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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of T-600 - Terminator Salvation
Weathered Skin Exclusive Sixth Scale Action Figure

Hot Toys
Date Published: 2009-10-14
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 4 out of 4

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Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Introduction

I have Terminator: Salvation in my Netflix queue, I swear. But no matter the viewing outcome, good or bad, it won't detract from the simple fact that Hot Toys has given us some of the coolest sixth scale figures of the year based on this license.

They already released John Connor and Marcus Wright, as well as a T-700 Endoskeleton and a T-700 Endoskeleton diorama. Just a couple weeks ago, I received my T-600 Endoskeleton, in all his Skynet badassery.

They've followed that up with a T-600 with 'weathered' skin. Sort of like one of those middle aged Southern California types who thinks 30 years of sun bathing was a good idea.

There are actually two versions of this guy out there - the regular and a Sideshow exclusive. You can pick the regular up for around $150 - $160, but the Sideshow version will run you $185, a pretty hefty premium to pay for one additional accessory.

When it comes time for me to pick the best line of the year, I have to say that this one is going to be very, very high on my list. While Hot Toys has done some great work on other lines, none have had the variety (four distinctly different characters plus two key variants) as this series, with the exceptional level of quality across the board. Now we just need to get them crackin' on an Arnie T-800 (normal and battle damaged), a Sarah Connor, a Kyle Reese (that actually looks like Kyle Reese), and a few others from T1 and T2, and we'll be good to go!

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Packaging - ***1/2
Okay, I'll admit it - the shine has worn off the Terminator Salvation boxes a bit for me. It's not like they're terrible, but the initial cool factor of the etched foam has worn off, and I miss the graphics and text that we get with other lines from Hot Toys.

This are still very collector friendly though, even with a few bits of tape that you'll probably toss out. Everything is very safe, and the exterior foam is much, much sturdier than you might expect.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Sculpting - ****
The T-600 without the skin and clothes got four stars in this category, so it should be no big surprised that this version, with added drapery and doodads, gets a full score too.

Like his predecessor, this big bad had all the cool texturing that gives the plastic that wrought iron or rough steel appearance. The detailing around the nose, teeth and eyes is truly impressive, and while it's unlikely you'll display him sans skin, you certainly could and he'd look every bit as good.

The body incorporates various textures to give the impression of different materials in different areas. The pistons are smooth, while the larger armored sections are rough. The final result is a tremendously realistic mechanical monster that looks outstanding on your shelf with the rest of the series.

For those that haven't seen the first Hot Toys T-600, be forewarned that this guy is huge. He stands over 13 1/2" tall, dwarfing normal sixth scale figures. Add in the clothing and ammo pack, and you get a figure with some truly impressive bulk.

There are only the gloved hands, sculpted with wear and tear. These are in poses designed to work perfectly with the included weapons.

I also want to point out the very cool boot sculpts. They look amazingly realistic, and you can even see the Endo foot through the damage. Small details like this make the overall figure that much better.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Paint - ****
There shouldn't be any surprise - the paint is just as amazing here as it was in the previous release. You want to know how to paint sculpted plastic to look like metal? Just take notes on the Hot Toys Endoskeletons.

Not only does the subdued paint work on the figure itself work perfectly, but the painted damage to the skin masks has just the right cross between human and machine, with a sickly skin tone and blackened coloration around the eyes and ears. It's like Endoskeletons dressing up for Halloween as human zombies...now that's a party!

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Articulation - ****
The Hot Toys Endoskeletons are a work of genius. You think some amazing engineering went into your BMW? Those guys couldn't even begin to figure out how to design a sixth scale Terminator that moves like this.

When Hot Toys first produced their T-800 Endoskeleton several years ago, there was still some joints that worked less than perfectly. For example, the pistons on the neck, while cool looking, tended to restrict much of the ball jointed goodness.

Here that's no longer the case. Joints like the neck, shoulders and hips have a much great range of movement that you would expect, considering all the hoses, pistons and connectors. You'll be able to get great poses out of this figure, and all the joints were solid and sturdy.

I did have one shoulder - the right - that was a little looser than I'd care for. He had a little trouble holding the Gatling gun up as high as I'd like, but it was a fairly minor issue, and he was able to maintain it at a normal height.

The wrists are also quite a surprise, since you can actually remove the hands and replace them quite easily, even with three separate pistons involved! More on that in the next section, since it's critical to his ability to hold the guns.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Accessories - ****
This guy has what his cousin has, and then adds a bit more.

He comes with the huge, cool Gatling gun, including the rubbery ammo belt and the same backpack as the regular T-600. The pack is adorned with a swath of cloth, but otherwise it's the same gun, same set up.

And yes, the pack is just as hard, if not harder, to get on. I loosened the two shoulder straps as far as I could, and they fit pretty well, but I didn't try to snap them together across the front of his chest this time. The extra bulk created by the clothing makes for a tighter fit.

Along with that gun, there's also the smaller grenade launcher, with moving pump action. There's a bendy hose that runs from the backpack to the gun, but it does tend to fall off at either end. The bendy feature is great though, and allows for it to make some pretty tight turns.

This version of the Endoskeleton is wearing gloves, making it very difficult to fit the guns over them and in place on the forearms. Ah, but fear not - Hot Toys has it under control. Both hands pop off, taking the three pistons with them, leaving a small ball joint behind. You then fit the hand in place on the gun - don't forget to do this as it's critical! - and then put the whole gun/hand combo back in place. This works surprisingly well, and it didn't feel like it would easily break or you could screw it up, if you were paying attention.

There's also a small bag of rifle shells. These were hidden away in one of the skin face compartments in the package, and easy to overlook. I'm not sure if they're for something specific, but you could sprinkle them on the ground around his feet. They're actually live rounds and not empty casings, so I'm not sure that's the idea, but it would still work.

