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Terminator 2 - T-800
Enterbay
"The
following is a guest review. The review
and photos do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Michael Crawford
or Michael's Review of the Week, and are the opinion and work of the
guest author."
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Jeff is checking out one of the
coolest figures this year - tell us all about him, Jeff!
Thinking back since I first started writing guest reviews for Captain
Toy I have a feeling that I may have actually covered more Terminator
related figures than anything else… well, actually Iron Man might be
close, but the steady flow of various Endoskeletons, T800’s, T600’s and
John Connors does seem to be a bit of a stalwart in the collecting
community.
I guess it’s testament to just how loved these movies are, and the
plain fact of the matter is that if companies like Neca, McFarlane,
Aoshima, Hasbro, Cinemaquette, Sideshow, Hot Toys and now Enterbay keep
churning these figures out, it’s because we want them!
Normally I’m a strict devotee of all things 1/6th… sure I have reviewed
many other things over the years, but my biggest love, and the
cornerstone of my collection has always been what we used to call 12”
figures. And last year Hot Toys delivered a devastatingly good version
of the T800 from both The Terminator and Terminator 2. So unless they
decided to give us a battle damaged version of either of them later
down the road, I considered my collection to have both those bases
pretty well covered.
But then earlier this year Enterbay announced they were stepping up a
scale to fully articulated ¼ scale figures, and funnily enough I
remember writing in my review for their excellent Bruce Lee statue
covered here what
my thoughts were at the time, and I quote (myself)-
“If Enterbay were to decide to specialise at this scale I’d be tempted
to make it part of my collecting field. And if I was Sideshow I’d be
worried.”
Now, I’m not narcissistic enough to think I influenced them, and I’m
sure this must have been a long term game plan of theirs. But the fact
they have recently also announced they are doing ¼ scale figures of
Batman and the Joker from Nolan’s movies… well, it proves they are
committed to this larger scale.
But of course now that HT have set the bar so high with their stunning
1/6th T2- T800 it was obvious that Enterbay would have to at very least
match its quality at this bigger scale, in fact, they’d have to improve
upon it!
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Packaging
- ****
I guess it’s obvious that a big figure will need a big box, but boy
this really is BIG! I picked this up for review in London, and knowing
I had over an hours commute home I was very glad to see it even came
with its own cloth carry-bag. The box itself is a dark metallic gun
metal grey (I believe there is a steel coloured alternative as well,
with the same contents) with simple but classy typography on the front
and a magnetic side panel to hold it shut. This lifts up and unwinds to
open to the left. We are now met by a printed card band that mimics
‘Terminator vision’ over a layer of foam, then beneath this is the
fully clothed and constructed figure nestled in black die-cut foam.
This lifts out to show his impressive array of accessories held in two
vac-formed trays. Everything is collector friendly and the quality of
all the materials used is top notch. I think you’d have to try really
hard to deliberately damage this box, it is that sturdy! However, the
one thing I will say is that a hefty package of this side might take a
few knocks in transit, mine has a couple of dinks and a small tear in a
seam, just be realistic in your expectations, I was!
The graphics throughout have been kept unfussy and minimalist. I admit
I usually like a few pics of the figure, but here they just let the
contents do the talking. And the clean lines paired with the build
quality make this a pretty outstanding and sophisticated box.
Sculpting - ****
The chief sculptor at Enterbay these days is YJ Park, and he is one
busy dude. Since Arnie Kims departure it seems like he is doing the
lion’s share of portraits for the company. His work on the Bruce Lee
Game of Death figure had mixed reviews, but his stunning portrait of
Jean Reno as Leon was pretty much universally loved (I aim to review it
soon). But now YJ is given the bigger ¼ scale canvas to really show
what he can do… and though I never doubted his ability, I am blown away
by his work here.
