Hot Toys, the company that is taking over the 1/6th industry, released a Wolverine figure.  Many fans have complained that there isn’t enough accessories on this figure and it doesn’t justify the expensive price tag.

Our guest reviewer, Nick, takes an in depth look at Wolverine and see what the fuss is all about:

Let me start out by saying that this is my first “official” review and, more importantly, I’m a huge Wolverine fan so I may be slightly biased, but I’ll try to be as objective as possible throughout this review.  Now, I know the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie wasn’t exactly as good as it could have been but few would disagree that Hugh Jackman did an excellent job portraying Wolverine on the silver screen. Likewise, Hot Toys does an equally nice job taking Jackman’s Wolverine and turning it into a great high-end action figure.  So without further ado, here’s the review.

Packaging – 10/10

The packaging of this figure is perfect, as long as you accept that it’s packaging and not an accessory.  Many people complain that it is rather plain compared to other Hot Toys packages, and while it may true that it isn’t as ornate, it still looks great while getting its job done very nicely.  It has a slide off top with three raised claws on it and painted to look like worn-down metal.  Under the lid is a nice insert with a brief bio of Wolverine and a picture of the figure.  Slide that out and you get to lay your eyes on the prize.  The figure is laid in a “blister” style plastic, along with his four alternate hands, spare wrist joints, and dog tags.  There is another piece of the blister-style plastic on top of that setup holding it all in place rather than using twist-ties such as those seen on less expensive figures.  The dog tags are held in by a piece of tape which also holds down yet another piece of plastic that is protecting Wolverine’s head.  The claws have some molded plastic around them as well to prevent them from being crushed or pinched in some fashion.  The figure is held in place very nicely and is very well protected from even the worst delivery men!  My only complaint with the packaging is a minor one.  When I got the box in the mail I was worried.  I heard something moving about freely inside.  Luckily, it was just the stand sliding around underneath the figure, so no worries.

 

Sculpt and Likeness – 9/10

The sculpt of this figure is nothing less than amazing.  If you want attention to detail, look no further.  Every inch of the upper body is made to look perfectly life-like.  This Wolverine introduces the hirsute (hairy) muscular true type body. Almost all the hairs on Wolverine’s head, chest, and arms are not only painted, but sculpted as well.  The hair on his head is looks as good as possible without putting “real” hair in.  My only complaint in regards to the hair is on his neck.  They tried to make it look like he needed a shave but it’s poorly executed compared to other parts of the body.  They simply just painted a few brown lines under his head rather than making the skin a bit rougher there.

The torso is covered in rubber making it not only look like real skin but feel that way as well.  Without getting too much into the articulation of the figure yet, the rubber around the shoulders and covering the neck really helps to make the figure look more life-like rather than a plastic figure.

The likeness to Jackman is decent.  The figure has the overall look but it is lacking a bit.  The hair is almost exactly the same as it is in the movie but the face is a little off.  The eyes/brow and the mouth could have been tweaked just a little more and the face sculpt would have received a perfect score.  The likeness of the body is another story though.  Although it may be for good cause, the body is not the right shape or size at all.  The shoulders on the figure are way too narrow and the chest and torso are nowhere near big enough to match how buff Jackman got for the movie.  It is my opinion though, that this was done strategically so that the clothes would fit properly and not look puffy.  They probably figured most people would leave his clothes on and that it was more important to look accurate dressed rather than undressed.  Likewise, if I were leaving him shirtless, the score would be much lower for the sculpt.  With all said and done though, the sculpt and likeness are great and won’t let you down.

Now we can’t forget one of Wolverine’s greatest assets; his adamantium claws! The claws on this figure are awesome! They are real metal with a chrome finish. They look to be about the perfect size and shape as the claws in the movie.  They come out of the hands between the knuckles like in the movies rather than the claws from the comics coming out of the top of his hands.

Paint – 10/10

I don’t believe it is possible to get a better paint job on an action figure than that of this Wolverine.  Every little detail is accounted for.  The skin is shaded and colored to the degree that it seems like there are actually pores.  Every wrinkle or crease is amazingly shaded.  As mentioned before, the paint on the hairs of arms and chest are painted with exacting detail in a variety of shades making rubber look like real hair.  Wolverine’s eyes are equally detailed and look like real eyes.  There are a variety of colors used as well as a gloss finish to match the look of real eyes.  The color may be slightly off from Jackman’s, but if so, it’s just slightly.  I was so impressed with the paint application that I tried to find a flaw, but couldn’t!  It’s simply perfect!

Articulation – 9/10
This figure has great articulation considering how much skin is made to be seen. The hirsute upper torso is made with a rubber that not only looks great but allows for some great life-like movement.

