Dead Space: Isaac Clarke Figure Review

As a Dead Space fan and being hungry for Dead Space figures, I snatched a set of regular versions of Isaac Clarke as soon as I saw them up on eBay. I have to tell you, these figures put the SDCC exclusive to shame by quite a lot. Just something about seeing Isaac Clarke in his regular RIG outfit that makes me excited. However, this figure isn't without any flaws.





Flavor Text:

"Briefing Data:

Isaac Clarke

Update from Recipient: Have arrived on board USG Ishimura. No survivors present, power running low. Cut off from security detail at onset of mission. Ishimura crew has been overrun by alien hostiles. Attempting to restore ship systems. Unsure if communications are working, if message received send military support.

Assignment: Investigate lost signal and repair all repair all necessary equipment in order to restore communications.

Mission Briefing Recipient: Isaac Clarke

Mission Location: USG Ishimura

Issue: Total communications blackout

Support Team: Standard Security Detail"



The Good:

• Isaac has 29 points of articulation: ball-jointed head, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel upper arms, ball-jointed/swivel/hinged elbows, swivel hands, quasi-ball-jointed/swivel hips, swivel/hinged legs, swivel thighs, ball-jointed/swivel/hinged knees, and quasi-ball-jointed ankles.

• Like his SDCC exclusive counterpart, "regular" Isaac sports LED lights too (on both his visor and spine)! Because of the blue plastic used, the LED brightness is considerably dimmed.

• This Isaac figure has a pretty good grip on the Ripper weapon. I (sheepishly) admit that it took me some time to figure out how Isaac would hold the weapon.

• Thankfully, the regular Isaac doesn't suffer from the LED lights bleeding through the paint on his spine like his SDCC exclusive counterpart.
  

• I can breathe an easy sigh of relief to see that Isaac doesn't suffer from the "male cameltoe" which was last seen prominently displayed on the Chris Redfield figure.

The Bad:

• The "bloody" variant Isaac comes with the Ripper weapon as the only accessory. The "standard" Isaac comes with the 211-V Plasma Cutter. As mentioned in my previous review of the SDCC exclusive, the figure is sorely lacking in the accessories department. Although the Ripper weapon is nice to have, it would've been better to have additional weapons such as the Flamethrower or even the IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun.

• It's not necessarily a bad thing, but the overall design of Isaac and the greenish-bluish tinge (when the LED is switched on) eerily remind me of Bioshock. As a side note, I really hope that NECA doesn't incorporate the LED "light feature" in their upcoming Bioshock figures. NECA, please don't do this to us.

• The color of Isaac's RIG suit is a bit too orange for my tastes. I'm pretty sure his suit is more of a gold color than anything else. **Actually I just checked to confirm my belief: http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/deadspace/images/1/11/Dead_Space_2009-05-26_22-56-43-51.png ** (It is gold).
  

• Again, this Isaac suffers the same problem from its predecessor of the three [slightly] deep yet visible holes with screws in the back of Isaac just look ugly as hell. Obviously, this was needed to allow collectors to remove the dead battery and replace it. I just had to point out that it's distracting.

• I really hoped to see Isaac sculpted in his Level 5 armor, where he is covered from head-to-toe in armor.

• The "shoulder armor" covering Isaac's right shoulder is glued in place which limits his arm movement (preventing him from doing any "high-five" poses). The SDCC exclusive doesn't suffer from this problem.
  

The Ugly:

• Obviously, the "bloody version" of Isaac would sport blood on his armor. But when you examine the "blood splatter" it's rather... disappointing. The red paint applications look more like ketchup stains than anything else (especially on the visor and Isaac's right leg). NOTE: The "regular" Isaac (supposedly "non-bloody") actually sports a little "blood deco" as well on his RIG helmet and right shoulder.

• Also what's up with the paint application here? Right on top and at the bottom of Isaac's spine, you see an unsightly splotch of orange paint. You bet your ass that's sloppy. Would someone please explain to me why the hell are white dots applied liberally all over Isaac's body? Space dust, perhaps?