I’ve said before that I think Arnie (Schwarzenegger not Kim) has a face
that is a gift to sculptors; his extreme tight features lend themselves
perfectly to just this kind of work (it’s why Stan
Winston’s animatronic creations always worked so well in the
movies). But that is in no way to say he is easy to capture! After all
I haven’t been 100% convinced by the uber expensive large-scale version
by Cinemaquette, and even though I could see that Trevor Grove’s sculpt
for Sideshow was incredibly strong, it was sadly let down by a very
below par paint app. However by the looks of the preview PF of Dutch
from Predator that was recently unveiled, they have managed to redeem
themselves with the awesome looking paint app… at least on the proto,
please deliver this time SS!
Here YJ Park truly utilises the larger format and really goes to town
on the detailing he can achieve at this scale. The expression is pure
classic Arnie in the role. Focussed, determined but in a strangely
impassive way, no true emotion ever flickers across his face, instead
we get that stony glare with his face fixed in that unflinching robotic
mask.
The increased size also means all the fine detailing on the skin pores
and wrinkles is deep and crisp, but still handled with a great degree
of subtlety and understanding, and the hairstyling is also able to bear
the closest of scrutiny. I did wonder if the eyes were a little too
small when I first unboxed him and if the forehead was also a little
too big. But the more I cross referenced against the pics available on
line and with the actual movie, the more I realised the observations
are actually very finely tuned here. In point of fact it all looks
pretty darned faultless. Just check out the lines above his nose and
around his mouth in this pic here and
compare the profile against this,
and finally lets all be grateful that they didn’t go for this expression!
He also comes with a selection of nine hands which are designed to
interact with specific accessories; in fact he even has four gun grip
hands for just two actual guns… which is a nice touch. They consist of-
Two fists
Two relaxed
Two pistol grip
One right tight ‘finger and thumb’ grip for the chip and the
pocket-knife
One right shotgun grip tight hold
One right shotgun grip reload
All are sculpted well and are made from a nice semi-soft vinyl that is
strong enough to hold everything tightly, but malleable enough to make
swap overs and placing the accessories into them easy.
If YJ can deliver a Ledger and Bale this strong for the ¼ scale Batman
figures, there will be a lot of happy punters out there!
Paint
- ****
These days we expect more and more from production paint apps, and if
you pay high-end prices you are gonna demand that you get a top level
job.
Luckily Enterbay have built their name on some of the best quality
paint apps around, and with YJ Park in control of both paint and
sculpting it was obvious he would want his underlying sculpt to sing.
The hair seems to be painted flat brown, but the way it works with the
deep crisp sculpting really brings every strand to life and it blends
convincingly at the edges where it buts up to the skin. The flesh tones
are natural and convincing, showing some beautifully observed mottling
and variations in tone. His chin and above his upper lip even show some
very light beard growth, kind of a 3’o’clock shadow, and you can pick
out every distinct follicle. Lastly his eyes are crisp, wet and glossy
and fixed in that emotionless glare that I mentioned before.
The hands all have some subtle dirtying up and the prominent veins on
their backs have been picked out in a light grey/blue colour. In short
I can find nothing to complain about here; it’s all just about note
perfect. If only Trevor’s work had received this degree of attention
and expertise!
Articulation
- ****
When this was first announced I had visions of a very limited range of
articulation, one incompetent early reviewer even claimed the legs
didn’t move, but I am relieved to say that he was very very wrong!
In fact, just to put any concerns to rest I made this short video demo
to show off its range, I hope it helps illustrate what you can expect- here and a
selection of stills motaged together- here
Just imagine a fully articulated high-end 1/6th body with a
rubber/silicone skin over the torso but simply scaled up to ¼ scale,
and that’s what we have here! So it’s a double pegged ball jointed
ankle, double knees, a universal joint at the hip, articulation at the
waist, mid torso and chest. Then we have universal multi functional
shoulders hidden beneath the rubber, as is the neck that can move at
both ends of the neck post hidden beneath. The arms also have double
elbows and double pegged ball joints at the wrist.
In short this is EXACTLY what I wanted… I don’t need no stinkin
statues! Statues is for people with no imagination!
If like me you get bored with a static display then your prayers are
answered. And what’s more you will have a ton of fun finding your
favoutite classic pose, and he can pretty much strike any one you could
wish for! Hiphoofreakinray!
