Six Scale Sickness

"Laugh it up, Fuzz-ball." If you're as big a fan of the Medicom Star Wars line as I am then Medicom’s Han Solo figure does not disappoint. However, Medicom has still been letting down its fans with their latest crop of releases, and it may be just that preventing Han from jumping into hyperspace.

Sideshow had this piece listed for $180USD and it has since sold out and now wait listed. On eBay, you're looking at about $190 shipped, although luckily I managed to get mine with free shipping for $150 (it was a buy it now and the dealer had one left). I have a feeling a lot of people are holding off on Han hoping for a price drop, but I don't think you will see him for much less than $150. However, with the poor economy the way it is now, who knows.

The box is pretty much the standard stuff that you are used to with Medicom's Star Wars line. It's a good size and flat black; nothing new here. I'm a fan of the minimalistic packaging, but there isn't much info or graphics at all for you box art fans.

Medicom continues in their tradition of stiffing us with accessories on the new SW releases; you get the blaster, droid caller (his walkie-talkie device) and pistol gripping hands. I think by now it should just be a standard to have at least 3 sets of hands, especially for a $180 figure!

The blaster does look great; it's well-detailed with good paintwork. The hands look good too; I'm especially fond of the left pistol gripping hand which allows for those double handed blaster holding poses, a hand I wish came standard on all pistol-wielding characters instead of those infernal relaxed ones.

The clothing is outstanding. Medicom has always been top notch in this area and here is no exception. Although the outfit isn’t 100% screen accurate, I'm not super finicky as long as things look good, and overall everything looks pretty great. I'm sure hardcore SW fans will have some other things to say about it though.

Anyway, let’s take a look at each piece of Han’s outfit. The shirt is pretty nice although the collar appears a bit larger than in the movie. I think this design choice was in part to hide the neck a little more. The open V grandpa collar style is there and the color looks good. The shirt is a little oversized, especially the sleeves, perhaps to give a little extra fabric when you bend his arms. I think they should have used a slightly thinner stretch material.

The vest is very nice. It fits well without needing much adjustment. The bottom pocket at the front of the vest is oversized, but doesn't look out of place. There are pockets on the front and some on the back which look really good.

The pants fit very nicely and have the red stripes printed on the sides. Looks great and I have no issues there.

The belt looks very leathery and the buckle is decent looking, but on closer inspection it is obviously plastic. The holster however looks fantastic and is probably the best part of the outfit. It is super detailed and works perfectly. The belt also has a bunch of little plastic gadget holders on it and a clip for the droid caller. Medicom have successfully made these plastic bits look leathery and the metal clips are sufficiently shiny to look metallic.

When I first saw the boots I was worried; every Medicom figure I own with knee high boots has trouble posing but this time, Medicom seems to have used a new, softer plastic material for the boots! It’s awesome! You can actually get the feet to hold positions inside the boot and they look great too (to boot)!

As always the RAH is ultra-poseable; Han is able to stand perfectly and he can hold pretty dynamic poses on his own without a stand. This can be attributed in part to the softer plastic in the boots, but mainly it’s because the RAH joints on this figure are ultra tight! They are the perfect stiffness. Medicom seems to be using a lot more metal in the joints of their Real Action Hero figures and its finally starting to have an effect. This RAH body feels way tighter than previous ones. The legs do look a little bit short, but if you have some spare ankle extenders, it will fix that right up. People are complaining that the RAH looks slender in the shoulders but I think it looks very good on this figure. Solo didn't strike me as a gym rat and its standard scale fits in with the rest of Medicom 1/6 line.

I haven't undressed Han to check out the body because not only did we just meet, but I know that his holster/belt is going to be a bitch to put back on. Hence, I can’t tell you how many joints have metal parts. However, considering the wrist joint has metal pins, I’m assuming the other main joints do too. The silver pins, although visible when you look, don’t really bother me, but it is less realistic. (If you have any info about metal RAH joints please email me at sixscale@yahoo.com).

