair has given it a plum rinse, it’s striking, there’s no two ways about it, but would a Secret Service agent necessarily want ‘striking’ hair ‘if’, like Marcus Brody they are required to blend in… disappear!
You may notice in some of the pics I decided to tie the hair back, I just used some fine string and I feel it was appropriate for a female officer in the field to do this, and what ever you think of the choice of colour it still can’t detract from the fact these two are sculpted beautifully, and if you go for the Sideshow version she’ll be blonde anyway… do they let blondes in the secret service?

Paint - ****
Apart from a few flourishes here and there on the accessories all the major work is on the heads. Both have subtle skin tones with the guy being slightly darker and having the airbrushed stubble growth. The eyes are super glossy and well picked out, as are the mouths, the girls being glossy as well meaning the sculpted details catch the light even better. They haven’t fallen into the trap of making the girls eyelashes too glam, it’s kept simple making her look far more like a woman on a mission rather than a date, so like the sculpting it’s all flawless, top marks.

Articulation - Him **** Her ***1/2
Well he comes on the standard True-Type (TT) so apart from any restrictions from the outfit (and that’s really only from the jacket) he’s very poseable. 

She comes on the newly developed female body, not quite as articulated as the male TT as it lacks the same range at the shoulders, and has no double knees, but the thigh is sculpted in such a way that the knee is in effect covered. I’m sure HT can and will eventually improve on this, but the aesthetic works very well. The torso is covered in a rubber material with a solid armature beneath, so although at first glance you’d think it is totally immobile, there is actually tons of movement in both her abdomen and neck. The hips move freely on universal joints, there are cut thighs and pinned and rocking ankles, her double-elbows can bend back on themselves completely and the hands (sadly only gloved) are on cut-ball joints with pins.

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys

Accessories - *** 3/4
HT military figures always come with a decent selection of goodies. Some have more than others but they’re never what you could call lacking. 

I’ve said before I’m no expert on firearms, in fact I’m very far from it, and I have to say the P90 that the female operative comes with looks more like a sci-fi fantasy firearm, but it’s a real world weapon, and the G36C that the guy has feels like real world Pulse Rifle… which is a good thing, to me anyway. 

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
All the weapons have articulated elements the P90 is literally covered in gizmos, torches, a transparent top loaded magazine, scopes etc (the scope and mag-light style torch even have flip up dust covers) I also found that by twisting the suppressor, it can come off leaving the snub nosed version of the weapon. The male officers G36 has a folding stock, removable magazine, the bar running along the top has a handle that flips sideways for cocking, the top section and front can all be stripped down, hell even the safety catch works! 

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys

Both the P9‘s have removable magazines and cocking mechanisms, all top sculpted stuff and very well put together. Here’s a more concise list of exactly what they get:

She has-
Handmic
Radio & Pouch
Tactical Gloves
Flashlight w/ Pouch
Pistol Magazine Pouch
2 x P90 magazines
Gas Mask Pouch
Sunglasses
Patch
P90
M9 Pistol w/ Holster
Ankle Knife

He has-+ Unifo
Low Profile Headset w/ Radio
Assault Gloves
Watch
Carbiner
Handcuff
Flashlight w/ Pouch
Pistol Magazine Pouch
Gas Mask Pouch
Utility Pouch
Goggles
G36C
M9 Pistol w/ Holster
Ankle Knife

The only things that are sorely missed are some un-gloved hands! Neither figure has any, but in fairness HT never said they would! 

There are plenty of male hands floating around out there and as most HT figures come with a good selection you wont be found wanting for the guy. However, unless you have the POTC Liz Swann (and are willing to remove her hands) you are going to find it difficult finding bare hands for the female, another set would have been cool, especially as I think this is gonna be many a kit-bashers wet dream come true, making this the only factor keeping them from a full score!