• Starting from the fourth "row" of Isaac's chest armor, the lines of armor are [quite visibly] crooked and no longer are following the pattern (as seen in the above three "rows" of Isaac's chest armor). There's a noticeable gap betwen the third and fourth row, which is plain ugly as it is sloppy. I suspect the black "twisties" that are used to hold the figure are partly to blame (the other half of the blame goes right to the sculptor/Chinese factory).

• The "regular" version of Isaac sports a noticeably crooked HUD display (the little blue plastic sticking out on Isaac's chest). Examine these figures in person before buying them! It seems NECA still has quality control issues.
  

• As I mentioned in an earlier review [of the Isaac Clarke SDCC exclusive], if NECA was going all out to include LED lights for the spine and helmet, why not include that for the kinesis module as well? I understand that the engineering behind that could be quite complicated, but to have the LED spine "light up" next to a painted kinesis module, well.... it looks pretty bad.
  

I purchased this set online via eBay for a total of $34.90 (price includes S&H). I recommend searching through eBay for these. If you can't seem to find a reasonable price order from CornerStoreComics.com (last I checked, they charge $25.99 for both; $13.99 individually). They're really good about packaging and sending out items in a timely manner, and they seem to get their items a little earlier than most electronic retailers I've dealt with.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT eBAY OR CORNERSTORECOMICS. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.


Overall, NECA's Isaac Clarke is one AMAZING entry into the Dead Space franchise. Despite a lot of glaring negatives, I'm really glad to see NECA getting into the idea of heavily articulated action figures. I recommend examining these figures in person before purchasing, so you can avoid the crap that I've viewed as negative. It may be just me, but I think getting both (the "regular" version which isn't really regular and the "bloody" version) is a pretty stupid idea.

Ghostbusters: Egon Spengler (SDCC 2009 Exclusive) Figure Review

Like most other people in my generation, I've grown up with the Ghostbusters (both movies came out when I was quite young, but I was there for The Real Ghostbusters amazing cartoon series). I've collected most of their toys produced by now-defunct Kenner. Heck, I still have the Ghostbusters firehouse and Ecto-1! When I heard news that Mattel was going to produce Ghostbusters figures based on the first movie, I was stunned. Then I was happy, then moments later was worried. Would Mattel screw up my childhood? Thankfully, they haven't, since the Four Horsemen are behind the sculpts of the Ghostbusters figures.


Flavor Text:

"PERSONNEL FILE

NAME: Egon Spengler

PROFESSION:

• Doctor of Parapsychology
• Doctor of Physics

GHOSTBUSTER STATUS:

• Strategic right brain of the outfit.
• Designs Ghostbuster equipment with Ray Stantz.
• The most serious and straight forward of the GB team.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

"Don't cross the streams. It would be bad."

(Page 1)

HABITS & HOBBIES:

• Science addict
• Collects spores, molds and fungus
• Driven by logic
• Sugar junkie
• Attempted self-trepanation

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• One of the founding members of the GHOSTBUSTERS.
• Incorporated radioactive isotopes into tractor beam
• Calculated freeze point of ectoplasm

NOTES:

Office Supplies -
Egon often needs to have a hand drill, magnifying glass, eye droppers, tweezers and a large supply of nougat and chocolate syrup handy.

(Page 2)"



The Good:

• Egon has an impressive (approximately) 26 POINTS OF ARTICULATION!
  

• The overall package design is quite nice, but wasteful. The picture of the two Terror Dogs found on both sides of the figure makes quite a nice display. However, the cartoony, angry-looking Stay Puft the Marshmallow Man reaching in the background was corny. The "3-D" Ghostbusters logo on the top of the packaging is also nice.

• The detailing done on the proton pack is quite good for a mass-produced toy. I also like to be able to holster the proton gun when not in use.

• The facial sculpt is quite close to actor Harold Ramis.

• The paint application on this figure is fairly consistent, which is nice for a mass-produced toy. There was a small splotch of paint on the back of Egon's left arm. Some of the wires on the proton pack weren't totally painted either, but nothing too big.

