Biohazard 5: Sheva Alomar (BSAA Version) Hot Toys Figure Review

Being extremely disappointed with NECA's attempt to recreate Sheva Alomar in figure form, I was excited to hear Hot Toys would be making their "1/6th scale fully poseable collectible figure" of Sheva.  I'd seen the preliminary photos of their Sheva figure and was thoroughly impressed.  Although Sheva's facial sculpt wasn't exactly "video game accurate", it looked far better than NECA's feeble attempt.  Despite the high price for this line of collectibles, I figured "why not?" and plunged head-first into Hot Toys "Biohazard 5" line.


Flavor Text:


"Age: 23
  Height: 5'4"
  Weight: 115 lbs.
  Sex: Female
  Organization: BSAA Western Africa Division


Sheva Alomar is an agent with the BSAA West African Branch.  Sheva's parents are killed in a factory accident.  Later she joins an anti-government guerilla group, but is rescued by a government agency and sent to live in America.  She joins the BSAA after graduating from a university.  She is assigned to the current mission to assist Chris Redfield, who is unfamiliar with the area.  A versatile fighter with extensive experience, her ability to use firearms is on par with Chris.  Her highly conditioned body allows her to pull off physical attacks that Chris could never do."



The Good:

• A better sculpted and fully poseable Sheva Alomar figure with loads of accessories has finally arrived!

• Sheva has approximately 16 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, bendable arms, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed torso, ball-jointed hips, swivel upper thighs, hinged knees, and hinged ankles.

• Due to Hot Toys's "rubber body" technology, those ugly [and sometimes bulky] joints no longer protrude, thereby softening the overall look of the figure.  This allows Sheva to retain her overall feminine look without giving up articulation.
  

• Tons of accessories: H&K PSG-1 rifle, M3 shotgun, Ithaca M37 shotgun, S&W M29 magnum, M92F handgun, knife, VZ61 machine-gun, AK-74 machine-gun, Red Hawk 30 pistol cartridge, Jackal parabellum sub-machine gun cartridge, flash grenade, 2x additional sets of right hands, 1x additional left hand, 2x sets of joints, necklace, radio headset, radio pouch, ammo clip pouch, 2x decorative strips, 1x backpack, 1x shoulder holster, and "Biohazard 5: Sheva Alomar (BSAA Version)" base and stand.

• Like Albert Wesker's (Midnight Version), the Hot Toys packaging design is standard.  The "Biohazard 5" (also known as Resident Evil 5 in the U.S.) logo is off-center with a well-known picture of Sheva holding the Ithaca M37 that overlaps onto the right-side of the packaging. Hot Toys incorporated the magnetic flap which can be easily opened and closed.  Opening the flap reveals the beautiful display of the figure and its accessories.  The right-side displays the entire figure, while the left side displays all of the weapon accessories in neat fashion.  A scene of the marshlands (Chapter 3 in the Resident Evil 5 video game) serves as the backdrop for the weapon accessories display.

• The sculpt of Sheva's hair, the separate sculpt of her earrings, her gloved hands are all equally impressive.  Her fingernails are also painted without any stray marks.  The belt buckles and leather straps all over her legs are intricately-detailed as well.  The detailing on all the [weapon] accessories are top-notch and they even have movable parts as well!

• Sheva's hands (including the additional ones) are sculpted in some sort of sturdy yet pliable plastic, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to insert all sorts of weapons into her pre-posed hands.
  

• I'm really impressed with Hot Toys handling of Sheva's bust size.  They made it pretty accurate to her video game counterpart.  I was surprised that she was even given sculpted nipples (her chest area is slightly pliable).  I have to say that her chest certainly feels like fake tits (don't ask).
  

The Bad:

• Although Sheva's face is nicely sculpted, something doesn't look quite right.  The preliminary photos of Sheva looked far better than the one I have in front of me.  However, both facial sculpts don't look exactly similar to her video game counterpart.

•  The "instruction sheet" that came with Sheva isn't exactly comprehensive.  The "directions" are printed on an approximately 6" x 8" paper, one side in English, the other side in Chinese.  Putting Sheva together was just like putting together a lawn mower or bookshelf.  I had to figure it out by myself by examining the picture on the box and through trial-and-error.  This process with Sheva took nearly an hour and a half!  I wasn't aware that Sheva's belt-buckle was actually functional, so I was confused as to how in the hell I was supposed to attach certain accessories onto Sheva's belt.  However, what consumed most of my time was pulling Sheva's head off and putting it back on (I had to do this in order to place her damned necklace on).  My God, it was like pulling teeth!