Take care when removing Han’s hands. I haven't seen the design on the hand pegs before and they do bother me. The peg is really fat under the pin and then thins out to the regular pin size and those suckers are on tight. I don't understand why Medicom isn't using a standard wrist peg size. Each release seems to have a different wrist peg these days which gets a little annoying if you like switching your hands around. I think the best hand pegs Medicom has produced so far are the ball joint pegs as seen on Bruce Lee, Piccolo, and Gokou RAH which gives you so much articulation. With Han, it looks like they are experimenting with peg sizes. What gives?!? Like me, you might get a bit frustrated trying to get some cool blaster poses because Han’s wrist pegs have no up and down motion. Without that motion, the blaster is at the mercy of the elbow joint angle.

Who’s scruffy looking? It’s a great head sculpt!!! Every other reviewer talks about how hard it is to catch Harrison Ford’s likeness and they have been right before, but Medicom has nailed it this time. I think the head sculpt is a little bit stylized on purpose as Medicom likes to do, but it is unmistakably Ford. The skin tone is good and the hair is well textured and painted. You even get a couple of sculpted loose hair sticking out on the front. The eyes don't have the same amount of realism as we are getting used to from Hot Toys’ releases, but they fit well with this figure. The chin scar is there as well and overall, it’s a fantastic sculpt that improves upon but stays true to the Medicom SW line.

My biggest complaint is the neck and where it joins to the head. They have gone for a slightly bigger head than what Luke has, but instead of sculpting in a part of the neck the head cuts off at the hairline. This means the neck post connects straight into the jaw line. There is a really obvious line because of this. As well, the neck color is slightly lighter then the facial tone which hurts the overall look. You can get much better side to side tilt on the head which is cool, but when looking at him directly from the side, the neck looks really thin.

If you have been collecting this line already, you’re not going to be disappointed with Han. In fact why are you reading this? Go get him now!!!! I personally love this figure and he just looks so good on the shelf next to Luke and the gang. Medicom does amazing work on their anime properties but the Star Wars line is fighting them for the “Best Medicom Line” title. The body is super tight, the detail work and head sculpt are drool worthy. This figure shows a lot of promise for future human releases from Medicom, but I just hope they resolve the neck issues and beef up the accessory count!

Okay, I’m going to give the figure two scores, one as an unbiased reviewer and one as a Medicom SW fan. I started my 1/6 collection with a Medicom Storm Trooper but the company had disappointed me so much recently that I had boycotted them for the last few months. Now Han has put me back on the fan wagon hence the double rating, so please indulge me.

If you haven't been collecting this line before, you’re going to have a Han Solo that is a little out of scale with non-Medicom figures. Also, the skinny neck, lack of wrist articulation, lack of accessories and high price tag are going to knock a couple of points off the final score. Although I do think this is the best 1/6 Han Solo on the market, I’d give it an 8/10.

If you are a fan of this line as I am and have been faithfully collecting this line, Han’s negatives are blown away by the overall look and feel of the figure. Factor in the improved tightness of the RAH body, and the amazing head sculpt, I give this a fan boy score of 10/10.

Review and images by eRock

This is my first Enterbay purchase and although pricey, I'm very impressed. It's cool to see a 1/6 company going the extra mile with innovative little ideas like moving eyes and magnets etc. I think there is still some things that need to be improved upon but Enterbay is making moves in a good direction and with all the solid looking releases coming up they are proving that they are a 1/6 force.

In these tough economic times its always nice when a company releases a must have figure at the bargain basement price of... $320 USD!!!!!!!! It's difficult to try and do an objective review with the weight of that much green bogging you down. When you consider the quality of HT releases for around the $150 mark a $320 price point does seem a little excessive. That $320 tag isn't including shipping mind you.

The edition size is 5000 pieces, so I assume he couldn't have been that expensive to produce especially since you consider a new BL3 body from Enterbay costs only $30, leaving two head sculpts, two outfits, and a wooden board to make up for the remaining $290 of the price (okay, there is a little more to it than that, but still).


