Review 3A’s WWR NOM the 4th and NOM Disciple 27

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Knives

INTRO

Occasionally we’ll throw the switch and review something that came out a few months back. Today is one of those days as we’re tackling both 3A’s Nom 4th and Nom Disciple 27. We somehow let them slip by when they first dropped on our doorstep but still feel that they’re interesting enough to warrant a few mumblings. In fact, if you read our “Top Toys of 2012” post, you already know a little bit how we feel about them!

It was back at SDCC 2012 that I first peeked both NOMs. Nom 4th, Ashley Wood’s revamped take on his iconic Nom De Plume was one of the most exciting items I saw on display at 3A’s booth… heck SDCC! If you like, check out some of the shots we snapped in our beastly Comic Con 2012 coverage article.

The month prior to SDCC, ordering both NOMs was one of the most hesitation-free toy purchases I’d made. After seeing them at SDCC, I was confident that once in hand, these guys would be the jewels of my collection.

Whelp, as it happens..

PACKAGING

Both NOM boxes look great. Ash’s paintings, depicting each character individually, are splashed on two panels of each packs surface which is perfect for displaying if you’re the kind of guy/lady/lady-man-lady who enjoys doing that. It’s the kind of box art I enjoy the most from 3A/A. Wood.. minimalist design over some fantastic art.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Both NOMs come with two twin silver pistols, a baton and a spare pistol holding hand. Each figure have a full sized poster featuring the box art packed inside as well.

THE BREAKDOWN

As it was NOM 4th who first caught my eye at SDCC, he was the first I unboxed. I cut open the wrap and flipped open the lid. Ahhhh man, he looked great. The iconic NOM De Plume single red sleeve, the red lenses in the gas mask, even with all the new additions, it’s unmistakable NOM.

The new hoses are nice and flexible. I wouldn’t necessarily call them “soft”, but they’ll most likely adjust to where you need them to. Like them or not they definitely change his look enough to clearly identify him as a separate and unique character. 4th isn’t a quick and easy color swapped NOM. He’s not the same old toy with a new toy’s price. In fact, everything on him is brand spanking new.

Built on a completely new 3A body type, 4th has all new mask and glove sculpts that look really nice. The paint, weathering and tailoring on him looks top notch all around as well. Weapon-wise, gone is the old school De Plume pistol. It’s been replaced with a larger and much shinier new piece, of which you get two. NOM also comes with a riot baton that looks pretty swanky in it’s very own sheath.

I’m really loving the new boots that both 4th and 27th come with. They have actual laces, a first for a 3A toy and are made of a synthetic leather like material. On top of that, they’re soft enough to not impede any poses you might want to toss NOM into, yet feel sturdy enough to hold up well to bending them around. A definite positive notch for well made durability here.

The weird thing is, 4th comes by default with two relaxed hands installed and a single spare capable of holding a pistol of which, again.. he has two. So the other is for what.. balance, symmetry, personal feng shui? Not including a second pistol holding hand is one of those odd toy manufacturer decisions that you’d swear was simply a case of miscommunication between the floor manager and the guy packing up the pieces to ship out.

Someone did no get the memo.

Other than the inability to hold both guns at once, there’s a couple other things design-wise, that seem like oversights with this guy. The hands are made of a very soft rubber. Despite them being supposedly sculpted (and beautifully so) to the specifics of the newly designed hand canons, (or vice versa) the hand’s grip just isn’t firm enough to hold the weapon very well. It can and will, but it’ll fall out just as easily.

Another sadly overlooked thing, remember that cool baton we mentioned a minute ago? Neither hand is really appropriate for holding it. You can sorta wedge it in, where it probably works/looks best in the neutral hand. In practice however, it’s a very loose fit and nothing looks natural about it. It’s odd to have these kind of things in a brand new figure built from the ground up. If anything, this is the sort of stuff that should have been dead-on perfect!

Back to the good stuff! Just look at him! He looks so very cool. Like Tomorrow Kings, A. Wood nailed it when he designed the De Plume. There’s something so very dynamic and appealing about them. It’s difficult to put 4th in a pose that doesn’t flow with character. I literally spent a good hour posing and playing around with him the first day I had him.

Much of what I said about 4th can carry over to 27. The slightly too soft rubber hands, new boots, shiny guns, wicked little baton, multiple hoses and all new sculpts top to bottom. Where the real difference between the two comes in (other than Disciple’s dark complexion) is the hooded shirt.