• Because Sheva is Hot Toys's first female figure to utilize the "rubber body" technology, there were instructions (the same instructions I mentioned just before) that ranged from "do not fold up the arms over 180 degrees" to "do not raise the arms aside over 80 degrees".  I was overwhelmed by these "do not" warnings that I was afraid of even touching the figure.

• Sheva's holster can be "opened" (by "popping" out the straps) in order to accommodate her M92F handgun, but it can't be closed.  Maybe I'm doing it wrong because I end up with my fingers hurting like hell with the straps still "open".  DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use tweezers to try and close the holster straps.  I tried that and nearly ripped off the entire flimsy holster strap.

• Certain pouches can be "opened" as well.  Unfortunately, once you open them, it'll take all the luck in the world to get them closed... or someone with dexterous fingers.

• Because Sheva's pants are accurately (and attractively) tight, her leg movements are restricted.  If I try to place her in an "open-stance," the velcro at the "fly" of her pants will start pulling apart, thus revealing the quite not-so-attractive naked spot.

• This is really nitpicking, but Sheva's top is supposed to be colored purple, not blue.  I have no idea why or how this happened.

• Because Sheva is wearing high-heeled boots (women and the men who design women's footwear!) she has a much harder time standing up on her two feet.

• There are two specific things "Accessories Supervisor" TS Wong screwed up on: 1. The design and sculpt of the Ithaca M37 Shotgun; and 2. Not including Sheva's well-known Dragunov SVD Rifle.  At first, I couldn't recognize one of the shotgun [weapon] accessories (the M3 shotgun was easily recognized), but because the brown-colored "forend" (forearm) with the grooves in it, I knew that had to be the Ithaca M37.  After all, there are only four shotguns in the entire Resident Evil 5 video game.  For some reason though, the Ithaca M37 accessory was sculpted with a much shorter barrel and stock.  While having the H&K PSG-1 rifle accessory is nice, it would've been nicer if Sheva was given the Dragunov SVD (I guess it's a matter of preference).  Hey, at least NECA gave us one with their Sheva figure!

The Ugly:

• As I've mentioned before, the lack of detailed instructions made "assembling" this figure much harder and complicated than it should've been.

• The way most of these accessories (pouches, clips, etc.) are designed, it's very difficult to attach or "clip" them onto their appropriate spots.  While I was trying to clip Sheva's radio/walkie-talkie set on her shoulder holster, the wire piece connecting the head piece and radio snapped off.  As much as I tried, there was no possible way to re-insert the damned wire.  I ended up with frustration and aching finger.  There has to be an easier way.

• This collectible figure is not only pricey, but involves particularly hard work.  Make any sense?  Yeah, I didn't think so either.

I pre-ordered Sheva from eBay at a slightly high price of $178.88 from a seller in China. Despite the risks (of pre-ordering anything from eBay and buying from a seller residing in China), I strongly urge you to do your research. Look around online what the going prices are for these figures. Check the eBay seller's reputation. Does he/she have any negative feedback recently? If so, what were the buyer's reasons? Last time I checked, Hot Toys Sheva is now available for purchase from CornerStoreComics, BigBadToyStore, and other retailers.

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


Despite the overwhelming negatives surrounding Hot Toys Sheva Alomar (BSAA Version), I'm taking quite a liking to her as my new addition to my Resident Evil collection. Although the facial-likeness can use a lot more work, the amount of articulation and accessories (her nice bust and sculpted nipples helps!) makes up for the high price and large amount of effort to set Sheva up. If you've been disappointed with the lack of quality Resident Evil figures, I suggest you start looking into Hot Toys's offering.



Score:

Resident Evil 5: Sheva Alomar Review

After being totally blown away by the Chris Redfield figure, I was definitely looking towards reviewing the remaining Resident Evil 5 Series One figures. This time, it's Sheva Alomar. Interestingly, what NECA got right with Chris Redfield, they fucked up with Sheva Alomar and vice versa.






Flavor Text:

"The world has learned the meaning of terror. A decade after the events of Raccoon City, the evil Umbrella Corporation has been destroyed but the effects of its horrific creations still linger. Gripped in fear of another biological incident, world governments formed the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, determined to stem the spread of biological attacks. Now, Agent Chris Redfield has been sent to Africa to investigate reports of a new more dangerous outbreak. Joined by his partner, Sheva Alomar, both must work together to discover what's really happening and stop whoever is continuing Umbrella's evil legacy."


