Packaging - ****
The DX boxes are always cool, and completely collector friendly of course. Everything is held safely in place in foam and plastic, and it's easy to remove and replace without damage.

The best part is the outer cover though. Done in a faux leather finish and texture, it even has a couple silver snap tops where the magnets are, completing the lather jacket look. Outstanding!

Sculpting - ***1/2
This is a new Arnold/T-800 head sculpt. It had to have some changes to accommodate the PERS, but I think there's some other minor changes as well.

I say that, because I don't like this one *quite* as much. They still have it down with the eyes, nose, chin and mouth - it looks very much like Arnold. But there's something about the forehead, something about the shape of the upper face that's just throwing it off a smidge for me. It's not obvious in photos - I think he looks great in photos. But in person, there is just something that doesn't capture Arnold from T2 for me.

It's one of those minor nits though, and I bet I'll be in the minority on this one.

Paint - ****
This is a Hot Toys figure. That means the paint work is spooky real, especially the skin tone and hair line. Using the right materials, the right paint, and the right techniques, they are able to capture a level of life-like appearance almost unmatched.

The work on the various accessories is excellent as well, especially the weapons. Overall, this is another exemplary Hot Toys paint job.

Articulation - ***
Obviously, Hot Toys went with their most developed, bulky muscle body for this character, and it looks fantastic.

It's not as poseable as the smaller, leaner bodies though, since the sculpted muscles and rubber skin tend to get in the way.

The neck works pretty well, even with the thick rubbery skin. and you can get it to tilt and lean depending on the pose you're going for. The other joints - like the shoulders, elbows and hips - are restricted quite a bit by the sculpt and the tight leather.

There's also the PERS eye system - this is a DX after all. The eyes are very tight this time, and they move only a smidge. That might be enough for you, but I'm suspecting that it won't be a big selling point for this figure. I'm also a bit annoyed by the more obvious line in the hair this time, but it's a minor nit.

The biggest problem I had with this body was swapping the hands. Like a couple other recent releases, including Bespin Luke, the wrist pegs are VERY tightly held within the forearms. That means the hands pop off the smaller peg, which isn't a problem - but when I snapped a small peg, it was extremely tough getting the post out without damaging the arm. Hot Toys needs to look into this, and instead of including a couple extra posts, include one with each hand.

Accessories - ***1/2
If you have the first release, you'll see quite a bit of re-use here.

First, there's the obvious. He has four sets of hands, 3 gloved, one not, in various gripping and relaxed poses. The sculpts are great, and I've already mentioned the issues with the wrist pegs. There's a couple extra pegs too.

This time the display stand lights up, complete with a cool Terminator design. It's nice, and you can use it without the support arm as well.

There are four weapons, but two of them came with the first figure as well - the lever action shotgun (Winchester 1887 that he took from the bartender) and the pistol (hybrid Colt 1911a that he took from the bar patron). This handgun reappeared throughout the movie, and both the pistol and the shotgun are key weapons. Both are extremely well sculpted, and I love the higher gloss finish on the handgun. Both have moving mechanisms as well, and there's a removable magazine in the pistol, and even a sculpted shell in the shotgun. But these are identical features from the previous release, nice as they are.

The other two weapons are the M79 grenade launcher and the hand held M134 minigun. The sculpts and paint ops on both of these are outstanding, and show off how good Hot Toys weapons can be.

There's a bandoleer full of grenades as well. The launcher does open - be careful! - and you can insert a grenade, but it's not a perfect fit, as it slides to far into the barrel.

You'll also notice that I have the bandoleer on two ways in the photos. I first put it on the way the instructions had it pictured, and you can see it in the photos with the shotgun, or the LifeSizer photo above.

But in my mind, I thought this was wrong. Normally shell casings should always point downward, so I swapped the belt around, which you can see in the photos with the minigun.

I started thinking about it though, and realized that in the film he may have tossed it over his shoulder either way - he was in a hurry after all. I checked some photo stills, and sure enough, he had it on in a way I'd consider upside down, but the instructions got it right.

