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Sculpting - ****
Hot Toys has been the leader in
quality sculpting for some time now, and they don’t disappoint here,
either. The facial sculpt is excellent, with a near dead-on likeness of
Ron Pearlman sporting a stoic, forceful glare. The details in the hair,
lines in the face, sawed-off horns, and bone structure are downright
amazing.
The head size, in proportion to the body, is spot on. As we move to the
upper body sculpt, which is a rubber skin over the Hot Toys male body,
we find that the skin texture, tattoo work, musculature and proportions
are all perfect. The rock-like Right Hand of Doom has extreme detail in
the patterns and again is perfectly proportioned to the body. Even the
details in little things like the shoes, belt, buckle and accessories
are all expertly executed. This is some of Hot Toys finest work in
terms of (super) human body sculpts. Bravo!
Paint - ***1/2
There’s not a huge amount of paint work here, but what is painted is
done very well. The color of the head is perfectly matched to the color
of the rest of the body; not an easy task when you have to match colors
on different mediums. The paint work on this figure is all in the small
details; from the tight lines of the belt and buckle to the insignia on
Big Baby’s handle to the deeper shadings on the Right Hand of Doom,
there is no evidence of slop anywhere. The fine work on the hair and
eyes reflects Hot Toys’ commitment of detail and perfection. No
complaints here at all!
Articulation - ***
Unfortunately, the rubber skin that features all that detailed sculpt
work hampers the upper body articulation somewhat. Posing of the arms
at the shoulder and elbow joints is restricted due to the tight fit of
the rubber skin. I didn’t want to force the arms into more extreme
poses beyond what is pictured for fear of breaking the joints or
tearing the skin. I couldn’t even come close to some of the prototype
poses such as holding Big Baby with two hands, or lifting it as high as
is pictured on the box. However, I consider it a fair trade off to
having those intrusive exposed shoulder and elbow joints seen on other
figures such as the She Predator. Head movement is restricted as well;
side to side posing is fine, along with getting a good tilt of the
head, but up and down movement is again limited, this time by the skull
line at the back of the head. The faux leather pants also reduce
extreme movement of the legs, and the heavy boots eliminates movement
at the ankles. Hellboy’s trademark tail is bendable, thanks to a thin
wire that runs inside of it, and the Right Hand of Doom has bendable
fingers. The figure stands well on its own without the use of the
included stand, as the heavy boots help stabilize it. Overall, the
articulation is good, but not great.
Outfit/Accessories
- ***1/2
In a word, outstanding. Hellboy’s overcoat is a combination of fabric
and faux leather trim, all stitched together tightly. The buckles and
buttons are well proportioned and very realistic. The overcoat hangs on
the figure nicely without looking puffy, which can sometimes happen
with clothes on a 12” figure. The utility belt is nicely designed and
executed, with working pockets and a holster for Hellboy’s Samaritan.
The faux leather pants fit well, feature padded thighs, and look great.
Hellboy comes with limited accessories, but what is included is well
done; an alternate left hand, a fisted Right Hand of Doom, and of
course, the Samaritan & Big Baby with removable shells. Also
included is the requisite adjustable stand with the Hellboy movie logo
in red. I would have liked to have seen an alternate head as well;
perhaps featuring a scowl or cigar, but I suppose you can’t have
everything. I can only assume the production cost of the rubber skin
may have placed a limit of the amount of accessories that could have
been included.
Fun Factor - ***
Hot Toys aren’t meant to be played with by youngsters, but they are for
the young at heart collector. Hellboy looks great sitting on the shelf
and displays nicely with other Hot Toys figures, or as an addition to
your existing Hellboy collection!
Value - ***1/2
Hellboy cost me $169 plus overseas shipping from Hong Kong, right in
line with other MMS 12” movie figures from Hot Toys. I have seen other
online sites offering it for slightly cheaper here in the U.S. thru the
usual Sideshow distributors; preorder it now if you want one, as I
imagine it will sell out fast and prices will escalate accordingly on
the secondary market.
Things to Watch Out For –
As with most Hot Toys figures, take care when swapping hands so you
don’t break the smallish pegs. I wouldn’t force the arms into highly
extreme positions either because of the tight rubber skin.
Overall
- ***1/2
In my opinion, Hot Toys has
crafted the penultimate movie-based, sixth scale Hellboy figure with
their newest Movie Masterpiece Series release. The overall fantastic
sculpting and paint work combined with extreme detail in the clothing
and accessories has resulted in an excellent product, worthy of high
end status and the associated cost. While the rubber skin does restrict
articulation to a degree, it’s a fair tradeoff to maintain detail and
more importantly, the elimination of exposed shoulder and elbow joints.
I highly recommend it to high end collectors and Hellboy fans alike!
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting ****
Paint ***1/2
Articulation ***
Outfit/Accessories ***1/2
Fun Factor ***
Value ***1/2
Overall ***1/2
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