Characters sporting hoodies are nothing new to 3A, particularly in the Adventure Kartel universe, but this is a first for World War Robot. Some bemoaned the addition as an unrealistic article for someone to wear in battle.

Pssh… I love it!

There’s something so very, I don’t know.. Evil Jedi about the way he looks with all the hoses pouring out from under his shroud. He looks menacing. More a ruthless assassin than a student or disciple. I need to hunt down a spare WWR Caesar knife or TK sword to give him. That seems fitting.

Just like all the NOMS before him, 27 is a mono-sleeved guy. The difference here is that his is tailored in such a cool and unique way. The end flap covers the top of his hands and are hemmed up at a sharp “V” angle to allow for him to hold a weapon unencumbered. It’s a nice look. It kind of reminds me of that goth kid I went to school with that always had his sleeves pulled down over his hands. But you know, way, WAY better.

He may just call back to my love of ninjas, Darth Vader, and Snake Eyes, but even if that’s so, is that a bad thing?

When I ordered him, I only did so because he looked a little different than 4th. I wasn’t really expecting much to get excited about. Even after seeing him first hand (behind glass) at SDCC, I thought for sure that 4th was the hero of the show and Disciple was a sort of bland, dark afterthought. Nay, nay. This guy is all kinds of awesome. While he shares all of the same short comings NOM 4th has, to my surprise, NOM Disciple has become one of my favorite 1/6 figures.

Back to the topic of shared characteristics, there are a couple other things in the negative column I feel need mentioning. One opinion, one fact.

I don’t love the new guns. They’re bigger, which.. OK fine, but they look like something Dirty Harry would’ve carried. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but the original NOM pistol is so iconic! It’s the De Plume gun! The new gun just looks a bit more cookie cutter. The shine is pretty off-putting (not to mention a pain to photograph) as well. I guess they’re supposed to look as though they have some sort of brushed silver plating. But in truth, the effect isn’t very believable and they just look like little silver spray painted plastic toy guns.

The most wide spread complaint I’ve heard about these guys has to do with incredibly loose wrist joints. I hate to say it, but mine both bear the same affliction. I’ve never had joints on a 3A figure this loose. My 4th’s is, for whatever reason, worse than 27.. but both flop around like they’re trying to fly away. When I inspect the joints you can see they have a large gap in between them, when they should be tight. I’ve also heard a few people saying that one or more of their wrist pegs have broken apart right out the box. One has to wonder if the regular wrist peg guy at 3A was on vacation during the production of these figures?

“Ahh, let’s just have Jimmy from custodian services handle this one, it’ll be fine.”

Fogetaboutit!
The good news is, it’s just a wrist peg and a wrist peg is easily swapped out with another. The bad news is, ironically, no spares come packed in. I think every 1/6 figure I’ve gotten from 3A in the last year have come with spares. Of all the figures for 3A not to include extras with.

A wee DIY pro-tip: If you don’t have a spare wrist joint or two on hand, you can try dabbing a little super glue or clear nail polish on the peg itself (remove it from the hand and body first). Make sure to keep the joint moving while the adhesive sets in, otherwise you’ll have a stuck joint. Add as needed and after a bit, a thin layer will build up and stiffen the joint to a more workable level. Easy peasy.

THE FINAL WORD

With NOM the 4th and NOM Disciple 27, you’re getting completely newly fabricated figures, head to toe. While some of the newness isn’t necessarily an upgrade, I think you’d agree that the highs do outweigh the lows.

NOM the 4th is that iconic figure we missed out on years ago, that most of us could not afford today. He truly stands out on even the most crowded shelf and harkens back to the day many of you started collecting 3A. His colors pop and the impact his very presence brings to a toy collector’s shelf is undeniable.

I thought I’d share a notion I had about Nom 4th that isn’t either negative or positive, but moreso something a bit of late night writing coughed up. An observation about the growing and changing goings on with WWR.

When I finally had 4th unboxed and out in front of me, I found myself saying, “Hmmm, no one would ever wear that to battle.”