Outfit
- ****+
The bigger size was obviously going to allow for the costume to fall
with a more convincing weight, but the fact that Enterbay went away and
sourced and tailored the whole outfit in soft Italian calves leather is
above and beyond the call of duty. It also means that with the right
care this outfit should outlive all of us. No one truly knows just how
long PVC or ‘fake’ leathers will last (and it has to be said that if we
are lucky they might also have a very long shelf life) but the tactile
nature and aroma of soft luxury leather really helps set this figure
apart from its competition.
Apart from his black cotton jersey T-shirt, which is tailored to be
snug fitting against his bulky frame everything else is made from real
leather. But even the T is well observed with clean tidy seams and
perfectly proportioned yoke around the neck. There is only one T-shirt
with this release, and yeah I guess an extra grey one would have been a
cool addition, but the quality of what we do get is so absolutely
outstanding so I certainly won’t be letting it count against the score.
The biker jeans have working pockets, belt loops and perfectly scaled
zips at the ankle. These zips help greatly when removing the boots
which are also completely leather and welted to a solid sole with
authentic tread on its underside. The uppers have two straps on each.
One that runs over the top of the foot from ankle to ankle and one at
the top of the outside edge, both have small working buckles. The feet
are fixed within the boots, I’m not sure if you could prise them out,
and to be honest I’m not even going to try!
I don’t know who made the original leather jacket Arnie wears in T2,
Wikipedia claims it was Schott. I’m not convinced as it’s definitely
not a Perfecto as I have one in my wardrobe. I did find some on-line
info that says it was made by Bates custom leathers, so I’m beginning
to wonder if it was designed specifically for the movie (though I’m
sure an uber fan will come out of the wood work and give me the full
low-down once this is published). But regardless of who actually made
the original you can see that Enterbay have replicated what we see on
screen to near perfection at this scale. Again all the zippers are
perfectly scaled and fully working, up the front, on the pockets and at
the cuffs. The small flap on the little Zippo pocket is all functional
as well, and the body part is fully lined with black cotton.
All this fine detail is amazing to pore over, but it’s the soft heavy
nature of the natural leather that ends up closing the deal,
outstanding. Enterbay team, you did a great job!
I also took a few pics of the outfit (whilst he was disrobed for the
articulation demo) here.
Accessories
- ****
Not only do we get a great selection of pieces here, but the majority
of them are all made from real metal and wood, hell even the fake roses
are cloth and paper!
So what is the Bobby Moore?
- Black sunglasses
- Colt / Detonics M1911A1 Series 70 Hybrid pistol
- Winchester 1887 sawn off shotgun
- Gold flower box with six roses
- Microchip
- Endoskeleton arm (fully articulated)
- Damaged microchip within sealed container
- 4 extra bullets for pistol magazine
- 3 extra shotgun shells
- 3 extra discharged shotgun shells
- 9 interchangeable hands (described above)
- Detailed figure base with metal grip arm
Virtually each piece here is a ¼ scale work of art! Of course some are
simpler than others, and likewise some are more essential and iconic…
but as I always say, you can NEVER have too many accessories. Unless
it’s to murder!
The simpler, but nonetheless cool items are the Terminator brain chip
and the damaged version in a tube. Both are well detailed but have no
moving parts. Then we have the tiny pocket knife, handy for posing when
the T800 has cut the synthetic flesh from his Endo-arm, this is metal
with a convincing wood effect paint job on the handle and the blade is
able to open and close. And the Endo-arm… oh the Endo-arm! This has a
plastic stub of damaged arm where it attaches to the elbow, but every
other piece of it, from the spring effect cable to the tiny rivets
holding the joints of the fingers together is solid metal, it is also
fully articulated with moving fingers, pistons and joints.
His two weapons, the Winchester and the Colt are also metal and fully
articulated; I swear if the rounds had powder in them, they’d be live
and fully functional. The Winchester has a cocking mechanism that
ejects the spent shell from the chamber and flips it out of the opening
on the top… AND the stock and for-end grip are made from real wood (oh
yeah baby, now that’s what I’m talkin bout), just check it out here.