Outfit - ****
Like in accessories they share a lot of common elements (though obviously tailored differently) but have differing vests and main weapons, I shall ‘*’ the unique items-

She has
Tactical Jacket
Body Armour
Tactical Vest*
Police BDU (combat shirt and pants)
Tactical Belt
Cap
Assault Boots (mixed media)

He comes with
Tactical Jacket
Body Armour
Secret Service Vest *
Police BDU (combat shirt and pants)
Face Mask * (elasticised collar style)
Duty Belt
Cap
Assault Boots (mixed media)

I found that the body armour bulked up the female figure too much when I put her vest on, so I decided to leave it out, its more of an either or situation. But apart from that all the rest of the outfit fitted fine. Well I say fine, the bulky coats restrict quite a bit of the articulation and cover up so much of the cool kit I prefer both without them on, but they’re ideal for other kit-bashes, and although the cap fits the male well, the females silky hair means it struggles to get a good purchase, you’ll find plenty of positions where it sits well, but only for posing and photography, if you move her around too much it can easily get displaced.
Like other military figures you will have to do quite a bit of kitting up. The fiddliest bit on these is getting all the pouches on the belts, but although fiddley it’s all pretty straight forward. The vests are distinctly different, hers is similar to the one pictured here with a zip ‘n’ clip front and lace up back, it has no wording on it, but comes with a Velcro US flag patch. 

Where as his is a plain zip front with larger pockets and pouches on the back. It also has some white-out writing front and back saying WHITE HOUSE DIV, SECRET SERVICE and a printed Secret Service badge on the left hand side chest pocket.

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys

The jackets, vests and BDU’s have working pockets throughout, I was very impressed by the jackets as they bear no less than eight zip up pockets (actually I just discovered a couple of pockets are non-working) plus two inside pockets, a zip front, two zip side panels and a drawstring bottom.

The boots are cool too, as both are wearing properly constructed mixed media footwear, they have rubber soles, leatherette uppers and working laces. I think this is the first HT figure I’ve had with fully realised footwear. I love the fact that this makes the ankle articulation so much better, and in this case they actually look pretty convincing too.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
These are good solid stand-alone figures but as I mentioned above they also make for a great security detail for your ‘political’ or ‘important’ figures.

But because of the cool weapons and kit a lot of these will undoubtedly be parted out and end up in the hands of many kit-bashers. He’d make a great starting point for a black ops SWAT figure or even an early attempt at a Terminator Salvation John Connor where as the base female figure will become a thousand different ‘bashed’ women warriors be they modern or fantasy, as quite frankly she’s the best female figure I’ve seen in a long time, well since Machiko, but she wasn’t any where near as versatile because of her armour sculpted shins, feet and ‘unusual’ braided hair.

Value - ***1/2
I’ve said before that for those of us used to paying for ‘licensed’ figures the saving of $30 (or over) for figures that come with as many if not more accessories seems like quite the deal. I certainly feel these two are loaded with enough extras to make the price seem very fair, and I can see them both being handy for lots of background shots in my future reviews so I’m a very happy bunny!

Overall - ***1/2
I toyed with a full score, but the lack of un-gloved hands, her lack of double knees and the fact the jackets are a tad too bulky held me back.

I have to admit as soon as I saw these I knew I wouldn’t be using the jackets anyway, but I guess that’s not the point.

However apart from those few points I’m very happy with them, I love the weapons, mixed media boots and vests, plus they pose like a dream. So considering the price is in the ‘more reasonable’ bracket they deserve to be close to a full mark!

Where to Buy -
Sideshow have the female officer as a blonde special edition for $119.99, it’s up to you to see if ‘blondes have more fun’, and you can also find this blonde version at a couple of Michaels sponsors below:

Alter Ego- pre-order $107.99

Corner Store- pre-order $107.99.

Or you can hit eBay.
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys

Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys
Secret Service Emergency Response Team (ERT) sixth scale action figures from Hot Toys


Figure from the collection of Jeff Parker.

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