That’s when it occurred to me, I’m not so sure that 4th naturally fits in with the direction 3A and Ashley Wood have taken the WWR line. Over the years things have grown grimier, grittier and honestly, a bit more drab. The last De Plume’s, Fantome and Barguest were grungy ghost white and murky death black respectively. You could see them trading fire on the battle field and slipping behind their foes, relieving them of the burden of breath. All of the WWR Grunts are dusted in murky, muted tones and are sporting attire fairly appropriate for a war. Same could be said for the bot snipers.. not to mention the bots themselves. NOM the 4th is a little dirtier than NOM De Plume was, a little less art toy and maybe a few shades more action figure.. but to me, he feels like more of a symbol of an important 3A icon than part of the current, ever expanding, World War Robot universe.

The NOM Disciple, with his Jedi good looks, has become one of my favorite 1/6 figures. When I ordered him, I really only did so because he looked a little different than 4th and my other De Plumes. I wasn’t really expecting much to get excited about. 4th was supposed to be the hero of the show, right? Maybe to some, but to me, the NOM Disciple takes it by a knife’s edge and is all kinds of awesome.

I think the reason I can forgive such glaring QC issues is that despite their mutual shortcomings, you still feel like you’re getting something of quality. From the box art and poster to the stitching on the new laced up boots, these NOMs feel special.

These two figures really are some of the nicer pieces out of 3A in the past year and can still be had for a song or two on the aftermarket. If I had to choose one, I’d probably go with NOM 4th despite digging on 27 a good deal more. Mainly because as a 3AA 2013 member, we’ll be getting NOM Blanc, who’s essentially a grey/dirty white version of NOM 27, as part of the package. Even if you didn’t snag 3AA this year, NOM the 4th is “the last” of his kind.. or so they say. If that holds to be true, he’s your last chance to grab a classic style De Plume. In the end, either one would be a great choice that I think you’ll be more than happy to have on your shelf.

PROS:

These are some fine looking gentlemen with great weathering, paint and tailoring
The De Plume redesigns are a solid step forward and feature all new parts, ceiling to floor
The new boots are really well done and look fantastic
NOM 27’s hoodie adds so much menace and mystery to the character.. it’s truly awesome sauce
Love the baton and sheath
Your chance to own a classic 3A icon. (sort of.)

CONS:

Weak, limp wrist pegs that you’ll want to patch or replace right out the box
Only includes one pistol holding hand (but comes with two guns) and no baton holding hand
The pistol holding hand is very soft and doesn’t firmly hold NOM’s gun
The new gun design, while not necessarily bad looking, is a bit more generic than the original and iconic De Plume pistols

Review CS Moore Studio’s Alice in Wonderland

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Knives

INTRO

Today we’re reviewing one of the first toys in a long time from CS Moore Studio and Zenescope Entertainment, Alice. She’s based off the publisher’s popular comic series, Alice in Wonderland.

I don’t get a ton of time to read comics these days, which I consider to be extremely detrimental to my well being. Short of the comic that come packed in with the figure, I’m not super familiar with the storyline backing her up. All I have is my inherent familiarity with the old school Alice of my childhood.

Well I can assure you, this Alice is NOT the Alice from my childhood.

PACKAGING

Alice comes packed in the same type of classic action figure bubble card we’ve all come to know and love. Some vibrant and colorful artwork of Alice from the comic covers the card and some short intro-info is written on the back.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Along with a much more.. uh, mature Alice, you get a couple of cool extras to accessorize with. The most important of them is probably the mushroom covered base for Alice to stand on. The ever-iconic white rabbit is included as a trusty companion of sorts along with a small bottle and mallet. Finally, you get a copy of the 1st issue of Alice and Wonderland to read up on the goings-on in Alice’s world.

THE BREAKDOWN

I first happened upon these figures at the CS Moore Studio’s booth while attending SDCC this year. I was actually scoping out some prototypes of a few of their upcoming Jurassic Strike 5 action figures when I looked up and saw the wall of Alice staring at me. After a brief discussion with some of the staff on site, I learned that Alice is the first in what they hope is a continuing series of figures based off Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales comic series.

Fast forward to today and I’ve managed to pry open the bubble pack and get a closer look at how CS Moore Studios did with the debut. First thing I noticed was how incredibly well done the paint is… OK, the FIRST thing I noticed was how “breezy” our heroine is dressed for her day out in Wonderland. The quality paint job was second, a strong close second.