When you move the head, the rubber neck actually moves with it. The head and neck have a wide range of movement while they appear to be seamlessly attached.   Because the head is on a ball joint and there is a joint in the neck as well it has the possibility for several poses.  However, due to the rubber neck, the head sometimes is forced back to a more straight position.  Not a big deal because it is still in fact very poseable, but worth noting.  Going along with that, there are special instructions included with the figure giving some advice about moving the plastic head attached to the rubber-covered neck.

There is also an ab-crunch/swivel which also seems almost seamless thanks to the rubber skin.   It allows for twisting, as well as side-to-side and front-to-back movement at the abs.  The waist also has a swivel in it which, combined with the ab joint, allows for more life-like twisting

The arms are great as well even though there is no bicep swivel and only a single elbow joint. The way these two joints were made almost eliminates the need for either the bicep swivel or double elbow joint. The shoulder has so much mobility that adding the bicep swivel would just hurt the life-like look of the figure. The same goes for the elbow, as it can bend almost as much as many double jointed elbows.

The legs are the typical HT legs which have a great range of movement. The jeans really have no negative effect on the bending but the rubber boots do limit the options with the feet. Even with the limiting boots and slightly less jointed upper torso, some really amazing poses can be achieved to mimic those in the movie.

Outfit – 9/10

This outfit is simply amazing! It is spot on in likeness to that of Wolverine in X-Men Origins, which is also extremely similar to the outfits in both X-Men and X2, the only differences being that the button-down shirt in the first two movies was slightly different. In Last Stand though, the jacket and button-down shirt are both different.

The jacket on this figure is nicer than some jackets I’ve seen in department stores. It has a leather feel, functional and proportionate zippers with leather tassels, and a nice lining making it look truly authentic. It fits just the way it should and really has no effect on the articulation.   My only complaint about the jacket is that the tassels on the zippers have a great chance to fall off.  I actually lost one already, and me being as picky as I am, especially with such an expensive figure, I bought a second jacket for a few bucks to replace the tassel.

The button-down shirt is very nice as well with two functional buttons and several fake ones. However, I found another flaw in the outfit here. Both of the cuffs on the red button-down came undone while posing and changing the hands. Personally, I think they look better open instead of “buttoned” anyway so it wasn’t too big of a deal.  But, getting back to pickiness, I got a second button-down to replace this one.  The cuffs can and have been easily fixed with a bit of thread and a needle though.

The tank-top is very nicely made and hugs the body just as it should. It has great detail to it as well as a nice thread pattern making it look like it’s a real piece of clothing rather than just some cheap figure underwear. Wolverine also has some “bike shorts” or boxer-briefs on but there isn’t much to be said about them as they remain under his jeans and I don’t plan on removing the jeans.  I did think about removing the shorts so free up a bit of movement in the hips but I was worried that the pants might sag some so I just left them alone.

The jeans look like real jeans but are much softer so as not to limit the posing. They have real pockets and a fly made of a thin Velcro with no button at the top. They do stay in place very well though. The belt is great. The buckle has a ton of detail and looks just like it did in the movie. It is of great quality as well.

Wolverine comes with his dog-tags which I suppose could be considered an accessory but they are going in this section since they are to be worn.  For being as small as they are, they are great.  They actually have Wolverine stamped in one and Logan in the other as well as his numbers.  This may be hard to see without a magnifying glass but it can be done and is a nice touch.

Accessories – 8/10

 

For those of you familiar with the Hot Toys 1/6 scale action figures, you probably know that most of them come with a small arsenal of accessories whether it’s a bunch of guns, multiple appendages, or even alternate heads.  However, this one simply has a plain stand with “Wolverine” on it, some closed fists without claws, and some open hands without claws.  I suppose you could count the spare wrist joints too but that’s a bit of a stretch.  Now you’re probably thinking if it didn’t really come with any accessories, why did it get an 8/10.  Well, that’s because there aren’t too many options for Wolverine.  He doesn’t use weapons other than his claws so guns or swords would be out of the question.  He does come with a total of six hands, even if only two have claws.  The only thing that could have helped would be some other various clawed hands and maybe an alternate head with more of a menacing look.  So, although it falls a tiny bit short in accessories, it more man than makes up for it in other categories.

 

Overall – 10/10

This figure is a must have for any Wolverine or X-Men fan, or any fan of great figures for that matter, if you can afford it. It’ll set you back about $160-200 these days but if you have the money it’s easily worth every penny! The biggest complaints about this figure are hardly worth mentioning and the positive aspects are virtually limitless! If you are on the fence about picking it up, go for it! You will NOT regret it!

Thanks again to Nick for the review and pictures!

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