Finally, there's his display base. Of the Terminator Salvation figures released so far, this one gets the best base. Designed to appear as rough ground with human skulls strewn about, it adds to any display. You can also use it without the actual arm for the stand, a bit plus in my book since I don't use the arms.

I'm counting the two skin masks as part of his outfit, so more on those in the next section.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Light Feature - ***1/2
I mentioned with the previous T-600 that my batteries were dying mere minutes out of the box. I'm happy to report that wasn't an issue this time, and even after a couple hours, the eyes were still bright red.

The button is in the same place of course, and the pack still covers it, as you'd expect. I do find that a tad annoying, hence the slightly less than perfect score in this category.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Outfit - ***1/2
'Outfit' might not be the right term, considering how much damage his clothing has sustained, but 'soft goods' is a bit confusing too.

He's wearing clothing, but it looks like something a homeless guy threw away. There's his ripped up coat, which still buckles in front but doesn't have much else, as well as his tattered pants. There are a few straps on the limbs, as well as some simple cloth wraps on his wrists or around his neck. There's even one knee pad still in place!

The costume is tattered, and there isn't much there...and yet what is here is sturdy. They've kept key areas in tact so that the clothing will last years, looking as rough a decade from now as it does today.

Also part of his 'costume' are the two skin masks. The regular version includes one, while the Sideshow exclusive has an additional face.

Both are made from a harder rubbery plastic than I expected. The regular version can be pretty tricky to get in place because of this, since the hard jaw is difficult to fit over his actual jaw. There are really two solutions: you can heat the mask up a bit with some hot water, making it a little more pliable or you can start the mask at the chin in the first place, putting that in place and then stretching the rest over the head. I did the latter, and it worked well enough, but the former is also an option.

The second mask goes on very easily, since it has no jaw to get in the way. However, it tends to stick out at the sides more than I expected, also because of that lack of a jaw to hold the two halves closer.

Both have heavily damaged neck lines, and you can either hide these with the scarf or expose them. I did both in the close ups, but you'll notice that I settled on a somewhat hidden look for most of the full body shots. I didn't go for the fully covered look that Sideshow used in their photos simply because to me he looks like he's bundled up to wait for the school bus if you put too much of the scarf around his neck.

Neither mask fits absolutely perfectly, but they aren't supposed to. These have been badly damaged in the war against humanity, and the slightly askew look adds to the realism. I don't think one of the T-600's would be too worried about the fit of his mask as long as he could see, and that's not a problem with either one.

They also aren't supposed to look like real human flesh either, since they are intended as long distance cover, not something that fools anyone up close and personal like. The texturing and paint look great, and the damage to the flesh is quite well done.

Of the pair, I prefer the chinned to the chinless. There's something about it, particularly with the eyes lit up, that is much creepier to me. I also think that the seam between front and back is a bit too obvious on the chinless version. Your mileage may vary.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Fun Factor - ***
While this isn't exactly a G.I. Joe, it is a fairly sturdy figure considering the complexity of the articulation. In fact, it seems like the articulation gets more complex with every Endo they release, and yet the joints seem sturdier.

So while I wouldn't recommend this for an eight year old (the Playmates 10" figures are far better substitutes for the sandbox), I do think that the 12 - 15 range would enjoy this figure if they are big fans of the franchise. And of course, adult fans are going to love it. They won't admit to 'playing' with it, but if you use a hidden camera, you'll probably get some excellent black mail fodder.

Value - Regular ***; Exclusive *1/2
You can pick up the regular version of this figure (lacking only the second skin mask) for around $155. Considering the level of complexity here - this isn't just another figure on the same body that's been used a million times, but a true engineering marvel - that's a great price. Add in the additional accessories that you're getting over the regular T-600, and you get an above average score.

However, you'll have to spend an extra $30 just to get that one little mask, and it's definitely not worth it. The mask isn't as good looking as the normally included one, and I think you can tell which one I'll be using in my display based on which one dominates the photos.

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Things to Watch Out For -
I'd follow my suggestions for getting the mask and backpack on, but those are the only tricky areas. There are instructions included on the hands, and popping them off (pull straight!) and on is pretty self explanatory.

Overall - ****
While lines like DC Universe Classics and Masters of the Universe Classics are high on my list for Best Of 2009, they've got to go a ways to beating out this series. Hot Toys has shown some exceptional short term dedication to the franchise, and the variety of the display is already above what they normally produce. For example, after a couple years now, we have just Batman (and several variations), Joker (and even more variations) and Two Face from the Dark Knight series. Yet here we got John Connor, Marcus Wright, the T-700 and the T-600 all in a matter of weeks. And this T-600 is so visually different than the skinless one that it really is liking getting a fifth character in the set.

Hot Toys had a poll recently on their site, looking for collector's preferences when it comes to the next figure announced. They had characters from earlier films, including an Arnie T-800 in the choices, indicating the potential for them to step back to the first two films to give us some of the other must have members of the Terminator universe. I certainly have my fingers crossed that we'll see some additional announcements over the final three months of the year that will make Terminator fans happy. Until then, I'm thoroughly enjoying what they've produced so far.

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

Terminator Salvation T-660 exclusive action figure by Hot Toys

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- remember, there are two versions. The one with the extra skin mask (missing the chin entirely) is from Sideshow, where it's $185.

- has the regular for $157.49.

- has him at $165.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered most of the line so far, including:

- the recent review of John Connor and the non-skin version of the T-600.

- I've also covered Marcus Wright, the T-800 Endo, the T-700 Endo, and the T-700 Endo Diorama from Hot Toys.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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