• Having Slimer as a "pack-in" accessory is a nice gesture to fans of the movie. Slimer even has a few points of articulation as well! As if that weren't enough, Slimer also comes with a "floating" stand. Slimer's bottom is sculpted so that he can "stand" on the ground as well.

The Bad:

• This is an "exclusive" that was first sold at this year's San Diego Comic Con at the Mattel booth and then later sold online via MattyCollector.com.
  

• Egon's face looks a bit cartoony.

• The awkward sculpt of Egon's arms, places him in perpetual bent elbow syndrome. Yes, I know that this was done to allow Egon to do his "Ghostbusting" pose but a neutral pose would've been nice especially when he's not using his proton pack.

• Although having Slimer as a "pack-in" accessory is a nice gesture to Ghostbuster fans, it doesn't seem to be paired to the right Ghostbuster. I'm aware that Bill Murray (or should I say Peter Venkman) had some issues with his likeness being used as a figure, which led to the Egon/Slimer pair. The toaster or even the ectoplasm/slime samples would've been a better choice of accessory.
  

The Ugly:

• As with most "exclusives," pricing for these items are quite the bitch. Admittedly, I paid quite a bit more via eBay not being able to attend SDCC and to avoid waiting on line online (no, that's not a typo). When the sale began on MattyCollector.com, there was a long delay in allowing purchases of their leftover Egons from SDCC. Collectors online via forums were worried sick. When they were finally ready, I discovered that with shipping and handling, Egon costs about a whopping $28.00 (Egon is listed as $20.00)!

• Seeing the non-removable proton pack makes me sad, very sad. It would've been a nice homage to the old Ghostbusters figures with their removable proton packs that we've all grown up with and love. Also, the extra space in the back would've allowed the possibilty (no matter how small) for the Ghostbusters to ride in their Ectomobile (Ecto-1).

• I'm not too pleased with Egon being "slimed". First off, the "slime" deco on Egon looks more like grass-stains than anything else. Also, Mattel should've saved the "slimed" look for their later Venkman figure release. Egon never got slimed by Slimer, so having that deco is just... extraneous.
  

As I mentioned earlier, I purchased this MattyCollector exclusive online via eBay for a (a large undisclosed amount of money). At this point, I don't know what to recommend regarding purchasing this Egon exclusive. Amazon currently has it for $34.99 (that's the cheapest) through a third-party vendor. Browsing eBay may give you a slightly better deal. Bigbadtoystore.com (also found selling on Amazon.com) has it for approximately $40 (this includes shipping and handling).

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT MATTYCOLLECTOR, eBAY, AMAZON, OR BIGBADTOYSTORE. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.



Overall, Mattel's SDCC 2009 Exclusive Egon Spengler is a pretty decent entry into the Ghostbusters franchise. I'm glad to see the Ghostbusters being reintroduced as a marketable toy line. Having Egon with loads of articulation and with a ghost pack-in accessory gives me hope for the rest of the Ghostbusters line.

Dead Space: Isaac Clarke (SDCC 2009 Exclusive) Review

As a latecomer to the Dead Space franchise, I was indifferent to hearing the news that NECA was going to produce Dead Space figures. However, once I started playing the game, I was excited at the prospect of owning an Isaac Clarke figure. Having seen the preliminary sculpts of Isaac, I wasn't surprised at the high level of detail. All I was worried about was NECA screwing up an amazing sculpt with limited articulation. I'm really glad that NECA came through.



Flavor Text:

"Briefing Data:

Isaac Clarke

Update from Recipient: Have arrived on board USG Ishimura. No survivors present, power running low. Cut off from security detail at onset of mission. Ishimura crew has been overrun by alien hostiles. Attempting to restore ship systems. Unsure if communications are working, if message received send military support.

Assignment: Investigate lost signal and repair all repair all necessary equipment in order to restore communications.

Mission Briefing Recipient: Isaac Clarke

Mission Location: USG Ishimura

Issue: Total communications blackout

Support Team: Standard Security Detail"



The Good:

• Once again, NECA gives us an action figure with over 20 POINTS OF ARTICULATION! Last I checked, Issac has approximately 25 points of articulation.

