Review of Hit-Girl version 1 - Kick Ass sixth scale action figure

Introduction

I'm a huge fan of Kick Ass, perhaps the best movie Nick Cage has done in years. But while I enjoyed his take on Big Daddy, it was the young Chloe Grace Moretz who ruled the screen with her portrayal of Hit-Girl.

Medicom released a Hit-Girl figure last year, but oddly (at least to me), they started with her older look in Kick Ass 2. Maybe they thought the timing was better, maybe there was something in the licensing agreement that required it - I don't know. But that figure is still available at lots of online retailers, often below original SRP.

They finally got around to correcting their error, releasing the version I'm checking out tonight. This is the Hit-Girl we know and love from the far superior movie, and she's selling out at a whopping $225, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
The box uses poster style graphics of the actual character, always a plus. Inside on the fifth panel are some basic photos of the figure showing various accessories, and I suppose this is intended as 'instructions' of a sort. Inside the window box is the plastic tray that holds the figure and accessories, completely collector friendly and very easy to work with. There's nothing here that's outstanding, but it's attractive and functional.

Sculpting - ***
There are two portraits included with this figure, both sans hair. One head sports a closed mouth expression, with just a hint of a smile, while the other has an angry grimace showing off her pearly whites.

Both heads look good, but not great. While it's no doubt difficult to capture Ms. Moretz perfectly, without the hair and costume I doubt you'd pick out who this was supposed to be. It's close, but there's something slightly off.

The hair - so much hair! - is a problem as well. The hair is a separate piece from the heads, which allows you to put the mask on underneath it.  But removing the hair is not simple, since the ends of the wig wrap around her cheeks. It's necessary to pull them outward as you remove the head or put it in place, and not doing so (or not pulling them out far enough) can result in paint marks on the sides of the face.

The stranding on the hair is good, very fine and clean. But the hair is so big!  In photos it doesn't look bad, but in person I found it very distracting, particularly right out of the box. I got a bit more accustomed to it over time, but it's still very helmet-like.

The hands are sculpted to work with the various accessories, and they are in scale to this smaller female body. Speaking of which, this version stands a diminutive 10" tall.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is generally solid, although there's not a ton of it here. The eyes are sharp, if just slightly crossed, and the lips look good on both portraits. The teeth are just a smidge sloppy, but it's pretty minor.

The skin tone is well done, with a youthful smooth appearance. It reminds me of the work we've seen by Star Ace on the Harry Potter or Ron Weasley figures.

I particularly like the color of the hair, and the consistency in the tone and finish. The paint work on the gloves and boots is basic, but consistent as well.

Articulation - ***
Generally, Medicom bodies are highly articulated and very easy to pose. The reduction in score comes not from the underlying body, but from the restrictions imposed by the costume.

The double ball jointed neck has a rubbery skin cover, and it's a little on the thick side. It does restrict the lower ball a bit, and it can bunch up in certain poses - or when swapping heads - so be mindful of it.

The shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles, knees, hips, waist, and chest are all articulated of course, with a range of ball joints, pin joints, swivel joints and whatever else you can imagine. As I said, these can take very flowing, natural poses most of the time, but the tight outfit does hamper the posability, particularly in the elbows and knees. That's due in large part to the hard padding in both places, which tend to force the joint out flat.

While the boots are soft enough to get some mobility out of the ankles, it's not full range. You can get the feet flat on the floor in shallow stances, but it won't be possible in deeper stances.

The hands have the long wrist pegs Medicom is known for, and the hands swap easily with little danger of breakage. Like Sideshow, Medicom supplies a wrist peg for every hand, but I was shorted one post. Not sure why it was left out, but that sort of quality control issue shouldn't happen at this price point.

As a final note, the bottom edge of her cape has a thin wire, perfect for posing the cloth in dynamic ways. This only works well when the wire is thick and stiff enough to hold the material out stretched - thankfully, that's the case here.

Accessories - ***1/2
There are lots of hands included - 5 sets in all. These range from fists to splayed hands, with others designed to hold the guns and other weapons. They swap easily, and are nicely in scale. I believe they are also identical to those provided with the Kick Ass 2 version, although slightly smaller.

