Thursday, July 26, 2012

Review: Hot Toys Sucker Punch Amber 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure!

I unapologetically love plucky lil’ Zack Synder’s audaciously indulgent, hyper-violent ,burlesque, music-video epic Sucker Punch and none of the collective jibber-jabber will ever dampen my enjoyment. I’ve already reviewed Hot Toy’s 1/6th scale Babydoll figure, and now I have a lollipop devouring, fetish/army Amber - featuring the likeness of actress Jamie Chung - to add to my freakishly realistic tiny people collection.


To find out what I thought (and see a lot more pictures!) join me... after the jump!


This Amber figure faces a couple of obvious obstacles right from the start. First is the highly divisive nature of the film, Sucker Punch to begin with, the second is that the female Hot Toys figures, especially those that are less clad, look a lot more dollish. Jamie Chung is certainly an attractive actress but not necessarily someone who is instantly recognisable, so there's perhaps not a great deal to distinguish her here. A huge part of the Hot Toys appeal for me is to see just how well they've translated the actor's likeness, and while Amber is still a success in that regard, she definitely lacks the impact of, say, a Jack Nicholson Joker. 

But no regrets! Let's view her on her own merits!

The box is the exact same style as that of Babydoll, complete with the awkward intimacy of having to unhook your packaging's garter belt in order to open it. Fear not. It's good practice! The only real difference here is that the box is green instead of navy and has Amber pictured at the bottom...


Once you've slid off the top, the figure is revealed but there's not a lot to see thanks to a lot of protective plastic...


The back panel is very attractive though with beautiful vintage-styled Amber art alongside the figure's credits...


This is as simple as you get with Hot Toys... no multi-part blisters or hidden accessory trays this time. What you see is what you get...


Only three alternative hands here too, which is a relatively small sampling for a Hot Toys release, but that said, there's nothing you'd want her to be able to do which she can't. Let's free her from her prison...


My biggest issue here is the exposed midriff which looks way too narrow to my eyes and really gives her body that insubstantial Barbie-like appearance. The effect can be lessened depending on how you pose her, but I think it was handled much better with a more solid figure like Abigail Whistler. To Hot Toys credit though, they use completely different bodies depending on the build of the actress. This is the slimmest we've seen and it has a far smaller (and less detailed) bust than the aforementioned Abigail. She's also considerably taller than Babydoll. I think it's great that they're adaptable, but I would have like to have seen a more realistic human body.

If you can get past that, however, the face sculpt is amazing...


I imagine it's a lot harder to realistically capture a pretty face, devoid of bumps, wrinkles, and gigantic pores etc, but the fine details are still here. The paint is great with glossier lips and eyes to breathe a bit of life into her. 


I'm also a big fan of sculpted hair and wish that they would stick to this for all their future female releases. Babydoll has rooted hair, and it's a shame that they've chosen two completely different methods for two figures which are destined to be displayed together.

The base is the same one we've seen before, but take a look at those crazy boots while you're at it...


And now the most important accessory piece... her hat. Brilliantly they've enabled it to attach via hidden magnets which is a wonderful solution considering the rakish angles with which she tends to wear it...


It fits great and there's no fear of it falling off. Any lesser solution would have been frustrating so kudos for going this route. 

Let's round up her other accessories. Weapon-wise she's nowhere near as decked out as Babydoll. She has a single small pistol with three removable clips...


The spare clips slide into pouches on her shoulder straps and the gun can be stored in a corresponding shoulder holster. You'll probably want to holster the gun anyway because she can only hold it in her right hand, which has a better accessory option: her trademark lollipop which is sensibly permanently attached to one of her alternative hands...


It's my favourite accessory - such a tiny thing but it really helps capture the spirit of both the character and the film. The only issue is that she's not capable of positioning it too close to her mouth. She's reasonably well articulated (she has full arm joints under there, unlike the rubber body of Abigail Whistler) but her tight clothing restricts her movement somewhat. She can get it close but not quite there.


Still it's a fun look. I like the playfulness of it, especially when juxtaposed with the army garb...



She also has a golden Zippo lighter featuring an embossed Chinese dragon. You can see it in her left hand if you look carefully in this one...


And she has a large set of headphones which have a lot of small, articulated pieces and can be worn under or outside of her hat...



And one last thing... A sinister looking knife. If she has anywhere to store that on her body then I missed it, but I think it was just a quick grab from the kitchen if my memory serves me correctly.


And that's pretty much it! Overall she's light on accessories compared to other releases but I honestly can't think of anything appropriate that she's missing from the movie. And she is one of the cheapest Hot Toys figures available to compensate. I'll be displaying her in a simpler, more relaxed pose anyway...



And here she is next to Babydoll. You can certainly see the height difference. 


Obviously you have to be pretty hardcore committed to Sucker Punch to collect this deep. I imagine casual fans are unlikely to go past Babydoll, and even then only if they are already Hot Toys collectors.    I'm really happy with Amber but have to admit that she's probably the lesser of my Hot Toys collection, she's more of a support piece than anything (but as I mentioned, that is reflected in her cheaper price). I would definitely pick up more of the Sucker Punch girls if they were made available although I think that's unlikely at this stage. Perhaps if these two sell well enough the collection will continue, but one would think that window of opportunity has now closed.

But if you do want to pick Amber up, then our dear friends at Sideshow still have her in stock right here: Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series Amber 12-inch Figure - Sucker Punch

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