Review: 9 (movie): Character 9, by NECA
First of all, let me just say that the above title may be the single most convoluted I've ever used on a toy review. Fortunately, the photo does a better job explaining.
Normally, the start of the fall is a quiet time for geeks, at least as far as movies are concerned. There are two peak seasons for film: the summer and the holidays. Fall and spring, traditionally, are periods of rest. But this year's a little different. With a few exceptions, this wasn't a big summer for movies. Sure there were a couple of big budget flicks worth seeing (Up, Star Trek, and Half Blood Prince), and there were some smaller movies that delivered (District 9 was great and I hear Moon was solid), but there wasn't anything that felt huge and culturally significant. Granted, last summer set some ridiculous expectations, but even independent of that, this year felt a bit weak.
I know a lot of people who had less interest in anything coming out during the summer than they've had in an animated movie hitting theaters next week. And that's 9, a flick I'm certainly looking forward to.
So much so, in fact, that I've gone and broken one of my cardinal rules about movie toys: I bought one before seeing the film. Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, it's more of a guideline than a rule, but it's still something I try to avoid.
Normally, the start of the fall is a quiet time for geeks, at least as far as movies are concerned. There are two peak seasons for film: the summer and the holidays. Fall and spring, traditionally, are periods of rest. But this year's a little different. With a few exceptions, this wasn't a big summer for movies. Sure there were a couple of big budget flicks worth seeing (Up, Star Trek, and Half Blood Prince), and there were some smaller movies that delivered (District 9 was great and I hear Moon was solid), but there wasn't anything that felt huge and culturally significant. Granted, last summer set some ridiculous expectations, but even independent of that, this year felt a bit weak.
I know a lot of people who had less interest in anything coming out during the summer than they've had in an animated movie hitting theaters next week. And that's 9, a flick I'm certainly looking forward to.
So much so, in fact, that I've gone and broken one of my cardinal rules about movie toys: I bought one before seeing the film. Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, it's more of a guideline than a rule, but it's still something I try to avoid.
Appearance and Construction: 9/10
For the record, no: I did not do that on purpose.
Overall, this is an absolutely fantastic toy that's within striking distance of a perfect ten. However, he has a few issues that hold him back. The largest of his issues are the holes on the backs of his bendable arms. Since I'm not an engineer, I can't say for sure whether these are necessary for the bending feature to work - they very well may be - but they do hurt the illusion. Since this relates to articulation, this is also going to tie in with Play and Display, but for now we'll focus on the appearance aspect of the figure.
NECA chose to forgo conventional arm articulation in order to prevent the joints from obstructing the sculpt. The holes on the back of the arm undermine this goal, because they become visible when the arms are bent and when the figure's viewed from behind. Because of the large '9' on his back, that's actually an issue here: this is a toy that needs to work from every angle.
Most of the remaining issues relate to design choices. The largest is the character's expression. Now, to be fair, I haven't seen the movie yet: for all I know, 9 might grin throughout the picture. But the reviews paint a darker picture, and that's what's won over geeks everywhere. It seems to me that a less cheerful version would have been a better choice. These are intended for adult collectors, after all.
Also, after comparing the toy to the trailer, I think NECA deviated from the model in a few spots. The stitching around the eyes, which is barely visible on the toy, looks much more noticeable in the movie. Also, it looks as though they've used a different style of zipper.
Overall, this is an absolutely fantastic toy that's within striking distance of a perfect ten. However, he has a few issues that hold him back. The largest of his issues are the holes on the backs of his bendable arms. Since I'm not an engineer, I can't say for sure whether these are necessary for the bending feature to work - they very well may be - but they do hurt the illusion. Since this relates to articulation, this is also going to tie in with Play and Display, but for now we'll focus on the appearance aspect of the figure.
NECA chose to forgo conventional arm articulation in order to prevent the joints from obstructing the sculpt. The holes on the back of the arm undermine this goal, because they become visible when the arms are bent and when the figure's viewed from behind. Because of the large '9' on his back, that's actually an issue here: this is a toy that needs to work from every angle.
Most of the remaining issues relate to design choices. The largest is the character's expression. Now, to be fair, I haven't seen the movie yet: for all I know, 9 might grin throughout the picture. But the reviews paint a darker picture, and that's what's won over geeks everywhere. It seems to me that a less cheerful version would have been a better choice. These are intended for adult collectors, after all.
