SEARCH REVIEWS    LIVING WITH LATE FEES    FEATURES    LINKS    BIO    MISSION    EMAIL    MAIN PAGE >


Hot Toys Cosbabies
Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by 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 joins us tonight with a look at another of the Cosbaby series from Hot Toys - what's the 411, Jeff?

Well after the recent Batman Cosbaby review here we are on series 7, based on Tim Burtons classic neo-gothic fairy tale Edward Scissorhands.

It came sandwiched between the releases of his two Batman movies (c’mon Hot Toys, give us a 1/6 Keaton Batman you know you want to!), and for many ‘serious’ movieophiles ‘Scissorhands’ was the first time they sat up and truly noticed Burton’s talents. He’d had a solid start and favourable box office with Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Beetle Juice, but then Batman became a worldwide smash. However it was Ed Scissorhands that cemented his position as one of the few auteurs left working in Hollywood today. It also marked the first of six collaborations with Johnny Depp, soon to be 7 with Alice in Wonderland now in post-production and pencilled in for a 2010 release.

While writing this, it occurred to me that there has been a loose ‘six degrees of separation’ theme running with these Cosbaby sets (enter Cosbaby in search for that link!). The first Pirates of the Caribbean was based on a Disney theme park ride and starred Johnny Depp, as did Edward Scissorhands, which was directed by Tim Burton who also directed two Batman movies and the remake of Planet of the Apes. Leading nicely to the fact Michael Jackson had a monkey (well, actually a chimp, which isn’t a monkey but a Great Ape).

Ironman, like Batman is a millionaire industrialist based on a comic character, and Ironman's outfit was designed for the movie by Stan Winston studios, who also designed the Predator whose brethren featured in AvP and AvP: R… there I think that covers all the bases… OK, OK the Michael Jackson one was weak but he also used to spend an inordinate amount of time and money visiting Disneyland, so double whammy!

If you can think of others please send your answers on a postcard… not really.

Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys

Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys

Packaging - **1/2
If you’ve ever bought a Cosbaby before or read one of these reviews you will know they come blind boxed. But as I’ve also been over before, many sellers, both online or in ‘speciality’ bricks ‘n’ mortar shops will sell them either opened or with a little sticker on the side to let you know what figure you are buying. The front of these is quite cute, showing the classic movie poster but with the Cosbaby Ed poking his head in from the side.

The set comes with 6 regular figures and a chase variant… and this time as a ‘first’ I actually have the chase!

The selection is-

- Edward Scissorhands (classic version)

- Edward Scissorhands (casual version)


- Edward Scissorhands (sleepwear version)

- Kim 

- Cooking Machine 

- THE ICE ANGEL 

And the chase is-

- Edward Scissorhands (Dinner jacket version)
 
It’s a variation on the ‘casual’ version, but wearing his black suit jacket, it’s a nice extra but I was secretly hoping for a figure of the inventor.

Like always they come polly-bagged inside identical cardboard boxes, these have the Edward Scissorhands graphics on the front with the character selection pictured on the back. Simple, functional and effective!

Sculpting - ***1/2
These are little figures, just 3” high, and are Hot Toys unique take on characters from an ever growing number of iconic and cult movies.

They all follow a similar aesthetic and virtually all the human heads look quite similar with their oversized cartoon eyes and little button noses.

All four of the Ed’s have identical heads and hands, and the detail on his tiny scissored appendages and mop of crazy hair is observed very nicely, then translated into the Cosbaby style, the separate blades aren’t articulated, however they still have a ton of detail for this scale.
The rest of the Ed outfits are all quite individual and are sculpted differently so the bodies aren’t just repaints, I especially like the regular/classic outfit, which shows lots of detail on the tiny rivets, straps and buckles, but the braces and trousers (suspenders and pants) on the casual version are cute too. Kim comes in her white party dress with her hair in a Cosbaby approximation of the style she wore, so don’t expect a facsimile of Winona Ryder in her outfit, the ice angel is sweet showing the hands in a praying pose and little wings on the back. I think it might have made sense for this figure to have been un-articulated, as ‘lets face it’ a statue doesn’t move, and for some reason, perhaps the transparent plastic used, it’s the loosest Cosbaby figure I’ve had to date. Lastly we get the cooking machine, one of the Inventors other creations. It’s a quirky choice and I admit to liking it, but the Inventor himself or a piece of topiary might have been more obvious. The weird thing is, it’s one of those movies you’d expect to have an abundance of possible figures, but it’s strange how few visually striking characters there are… apart from Ed himself of course!