Sorry about the price rant but this is such an expensive 1/6 piece that the cost needs a little extra discussion. Now let's be honest with ourselves and admit you're going to purchase another BL3 body for this figure set, so realistically you're looking at $350 before shipping and just shy of $400 with shipping. If you get the extra BL3, you'll have 2 figures for around $200 each, which sounds more affordable, right? :P

I managed to pick him up for $280 shipped using an eBay coupon so I got quite a bargain but I don't think we are going to see too many at that price. Okay, on to the review!

The box is fantastic and it's pretty big, but nothing is wasted. There are some great graphics on the front and inner panels and the whole presentation just looks really slick. The handle on the top of the box is a nice addition, and the case opens with ease. Inside you're greeted by a little poster with images of the figure and once that is removed, you'll find your wooden diorama base. Under the base are two boxes, one that contains Bruce and the other that has the extra goodies. The actual figure boxes are pretty plain but I like the foam inserts used to hold the figures. Overall, it's a really nice box with great presentation which is probably another reason for the high cost of the set.


Bruce comes with a lot of extras. The diorama base as you can see from the pictures, looks great. It's well crafted and pretty sturdy as I found out when my son pulled it off the table onto the floor. You get two head sculpts with three different hairstyles: two classic "cool" Bruce and one slicked back "nerdy" Bruce. The Hair is jet black but well textured and looks very good.

You get 2 outfits with socks and shoes a Chinese Sick Man of the East" Chinese calligraphy painting which is a replica of the sign Bruce breaks after his dojo fight from the movie.


There are seven hands in total - two fists, two relaxed, one nunchaku holder, one splayed finger hand and one accusation style pointing hand. They are all very well sculpted and easy to switch out. The nunchaku I was surprised to find is made from quite a soft rubber. This helps when you want to tuck it under his arm but sometimes they look a little bendy.


The stand has a lot of potential but its propensity to fall apart whenever you move Bruce has been driving me mad. The metal stand sits in a round slot at the base, but it doesn't clip in and neither does the clasp that slots into the top of the metal stand used for holding Bruce. Any lifting motion pops it out from the top. Apart from that, the stand is very versatile with the clasp being able to rotate and move in multiple directions. The height is also very adjustable, however it's all just very finicky.

Last but not least, you get a certificate card with serial number.

I think most people who don't end up getting a second BL3 body will display their Bruce in the "navy blues" seen in his iconic nunchaku stance from the movie. However, when you first take him out of his box he is clad in the classic white suit. I think Bruce comes out of the box in his white outfit simply because it is way easier to get on. The shirt and suit have a couple of press studs on the front as closures making it an easy outfit to remove. Both are made of a nice thin material and fit perfectly, but there was a bunch of loose threads I had to cut off, which was annoying.

On the blue outfit, the black belt sash attaches at the middle point to the back of the pants and can be pretty finicky when you're trying to get it to look good. There are two press studs at the front of the pants to cinch the waist and a fabric wrap with press studs on the ankles to cinch up the bottom of the pants. The detail on the blue shirt is fantastic; they use actual toggles for the closures on the top, but these are a BIYOTCH to actually close! It takes some long nails, mega patience and midget finger magic to put the toggles through the loops. However, it's well worth the effort because the blue kung fu suit looks great. I do have a gripe with the look though, as the suit has two oversized pockets on the chest. I don't believe these are in the movie so why did they do that?

Bruce's white outfit comes with black socks and white sculpted shoes that look fantastic and have real tied laces. (I tear up at the thought of ever needing to re-tie those shoes... will need more midget finger magic!). The blue suit has white socks and a pair of cloth slip on kung fu shoes that look great but are hard to slip on over the socks.