Also, after comparing the toy to the trailer, I think NECA deviated from the model in a few spots. The stitching around the eyes, which is barely visible on the toy, looks much more noticeable in the movie. Also, it looks as though they've used a different style of zipper.
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If any of this seems like I'm grasping at straws, it's because I am. These are clearly minor issues if issues, at all. Lets talk about the positives, shall we?
First of all, the texture on the sculpted burlap is just about perfect for the scale. The hands are even better: they're incredibly detailed and realistic. The painted '9' on his back looks excellent, as well. In addition, the sculpted stitching is very effective. I also want to take a moment and single out the zipper: rather than sculpt it, they've used an actual slider. The teeth are fake, of course, but it's VERY realistic. The figure feels solid overall, with the obvious exception of the bendable arms (which feel, well, bendable). He's around six inches tall, which might be actual size (again, won't know until next week). This is a great collectible, reminiscent of NECA's legendary work on the Nightmare Before Christmas line. If it weren't for those holes, I could almost justify a ten (though it would still be close). |
Packaging and Extras: +2
I like the packaging, mostly because it retains the color scheme and stylization from the movie. Also, it's relatively small and has a window, so you can look before you buy.
The text on the back is nothing too exciting: to be honest, it's a little too "toyish" for my tastes, but none of that really matters, does it?
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9 comes with three accessories: a light bulb/staff, an extra hand, and a... uh... a thing. I don't know exactly what the "thing" is, because I haven't seen the movie. Bet your getting tired of that excuse. We'll talk about the thing in a moment. Lets start with the staff, because it's probably the most iconic thing he's had in the trailer. |
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The staff is very cool, though the bulb at top has some issues, the most significant being the mold line. At a few feet, this is the only thing about this figure or accessories that yells "Toy!" Still, it's a good length and the handle looks fantastic. The staff comes apart into two pieces, which is how you're able to get it into 9's alternate hand.
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And that brings us to the alternate hand. You see that transition? They don't get better than that. The hands are easy to pop on and off, and the fact they bothered with two is greatly appreciated. NECA could easily have just given us the gripping hand and called it a day: that's all most toy companies do. I'll mention this again below. The hand looks as good as the others. The only nit I can find is that, judging from the screen shots on the package, it looks like they might have made the WRONG hand. In all the pictures, 9 caries the staff in his left, but here it's the right that switches out. The last accessory is something that looks like it might (or might not) be some sort of mine or bomb. It's highly detailed, with runic symbols, leading me to suspect, whatever it is, it's really important and probably magical. Guess we'll find out next week. Regardless, the level of detailing is exceptional. |
While it's kind of a given that SOMETHING should be included, NECA went above and beyond here. The staff, despite the mold line, is very cool, the extra hand is greatly appreciated, and the... thing... is awesome. So, by my imaginary mathematics, that's two bonus points for 9.
As always, there are some other accessories I'd have liked. I've seem him using a knife, which could have been added easily enough. And, given how iconic the world of 9 is, a base really would have been nice. But, the real prize would have tied to the staff: if that light bulb really lit up, I think I'd have doubled the bonus.
Play and Display: ----
Almost a plus one. Almost. We'll get to that in a minute.
In terms of joints, in the traditional sense, 9 is greatly limited: he's really only got five. His wrists are pin joints and his ankles and neck (at the base) are ball jointed. These are all great joints, though they were stuck when I first got him out of the pack. In fact, when I first got his right ankle moving, I heard a "crack." For a minute, I was sure I'd broken him, but it was only dried paint or something.
The three ball joints are inspired and useful. The ankles allow you to fine tune his pose and balance, as well as decide whether his feet should be parallel or more open. Of course, lacking leg articulation, they can't reach their full potential, but that another matter. By connecting the neck at the base, you get a wide open range of motion. He can look up, down, side to side... really any direction that's natural and few that aren't.
The wrists give you the poses you'll need for holding the accessories (or not), which is all they really need to do. In addition, that alternate hand really opens some options. I expect that most collectors are going to display 9 the way I will: with staff in hand, but it's always nice to be given the choice.