But just when you think it can’t get any better than that we have the
Colt sidearm! It too can pull back to cock, it has a working safety
catch, a moving hammer, the magazine can come out and you can load tiny
machine turned brass bullets into the spring-loaded clip… Yeah, I
thought you’d like that!
Of course he wouldn’t be the iconic T800 without his trademark shades
(Persol Ratti 58230’s for those that want to know) and they are very
well replicated here with translucent dark lenses and folding arms, and
yes they remembered the trademark ‘Persol’ twin silver bars on the
arms.
To disguise the Winchester when striding through the shopping mall he
also comes equipped with the gold coloured window box, it of course
houses the half dozen red roses which are made of green fabric and wire
for the stems with red paper petals… pretty darned convincing for the
scale!
Last up is the detailed base, I’m not usually one for stands, and to be
fair I did get this figure staying upright in a variety of poses just
fine without it. However, long-term I guess it would make sense if you
plan on a long-haul shelf display to utilise it, because a shelf dive
could be disastrous! And as the sculpted base is solid ABS plastic with
a metal adjustable gripping arm it’s certainly designed to be robust
and sturdy.
So, an absolutely outstanding selection made even more impressive
because of the attention detail and the high quality of the materials
used. Sheer perfection!
Fun
Factor - ***1/2
The sheer size, bulk, weight and of indeed price, mean this is never to
be considered a children’s play thing. But that size and bulk also give
it quite an edge as a display piece. Even if you are not a ‘regular’
figure collector, this will look awesome as part of your home cinema
display or as an executive toy on your desk. Mine has been standing
(without the need of the stand) for over a week now on an antique chest
in my front room, my kids marvel at it, and even my wife said she
thought it looked rather cool there (but when one has friends who have
Lladro figurines on their mantelpieces… what’s not cool? Pop culture
for the win!).
The witness for the defence rests!
Value
for money - ***1/2
OK, now this is a whole new ball game pour moi because of the scale and
indeed the price, so what have we actually got?
Sturdy box with die-cut foam= Check
Full ¼ scale = Check
Amazing sculpt= Check
Awesome paint apps= Check
Real leather outfit= Check
Accessories (many of which are made of metal and wood) = Check
So basically everything is mucho positivo!
But what price does this come at?
Well if ordered from Enterbay direct it’s $399 (inc shipping) or if you
are US based you can order from BBTS where he also comes in at $399.00,
and of course if you are in Europe (specifically the UK) you can order
from Onesixthbruce where he is £275.00. I’m not stupid or living in a
rarefied bubble of existence, THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY… but I can truly
see the value of this piece.
Enterbay are not a huge company, they have aspirations to be one of the
big boys, and based on the quality of this figure they deserve for
those aspirations to bear fruit. So for that reason, even at this
price… which may seem crazy to some of the casual readers, I am giving
a damn near perfect score… well considering that price.
Overall-
****
One quarter scale is something I have resisted for quite some time. A
local discount store had the Diamond Select figures for $15 a pop about
a year ago; I looked long and hard at them but still thought… Nah!
Sideshows PF’s have been going for years, and though I can see the
quality is good, they are basically statues so… Nah!
But here we have a proper fully articulated figure, and though not the
biggest of companies Enterbay continue to punch well above their
weight. If you are a true Terminator fan then you probably either
already own this or have it on order… and if you don’t, you really
ought to consider it, it is simply stunning!
Where to buy
As I said above in value, you can order this direct from Enterbay here for
a universal price of $399 shipped worldwide, and that added shipping is
quite a deal… he is HEV-EEE.
Or you can hit up The
Big Bad Toy Store where he’s also available for $399 but I
think shipping is extra.
If in the UK or Europe I can recommend OneSixthBruce.com where he’s
still available for £275.
Lastly you can try eBay
where I’ve seen prices of between $310 right up to £469 but
remember to keep an eye on and check those shipping prices!
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This product was provided free for the review by the manufacturer.
Photos and text by Jeff Parker.
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