Paint - ****
Taking into account their scale these are very impressive, and as in sculpting, all the Ed’s have identical paint apps on the head and hands. But the outfits are unique and painted beautifully, with lots of tiny details picked out. 

Kim is pretty straight forward as her outfit is pure white but her face is painted well. The cooking machine is like a robot Ed, and is painted in some nice metallic tones with straps, buckles and scissored hands all picked out accurately. Lastly the Ice Angle, she is completely paint free as it is cast in blue tinted transparent plastic but this does a good job in mimicking ice, especially when back lit.

So, these are again par for the course in the Cosbaby line where consistency rather than innovation is the order of the day, and these fit in fantastically with the other series that went before.

Articulation - ***, Ice Angle + Cooking Machine **
Generally all the Cosbaby figures have basically the same articulation. The head can turn and tilt from side to side, the arms have pop in ball joint at the shoulder, a push in peg at the wrist and a simple tube shaped leg with a pop in ball joint at either end for the hip and foot. It’s pretty basic but allows for a little ‘personalisation’ when posing.
There is a little variation here though, as the Ice Angels arms and hands are sculpted in a praying position whilst the Cooking Machine has no legs and is static on a pole stand. As I mentioned above the Ice Angle has slightly looser joints on her legs. She’ll still hold a pose just fine, but I felt it was worthy of note.

Accessories - N/A
Ya gets nuttin! 

Outfit - N/A
All is sculpted!

Fun Factor - ****
When I reviewed the Batman set, I said I thought they were an easy sell, as you can stick the Bat-logo on anything and it instantly becomes 100% more desirable, but Edward Scissorhands, though popular is more of a cult classic. So I can definitely see them being in demand and selling, but perhaps not quite as quickly.

However, popularity aside, like all the other Cosbaby figures there is no denying the fun element to them, and they certainly make you smile… my wife has already nabbed one for her desk at work!

Value - ****
At $8.50 each or just over $7.50 if bought as a set I think these are a four star item, the recent Batman set were changing hands for $12 to $13 each so for over $3 less, these are nothing short of a bargain. However, I’d be tempted to at least secure the Ed figures you want with some haste. I’m pretty sure they will sell first, but that’s to be expected, as an imported licensed figure for under $9 is a rare commodity these days.

Overall - ***1/2
Based on an individual basis these are nice figures, however as a set there is a lot of repetition of Ed. But to be fair, most people will just want to pick up an Ed for their desk or shelf, so it makes sense to ensure the casual buyers are well catered for. As far as quality is concerned they match up to every Cosbaby set that has gone before, and for a small pocket money collectible they show a great degree of care has been taken in their production.

Score Recap -
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***, Ice Angle + Cooking Machine **
Accessories - N/A
Outfit - N/A
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ****
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
Sideshow has them on pre-order for $8.50 each, they also seem to have had an AvP: R Cosbaby re-stock.

Corner Store has them on pre-order for $45.90 (set of 6 no chase)

If in the UK you’ll find them here - Forbiddenplanet.co.uk £7.99 each

Or you can try eBay where they are between $45 and $55 a set.

Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys
Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys

Edward Scissorhands Cosbaby figures by Hot Toys


Figure from the collection of Jeff Parker.

This page copyright 2000 - 2008, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved. Hosted by 1 Hour Hosting.com