Review of Hogan's Heroes sixth scale action figures
Sergeant Schultz, Colonel Klink, Hogan

Introduction

Sideshow Toy has been working on some unique old television licenses lately, but none are more unusual than Hogan's Heroes.

This line actually appeals to two groups - fans of the show of course, but also sixth scale military collectors who would love to have Sergeant Schultz standing next to the rest of their German military.

There are three figures in this set - Colonel Klink, Sergeant Schultz, and Hogan himself. I've only seen these on-line so far, but I'm betting they'll turn up at Media Play as well. 

2015 Update:
While other companies were doing plenty of sixth scale figures in the military and historical areas, Sideshow was the first to go large scale with licensed properties. They were also willing to go after television licenses, something that many companies all these years later are still afraid to do.

Hogan's Heroes might seem like an odd one at first, but the connection to the military makes it a pretty smart choice. These three have risen slightly on the after market, but still can normally be had for $50 - $100 each.  Klink and Hogan are easy to find in that $50 range, while Schultz tends to go for bigger money.

Packaging - ***
The boxes are a little bigger this time around, but not up to the same level of quality as some of the other recent releases.

The nicest aspect is the large, full color picture of each of the three characters on the front.  There's additional photos on the back and inside flap, but overall there's less text covering the show than say, the Outer Limits boxes.

These aren't as collector friendly either.  While the insert design allows for fewer twisty ties than in the past, the included stand is glued to the inside box.

Sculpting - Schultz ***1/2; Hogan ***; Klink **1/2
Mat Falls did the work here once again, and some of the portraits are better than others.

Schultz is the best of the three, and they've really captured a great expression.  There's no doubt this is Sergeant Schultz, and you won't be disappointed.

Hogan falls somewhere slightly below that, but not too far.  It's a good Bob Crane sculpt, but the expression is slightly off.  He looks a little more evil than scheming.

The one I was most looking forward to is Klink, and unfortunately his sculpt doesn't really work.  It's definitely him, but the expression isn't right.  They tried to capture the same look as you see on the front of his box, his patented smirk.  You can see the twinkle in his eye and although the corners of his mouth are turned down, he's clearly pleased with himself.

On the figure, this doesn't work, and he just looks sad and depressed.  I suspect it's because the expression isn't exaggerated enough.  If you look at the photo, you can see how strong the expression is, but the figure has a softer version, with less extreme lines.  However, the monocle works well, and fits correctly on the face.

Paint - ***
I had no real problems with any of the paint on all three figures.  The hair, eyebrows and eyes are all neatly done, and the facial skin tone is very good.  The flesh tone is very even and consistent as well, and the lips - often a tough one to get right - look realistic, and not like these guys are wearing lip stick.  Although Bob Crane probably did more than I'd like to know.

Articulation - ***1/2
The Sideshow articulation is the same as always, and is still one of the best bodies around.  I had no trouble posing them in a variety of appropriate positions, and the legs and hips were tight.

While all three figures come with the new stands, you won't be forced to use them if you don't want to.  All three stood fine on their own, although the boot sculpt on Klink caused the most problems.

Accessories - ***
Considering the price point, all three of these figures are light on accessories.  It appears that most of the money went into the uniforms and the license.

Hogan comes with his coffee pot/radio doohickey.  There are three pieces to it, including the pot, the interior section, and the lid.  It looks fine, but it's a fairly plain accessory.

Klink comes with his riding crop (must...fight urge...to make cheap joke...).  It was his most often used item on the show (still...fighting... urge...) so it makes sense, but he needed something else.

Schultz has the best accessory in his rifle.  It's very well sculpted, and fairly historically accurate.  He also has a great belt with ammo (or snack food) pouches that I'll count as an accessory rather than part of the uniform.

All three figures come with the new stand that Sideshow has been using for licensed products.  It works well, although it may be a little short to work with the waists on some figures.

Outfit - ****
As disappointed as I was in the accessories, I'm that much more pleased with the uniforms.  The quality is exceptional, and the details are terrific.

Unlike some companies, Sideshow has no fears about using the swastika as it was on the show.  Klink's uniform includes a full shirt, tie, riding style pants, new boot sculpt, excellent hat, and fantastic overcoat.  The quality of the uniform is striking, even for Sideshow.

Schultz's uniform is similarly done, with great material, excellent stitching, and tremendous attention to detail.  He also has the 'fat boy' padding, and they've done a great job.  He's fat in the places he should be, including his posterior, and the padding fits tightly and snugly to his body.

That's something that all the clothing does - fits tightly and snugly.  I'm impressed by how good the tailoring is.

Hogan has the least complicated outfit, with just his full shirt, tie, pants, shoes and bomber jacket.  Again, the attention to detail is excellent, and he even has his wings on his lapel and his collar.

All three figures also have their trademark hats, and the sculpting and details are just as good.  While these uniforms are based on the show, they are so accurate that they will look fantastic mixed in with your other military figures.

Value - **1/2
With the price point of $40, it's really pushing it.  I'm grading this value on that price point, but you should be able to find these for $30-$35 if you're careful, and at that price you can add a half star.

Overall - Schultz ***1/2, Hogan and Klink ***
I'll be honest - when I got these in the mail, my first thought was "What the hell was I thinking?"  I'm not a huge Hogan's Heroes fan, so I wasn't sure why I'd ordered them.

After getting them open though, I have to admit I'm glad I did.  The uniforms alone make them well worth it.

Schultz is my favorite of the three, and he captures the look and expression of the character and show the best.  Hogan is nice, but the least exciting, simply because his character wasn't nearly as visually interesting.

I'm most disappointed with Klink, although the outfit is excellent.  If you can't afford all three, but don't want to miss out on the line, pick up Schultz.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Schultz ***1/2; Hogan ***; Klink **1/2
Outfit - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - Schultz ***1/2, Hogan and Klink ***

Where to Buy 
I don't know of what bricks and mortar stores will carry these, but there are plenty of on-line options:

- Sideshow themselves of course.  Retail is $40 plus shipping. The big advantage here is that you'll get them right away, since they are shipping them.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

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