Hopefully you can see from the pics I’ve taken just how nicely detailed Alice is. There’s actual gradients and variance in the shades of her skin, along with finely painted details around her skirt. They took care not to let much, if any paint creep over onto neighboring surfaces. With the help of the underlying sculpt, they also managed to paint an attractive female face without making her look walleyed or man-ish. Two things that tends to plague female action figures at this scale.

Speaking of sculpt, Moore did a great job at capturing the likeness of the sexy comic vixen. Yes, she is definitely curvy and long leggy.. wearing something that would probably be more appropriate for sleep wear than adventure wear. All in all, she’s basically a 35 year old.. AHEM! I mean, a 13 year old boy’s comic book girl dream.

I really like the little white bunny Alice comes with. Most toy companies would have been happy with simply casting a bunny in white plastic and being done with it.. at most giving it a quick grey paint wash. But just like Alice, he’s really nicely painted right down to the highlights in his eyes. The little “drink me” bottle fits nicely in his paws.

As I mentioned before, the mushroom laden stand is the most important accessory you get with Alice as she cannot stand without it. Oh high heels, how’s a girl supposed to go on epic adventures? Thankfully, it looks good and Alice’s feet fit the pegs perfectly. The necessity of the base will serve as my segue to discuss Alice’s articulation or rather, if articulation was necessary on figure like this. Alice is referred to as an action figure. She’s herald as the first in 8 years from CS Moore and camp. The thing is, her articulation is so basic I can’t really imagine a situation in which anyone would play with her as such.

The minimal amount of moveable joints on Alice was probably more of an aesthetic choice than anything. Much like every line a comic book artist adds to a female’s face adds age to the character, adding a bunch of seams and joints to a female figure tends to take away from her feminine charm. Alice has shoulder swivel joints, a waist and neck swivel joint and leg swivel joints. The arms and waist look fine when moving them around and don’t detract too much from the figure. The neck joint is a little difficult to turn due to the hair sculpt draping over her shoulders. The real reason for my ire comes from the leg joints. Since the joints are angled and sit high on her hips, her leg swivels up/back and way out. I can’t think of anything PG13 or below that would benefit from that motion. Sitting for Alice is even a bit on the racey side.

Once you’ve moved her legs from their default position, it’s nearly impossible for her to steadily stand in her mushroom base. So what do you do? You keep her legs exactly where her grandmother told her to keep them, together and down. So you’re back to square one. You’re back to her default, out of the box pose. Moving Alice’s legs more than a few millimeters makes her look awkward and uncomfortable. Moving them at all makes it nigh impossible for her to stand. I managed to get her into a decent walk pose, but she fell after a few moments. Stupid gravity.

To add to the awkwardness that is her semi-poseable legs, the cool little mallet she comes with, doesn’t really fit her hands in the traditional sense. She can’t hold it as a weapon. You can find ways to wedge or prop it.. but it’s obvious that the intended way to display her with it is back in her default, out of the box pose.

So much works so well as long as Alice stays in her default pose. Which causes me to question, why is Alice an action figure at all? Kotobukiya have been doing amazingly well with their Bishoujo line of cute and sexy static super heroines. Static vinyl has got to be less expensive to produce than articulated action figures. I’d be just as happy with Alice if she just came in a dynamic or even simple pose, with no articulation at all.

FINAL WORD

Aesthetically, Alice looks great. That was clear to me before I even opened the package. Moore sculpted an attractive, bubbly and sexy toy. Pop her out of her package, put her on the mushroom stand and set her on the shelf. She looks great!

Much like her comic book counterpart, I think Alice may have fallen through a magical action figure door that bends reality and asks the question, “what is an action figure?” I’m so used to heavily articulated toys at this point, it’s a little difficult for me to take Alice at face value and accept her as one. On the other hand, tell me she’s a beautifully crafted, static display piece and I’ll bite completely. If you’re in the market for a really well sculpted, nicely painted and sexy action figure, sans “action” to add to your collection, Alice may just fit the bill.

Pros:

CS Moore did a fantastic job with the sculpting and paint application on Alice. She’s attractive and true to the source material
All of Alice’s accessories are painstakingly detailed
Love the bunny!

Cons:

With her limited articulation, Alice isn’t really much of an action figure
Alice’s one “weapon” doesn’t actually fit very well in her hand. Looks better when propped.