I mentioned that there are two heads, with different expressions. There's also a good assortment of weapons, including a bladed staff that can be used as one or two pieces.  When it comes to blades, she also has a butterfly knife, sculpted in the open position and not closeable.

To round out her weapons, she comes with two handguns. These are different guns, one smaller than the other, and they actually have specific hands that correspond to each. The sculpts aren't all that great, however, with no moving slides or removable magazines. The sculpt detailing is soft on both, and there's no paint detail at all.

Finally, she also has a clear plastic display stand, the same one that was provided with the first version. It works a bit better with this smaller figure, and can be used to do jumping or flipping poses.

Outfit - ***1/2
One of the best features of Hit-Girl is her bad ass yet girly outfit, perfect for a sweet kid just looking to mutilate criminals.

It starts with the silvery body suit, done in almost a gun-metal color. The small zipper is in scale, and the elbow and knee pads are affixed tightly and permanently. It's tight, but stretchy enough to allow for decent posing.

Over this she wears her plaid skirt and utility belt, all one piece. The detailed sculpting on the belt is particularly well done, as is the consistent color and paint work.

The boot sculpts are good, and the soft material does allow for some mobility in the ankles. The large soles make for great support in plenty of stances. I did have a quality issue with one of the boots, however. The small 'fins' or blades on the back of one kept falling out, and had to be re-glued.

The cape and mask finish things off.  The cape is very high quality, with an outer black and inner purple lining. I mentioned the useful wire inside the bottom edge, which can be used to add a more dynamic look to any pose.

The mask is the one area where I'm a little disappointed. It's made from a cheap feeling material, very thin, and it seems very fragile. I didn't have any trouble with it personally, but I'd take extra care when working with it. Note - there is a Velcro closure in the back, allowing you to adjust the fit.

Fun Factor - ***
While there is some limitation to the poses, when you add in the stand, you'll find yourself having a good time posing and re-posing her. Medicom does have a reputation for breakage issues with their bodies, but I didn't find anything here that was concerning or worrisome in that regard.

Value - **
Everybody seems to think they can charge $225 or more for a sixth scale figure these days. There's no arguing that this is a nice figure with a good assortment of accessories and a well done costume. But it appears as though Medicom (and to some degree, Sideshow) are upping their prices just to stay in the same ball park as Hot Toys. Other companies, like Star Ace, Asmus, ACI and ThreeZero are giving us similar quality and keeping it under $200.

Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned earlier, you will want to be very careful putting the hair on or taking it off. The tips curl inward and can easily leave marks on the face and head.

The sharp 'fins' on the boots are also easy to break or dislodge, so take note of them when handling.

Overall - ***
When Medicom announced they were doing the Hit-Girl from the second flick, I was uninterested, particularly at this price point. But I knew they'd get to the original version eventually, and I had to have her.  She's a great character, and it was a one time shot.

This figure doesn't have any one glaring issue, but there are enough minor ones that I ended up feeling disappointed when I first opened her up.  The sculpt is life-like and realistic, but I'm not quite feeling the likeness. The small blade on the one boot had to be re-glued right out of the box.  And working with the hair and mask was more frustrating than fun.

But the more I worked with her the less these issues bothered me, and by the time I was done with the shoot, I was glad I'd picked her up. The issues are still there, but once I settled on the head and had the mask perfectly in place, there was no need to mess with them further. In the end, it's the simple reality that she's over priced by $30 - $50 that holds her score down.

While the Kick Ass figure also has an SRP of $225, I've seen him as low as $190 at several retailers, and at that price, I just might have to snag him to give Hit-Girl a partner. If they'd just do a Big Daddy, I'd be all over that like hair on a bear - c'mon, Medicom!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has her for $225.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered a number of other Kick Ass related items, including the 6" figures from Mezco for the first movie, the 6" versions from NECA for the second movie, the 12" versions from Mezco from the first movie, and the cool Betsy Ross prop replica from NECA.

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