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Packaging - ***
Medicom doesn't do the all out fancy packages like some of the other
sixth scale companies out there right now, but they get the basics
right.
The packaging is collector
friendly, allowing you to remove the
figure and put it back in without any damage. They included photos of
both the figure AND the character, allowing you to compare their work
right there. There's even some basic background text on the
inside fifth panel.
Sculpt - ***1/2
I
suppose it's appropriate to start with the best aspect of this figure -
the head sculpt. This is one of Medicom's better recent portraits,
capturing the young River Phoenix almost perfectly. It doesn't have the
texturing of the skin, but that actually fits here. Hey, he was a young
kid, so wrinkles and aging would look out of place. There is the extra
detail work in other areas though, like the lips and eyebrows.
The
hair sculpt is quite good as well, especially the loose strands. This
hair style often ends up looking like tootsie rolls in sixth scale, but
Medicom has managed to get the strands small enough to look about right.
I
do think the scar needs a little sculpt to it though, at least a little
texture to make it stand out. They simply used some red paint, with
nothing on the skin to show any damage, so it ends up looking exactly
like what it is - a stripe of red paint.
The only hands are sculpted in a
relaxed pose. There are no additionally hands, so these will have to
work with every pose.
The
attractive head sculpt is hurt by the ugly neck joint of the RAH body.
This has been a problem for Medicom for years now, and remains one of
the more unattractive features of the RAH.
If you're worried
about this being too small, like other Medicom sixth scale figures,
don't. In fact, he's as tall as most Sideshow figures. If you were
hoping for kid height, you're not getting it here, and oddly enough,
this would have been the perfect time to use the smaller body. But this
is the slightly taller version, albeit thin enough to look like a
teenage version if Indiana. I don't mind him being as tall, and the
thinner style works well for this character, but your mileage may vary.
Paint - *1/2
We're going from the best aspect of the figure to the worst. The
technical quality of the application of the paint isn't the biggest
issue, but they aren't up to the quality of the competition at this
point.
While
the work on the eyes is clean, it lacks the realism that we're seeing
from Hot Toys and even Sideshow. The eyebrows and lips are clean and
well done, and the hairline is sharp and well done.
I already
mentioned the rather weak looking wound on his chin. It's a simply line
of paint, with one end turned down to look like dripping blood. In
execution, it looks very much like something Hasbro would have done.
But
those are all minor issues, and would have dropped this score only a
little bit. No, the big reason for the low score in this category is
the hair color.
Check out the photo of the
actual character on
the front of the box. Brown hair. Sure, there's a few blondish
highlights, but he's clearly got brown hair. And older Indy? Yea, he
had brown hair.
I've included a photo of the
inside of the fifth
panel. Notice that the original figure had brown hair. Now, it's a
little too dark, but only a little. At least it's in the general ball
park.
But what we ended up with was a
VERY blond figure. In fact,
it looks like he dyes his hair blond, since the roots are brown. What
happened at the factory? Clearly, someone made a HUGE mistake with
these figures, and it's simply not acceptable to be that far off.
Obviously, somebody read instructions wrong, or miscommunicated the
proper color, and nobody checked until it was too late. I'd be pretty
annoyed if Hasbro pulled a blunder like this on a $30 figure - at more
than a $100 more than that, it's not unreasonable to expect near
perfection.
Articulation - ***1/2
Medicom has one of the best articulated bodies on the market. This
version is thin, no doubt about that, and some of the tailoring of the
costume over accentuates that, but it's a minor issue.
The
joints are all tight, and you'll be able to get very natural poses. In
fact, Medicom's body was one of the first that could pose in so many
life-like ways, and paved the way for others.
It has that ugly
neck joint though, where the jaw line hangs over the neck in a very
obvious manner. This is more of an issue on a figure like this, where
the neck is fairly easy to see.
Outfit - **1/2
The outfit is straight from the film, where Indy was wearing his
Scout-like uniform. The sculpted boots look great, topped off with long
canvas leggings. The pants are done in a riding style, with the poofy
hips, and he's wearing one of those belts you used to make out of beads
at summer camp. This one is printed material, but it gets the idea
across.
The
shirt looks pretty good, although the pockets are a smidge big, as is
the stitch they used. The overall tailoring is a bit wonky, with very
tight lower legs and a loose waist, but if you keep in mind the
kid-like body size, it isn't as much of a problem.
If that were
it, this outfit would have gotten at least three stars. But then
there's the yellow neckerchief. Another attribute that resembles the
Scouts, it was a little big in the movie...but here it's HUGE. It
actually looks better in photos than it does in person, where it looks
completely out of scale. If you could figure out some way to get a few
more folds in it, you might be able to get it down to a more manageable
size, but that's a trick. The material is just too thick to fold any
further.
Accessories - **
There's only one. Let me repeat that in more detail - with a figure
that costs at least $135, there's only ONE accessory.
It's
a nicely done accessory. It's the Cross of Coronado, that started Indy
down the path of relic hunting. It has a real metal chain, and a nice
sculpt with decent paint ops. There's a little slop here and there, but
it's minor.
But one accessory? Really? No
snakes, no whip, no extra hands?
Fun Factor - ***
The
joints are sturdy, and the outfit fairly rugged. This is an action
figure that could actually do double duty as a toy - if it wasn't a
high end collectible. Even collectors will enjoy posing him, thanks to
the underlying RAH body.
Value - *
You'll pay at least $135 for this figure at most retailers. Compare
this to other figures that are currently coming out in the $100 - $150
range from companies like Sideshow, Hot Toys, Triad, and Enterbay, and
you can see that there's simply no comparison. Eighty bucks is about
the top price for this guy, and that's pushing it. Unfortunately for
Medicom and their retailers, I suspect you'll be able to get this
figure at that price pretty soon.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Not a thing. Everything is nice and sturdy, and the body is tight and
solid.
Overall - **
This figure has a great head sculpt, a decent body, and a good outfit
with the exception of the neckerchief. Unfortunately, the paint pulls
it way down, as does the high price for what you're getting. If this
figure was in the $70 - $80 range, it would have made the lack of
accessories a bit less painful...but it still wouldn't have fixed the
incorrect hair color.
If
you have someone repaint this head for you, and you futz around a bit
with the outfit (including finding a yellow bandanna that's more in
scale), and I think you could have a great Young Indy. But that just
adds more cost to an already over priced figure, and I suspect that by
waiting for a little while, you'll get a better deal on this guy.
Unfortunately
for Medicom, companies like Hot Toys and Enterbay have surpassed them
on the high end sixth scale market, producing better sculpts, better
paint, better costumes and better accessories, at least in terms of
licensed figures. This is probably the only Young Indy we're going to
get, but you probably won't be satisfied with it without doing some
additional work on it.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***
Paint - *1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Outfit - **1/2
Accessories - **
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *
Overall - **
Where to Buy -
You have a number of online options:
- Alter Ego Comics
has him for $135.
- Corner Store Comics
also has him for $135.
- in the UK, Forbidden
Planet has it for 100 GBP.
- you can always hit
ebay.
Related
Links -
Other sixth scale Indiana Jones reviews include:
- Hasbro did several figures, including Indy
in German Disguise, Cairo
Swordsman and German Soldier, and two versions of Indy.
- Sideshow has done Indy
himself, as well as Belloq
with the Fertility Idol
Environment.
- and because I feared Sideshow might not do him, I picked up the
Medicom Professor Jones, Sr.
as well. Now of course, they've announced they are doing one, but we'll
see if it turns out better.
- and if you're looking for sixth scale extras, check out this Grail Diary and Ark.
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