A big thanks to Shelley Moore of CS Moore Studio for supplying us with Alice for review!

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Review 3A’s SDCC 2011 Action Portable Boba Fett (prototype)

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Knives

INTRO

I’d say it’s pretty darn fitting that the day before we leave for SDCC 2012 that we post something awesomely amazing from SDCC 2011. Courtesy my buddy Eric Gant, who very well may be the single luckiest toy collector in the entire world, we’re bringing you something truly special.

Last year, Ashley Wood and his scrappy little toy company 3A made a small handful of one-of-a-kind Star Wars figures in a bold attempt to get Lucas and his ilk to pay attention. Two of those figures were classic white Storm Troopers while one was the ever so awesome and fan favorite, Boba Fett.

Via some dark wisardry, Eric is now in possessinon of that very same Boba Fett. The only one in the world. I’ll let him tell you in his own words how.

We here at RtR are very proud to be able to exclusively share with you Eric’s in depth review of the one and only, 3A Action Portable Boba Fett.

I hope you enjoy!

Knives

*most pictures taken by Eric. Some pulled from 3A’s forum

What’s up fellow toy fans; this is Eric.

Check it out: I dig threeA.

I also dig Star Wars.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that these two universes would ever collide. But then, at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con, I witnessed a sight that outright rocked my world: 1:12 scale prototypes of Star Wars figures, produced by threeA!

Ashley Wood: The man behind the threeA + Star Wars concept

There were three figures on display, each pulling in the passing fans like the Death Star’s tractor beam: A pristine-white Stormtrooper, a dirty, weathered Stormtrooper, and one of the most iconic of all Star Wars figures- the Legendary bounty hunter BOBA FETT. Each figure was presented on a blistered card-back that harkened back to the vintage Kenner figures produced back in the 70’s, complete with the old-school Star Wars header & glamor-shot capturing the characters in a kick-ass pose.

Unfortunately, these figures were not for sale. As it turns out, threeA toys was showing the figures in a bid to gain licensing rights to produce the things. Rumor has it that Hasbro & Lucasfilm said “No-Go” to making them in the United States, so Takara was approached in an attempt to release them in the Asia market . This story ends with a huge kick to the nuts:

The deal fell through.

A few months after their debut, one of the figures was offered up by threeA as first prize in a contest held on the official online forum. Up for grabs: The threeA Action Portable Boba Fett prototype! As you can imagine, there were a ton of entries, all equally incredible. Being the Star Wars fan that I am, I threw my hat into the ring as well. I gave it my best shot, but didn’t really expect anything to come of it. But when all was said and done, I was shocked to discover that I’d actually won!

Today, I’m going to attempt to share my love of this figure with a brief review of packaging, paint application, articulation, construction, and accessories. Please excuse me if the pictures are a little lame; I’m still only a yellow belt when it comes to photography.

PACKAGING

All I can say is “Perfect.” The thing that fuels my collecting habit is nostalgia. When a toy is just right, it opens a door to the magic and wonder I felt as a kid. The packaging on this thing takes me right back to my introduction to Star Wars collecting, and with good reason: Its a spot-on homage to the original Star Wars figure packaging. Boba came on a blistered card featuring the famous Star Wars logo, with a huge photo of the Mando himself dominating the card. Of course, since this figure is in 6-inch scale, the card is considerably larger than the cards used for the 3.75 inch Star Wars figures. The cardback is matte black, with the Star Wars and threeA logos sharing space on the bottom. Accompanying them is a disclaimer: “Not licensed, not for resale, sample only.

“The icing on the cake: Ashley Wood, co-founder of threeA, personalized the card with a sketch of one of his trademark characters, Bamba Lad, on the back. On the front, he signed the card, “Best regards from 3A,” along with some simple instructions:

“Open Me.”

And so I did.

THE BREAKDOWN

Paint Application

If I had to pick one area in which threeA consistently beats down all competition, it would be paint application. From my first glimpse of threeA’s WWRp Dirty Deeds Bertie, I’ve been regularly blown away by the painstaking attention to detail that goes into finishing the figures. It doesn’t matter how large a figure’s production run is. Each piece looks as though it was lovingly hand-painted by a master craftsman. Boba Fett is no exception.

