Another photo shoot that we did last week was on this beatifully done Hot Toys T800 12" Action Figure. Most of the time when we talk about 12", it's usually referring to the size of an LP record.. but in this case, we're talking 12" of awesome :)
Packaging - Hot Toys tries not to do the same thing twice very often, and they've switched up the packaging once again. Instead of a slip cover, the outer cover is actually a box with only the bottom flap missing, allowing it to slide off. Inside is the tray containing the T-800 and all his accessories, safely packed up tight.
Sculpting - It's the best Arnie sculpt I've seen to date, even better than the Predator Dutch Hot Toys released last year. McFarlane and NECA did pretty decent thing with their releases but all turned to crap next to this baby.
Every time I think they can't get better, some how they do. The last few releases have been perfect miniature versions of the actual characters, right down to the finely textured skin and humanly eyes.
The hands are designed for multiple poses and work well with the accessories, and they swap pretty easily.
THIS is the way the Terminator body should appear, at least for me - this is Arnie at his best. The heavily muscled, thick body with the rubber coated skin over the armature looks fantastic in the leather outfit.
Paint - Part of the reason why the Hot Toys sculpts are getting more and more realistic is that the production paint ops are getting better and better. The glossy plastic eyes reflect light, and give the lids and sockets a much more 'human' appearance, even for a Terminator.
The skin tone is excellent, as are the lips and eyebrows. There's a smidge of slop at the hair line, but I'm really picking some tiny nits at this point.
Every other company needs to figure out the secret to Hot Toys production paint work and then copy it - soon. If they can't, then they'll never rival them for best. At this time, Hot Toys’ painter J.C. Hong is the industry’s most wanted man.
Articulation - The thick, muscled rubber skin that he has covering his torso is a bit restrictive, and some of the other joints (like the elbows) are not designed for as great of a range of movement as the standard TrueType. All the joints you'd expect are here, they are just slightly less posable.
The rubber coating on the neck makes it pretty thick as well, and the head pops off somewhat too easily. In the instructions, it says to always put the head looking straight out, then turn it - never turn it while it's bent down. I'm assuming that's to avoid breaking the housing on the inside that holds the ball joint in place, or perhaps it's to avoid scratching the neck.
However, if you're careful you can get the head into some very realistic, personalized poses. The Terminator might have been a pretty stiff guy, but this figure isn't.
Accessories - The T-800 is well equipped, although I could see folks looking for one or two more items. Like, where are those Gatling heavy machine gun and M56 grenade launcher.
As you'd expect, he comes with the usual Hot Toys display stand, although you won't really need it.
There's also two extra sets of hands to go along with the fists he comes wearing. These are designed to hold the weapons or be relaxed hand poses. They swap pretty easily, but Hot Toys is smart enough to include an extra set of wrist pins just in case.
He has two weapons - the lever action shotgun, as well as the automatic pistol. As you'd expect, both chambers open, and you can see the 'chambered' round inside. The clip also comes out of the handgun, and the slide moves forward and back. The hammer moves forward and back as well.
The shotgun can also fit inside the box of roses, a nice touch. There is a bundle of roses as well, just for Sarah Connor.
The final key accessory is the swappable left arm. While there's still plenty of battle damage potential, they did give us this stripped down forearm and hand. Removing the normal arm the first time can be a little tricky, and fitting the robotic arm in place even trickier. You absolutely, without a doubt, want to NOT hold any of the 'robotic' parts when pressing the arm in place. It's much too easy to break them, so hold the arm near the elbow on the fleshy section.
The extra arm is articulated at the elbow and at the edge of the flesh where it can turn. The fingers also have a ton of joints, several for each finger, that allow for lots of cool, menacing poses.
Outfit - Hot Toys manages to pull it off though, with perfectly scaled zippers on the terrific looking leather jacket...and they work! The jacket also sports excellent stitching, itty bitty rivets, and a precisely tailored fit for this oversized body.
Underneath the jacket is the tight gray t-shirt. But wait! What about the black t-shirt? Fear not, rabid fanboy, they're both here, so you can take your pick. Personally, I prefer the gray, but for those that want the all blacks look, Hot Toys has you covered.
The tight leather pants have a real working belt, as well as a thin velcro zipper. Hot Toys has improved their velcro too, and this stuff holds much better than what we saw with earlier lines.
On his feet are the dirty boots, and the sculpt is another great one. The realism and attention to wicked detail that they pay to every aspect of a figure like this is truly impressive.
Things to Watch Out For - Number one on the short list is the tiny parts on the robotic arm - they are very easy to break if you squeeze them while pushing the arm on or removing it. Hold onto that fleshy nub!
Overall - I thought that my all time favorite Hot Toys license would be Batman - after all, it's one of my favorite characters, and the Dark Knight is one of my favorite films. But the work that Hot Toys has done with the Terminator series to date is really outstanding, and with more on the horizon, I think this set of figures is going to be my favorite on display.
This guy sold out quickly, and I'm betting that other characters from the original two films will as well. If you're smart, you'll pick up their version of The T1000 and Sarah Connor soon. And while you might have missed out on this T-800, I bet we get a battle damaged or deluxe version very soon. everyone knows he did say "I'll be back". Now where can I get that 1:6 scale Harley Davidson Fatboy ?
Big thanks to @BongzBerry for loaning us this awesome movie masterpiece. I just wish it can say "I'll be back" and pumps out GNR's "You Could Be Mine" from somewhere :)
Check it out and prepare to be blinded by the awesome-ness!!
Fresh Out The Box..
REAL leather jacket!!
Hey man, nice shotgun!
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades
Totally nice, right? Agree.
That's it from the team at plastiqfantastiq. Until then, keep collecting 12" figures until you can tell them to fetch beer from the fridge. We out.
Regards, Donny a.k.a DeeJayRizla
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