• This SDCC NECA Exclusive sports LED lights as advertised on the front packaging! It can be seen through Isaac's visor and "spine" (found on the back of his RIG suit). When this baby is turned on in the dark, Isaac's LED lights are bright enough to be used as a flashlight during a blackout (no joke)!

• As seen in the previously released Chris Redfield figure (from NECA's Resident Evil 5 line), Isaac Clarke also sports the knee joint which is covered by his boots!

• Just had to point out the Unitology "scribbles" all over Isaac's body armor is done pretty well. It must've been really hard to paint those on. I wonder if those symbols translate into anything...

• The paint application on this figure is fairly consistent, which is a nice change from NECA's usual fare. I found only two pieces of dried paint: one piece of dried paint sticking out noticeably when I swiveled Isaac's right leg forward and back; the other sticking right behind of Isaac's kinesis module "meter" (found on his back right shoulder).
  

• I can breathe an easy sigh of relief to see that Isaac doesn't suffer from the "male cameltoe" which was last seen prominently displayed on the Chris Redfield figure.

The Bad:

• The lack of pack-in accessories is somewhat irksome. Isaac only comes with his standard 211-V Plasma Cutter tool with Unitology "scribble" all over it. In the video game DEAD SPACE, Isaac was able to carry four weapons of the seven found or purchased in the game. It would've been nice to see either the Flamethrower or even the Pulse Rifle as an extra weapon accessory.
  

• It would've really been nice to be able to swivel the Cutter tool horizontally as in the game (although I understand the difficulties that would come with such a feature).
  

• In the beginning, Isaac had a great grip on his Cutter tool. However, each time I slightly moved him from one position to another, the Cutter tool just slipped out of his right hand. Isaac can't even hold onto the Cutter just standing!

• The three [slightly] deep yet visible holes with screws in the back of Isaac just look ugly as hell. Obviously, this was needed to allow collectors to remove the dead battery and replace it. I just had to point out that it was... distracting.

• I really hoped to see Isaac sculpted in his Level 5 armor, where he is covered from head-to-toe in armor.

• NOTE: Isaac has 4 "slits" in his visor as seen in the pictures on the Dead Space clamshell packaging. Unfortunately, the figure only sports 3. I wish NECA paid more attention to that specific detail. In other words, I wish NECA added on another "slit" to his visor (it would've been nice to see the SDCC exclusive sport a slightly different sculpt when compared to the original DS figures).

The Ugly:

• When you turn on the LED lights (by pushing the "button" on the top of Isaac's spine), you see the light bleeding through the black paint with the Unitology "scribble". Also you can see very clearly, the glue scuff marks and black paint smears all over the "blue" colored plastic.

• As much as I love the idea of the LED lights incorporated into the NECA exclusive, I wish NECA made some changes to this. Don't get me wrong, the LED light shining through Isaac's visor is great. However, having the "spine" light up in blue cheapened an otherwise cool idea. When you turn on the LED light, you can see that the entire "spine" portion is made up of blue plastic (this is due to the blue plastic bleeding through the black paint application). It would've been better to keep the bright [white] LED light as is. As much as I understand the difficulty of coming up with incorporating LED into an action figure, NECA should've also done that with the kinesis module as well. By giving Isaac's visor and "spine" LED light, it unintentionally calls attention to the painted kinesis module. By leaving it out, it cheapens the overall look.
  

I purchased this NECA Exclusive online via Toyrocket for a total of $47.94. I recommend searching through eBay or Amazon for better deals. If you can't seem to find a reasonable price (the MSRP is $20.00), order from Bigbadtoystore.com (last I checked, they charge approx. $32.99). They're usually good about packaging and sending out items in a timely manner, but they seem to get their items later than most electronic retailers.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT TOYROCKET, eBAY, AMAZON, OR BIGBADTOYSTORE. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.



Overall, NECA's SDCC 2009 Exclusive Isaac Clarke is one AMAZING entry into the Dead Space franchise. I'm really glad to see NECA getting into the idea of heavily articulated action figures. During these harsh economic times, I'd recommend just getting one (unless you're a hardcore Dead Space fan AND have the money to purchase another for your MOC collection).