There are a few places where articulation is lacking. First and most obviously, there are the legs. This isn't a huge deal here, because it's hard to imagine the figure looking anywhere near this good with leg joints. Still, it's a notable omission. Also, there's are fake joints on the shoes that could have been pin joints. Obviously, in the movie 9 has pin joints on his shoes, but here they're just sculpted. It's not a huge deal, because they wouldn't have done much without leg articulation... but it would have been cool.
And that brings us to the crux of the figure. 9 has bendable arms, a style of articulation I have mixed feeling about. On one hand, it opens up some great posing options without sacrificing the look of the toy. On the other, when it's done poorly, it leaves the figure feeling cheap. Fortunately, the arms work fairly well here. There's not a huge range of motion you can get, but what's there is good.
However, an opportunity was missed in the shoulders. It would have been easy to incorporate some ball joints around the stitching, and that would have greatly enhanced the range of motion you can get from the arms. The figure has decent balance and varying articulation. Shoulder ball joints would have bought a bonus here, but he's pretty good as is.
In terms of joints, in the traditional sense, 9 is greatly limited: he's really only got five. His wrists are pin joints and his ankles and neck (at the base) are ball jointed. These are all great joints, though they were stuck when I first got him out of the pack. In fact, when I first got his right ankle moving, I heard a "crack." For a minute, I was sure I'd broken him, but it was only dried paint or something.
The three ball joints are inspired and useful. The ankles allow you to fine tune his pose and balance, as well as decide whether his feet should be parallel or more open. Of course, lacking leg articulation, they can't reach their full potential, but that another matter. By connecting the neck at the base, you get a wide open range of motion. He can look up, down, side to side... really any direction that's natural and few that aren't.
The wrists give you the poses you'll need for holding the accessories (or not), which is all they really need to do. In addition, that alternate hand really opens some options. I expect that most collectors are going to display 9 the way I will: with staff in hand, but it's always nice to be given the choice.
There are a few places where articulation is lacking. First and most obviously, there are the legs. This isn't a huge deal here, because it's hard to imagine the figure looking anywhere near this good with leg joints. Still, it's a notable omission. Also, there's are fake joints on the shoes that could have been pin joints. Obviously, in the movie 9 has pin joints on his shoes, but here they're just sculpted. It's not a huge deal, because they wouldn't have done much without leg articulation... but it would have been cool.
And that brings us to the crux of the figure. 9 has bendable arms, a style of articulation I have mixed feeling about. On one hand, it opens up some great posing options without sacrificing the look of the toy. On the other, when it's done poorly, it leaves the figure feeling cheap. Fortunately, the arms work fairly well here. There's not a huge range of motion you can get, but what's there is good.
However, an opportunity was missed in the shoulders. It would have been easy to incorporate some ball joints around the stitching, and that would have greatly enhanced the range of motion you can get from the arms. The figure has decent balance and varying articulation. Shoulder ball joints would have bought a bonus here, but he's pretty good as is.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10+/10
There are a lot of minor problems here, but not so many that you lose sight of the overall picture. And, overall, this is a great collectible action figure. Sure, the articulation is limited, but it's significantly better than some of the near-statues NECA's released.
9 ran me fifteen bucks at a comic store. That might not be a bargain, but, all things considered, I don't find it unreasonable. NECA also made 1, who looks great, as well. For the time being, I could only justify picking up one, so I went with the title character - probably a good call, since I expect I'll have plenty of opportunities to reconsider the other.
I'd also be interested to see some of the other characters. In particular, I'd like to see 7 and some of the other more militant rag dolls. Hopefully, the movie will be at least half as good as I'm hoping, and they'll release some of those.
I've got high hopes for this movie. A post-apocalyptic animated film about toys battling in a futuristic war zone? Yeah, that's kind of right up my alley.
9 ran me fifteen bucks at a comic store. That might not be a bargain, but, all things considered, I don't find it unreasonable. NECA also made 1, who looks great, as well. For the time being, I could only justify picking up one, so I went with the title character - probably a good call, since I expect I'll have plenty of opportunities to reconsider the other.
I'd also be interested to see some of the other characters. In particular, I'd like to see 7 and some of the other more militant rag dolls. Hopefully, the movie will be at least half as good as I'm hoping, and they'll release some of those.
I've got high hopes for this movie. A post-apocalyptic animated film about toys battling in a futuristic war zone? Yeah, that's kind of right up my alley.
Assuming I don't get horribly sick in the next week, you can expect to see a review of the movie in The Middle Room in about a week.
