Review of Lt. Saavik - Star Trek Wrath of Khan
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

EXO-6 deserves all the love and kudos for the amazing work they continue to do on their sixth scale action figure series. You're watching history being made - there will never be another Star Trek series of figures at this level of quality and depth.

The latest release is the first based on the terrific film Star Trek The Wrath of Khan. It won't be the last. First up is Lt. Saavik, as played by the wonderful Kirstie Alley. This was her first major role, and cemented her in the annals of Star Trek forever.

As with several other releases, EXO-6 decided to go with two versions to make it possible for more collectors to obtain her. In fact, this two edition designations should continue with the other releases for Wrath of Khan. There's the $200 version, called the Kobayashi Maru Edition, that has the basic figure in the very cool 'Monster Maroon' uniform, one of the coolest uniforms ever worn in Trek. This version is a bare bones release though, giving the most bang for the buck.

Then there is the Regula One Edition at $270, with all the bells and whistles. This includes the Away Jacket, worn by Saavik, Kirk, and McCoy when they beamed down to Regula One. While this is more expensive, it does include other accessories as well, and is the version I'm reviewing here today.

Packaging - ****
The packaging starts with the newly designed shipper box, created to ensure the interior art box gets to you as safely as possible. Some terrific packaging engineering when into this new design, and it works extremely well.

Inside is the beautiful art box, with shots of the figure and other characters from the movie in a poster style design. Inside, the figure and accessories are packed in high end foam trays, rather than the usual plastic, and everything is completely collector friendly, with no need to damage any packaging when removing the pieces.

As good as the shipper box is, mine still did have a slightly crunched corner, but there's no way to ever create a situation where the crazies at UPS can't find a way to damage it. Fortunately, I don't buy these for the boxes.

Sculpting - ****
This is perhaps the nicest female portrait they've produced, and that's saying quite a bit.

It is definitely a young Alley, and if you popped the head off the body and handed it to someone without the context of the uniform, they'd still instantly know who this was. The likeness is spot on, and the hair style matches the onscreen look perfectly.

That hair style is also extremely detailed, with thin stranding and an excellent hairline. In hand, this is one of their most realistic hair sculpts as well.

And yes, they complete the trifecta (accuracy, realism, and emotion) with a great expression. This is as close as a Vulcan gets to a WTF expression, with raised eyebrows and slightly wider eyes. Just because a Vulcan isn't emotional doesn't mean they should have a dead, lifeless expression, and EXO-6 has given us a realistic and emotive look for the character.

Paint - ****
The paint work here mainly focuses on the portrait, but the accessories boost the score as well.

The hairline has a slight, almost imperceptible over spray to create a more realistic look. It's these sort of small details that elevate a good portrait to a great one. The skin tone is slightly blushed, with a hint of makeup but nothing extreme. The work around the eyes is excellent, especially in hand, and the glassy, clear eyes themselves are lifelike and create natural catch lights in any lighting.

The eyebrows and lips are sharp and clean, and even the tiny earring looks perfect. Overall, this is an excellent paint application, and allows the amazing sculpt to shine through.

The various accessories look terrific as well, with plenty of small details, and the costume details that are painted - the various plastic bits - are super clean and accurate. Just look at that tiny comm badge!

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body has the usual articulation, with plenty of movement at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, chest/waist, hips, knees, and ankles. While she's not the sort of character to be in ninja poses, she can take very natural, lifelike stances and look relaxed and normal. The shoulders are also designed for an extended range of movement.

There are a few points with some restriction. The one piece neck and head sculpt does mean the neck is a little less mobile, and the tighter pants restrict the range of movement in the hips. And the boots will make the ankles a little less articulated, but even with these minor issues you should be able to get an excellent pose (or several) for the shelf.

Accessories - ***1/2
Remember, I'm looking at the Regula One Edition. If this was the Kobayashi Maru Edition, this score would be much, much lower. Of course, the price would be as well.

The most important extra here is the away jacket. I'll get into this more in the Outfit section, but it elevates this score quite a bit, and gives you two ways to pose her on the shelf...and perhaps the desire to have two of the figures to display both ways.

There are also seven hands. There's a set of fists, relaxed grips, specific grips for the other accessories, and one right hand doing the Vulcan salute. These were a bit tricky to swap, and I'd recommend using heat on the hands at least the first couple times.

