So poor Edward ends up looking like an innocent hairdressing S&M fetishist crossed with Frankenstein’s monster, if that makes any sort of sense?
A passing Avon lady makes a chance visit discovering Edward all alone in the vast mansion, and so seeing how pitiful he is, she decides to take him into her home and attempt to give him some sort of ‘normal’ life within her family. 

But how will Edward fit into a family, and what will suburbia make of him.

Of course it’s a parable about alienation and acceptance, but it’s dressed up so beautifully in the form of a modern (well 1950’s) fairy tale that you never feel like you’re being preached to, in stead you just enjoy the ride, and hope Edward will end up in a safe place… after all, fairy tales always have happy endings… right.

Hot Toys (HT) unveiled their Edward figure nearly 6 months ago, and it was instantly apparent that for legal reasons Johnny Depp’s likeness could not be used. It would seem that though 20th Century Fox still owned the rights to the character, the likeness would have to be more generic. I spell this out as if the most important thing for you is to have Depp’s likeness then I suggest you go and buy one of the HT Jack Sparrow figures. If however you are more a fan of Burtons ‘uncommonly gentle man’ then read on.

Packaging - ****
To fit in with the fairytale theme Hot Toys have wrapped Edward in a large blue embossed ‘mock’ leather-bound book. It’s all just made of cardboard, but it’s textured and printed to mimic an antique tome with block printed illustrations and writing. The side panel is held by Velcro and once opened exposes the ‘mimicked’ image of the pages of the book on the top, bottom and right hand side. The front cover then opens to the left to show the window with a fully assembled and dressed Edward lying next to his accessory. The panel opposite illustrates the figure and the details of his costume above a list of the production credits.

Interestingly the name of the head sculptor is omitted, I guess that even though it’s a beautiful sculpt, the fact it doesn’t look like Mr Depp meant who ever did it, doesn’t want to risk being associated with an Edward Scissorhands sculpt that ultimately doesn’t look like the actor who portrayed him. 

This is a shame as we all know from experience that when ‘allowed’ HT tend to hit the nail on the head… but back to the box!

This ‘description’ panel is also held by Velcro at the top, so once undone it flaps down and opens up to expose a very cute ‘pop-up’ image of Edward surrounded by his topiary and paper cut outs. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this, and it really adds to the over all feel of this being an elaborate old fashioned nursery book… which of course it isn’t!

Inside the tray Ed is held secure by 5 twisties along side his paper cut-out accessory and base stand, the support for the stand is plastic wrapped and taped to the back.
It’s another top flight box designed by TF Wong who was also responsible for the recent Ironman boxes as well. It’s a fun, quaint package full of charm. and embodies the character perfectly (and my kids just love it!). How could something this ‘cute’ not get a full score?

Sculpting - ***1/2
This category is a toughie; it’s a bit similar to the ALIEN Cosmonaut figure of Kane all over again, as just like on that figure, for what ever legal reason, HT weren’t granted the rights to use the actors’ likeness. 

So, you have to ask yourself would you rather HT just didn’t bother at all, or would you rather have the best they can do with the situation. 

Well I’ve been a fan of Burtons work for years, and would have dearly loved for this to be the perfect Johnny Depp sculpt, but as it is I’m just very glad to have such a cool depiction of the ‘character’ given this much love and attention.

They have given him quite a haunted look, which is right for Edward, but it somehow lacks the innocence that Depp brought to the role. 

It still encapsulates a lot of the characters aesthetic, with the gaunt cheeks and facial scaring, and from some angles I feel like you can see some of Depp in there, but then I wonder if it’s just because of the association with the character, as at the end of the day, his is DEFFINETLY not Johnny Depp. The hair is a fantastic sculpt suiting the character from some scenes in the movie more than others. That said, here it does seem a little too ‘piled up’ and could do with a bit more weight and body at the sides. However the detail is all there and the sculpt is so good that Joseph Tsang IS happy to be credited with its creation.
Nevertheless, Edward is so complex that the sculpting doesn’t end with the head… Hell, we haven’t even started on the outfit yet, let alone those hands! 

Many of the buckles and straps on the outfit are sculpted whilst others are pleather with actual buckles, but wherever elements are ‘mock’ strapping, they still work very well, but it’s a shame they couldn’t all be as authentic as the ones on the legs, upper arms and groin as the real buckles, rivets, studs and lacing here work fantastically.

The hands are just beautiful; every blade/digit is articulated, even the thumbs, sometimes with multiple joints like opening scissor blades and jointed levers connecting them to the arms. Some of these levers are metal wire, while others are softer plastic so they can stretch and bend as you move the hands and blades. The whole effect is very convincing but I’ll have to hope my pics can convey just how cool it all looks and how well it works. 

So, I based my final score on the figure as a whole, I virtually disregarded the ‘likeness’, but if you want Johnny as Edward, then this ain’t for you and the score would be far lower, however if it’s the character you want, then it’s unmistakable!

Paint - ***1/2
Edward does not look like a well boy, in fact he looks positively ill, his sallow complexion, the dark rings around his eyes, the self harming (all be it involuntary) add up to a character who is crying out for help, and of course in this tale he gets it, but his Emo Gothic Borg ‘look’ remains the same. 