To go with the minigun is a long ammunition belt that attaches to the side of the gun and can then be fed into the included nylon bag, just like the one on screen. It looks great all in place, but I did have a little trouble getting the bag strap to stay in place on his shoulder. You'll have to be a bit creative, but you can make it work.

Also new with this release are the small pieces he pulls out of his 'brain' - a flap of skull tissue, a cylinder, a cap, and the Cyberdyne chip. The chip doesn't actually fit in his head with the cylinder, but it's a great inclusion considering it's importance.

To set this up, you remove a small chunk of his hair. This piece is much better concealed than the PERS area. Pop it off and you can insert the scalp piece, cylinder (the 'shock absorber' I believe) and cap. In face, the latter two can remain in place even with the hair piece back on. There's also a small pair of real metal needle nose pliers, which is a nice touch.

Outfit - ****
The outfit includes his boots, leather pants and jacket, gray tee, and sunglasses. This is the same outfit that we had with the first version, although there may be more actual leather this time.

It was outstanding then, and it still is. The stitching and detail work on the jacket is fantastic, and the tailoring impeccable. Yea, the great tailoring means the leather restricts the body movement a bit, but anyone that's ever tried to sit down in leather pants knows that's pretty realistic.

The sunglasses are also a highlight, since they fit well and are properly scaled. Of course, using them makes the PERS a bit unnecessary...

Light Feature - ***
The new base lights up blue, and it works cleanly. Batteries are in the bottom, included, and the switch is on the back. It doesn't light up the entire logo pattern as well as I'd like, but it's decent enough.

Fun Factor - ***
This isn't a figure to actually 'play' with. That's not true of all Hot Toys figures - some are just as sturdy as anything you'd find at Toys R Us. Of course, none of them are something you'd want to break (unless seeing a grown man cry is your thing), but with the concerns on the body and some of the smaller parts on the weapons, this is one that would end up broken pretty quickly.

The adult collector will have a great time capturing that perfect pose though, and that's the closest thing to fun some of us get to these days.

Value - **1/2
$200 is not a bad price for a Hot Toys DX figure, where some of the non-DX releases have started to reach that price point. Most recent DX figures are getting in that $250 range, If this DX had been in that same price range, I'd have docked him pretty hard here.

But at $200...for comparison, the new regular release Bane is almost $200. While this figure might not have enough for a true DX, the price is reasonable enough to rate an average score. 

Things to Watch Out For -
Those damn hands. I broke a post, and had a Hell of a time getting the wrist peg out of the hand and forearm.

Overall - ***1/2
You probably shouldn't think of this as a DX, but a DX lite. While it has the basics of a DX, it lacks the extreme accessories or features. They realize that though, and have priced it accordingly.

Still, I'd be very hard pressed to recommend this to someone who already has the first release. He's not enough of an upgrade to be worth the $200 - stick with the exceptional first version.

If you missed that figure, this is a great pick up. It's the same (for all intents and purposes) outstanding outfit and underlying body, and the PERS is a nice addition to the head sculpt.

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

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Alter Ego Comics has him for $207.

- Big Bad Toy Store is at $215.

- Fanboy Collectibles is also at $207.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Terminator goodies include:

- if you'd like a more evil version of the T-800, check out this Hot Toys version from the first film.

- you can't have this guy without the corresponding T-1000, and the T-1000 as Sarah Connor.

- Sarah Connor from Hot Toys was also a recent release.

- check out the original non-DX T-800 from T2, also from from Hot Toys.

- Hot Toys has a number of other Terminator sixth scale figures, including Marcus Wright, John Connor and the T-600, the T-600 with skin, as well as the T-700 and T-700 Diorama. They also have a T-800 Endo.

- NECA also did a smaller version of the Endoskeleton with their Cult Classics, and McFarlane included one with the fifth series of Movie Maniacs. McFarlane also did figures based on T-3.

- and for the fans of smaller figures, there's the T2 mini-figures.

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