As seen in the film, there's the phaser and communicator. Of course, the lid on the communicator flips open. There are pockets on the Away Jacket for both of these as well. I believe this is the only time we see this particular communicator on screen.

To round out the Away extras, there's the 'heavy duty' tricorder that was definitely only seen in this film. Saavik can wear it around her shoulder thanks to a strap.

As always there's a display base with waist grabber support. The base is altered this time, with only one design rather than the two transporter pad options. This base is also heavier than previous versions due to this design change.

Outfit - ****
There are two outfit options with the Regula One Edition, the red tunic or the heavy away jacket.

Either way, she's going to be wearing the boots, pants, and red long sleeve shirt. These costume pieces aren't designed to be removed, although I'm sure that won't stop any customizers. They are extremely well tailored - the fit on the pants is perfect, including the puffy boot tops - and the red stripes look great.

The standard maroon tunic is a thing of beauty. If fits her torso perfectly, and looks amazing right out of the box. The company says it might take a little futzing to get it just right, but I loved it the minute I saw it.

Removing it can be a trick, however. There are four tiny snaps holding it in place, including one where the shoulder strap connects to the front flap, as well as a magnet. Take your time finding all four, and unsnap them with care.

Then there's the belt, which you should not remove from the tunic. Simply unsnap it to open the front. Both sides of the buckle can be removed from the belt, and can be reattached later. You don't have to detach the entire buckle though, just one side, as long as you make sure the buckle doesn't fall off and you end up losing it.

Once you have it off, you can put the away jacket in place. This is a bit tricky as well, since the zipper is not designed to be completely opened. Zip it down low but do not try to completely open the front. When putting the jacket on, have both arms down at her sides, slip the jacket on feet first, and then insert the arms in the sleeves. That worked for me at least, and is also how I took the jacket off again.

There's actually an instructional video they've put together showing you how to swap coats - I highly recommend you watch it. I had to do mine without, which created a bit of anxiety.

The field jacket is amazing. There's a ton of detail here, including various pockets and sculpted details. Again, the tailoring is amazing, and small details - like the high quality lining -make this one of the very nicest pieces of sixth scale clothing I've ever seen.

As I mentioned earlier, there's pockets for both the phaser (which goes in butt end first, not by the handle) and the communicator. Other pockets are filled with foam, but that can be removed if you'd like.

Fun Factor - ***
There's not a lot of other figures to pose her with...yet. We are going to get additional figures for this movie, and at that point her 'fun factor' is going to go up, with more options for creating a variety of display looks.

Value - **
The cost of this release is going to affect some buyers. But you are getting the kind of quality you expect from the top manufacturers, at a price point similar to what others are charging. We've gotten accustomed to the lower cost of EXO-6, but with some of these releases - where a lot of additional work is required, or the character is lesser known - we are going to see price points at the market average.

If the high cost of the Regula One version scares you off, go with the Kobayashi Maru release. Yes, it's stripped down, but you'll be able to get the other characters - Kirk, Spock, and McCoy - in a similar edition with this standard appearance, and they will look fantastic together on the shelf.

But if you can afford it, most definitely go with the more expensive Regula One Edition for the field jacket. It's amazing, and once we have the other releases outfitted in a similar way, they'll look fantastic on the shelf together.

Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned, take care swapping jackets. Definitely watch their instructional video on the subject. And I'd only swap to the away jacket if I planned on staying with it. Swapping back and forth between the two just increases the odds something could go wrong.

Overall - ****
Lt. Saavik joins the ranks of the top tier of releases from EXO-6. Yep, she's more expensive than most of their release up to now, but she's also sporting a portrait and a costume that sets her apart. She has sold out at most retailers outside of EXO-6 themselves, so if you're interested I'd jump on the in-stock purchase at their website NOW. In fact, the Regula One Edition is available right this minute at their site for immediate purchase, and the Kobayashi Maru Edition will be up in a couple days. Give yourself a Christmas gift of Trek!

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

Where to Buy 
Of course Saavik was originally available directly from EXO-6 where the Regula One edition was $270 and the Kobayashi Maru was $200. The former is up for immediate purchase right now, and the latter should be there in a few days. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the same pricing and, unfortunately, sold out status as BBTS. Again, keep an eye on it though, in case pre-orders get canceled. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping, if any show up in stock.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered many of the EXO-6 Star Trek releases, including the recent Kruge, Ro Laren, and SNW Spock.

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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