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Hot Toys Rambo

My old buddy Travis is back with a guest review of the new Hot Toys 12" Rambo - tell us all about him, Travis!

Thanks to Michael, I'm back for my second guest review! As I said previously in my first review, I have been a reader of Michael's for quite a few years and not only is he an entertaining figure reviewer, but he's just a cool guy, Period. He's come through for me in finding the elusive "Jedi Temple Assault" K-mart exclusive set (see, they don't have K-marts where I live anymore.) and he has been friendly and helpful ever since I first contacted him, years ago. Anyway, I recently received an early Birthday present (my B-day is August 29th, the same as Judgment Day in Terminator 2...yeah, that rocked my world!) and it's a figure I've been waiting to see reviewed, but haven't yet, so, I thought I'd do it. With that said, on with the review and I apologize in advance for the cruddy photos.

My early present was a figure I wanted since it was announced, the Hot Toys 12" RAMBO from First Blood Part 2! I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago and I am opening it for the first time during this review. From the box art to his scarred chest, it seems to be a work of art inside and out. To paraphrase the first Rambo movie: "Whatever possessed God in heaven to make a man like Rambo?" "God didn't make Rambo. Hot Toys made him!"







Packaging - ****
The package is awesome all by itself. The box has a slip cover with an iridescent image of Sylvester Stallone from the Rambo: First Blood Part 2 movie poster. Both sides of the slipcover have different pictures of the actual figure and the back of the slipcover has 11 different photos of the figure. (including three full body shots from different angles) Once you slide the cover off, you see the actual box. Done primarily in red, there is a huge picture of the figure in what appears as an action shot on the front flap. While the sides, top and bottom only really sport the Rambo logo, the back of the box has three photos. One of the Rambo figure, One of the Col. Samuel Trautman figure and the last of all of Rambo's included accessories. As you open the flap to see the figure, there is another photo of the figure and a short bio of Rambo on the inside of the flap. It's interesting to note that all of the photos are different and not reprinted once. Whew, that's just the box! 

The figure tray has two clear plastic covers and the figure is held in place by four twist ties (neck, waist, and ankles) and that's it. None of the accessories are tied down in any way and are simply held in place by the plastic tray.

Sculpting - ****
If Sideshow distributes this figure here in the U.S., that should be a sign that the sculpting would be good. Although they have nothing to do with the actual sculpt, this figure's likeness stands toe to toe with anything they produce. One look and anyone would know who it's supposed to be and it's the best Rambo figure ever to be made. The head is Stallone with all the Rambo ruggedness you'd expect and the body is riddled with enough scars and muscles to make any 12" G.I.Joe feel inferior in comparison. The body is a work of art alone and features a rubber covering for the standard 12" Hot Toys torso. The rubber covering hides all of the usual joints and is sculpted with muscles, veins, the aforementioned scars and even a belly button. His legs aren't covered in the same way, but unless your Rambo figure plans on getting captured by the enemy, there really isn't any reason for him to run around without his pants. 

Paint - ****
His head is the only thing that is really painted and it is expertly done. The head has perfectly painted eyes (with eyelashes even), lips painted the right shade of pink, 5 o'clock shadow and hair. He even has the burn scar on his left cheek that his Russian captor gave him with his own survival knife. The skin tone is painted with a dark tan and the colour of the head matches the rubber body exactly. Speaking of matching, his trademark bandana is made up of actual cloth and paint and both are a perfect match. His boots seem to have a bit of a wash on them to both bring out detail and dirty them up. His accessories have paint on them as well and they are painted with the same skill. 

Articulation - ****
I'll do the best in this category as I can, but I really don't want to strip Rambo to be more exact. The rubber torso restricts a bit of movement, but it's a small price to pay when you see this body. I wish all figures looked this good. The figure has left to right neck movement,
shoulder joints, jointed elbows, swivel removable wrists/hands. The figure doesn't appear to have any chest/waist articulation. His legs are ball jointed at the hips and has knee and ankle joints. So, I guess that makes 13 points of articulation. Compared to Marvel Legends figures, this doesn't compare, but they simply don't compare to the overall appearance of this figure.

Accessories - ****
The figure comes with 14 accessories which include 3 small knives, his trademark Survival Knife, a leather Knife Sheath on his belt, a heavy duty Bow, 4 Arrows (w/ 2 different arrow tips) a Quiver w/scale working zipper, a Watch, a sharpener, and AK-47 rifle. His outfit consists on black army pants, nylon black belt w/ metal buckle, his good-luck necklace, and black army boots with scale thread laces. Lastly, the figures comes with a base w/ the Rambo logo and a John J. Rambo nameplate. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: he also comes with an extra left hand with bendy fingers and an instruction sheet.

Fun Factor - ****
I wish I'd have had this figure as a kid. I loved all the Rambo movies and Sylvester Stallone was, and still is, cool in my book. The only thing that looks like it wouldn't hold up to excessive brutal kid play, is the bow. It's made out of plastic and could break pretty easily. I was the type of kid that took care of my toys even when I played with them and I bet this figure could hold it's own nicely. The only thing I thought might happen in the long run is: the rubber body might get dirty since it's kinda sticky. Not bad, by any means, but just a thought. Besides, Rambo only looked better the dirtier he got.

Value - ****
Ok, this is a bit tricky. The figure originally went up for sale on the Sideshow site with the price of $65.00 plus shipping. Now, that's an awesome price and I think this figure is more than worth it, but mine was bought after Sideshow sold out of theirs, and it came from another site. It cost $100.00 after shipping, and I still don't feel like I was ripped off. I wish it could've been cheaper, but it was a B-day gift and exactly what I wanted. 

Things to Watch Out For – 
I'd be careful not to break his accessories, the little string that makes up his necklace or the cloth part of his bandana. Five of his accessories are very small and I'm sure they could be lost very easily. One other thing to be careful of: his rubber skin could get stained if laid on ink print or any other surface with dirt, so don't lay him down without looking.

Overall - ****
This figure deserves the four stars and more. It is an awesome figure and I'm very happy with it. Thanks to Hot Toys for making it and I hope they continue to make more of this quality. I've already ordered the First Blood 12" version and can't wait to see how it differs from this one. I hope it comes with his green poncho, but since it hasn't been announced, I can only wish at this point. I'm just thrilled with the fact that they sculpted a whole new, younger Sylvester Stallone head for that one and it'll be cool to get both versions.

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ****
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ****
Overall - ****

Where to Buy:
Online is your only chance at this point, unless you have really cool garage sales where you live. If so, send me your address, 'cause I want to live on your street. ;)

Also, Sideshow has the First Blood part one version available for preorder (),


Figure from the collection of Travis.

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