Review: Terminator Salvation T-700 and T-RIP
The summer just flew by this year, didn't it? It seems like only yesterday I reviewed the Terminator Salvation T-1 by Playmates. Likewise, it feels like only the day before yesterday when I was disappointed in Terminator Salvation.
No: that's not entirely true. Like most of this summer's movies, it was eye candy. Actually, if the ending hadn't included the single most unintentionally funny death scene since Trinity's five minute speech in The Matrix Revolutions, I think the movie would have felt solid. As it is, it had some amazing action scenes and effects. If you care, you can read my full thoughts on the matter here.
Anyway, as you probably won't recall, when I bought the T-1, I speculated that some of these toys would wind up clearanced. Turns out, I was right about that. Of course, I also speculated that the T-1's WOULDN'T last to be sold at discount, and there were several of those on the shelves, as well.
"What shelves?" you ask. Why the shelves of Walmart. A Walmart in Massachusetts, in fact. If you're able to stomach those superstores, you can sometimes find amazing deals. Sure, you feel dirty after a visit, but that's what showers are for.
Actually, most of the figures in this scale were available at around 70% off. I already had a T-1 and I still have no interest in the humans, but I figured the T-700 and T-RIP were cheap enough to pick up. The sculpts on these are identical, making them basically variants.
No: that's not entirely true. Like most of this summer's movies, it was eye candy. Actually, if the ending hadn't included the single most unintentionally funny death scene since Trinity's five minute speech in The Matrix Revolutions, I think the movie would have felt solid. As it is, it had some amazing action scenes and effects. If you care, you can read my full thoughts on the matter here.
Anyway, as you probably won't recall, when I bought the T-1, I speculated that some of these toys would wind up clearanced. Turns out, I was right about that. Of course, I also speculated that the T-1's WOULDN'T last to be sold at discount, and there were several of those on the shelves, as well.
"What shelves?" you ask. Why the shelves of Walmart. A Walmart in Massachusetts, in fact. If you're able to stomach those superstores, you can sometimes find amazing deals. Sure, you feel dirty after a visit, but that's what showers are for.
Actually, most of the figures in this scale were available at around 70% off. I already had a T-1 and I still have no interest in the humans, but I figured the T-700 and T-RIP were cheap enough to pick up. The sculpts on these are identical, making them basically variants.
Appearance and Construction: 6/10
All right, before we get started, I want to get something out of the way. That silver thing above; the one that came packaged as a T-RIP: yeah. That's not a T-RIP. That is a T-800. But then, I suppose that could be considered a spoiler, so I guess they had to go with T-RIP. To prevent confusion, I'll go ahead and keep calling it a T-RIP.
Okay, onto the content. I'll start with the sculpt, because that applies to both figures. For toys, these actually have a pretty good likeness to their source material, though the details get a bit weak around the head, where the pieces bleed together. The strong points are the torsos and legs, where the detailing is clean and accurate. It's still several notches below "collectible quality", but it's pretty good for the market it's aimed at. Where the designs get more complex - around the faces and hands - the real problems come out.
The biggest issue by far is lack of definition. The teeth, which should almost look human on the T-RIP, are just a jumbled mess of plastic. This is one area where using the same mold doesn't work: the T-RIP has a more developed skull than the 700, and these should reflect it. Actually, I don't think the mouth here perfectly reflects either model from the movie.
Okay, onto the content. I'll start with the sculpt, because that applies to both figures. For toys, these actually have a pretty good likeness to their source material, though the details get a bit weak around the head, where the pieces bleed together. The strong points are the torsos and legs, where the detailing is clean and accurate. It's still several notches below "collectible quality", but it's pretty good for the market it's aimed at. Where the designs get more complex - around the faces and hands - the real problems come out.
The biggest issue by far is lack of definition. The teeth, which should almost look human on the T-RIP, are just a jumbled mess of plastic. This is one area where using the same mold doesn't work: the T-RIP has a more developed skull than the 700, and these should reflect it. Actually, I don't think the mouth here perfectly reflects either model from the movie.
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Both figures also have a clear plastic peg going from their eyes to the top of their head (more on this later). This isn't a big deal, but it is visible on top of their head.
The backs of the toys are good overall, though they do have "2009 Playmates Toys Made in China" engraved on their rear ends. I'm sure if Bender were here he'd have something to say about that. Lets move on to the paint. That means setting the T-700 aside, because he hasn't got any. The T-RIP, on the other hand, has some shading detail, which helps him stand out. To make up for this, the T-700 has some added texture: his metal isn't as universally smooth. Of the two, I like the T-RIP a little better, but it's not quite enough to justify a score change. Finally, we come to construction. And these are put together... not so well. They're not awful, but the plastic has a cheap, bendable feel that detracts from the figures. That, incidentally, is why these are sixes and not sevens. |
Packaging and Extras: ----
I don't have anything against this packaging. I like the color scheme and the look. I've already given my two cents on the T-RIP/T-800 thing.
Each of these comes with a pair of weapons. The T-700 has two futuristic guns, and the T-RIP gets one blaster and one lead pipe.
