Review of Commander Kruge
Star Trek Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Right now, we are getting the best sixth scale - actually, any scale - series of action figures for the Star Trek universe ever produced. Sometimes it's hard to recognize history when you're living in it, but this is historic.

EXO-6 continues their amazing run of figures based on every property under the Trek license, and their latest release comes from the film The Search for Spock. Kruge was a brutal Klingon Commander, and the main villain of the movie. The amazing Christopher Lloyd played the part perfectly, further cementing him forever in nerd culture.

This release is the most expensive by far from EXO-6, who usually releases figures in the $200 - $220 range, depending on run size and complexity. But this time they came in at $295, no doubt in large part due to the lower run size, complex costume, and rooted hair. He just started shipping, and there will be an immediate sale of stock on the 17th at their website.

Packaging - ****
They've worked hard to create the best shipping box possible, and it shows. this new design, which they've used for the last couple releases, has reinforced sides and edges, and should withstand even the most determined UPS delivery person.

Inside, we have a beautiful product package, with excellent graphics on a wrap around cover, and foam trays - not plastic! - inside holding all the parts and figure safe. It's top tier work, and will ensure he gets to you in the best possible shape.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This is an extremely good likeness, especially in hand. Of course, I'll show it in macro photos, but those will allow me to highlight some issues that you may not notice when viewing the figure in hand.

The character and actor likeness is fantastic. This is clearly Kruge, and you can even see a little of the Lloyd resemblance under all that makeup. The wrinkling around the eyes and the excellent skin texture give this portrait a lot of realism, and make the head sculpt even more lifelike.

The expression is grumpy, but not extreme. It says "I don't think your 'lucky shot' joke was funny - prepare to die", and gets across his personality without getting too dynamic or specific.

The rooted hair is also just about perfect. It is extremely fine and thin, and that means the two layers - remember, he has the top layer tied back - lay flat and smooth. The hair line is tight and thick, and makes the forehead ridge look even better.

So why the loss of a half star? It's the eyebrows, goatee, and mustache. In hand, they look good, and I don't think you could do the eyebrows with rooting. Oh, you could do the facial hair (but pay a whole lot more), but the wispy, diaphanous eyebrows would be pretty difficult to do in a realistic way that would also last.

So I understand the decision to sculpt them, but the final result is a bit too thick. There needs to be a little more texture to the sculpt to indicate strands and to make it look less chunky. And that's my only real nit on an otherwise perfect portrait.

Paint - ****
Another beautiful paint job, something that EXO-6 has continued to improve on over time.

The skin tone looks appropriately Klingon, with shading and darkening in all the rights spots. The eyes are straight and even, with a shorter focal length to his stare. The small details on the costume and accessories are sharp and well defined, and everything is extremely clean, with no bleed or slop.

The color between the rooted hair and sculpted hair might seem different in photos, but it's due to the different finishes, with the more matte sculpted hair reflecting less light. Again, in hand there's no issue.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body has all the usual articulation, from ball neck to rocker ankles. But the costume is a bit restrictive on a couple fronts.

The rooted hair doesn't affect the neck though, and the separate head and neck means you can get some reasonable lean and tilt. While the shoulders can't rise too high due to the armor, they can move a realistic amount, and the elbows work extremely well. The torso is probably the most restricted, since the armor keeps the abs from crunching and turning as much as usual.

The hips and knees work great, but of course the one piece boots do restrict the ankles a bit. I was able to get decent mid width stances, but deeper leg stances might be tough.

I wish they'd included a wire in the cloak for posing. More on that when we get to the Outfit section.

Accessories - ***1/2
We never get a ton of extras with these figures, and that's part of why they are able to keep the price point somewhere south of insane.

There are four extra hands - two sets - included, and they swap easily. He comes wearing a set of relaxed grips, and there's a set of fists and a set of gripping hands designed to hold the other accessories.

There are three additional costume items, including his cloak, a pouch to attach to the belt, and his holster for his phaser.

The pouch is pretty much what you'd expect, and I had no trouble slipping it on the belt. Once there, it stayed there when I was posing the figure.

The holster is excellent quality. The plastic sculpt is much better than the cheap pleather types we often get from much more expensive companies, and the strap around his leg is sturdy cloth with a great closure, much less likely to degrade or get damaged over time. Even better, the long gold chain that loops over his shoulder is real metal, and very well made. Getting it in place was no problem, and it looks fantastic once there.

The cloak is also extremely nice, with high quality material and construction. It's well tailored, fitting tightly but cleanly, and it drapes nicely. I do wish it had some wiring to aid in posing, but the normal straight drape works fine thanks to gravity. Even the hood drapes on the back well, without sticking out or looking odd.

He has a Klingon communicator and phaser as well, and the two gripping hands are designed to hold these. The phaser also fits perfectly in the holster.

Finally, as with all EXO-6 figures, there's the octagonal base with two different graphics, the support rod, and the clips to attach this base to others.

Outfit - ****
As with any Klingon, there's lots of unique layers here.

The furry undershirt is particularly important, and they did an excellent job finding material that would mimic the look in sixth scale. The sculpted armor fits over it tightly, and the detail and paint work on the pieces - like the gauntlets - looks amazing.

Likewise, the sculpted boots are terrific. They are softer than the usual one piece design, so while a two piece design would have worked best with the ankles. these still do allow some movement in the joint.

The tailoring overall is excellent, with a tight, clean fit on every piece. The materials and construction are very, very high quality. You even get real metal chains here, both with the holster and with the neck chain.

The final piece of the costume that you can use or not is the cloak. It fits tightly, but hangs very naturally. I wasn't going to use it at first, but once I saw him in it and out of it, I decided to go with the cloaked look in the display. As I mentioned earlier, a wire would have been a nice addition, but isn't a deal breaker.

Side note - the shoulder armor is removable. The long strap that goes down the back is just held in place with a magnet, and the shoulder section has velcro holding it down.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Where's Saavik? Once we get her to go with Kruge, the display will be even more fun, but you've been looking for more villains to fill out the shelf, haven't you? You have a couple different costume choices here, and while there aren't a ton of extras, you should be able to change things up once in awhile and keep it fresh.

Value - *1/2
This is where he takes the biggest hit, but at $295, he's still well below some of the rooted hair Hot Toys figures. The market has gone nuts since Inart entered and started charging $500 and more, causing Hot Toys to think they could follow suit. Let's hope other companies realize their potential at a lower price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. His hair came out perfect right from the box, so I was careful not to muss it around too much, but that's easy enough. If you do remove the head, watch that chain necklace. And while you might be able to get the belt off, I wouldn't recommend it, as getting it back on might be tricky.

Overall - ***1/2
We've reached the point in this series where everything is clicking - great sculpts, paint, costuming, etc - and it's resulting in some amazing figures. Yes, this is historic for Trek collectors, and I only wish some other company would come along that could do the same for licenses like Buffy or Potter.

We've gotten quite a few releases in the last couple months from EXO-6, and I have a hunch that the final three months of the year will remain productive. This is one of the few lines I currently collect where I anticipate every release like a kid on Christmas Eve!

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

Where to Buy 
On October 17th, you can do an immediate in stock purchase at the EXO-6 site for $295 plus shipping. Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent EXO-6 Trek releases include Ro Laren, SNW Spock, and SNW Pike.

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

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