Back in 1977, Star Wars blew the collective minds of the movie going audience by showing something that had never been seen before: A sci-fi space opera that actually looked real. One of the keys to making the Star Wars universe look believable was the ‘run-down’ or ‘used’ look everything had. The ships, weapons, costumes, EVERYTHING was weathered, rusted, and broken-in. Boba Fett exemplifies the Used Universe look. Because if that, he’s the perfect canvas for threeA to work its magic on.

Nearly every detail on this figure is painted and weathered to make it mirror the onscreen appearance of Boba Fett. From the hints of chrome gleaming through the scars marring the matte green finish of his helmet to the sun-bleached yellow of his shoulder pads, everything on this figure screams “Real.” It looks as though two techniques are employed to achieve this look: actual paint layering and chipping, and splatters of painted-on rust. These techniques work best on the helmet, shoulder pads, knee pads, and backpack. On the chest & clavicle armor, this technique is accented by the application of miniscule splotches of ochre-yellow to create the effect of paint-fading.

I kinda dig it!

Construction

This figure uses the same base-body used by all of threeA’s 1:12 scale male figures. The “Action Portable” body is a milestone in small-scale action figures: It has the same articulation as the 12-inch figures produced by threeA, which themselves rival the bodies used by 12-inch figure producers like Hot Toys and Sideshow.

Action Portable Blanc DePlume body showcasing the AP design

The base body features ball jointed hips, joined immediately by a swivel at the upper thigh. Knees are double-jointed, allowing the body to achieve human-like poses. The pelvis, waist, and chest are 3 separate parts, allowing more mobility.

There’s a rotating joint at the waist that is similar to the O-ring joint used by old GI Joe and Mego figures, but uses a spring mechanism to hold the parts together instead of the rubber O-ring. A similar joint is used between the abdomen & upper torso. Together, this set-up allows the figure to twist, bend, and rotate in ways no human ever could.
There is also an ingenious swivel & swing joint at each shoulder, which allows the arms to pivot forward and back, along with a ball joint with a cut above the biceps, double jointed elbows, and ball-jointed wrists.

But enough about the body-construction. What makes this thing special is the covering! To turn the base Action Portable body into Boba Fett, threeA constructed a number of new pieces. Starting off, to capture the look of the actual Boba Fett costume, the wizards at threeA took the direct approach: They constructed a miniature replica of the actual Boba Fett costume. This puppy is sewn together using scaled-down stitches, capturing the look of the suit without the clunky, toy-looking stitch work found in 8-inch Mego style figures.

The suit is made up of several layers. There’s the main jumpsuit, which covers the figure from ankle to neck and extends down to his wrists. Over that is a short-sleeved vest that covers the torso. This piece has a large armor piece on the back which supports the jetpack,
and two pieces of shoulder armor.

It’s topped off by a single piece of armor that covers the upper clavicle area. The upper body is finished off by the chest armor, which is actually made up of four separate pieces that fit together puzzle-like over the chest.

Let’s move to the extremities. Each knee is protected by knee-armor consisting of a molded piece strapped to the leg by a short length of elastic/fabric cording.

The arms terminate in Boba’s patented wrist-armor. Each piece fits over the forearm of the jumpsuit, and has all of the weapons & gizmos faithfully replicated in 1/12 scale.

The helmet is something special. Instead of a single, solid piece of material, the helmet is hollow, and fits over a featureless head.

The feet are perfect replicas of Boba Fett’s boots, right down to the two little spikes protruding from the toes. Simply incredible!

As mentioned before, the Boba Fett uses the same base-body used on all of threeA’s other Action Portable figures. But where they stand at 6 inches tall, Boba comes in at about 6.25 inches. The reason for this is largely due to the way the boots fit on the ankles. So far, we’ve seen two different methods of attaching feet to the AP body: The AP Tomorrow King figures have sneakers which join with the ankle via a pair of tiny double-sided ball-joints. This provides a wide range of motion. The AP DePlume figures get rid of the ball joint and instead feature sculpted boots that fit directly over the ankle stub. Boba Fett’s boots are a hybrid of these two techniques. A ball joint is used, but instead of being double sided, it consists of a single ball protruding from the top of the boot. This slips into the ankle peg, giving the boots a wider range of motion than the DePlume boots, while also increasing the figure’s height by almost a quarter of an inch.