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Interestingly enough, the gun included with the T-RIP is sculpted from the same kind of plastic used to make the T-700, and the T-700's guns are made from the same kind of plastic used in making the T-RIP. My mistake: that wasn't interesting at all. Anyway, the smaller guns are better, but they could use some paint. The large... thing... included with the T-700 is awkward, bizarre, and the toys have trouble holding it. The real standout here is the pipe. It's not an amazing pipe or anything: I'm just impressed they included it. |
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All things considered, I'm accepting these as fulfilling the accessory requirements. Honestly, considering how lightweight these are, that might be a little generous. These should really have bases in addition to their weapons. A simple stand really could greatly have enhanced these.
Play and Display: -1
On one hand, I feel like I'm being a little too hard on these. On the other, I kind of wonder if I'm not being tough enough.
Before we get to the important stuff, there is one "feature" I want to talk about: there's a clear plastic peg going up to the top of the head. If the figure is placed under a light, the eyes light up. It works well enough, I suppose, but I'm not sure it's worth the drag on appearance.
There are a lot of good joints here which work well, but there's a lot missing. The shoulders are double-pin joints, which provide a good range. The knees are pins, which work pretty well, bending to better than 90%. The elbows are also pins, but these don't quite give you the right angles you want.
The legs connect to the torso with another set of pin joints, which give you more than enough back and forth, but nothing at all side-to-side. Finally, the ankles are cut, which does open a lot of possibilities... but nowhere near enough.
There's one more "joint"... kind of. The waist seems to include a cut, but it snaps back to the center whenever you turn it. At first, I though this was due to the pistons on the side, but these pop out and the problem remains. To be honest, I don't really know what's going on there.
The most obvious omission is the neck: thanks to the sculpt, there is absolutely no articulation in or near the head. In addition, the lack of cuts on the arms or hands is problematic, and there should be hinges on the ankles as well as the cut. I'd also have liked a double-pin or ball joint at the top of the legs.
If these were representing human characters, I'd call it even. But they're ROBOTS. That means joints don't look out of place. I understand that this design doesn't lend itself well to neck articulation, but I'd have accepted some deviation from the model if it meant a ball jointed neck.
On robot figures released for the mass market, this isn't good enough.
Before we get to the important stuff, there is one "feature" I want to talk about: there's a clear plastic peg going up to the top of the head. If the figure is placed under a light, the eyes light up. It works well enough, I suppose, but I'm not sure it's worth the drag on appearance.
There are a lot of good joints here which work well, but there's a lot missing. The shoulders are double-pin joints, which provide a good range. The knees are pins, which work pretty well, bending to better than 90%. The elbows are also pins, but these don't quite give you the right angles you want.
The legs connect to the torso with another set of pin joints, which give you more than enough back and forth, but nothing at all side-to-side. Finally, the ankles are cut, which does open a lot of possibilities... but nowhere near enough.
There's one more "joint"... kind of. The waist seems to include a cut, but it snaps back to the center whenever you turn it. At first, I though this was due to the pistons on the side, but these pop out and the problem remains. To be honest, I don't really know what's going on there.
The most obvious omission is the neck: thanks to the sculpt, there is absolutely no articulation in or near the head. In addition, the lack of cuts on the arms or hands is problematic, and there should be hinges on the ankles as well as the cut. I'd also have liked a double-pin or ball joint at the top of the legs.
If these were representing human characters, I'd call it even. But they're ROBOTS. That means joints don't look out of place. I understand that this design doesn't lend itself well to neck articulation, but I'd have accepted some deviation from the model if it meant a ball jointed neck.
On robot figures released for the mass market, this isn't good enough.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 5/10
Well, I got these guys for three bucks a piece. At that price, I'll accept the limited articulation, mediocre head sculpts, and cheap accessories. Of course, not too long ago these were going for a lot more. In fact, at the Toys R Us near here, these are still running something like eleven-fifty.
If I had to set a cut point for these, I'd say it would be about six each. These are decent figures, but they're nowhere near what NECA's offering for fifteen.
If you see them for three, by all means grab them both. Heck, I almost wish I'd picked up a few more as army builders. If you're paying more, you'll probably just want one. They're both decent, but the T-RIP is a bit nicer: go with that if you have a choice.
Up close, these guys have some issues, but they look all right from a few feet away. If I can clear some space, I'm convinced these will look good on my SF shelf beside the Alien, Robocop, and Wall-E.
If I had to set a cut point for these, I'd say it would be about six each. These are decent figures, but they're nowhere near what NECA's offering for fifteen.
If you see them for three, by all means grab them both. Heck, I almost wish I'd picked up a few more as army builders. If you're paying more, you'll probably just want one. They're both decent, but the T-RIP is a bit nicer: go with that if you have a choice.
Up close, these guys have some issues, but they look all right from a few feet away. If I can clear some space, I'm convinced these will look good on my SF shelf beside the Alien, Robocop, and Wall-E.
Don't forget to stop by my blog, The Middle Room. You can't miss it: it's between the other two rooms.
