Hot Toys MMS Terminator: Salvation John Connor

[JeffSaylor]

Hot Toys brings humanity's future savior to life in 1/6th scale...

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Hot Toys’ Terminator Salvation MMS95 John Connor is finally here to save our collections! After T-3’s (Rise of the Machines) less than stellar reception, fans were really exited when the Terminator Salvation trailers starting airing. Many have waited sends 1984 to see more of “The Future War” that has mesmerized and horrified us from the start. Finally, with an entire movie dedicated to just that hitting theaters earlier this year and slated to hit Blu-ray and DVD this fall, many of us could hardly wait. We’d follow John Connor as he rises through the ranks and gets one step closer to being the great military leader he is destined to be.

However, even though I liked the movie, it wasn’t well received in the U.S. and didn’t even break even at the box office. All wasn’t lost though because it made more than double the domestic amount overseas. Love it or Hate it, Terminator Salvation was here to stay. More importantly, it spawned an entire line of Hot Toys figures that are so incredible, words don’t do them justice.

PACKAGING:
Again, Hot Toys created a new design specifically for their Terminator Salvation line that coincides with the feel of the movie. The package is highly stylized and yet it maintains its original purpose of protecting the figure. It has and outer sleeve that’s not as large as what we’ve become accustomed to, but that’s only because Hot Toys wanted to draw attention to the main package itself. The main packaging material is made of compressed Styrofoam, and has all sorts of detailing “embroidered” into it. Even though the foam is exposed to damage during handling, it is sturdy enough to keep the figure safe.

Furthermore, I must add that the package is really sturdy, so it’s not like it will get damaged during regular handling. The sleeve hugs the foam nicely, and helps to keep the two halves of the main packaging together. It also has a nice print of various images of the figure, a short character bio, and associated licensing information. One thing I noticed is that hot Toys misspelled the word “SCALE” in the figure description. I think that these kinds of mistakes can be easily avoided with a simple spell-check. Other than that small error, the packaging is a nice collectable within itself. I’ve already seen many collector use is as a cool backdrop/diorama for their figures.

SCULPT:
Even though there was a delay involving the figure’s head-sculpt, it was well warranted because this improved head-sculpt is simply outstanding!
Arguably, it looks just like Christian Bale and it’s not until you see the figure in person that you can really appreciate it. Hot Toys captured everything from the texture of the skin, wrinkles on the forehead, to the facial hair and stylish chinstrap goatee. To summarize things, it’s Christian Bale incarnate even down to his intimidating glare. Make sure to order your figures now, because a head-sculpt this great is sure to become a milestone in the world of 1:6th collectables.

ACCESSORIES:
The figure can take on every Terminator collectible on your shelf and survive with ammo to spare.

First off, the figure comes with a pair of sculpted boots. While the lasses are sculpted, they are nicely executed as they appear to be wrapped around the boot at the top. The pants are weathered to look like Connor wore them to hell and back.

The knee pads are made of real rubber and appear to be tailored to the pants. Connor also sports a black body shirt underneath his “pleather” jacket. The jacket is extremely well done as almost everything is double stitched. It also has an inner lining that accurately represents wool insulation. Furthermore, while some have expressed concerns about the jacket deteriorating, it seems like there’s nothing to worry about as long as the figure isn’t exposed to the elements. Additionally, the figure comes with one pair of hands with sculpted gloves. The glove’s fingertips are made to look like they have been cut off, and both hands sport trigger fingers. To round things off, Connor bears the identifying Resistance patch and red armband around his left arm.

The figure also includes a Tactical full body harness, Headset, Radio, six M4 magazine pouches and seven magazines (above), 2 Pistol Magazine pouches and three magazines, one shotgun magazine, four Demolition blocks, a Drop leg panel (above), a grappling hook and launcher, spring loaded pistol, M4 rifle with spring loaded shotgun attachment, and finally a wrist harness, knife and knife sheath...everything needed to whoop Sky-Net’s butt!

The only thing to look out for is the weak Velcro used by Hot Toys for their figures. They don’t grip as well as one would like, so be careful not to drop and lose anything under your sofa because of the “Lazy-Velcro/ not-so Magic Tape”.

ARTICULATION:
The figure comes with one of Hot Toys’ True-Type bodies, so you can get the figure into an unlimited amount of poses. The one thing to look out for would be the wrist pegs. Mine are OK, but caution is needed when handling the figure because he pegs seem to be the weakest link in Hot Toys True-Type bodies. Furthermore, the tailoring and accessories are also nicely made and do not interfere too much with the figure’s pose-ability.

PAINT:
Hot Toys hit another Home Run here in the paint department. The prior head-sculpt left a lot to be desired, but the improved one is ridiculously cool! Overall, the figure looks like it has seen many battles and on the whole seems very weathered. However, the paint application on the head is what really makes the figure stand out. Connor has a dirty, sun burnt, under groomed paint application over the larger areas of his face.

In addition, the eyes have a nice sheen to it with just enough of a fleshy area around them to make it worthy of a spot in a wax museum. They say a picture says a thousand words, but that’s of no consequence when a figure like this merits 3K or more. Seriously, it’s that good.

Again, there’s one thing to look out for. The beard on some figures seem to have varying levels of paint application an the beard, making it look a little inaccurate. It’s basically blind luck if you order the figure and get the one you want, but if you have the opportunity to scan the figure before you buy it, I suggest you do.

COST & OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Hot Toys’ Terminator Salvation John Connor retails for $139.99 and is a steal if you can find one for less. The head-sculpt and accessories alone make it worth the price, so when you consider the tailoring and the fact that it’s John Connor ….. it’s really a no brainer. Fans of the franchise will love this figure, fans of Hot Toys will also, and those just looking to pick up a cool military figure will love it as well.
My suggestion to everybody who’s considering getting one of these is to place an order now before it’s too late. This figure is sure to become a grail to some in the near future, so get yours before it’s too late.

Be sure to check out over 85 photos HERE!

Photos and review by FACEBOX

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