AP Hatchery vs. Boba height comparison

The other factor contributing to the figure’s height is the helmet. This, along with the boost added by the new boot joint, makes the Boba Fett stand taller than the other Action Portable figures. If we were to scale him up to 1:1 scale, Boba Fett would stand around 6 foot-three.

AP Hatchery with a Boba-Boot Height-Boost

Articulation

With the AP Boba Fett, the faithfulness to the design of the costume and armor is a double-edged sword. It looks freaking INCREDIBLE.

I’ve owned a variaty of 12-inch Boba Fett figures, going back to the first 12-inch figures made by Kenner. Most can’t hold a candle to the AP Boba. Even though its only 6 inches tall, this thing beats most of those bigger figures hands-down when it comes to looks.

The layers of clothing and armor pieces also appear to somewhat limit the figure’s range of motion. I say “appear” because I haven’t worked up the courage to push this thing to the limits yet.

When posing this thing, a voice in my head is always shouting a warning: “Careful; or you’ll break it!”
Because of that, I have to admit that I’m a bit timid when it comes to putting this thing into different poses. But in the grand scheme of things, any limitations in range of motion are far outweighed by the aesthetics of the thing. And it still has more articulation than any 4-inch Boba Fett produced by Kenner or Hasbro, ever.
Accessories

I’m not going to include the removable wrist-guards, knee armor, or uniform in this category. It’s what makes the character who he is. With that in mind, the figure comes with the only accessory that it needs: A handy-dandy blaster!

As with every other aspect of this figure, the blaster is a screen-accurate replica of what Boba carries around in the movies. It appears to be held in place by a tiny dab of glue on the thumb, most likely to keep it in his hand while different prospective license granters passed it around & drooled over it. It would be easy to pry it loose, but I haven’t bothered yet. It’s right where it belongs.

BOTTOM LINE

I feel incredibly fortunate to have this thing. Not only is it my favorite threeA piece, it’s my favorite Star Wars piece. Hell; it’s the favorite piece in my entire collection, period.

Sitting down to fiddle around with this thing brings to mind a famous quote from Return Of The Jedi: “It’s a trap!” What I mean by that is once I start, I find it difficult to pull away and get on with my day. On the card, just looking at it is like being a kid again, and seeing that Millennium Falcon sitting under the tree on Christmas morning.

Out of the package, playing around with the figure is equal parts joy and terror: Joy at the sheer coolness of the thing, and terror at knowing that if something breaks, there’s no way to get a replacement.

Overall, there’s only one downside: The knowledge that for now, there won’t be any other 6-inch Star Wars figures made by threeA.
Thanks for checking out my review. If you’d like to hear a recording of my initial impressions upon first opening the figure, along with some discussion about it with some friends of mine, please check out the threeA radio Podcast, episode 31.
Here’s a link: http://threearadio.podbean.com/2012/07/07/episode-31-the-circle-is-nowcomplete/
-Eric

Eric didn’t do pro’s and con’s, so I made some for him.

Pros:

It’s the only Boba Fett made by 3A in the WORLD
It’s the most articulated and detailed 1/12 Boba Fett in the WORLD
It’s incredibly produced and accurately designed.
Again, It’s the only Boba Fett made by 3A in the WORLD

Cons:

Lucas and his boys didn’t immediately hand over the license to 3A, no questions asked
No one except for Eric and his children’s children will ever be able to hold and play with this Boba Fett
The world is a darker place without these in each and every home
Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

Thanks again Eric, and remember if you ever get tired of the overwhelming burden of owning the single most incredible 1/12 Star Wars action figure in existence.. he always has a home at Rad Toy Review 🙂 Thanks man!

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Rad Toy Review goes to San Diego Comic Con

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Knives

SDCC is upon us! Rad Toy Review will be making the trip to San Diego in just a couple days to take on the media and entertainment assault on the senses that is the massive comic con. We plan to do up to the minute coverage of Comic Con, showcasing as many of the awesome toys, celebrity sightings, cosplay and events as possible! Twitter and Facebook will be our constant companions, so follow us one your social network of choice to stay up to date!

This will be the first time I’ve been to SDCC so if you spot me, please don’t hesitate to come up and say “hi”! Our preparations list is long. As I check things off my “to-do” list, I plan to find time to post a few more things over the next few days so our fearless readers will have something to tide them over until the SDCC coverage starts!

Again, thanks for reading and see you in San Diego!

– knives