Regardless of the sculpt this is another top paint app, his flesh tones are very wan and washed out, his eyes are deep set and dark, his lips are also painted in quite a deep tone, but I feel could have taken even more depth of colour, as in the movie his lips seemed even darker, which emphasises their scaring even more. The eyes are crisp and beautifully glossy as we now expect from HT, catching the light well and giving a lot of life to his finished look.
His hair is unpainted like the Enterbay ‘Bruces’ and the earlier M-Icon Wong Ka Kui, letting all the detail come from the sculpt catching the light and shadow, and with the amount of layering and separately constructed segments his hair has, painting it would be a nightmare. 

There are also some paint details on the scissored hands, the main body of them is weathered steel, but smaller details are picked out in red, black and bronze. The chest strapping, belt and boots also have the buckles, studs and badges picked out, all this is done with the usual HT flair and attention to detail, I do have a couple of miniscule areas of over-painting on two of the tiny rivets, but you have to look hard under direct light to see it, so realistically it’s virtually faultless.

Articulation - ***
There is no way I’m ever going to try and strip this figure down, the outfit is way too complex, but suffice to say it is so tightly tailored to the body that some articulation suffers. However those of you familiar with the movie will be more than aware that the character is far from athletic. He basically shuffles around everywhere trying not to cut people, so while he’s never gonna do a flying drop kick he can strike pretty much any of the positions Edward did in the movie.

Under the outfit it would seem that Eddy is sporting a slim TT body, so any problems with articulation are due to the outfit, but I’d bet the actual costume would hamper you when kitted up, just as much! So be prepared for the articulation to be restricted (there’s even a metal pin sticking through the back of the right boot, meaning that the knee can’t bend very far) and you’ll know what to expect.

Accessories - **
Edward really can’t use many accessories as with those hands he just can’t hold anything, however we do get the classic HT stand and a bright red paper cut-out, this is quite a cute little item but I think he looks so cool just standing in his iconic arms outstretched with the ‘scissored hands’ hanging down, that I can’t imagine I’ll use it much.

Likewise I’ve managed to get him standing fine on his own, so the stand won’t be used by me much, but it’s there for any of you who prefer that look.

I’m considering getting a bonsai privet bush to start a little topiary, it’d make for a cool little display!

Outfit - ****
Now this is the area where Edward really, truly shines, the outfit is another 1/6 work of art. 

Like on the Medicom figure it’s a mixed media affair utilising different finishes of pleather, PVC, plastic, rubber and metal. He has a base pair of pants and a long sleeve top that Velcro’s up the back, both garments are made up of multiple panels that are all black but with different textures and finishes with roughly hewn edges and over-stitched seams. On top of this suit he has pleather straps on his left leg and upper arms, a pleather codpiece with decorative straps hanging from it. There are moulded plastic boots, a plastic belt and plastic strapped chest bindings. These various pieces all come together to create a very layered and complex looking figure. 

Back when I got the Medicom Ed I said how impressed I was with his outfit, well HT have managed to improve on it greatly, this is a far more authentic representation of his attire, and looks virtually screen perfect to me. Its only downside (though it’s tough to consider it a downside, as it seems totally accurate) is the nature of the tight tailoring restricts some movement (as I just went over above) but it looks fantastic!

Fun Factor - ****
This is definitely one for your hard-core fans. His outfit and hands make this far too fragile to be used as a toy, and the lack of Johnny Depp’s likeness means only true Tim Burtonophiles will want him, but if you are in this group then you’ll be ecstatic with the results. The outfit is just stunning, and whilst the sculpt isn’t Johnny, it’s 100% Edward, so the choice is yours.

I have to admit when I love a character, I find it hard to give it anything less than full marks under ‘fun’ as I just get such a kick out of seeing something I’ve wanted for ages brought to 1/6th life… especially when done this well.
However, if you want a cheaper, and dare I say it more ‘fun’ version, then there’s also the Cosbaby set I reviewed a couple of months ago.

Value - ***1/2
Purely from a tailoring and engineering angle this figure should deserve a full score, the box is a great looking piece of design, so the only thing really letting it down is that sculpt, not because it’s bad, but because it just isn’t Depp. However people seem to be voting with their wallets, as at $159.99 Sideshow have already sold out. 

If you’ve been a fan of Edward Scissorhands for ages, then this is the best 1/6 version available right now. McFarlane did some good versions in differing sizes a couple of years ago, and who knows with the success this figure is having SS might be tempted to give us a Premium Format at some time in the future, but till then, this is the one you’ll want on your shelf.

Overall - ***1/2
I have to admit that being a big fan of the movie I was tempted to give this a full score, but in trying to be impartial, I then realised the lack of Depps likeness will undoubtedly keep some away from this figure. But the fine attention to detail on the costume should drag any doubters back in, and considering what a full on year 2009 is proving to be in 1/6th collecting, it’s telling (for me at least) just how cool I think this figure is… and also how indispensable!

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

Where to Buy -
As I said above Sideshow have sold out, but you can try the wait-list. Alternatively Michael’s sponsors have it below, you can link to them on the homepage-

Corner Store - $143.99 pre order

Urban Collector - $189.99 in stock

Forbidden Planet - £129.99 pre order

or you can hit eBay.