"Sheva Alomar lost her parents in an accident at an Umbrella factory when she was very young. Later she discovered that her parents' deaths were not merely an accident but the result of fatal biological experiments. Sheva moved to the US and joined B.S.A.A. She was promoted to agent after 8 months of training for practical combat. Due to the disappearance of many of her colleagues she ventures into the deepest regions of Africa to uncover the mystery around Umbrella and the most recent outbreaks."

"Name: Sheva Alomar
Age: 23
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 52 kg
Sex: Female
Org.: B.S.A.A.
West Africa Division"

"Confidential File - 01"


The Good:

• Sheva has no problem gripping her handgun or knife. If you examine those accessories carefully, you'll notice that the handle part of both the handgun and knife is actually thicker than normal (it also helps that Sheva's hands are sculpted in a "tighter" formation).

• Sheva's holster actually works! You can close it with her handgun tucked inside (unlike Chris Redfield's).

The Bad:

• Sloppy paint application and stray marks. There are strange black marks all over her body (joints, arms, neck, face, etc). The paint application on Sheva's lips make her look like she's tight-lipped about something (not very attractive).
  

• Sheva's blank expression. She's spacing out, staring off into space (kind of like what I do at work, don't tell my boss!). At least Chris has a serious expression.
  

• Lack of accessories (Sheva only comes with a knife, sniper rifle, and a pistol). For a figure that is touted as "game-accurate," it's certainly missing a lot of weapons.
  

• Lack of articulation (unlike the Chris Redfield figure). The figure is touted to have 20 points of articulation, but the joints used just perplex the hell out of me. Instead of duplicating the "ab-crunch" joint (found in Chris Redfield), Sheva gets a quasi-ball-jointed waist (and I really mean "quasi"). The "ab-crunch" joint could've gone right under Sheva's breasts. Also what is up with the swivel elbows? Not only does it limit Sheva's posing capability, but it makes her look very awkward. Instead, Sheva's arms should be sculpted slightly larger and insert ball-joints (again, as found in the Chris Redfield figure).

• I wish Sheva's front part of her hair would be a separate "rubberized" plastic (similar to Leon Kennedy's hair in Resident Evil 4 Series One).

• The straps that are sculpted onto Sheva's back, look particularly nasty. It would've been a better idea to have "rubberized" plastic (like Jill Valentine's shoulder pads from Resident Evil 10th Anniversary Series One) straps glued on.

• I really hoped that Sheva's earpiece would be a separate piece of "rubberized" plastic rather than having it permanently sculpted onto her face. (I understand why it was done like that, but a collector can hope).

• FYI, Sheva's bust is bigger than what was sculpted. Just pointing that out.

The Ugly:

• NECA still has trouble accurately sculpting female faces. There is no resemblance of Sheva in her facial sculpt whatsoever. You know, after sculpting a bunch of female figures, you'd think NECA would get it right, but no.
  

• The presence of the cameltoe is very disturbing and quite an unsightly piece of plastic that no collector should ever see again.

• Just note, when you open both of Sheva's legs (aka, when she does a split), you'll notice that the letter "R" and the letter "L" are carved right inside the leg area. This is so the factory workers know which leg goes where. For collectors like me, it just looks unprofessional and just plain ugly. Chris Redfield didn't have it, so why does Sheva Alomar?

I purchased the entire RE 5 Series One online via eBay for a total of $52.99. I recommend searching through eBay for better deals (but recently noticed that eBay sellers are trying hard to jack people). Go check out cornerstorecomics.com/amazingtoyz.com (both links bring you to the same website). I think they have the best deal out there so far, and from my experience with them, they ship on time and package your items in a secure manner. Also, check out bigbadtoystore.com if you want to purchase the entire set. They're pretty good about packaging and sending out item in a timely manner, but they seem to get their items later than other electronic retailers.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT EITHER CORNERSTORECOMICS/AMAZINGTOYZ 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, Sheva Alomar is a disappointment. I know most (okay, ALL) of my suggestions require more materials and involve higher costs, but if a collectibles company wants to produce authentic (or "game-accurate") figures, then it's best to go all in. Sure, the price would be shifted onto consumers, but that's already a given. Produce high-quality figures, charge higher prices. I grow tired of shelling out money for half-assed figures. I really do. After reviewing the Chris Redfield figure, I expect the same if not even better level of detail for the remaining figures of Resident Evil 5 Series One. I don't recommend getting Sheva, unless you're a completionist.