Review: Terminator Salvation T-1
Summer movies need merchandising: you can't expect the studios to become filthy rich on ticket sales alone, after all. And in the case of the new Terminator movie, they're going to need all the help they can get. Due to some exceptional effects and action scenes, I didn't find the movie a total waste, but it certainly didn't elevate the art form. And, from what I hear, it's not breaking any records, either.
Not too long ago, I looked at a pair of Playmates' new Star Trek figures. Playmates got the Terminator license, as well, and they've been producing figures in 3 3/4, 6, and 12 inch scales: all over the board.
Well, I've got very little interest in the small or large figures - or most in between for that matter. The problem is quality: Playmates is really in the toy business, not collectibles. To be fair, they're at a huge disadvantage here, since I'm comparing their toys to NECA. And, frankly, they can't compete.
But a few of their figures and vehicles have some potential. While their human characters are pretty much a lost cause, they've got some decent Terminators. Honestly, though, I couldn't bring myself to pay ten bucks for one of the more classic designs when NECA makes versions ten times better for just a little more money.
But there were some items that caught my eye when I stopped by Toys R Us the other day. First, there's the Hunter Killer vehicle, which looks pretty cool. I almost bought one, but held off because I don't know where I'd put it and, when I picked up the box, it hardly had any weight.
In fact, the T-1 I'm reviewing today seemed to have more heft than the much larger Hunter Killer. I don't buy toys purely on weight, but I'd rather feel like I getting my money's worth.
The T-1 originally showed up in the mediocre Terminator 3. They've got a cameo in the new movie, as well, appearing briefly in the people processing plant at Skynet.
Not too long ago, I looked at a pair of Playmates' new Star Trek figures. Playmates got the Terminator license, as well, and they've been producing figures in 3 3/4, 6, and 12 inch scales: all over the board.
Well, I've got very little interest in the small or large figures - or most in between for that matter. The problem is quality: Playmates is really in the toy business, not collectibles. To be fair, they're at a huge disadvantage here, since I'm comparing their toys to NECA. And, frankly, they can't compete.
But a few of their figures and vehicles have some potential. While their human characters are pretty much a lost cause, they've got some decent Terminators. Honestly, though, I couldn't bring myself to pay ten bucks for one of the more classic designs when NECA makes versions ten times better for just a little more money.
But there were some items that caught my eye when I stopped by Toys R Us the other day. First, there's the Hunter Killer vehicle, which looks pretty cool. I almost bought one, but held off because I don't know where I'd put it and, when I picked up the box, it hardly had any weight.
In fact, the T-1 I'm reviewing today seemed to have more heft than the much larger Hunter Killer. I don't buy toys purely on weight, but I'd rather feel like I getting my money's worth.
The T-1 originally showed up in the mediocre Terminator 3. They've got a cameo in the new movie, as well, appearing briefly in the people processing plant at Skynet.
Appearance: 7/10
Besides mass, I was also impressed by look of the T-1. Part of me finds it hard to believe it's part of the same series with most of what was on the shelf, to tell the truth.
In some ways, it's reminiscent of the Thinkway Wall-E and Eve I reviewed long ago. Of course, this guy is bigger - and meaner - than Wall-E. He'd probably have gotten along pretty well with Auto.
I really like the overall textured look of the robot, as well as the design. He's more or less a generic evil robot, complete with a face that would make any Decepticon mother proud. The back of the toy is curved, which looks pretty neat.
This version reflects the T-1s appearing in Terminator Salvation, since those in Terminator 3 were shinier. I far prefer the rusted, muddy look here, however.
But I'm less happy that these are off model. They're still recognizable, mind you, but these are a ways off. Granted, you only see them for a second onscreen, but a little digging around unearthed a picture, thanks to the Terminator Wiki.
While the design is certainly represented, the proportions are all off. The toy is far stockier than the original, which has a relatively skinny base and torso. Likewise, there's a lot of missing detail here, particularly around the guns and head.
The chain guns are particularly disappointing. Playmates has sculpted these absurdly over sized to accommodate an action feature I'll discuss down the road.
While I like how this looks, there are a lot of missed opportunities that could have really taken this to a new level.
In some ways, it's reminiscent of the Thinkway Wall-E and Eve I reviewed long ago. Of course, this guy is bigger - and meaner - than Wall-E. He'd probably have gotten along pretty well with Auto.
I really like the overall textured look of the robot, as well as the design. He's more or less a generic evil robot, complete with a face that would make any Decepticon mother proud. The back of the toy is curved, which looks pretty neat.
This version reflects the T-1s appearing in Terminator Salvation, since those in Terminator 3 were shinier. I far prefer the rusted, muddy look here, however.
But I'm less happy that these are off model. They're still recognizable, mind you, but these are a ways off. Granted, you only see them for a second onscreen, but a little digging around unearthed a picture, thanks to the Terminator Wiki.
While the design is certainly represented, the proportions are all off. The toy is far stockier than the original, which has a relatively skinny base and torso. Likewise, there's a lot of missing detail here, particularly around the guns and head.
The chain guns are particularly disappointing. Playmates has sculpted these absurdly over sized to accommodate an action feature I'll discuss down the road.
While I like how this looks, there are a lot of missed opportunities that could have really taken this to a new level.
Packaging and Extras: ----
While the packaging is nothing unusual, I do have an ax to grind. Lets start with some photos, however:
I like the colorful design, despite the fact it's about as far from the overall look of the film as you can get. As you can see, the T1 comes in several pieces, which snap together. I've got no problems with this, though, since he goes together easily enough. Lets move onto another picture, this time of the instructions for putting him together:
And here we come to my issue. The instructions, the picture on the front, and the picture on the back are all wrong: the middle tread is supposed to be located on the back, not the front.
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Oh, it's easy enough to correct: just crank the thing around 180 degrees. But I don't like the idea that hundreds of children have improperly displayed T1's right now. That just irks me.
The picture on the left was taken before I fixed mine. As you can see, it looks a bit silly. This is a bit confusing, as the designers seem to have known what they were doing. Clearly Playmates needs to have their marketing department start paying attention. But enough of such things. This doesn't actually hurt the toy (provided the owner knows to correct it), so I can't reasonably deduct points. Don't think I didn't consider it, though. Like I said before, this comes in several pieces, though once again the instructions are an imperfect reflection of reality. |
The instructions show the body in one piece, while the side treads are displayed separately. In the package, the body is in a couple pieces (check the above photo), while the treads start out attached. They do come off if you so wish, but they don't start that way.
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The picture to the right gives you an idea of how far this can break down. Actually, it can go a little further if you want to unhook the guns (they don't entirely detach, however, as the bullet chain still connects them). I bring this up in case there are any customizers out there who are eying this for some robot project or another. This isn't hard to deconstruct, and the individual parts are quite nice. |
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In terms of extras, you don't get a lot. Sure, there's the "projectiles", but you're not getting a lot of mileage out of those (I'll have a lot more to say about this little feature in a moment).
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The only real "extra" this comes with is a trading card. Yes, you get your very own piece of cardboard.
Good luck, by the way, trying to figure out what it's a picture of. While you don't get anything extra with this guy, he's not really missing anything. I'd have dug some sort of base or something, but that would have been absurd at this price. Other than that, it'd have been cool to maybe get some skulls. After all, the T-1's design is actually reverse engineered from the HK Tank from the original films, and the scene where that rolls over piles of bones is fairly iconic. But then these are intended for a mass market audience, including children, so that might have pushed it a bit. No big deal: I've got extra skulls lying around. |
Play and Display: ----
This thing is kind of a jumble of action features, none of which are really welcome. Fortunately, they don't do any major damage to the figure, either.
The most obnoxious things added to this are it's... er... missiles. And I mean "missiles" in the vaguest sense possible. The fronts of the chain guns are connected to long pegs that feed through the guns. Press a button on the side, and they shoot out. As if, I suppose, they were missiles. It's kind of like a gun that shoots its barrel instead of a bullet: I'm not quite understanding that.
This obviously does the appearance no favors, but we covered that above. It also limits the toy's articulation, since the barrels can only turn a little, due to their size. And forget about having them swivel up and down, by the way: despite how it may look, there are no joints on the top piece.
The next action feature is a bit better. If you roll the toy along, the top piece turns back and forth in about a sixty degree arc. I assume it's seeking out humans or something. It works all right, but, because this is only linked to one wheel, it tends to be a little jerky.
Finally, there's a clear, red patch on its head: line it up with the light, and the eyes look like they're glowing. I guess.
The real disappointment here is the lack of articulation. It really needs a few more joints on the arms and a poseable head. If it had those, I might have overlooked the "missiles" and given it a bonus point.
The most obnoxious things added to this are it's... er... missiles. And I mean "missiles" in the vaguest sense possible. The fronts of the chain guns are connected to long pegs that feed through the guns. Press a button on the side, and they shoot out. As if, I suppose, they were missiles. It's kind of like a gun that shoots its barrel instead of a bullet: I'm not quite understanding that.
This obviously does the appearance no favors, but we covered that above. It also limits the toy's articulation, since the barrels can only turn a little, due to their size. And forget about having them swivel up and down, by the way: despite how it may look, there are no joints on the top piece.
The next action feature is a bit better. If you roll the toy along, the top piece turns back and forth in about a sixty degree arc. I assume it's seeking out humans or something. It works all right, but, because this is only linked to one wheel, it tends to be a little jerky.
Finally, there's a clear, red patch on its head: line it up with the light, and the eyes look like they're glowing. I guess.
The real disappointment here is the lack of articulation. It really needs a few more joints on the arms and a poseable head. If it had those, I might have overlooked the "missiles" and given it a bonus point.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 7/10
I picked this up for ten bucks, which was the full retail price. Honestly, in this market, that seems pretty reasonable, especially when compared to other toys in this same line. While it might not be the greatest figure I've ever seen, it's a pretty cool, solid toy. And, as a fan of robots (both killer and otherwise: I don't discriminate), I'm glad to add it to my admittedly crowded SF shelf. Do I wish they'd dropped the ridiculous "missile" feature and made this with more realistic looking guns? Sure. Could they have worked a little harder on the proportions? Absolutely. But even as is, this is something of a gem in a line that's nowhere near the same level.
I do want to caution that I haven't seen a lot of these since I picked it up: I have a sinking suspicion that while some of the toys in this line will survive to wind up in the clearance section, this won't be among them.
I do want to caution that I haven't seen a lot of these since I picked it up: I have a sinking suspicion that while some of the toys in this line will survive to wind up in the clearance section, this won't be among them.
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And, finally, if you liked today's review, come back on Saturday. I think it's time for another fight....
And, finally, if you liked today's review, come back on Saturday. I think it's time for another fight....