The BL3 is a pretty nice body, it feels heavy in your hand which i really like. The Articulation isn't as good as a Medicom RAH or a Hot Toys True Type, but without a shirt the body still looks pretty damn good. Personally i think the arms are a little skinny but they have developed the body to look like Bruce with that slender, ripped style. The plastic "skin" is a little shiny which is a shame because the face doesn't suffer from that problem. In the wrong light it looks like an obvious texture change between the head and body.

The thing I find strange is that the body doesn't have at least a cut joint at the ankle; the feet can only stick forward unless you rotate the leg at the hip. I wish they went for more articulation in the ankles especially considering Bruce's habit of kicking people in the face in weird positions.

There is the same issue with the wrists; more articulation has been sacrificed for a better looking arm. I can see why they made this design choice but it's still frustrating trying to get his nunchuck into a good spinning position. You can really only rotate the hands to change their positioning, and because of this I find myself wishing even more hand sculpts were included. The neck and proportions of the body are pretty good and you can get a lot of movement out of the head, although looking up isn't a strong point.


At the end of the day you can get Bruce into some great poses, and that alone should be more than enough to satisfy a fussy collector. The great look of the body makes up for the articulation short falls. I think it's also worth noting that the figure has clicky joints instead of smooth moving joints.

The head sculpt is where Enterbay knocks it out of the park. The sculpts are AMAZING! They look so real and the skin tone is pretty much perfect. This is the reason to buy this figure. It really looks like you have a mini-Bruce on your shelf. There is no mistaking who it is and it looks so lifelike. I am nervous that they are going to start slapping around the other figures in my collection when I leave the room!

I'm a really big fan of the way Enterbay put the head sculpt together. You get the face that slots over a neck post with a magnet in the top. The hair piece has a corresponding magnet on it and when you put that piece on, it's all held in place. On the inside of the head, you have some movable eye balls so you can have Bruce looking up, down or however you like. The eyeballs look simply stunning and are fun and easy to play around with. The default sculpt is a somewhat intimidating, but calm looking Bruce and the second head is fight face Bruce. Honestly, I cant rave about how good both these heads are. The sculpts make the figure worth its high price tag and you're definitely going to want a second BL3 because keeping one of these sculpts in the box is a crime.

II'm not ever going to need another 1/6 Bruce Lee after this (I hope!). He is expensive, but honestly this for me is the ultimate when it comes to 1/6 Bruce. If you compare this to the Medicom Enter the Dragon Bruce which I also own, you are going to start laughing. Enterbay is in a league of its own when it comes to Bruce Lee collectibles in sixth scale. With all the price hikes this year from all the other toy companies, Enterbay's offerings aren't looking as pricey as they used to, but hot damn $320 is still a lot of coin.

This is the best piece of Bruce Lee memorabilia on the market and if you want to pick him up he is still in stock at enterbay

Enterbay's Fist Of Fury Bruce Lee gets a 10/10

Review and Images by eRock

The figure is from the “Kerberos Saga,” created by Japanese director Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell). If you want to learn more about the KS world, I would recommend the excellent animated motion picture “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade,” as well as the translated manga series “Hellhounds: Panzer Cops” published by Dark Horse Comics years ago. You can also search “Protect Gear” on Wikipedia.

The figure was released December 2006, nearly 3 years later it remains as one of my favourite 1/6 pieces.

When I first picked up the figure two and a half years ago, it cost me $200. It was one of the most expensive toys I owned at the time. Today, the figure can be had for about $150 USD on eBay. The price may seem high, but it’s actually not too bad when you compare it to other similarly priced 1/6 figures by other companies. Yes, this hobby gets expensive!

The box is very impressive. It’s really large and is adorned by a nice picture of an MG34 (the machine gun) on one side and the Kerberos Saga emblem and a wolf’s head on the other side. The box folds out to show the interior contents and the halves are neatly held shut by magnets. When you open it up, all of Chuichi’s Protect Gear armour and weapons are displayed nicely on the left side with the figure on the right side. What’s neat is that the space that houses the figure is slightly larger, so once you dress Chuichi up in his bulky Protect Gear armour, you can still place him back into the packaging. There are also extra slots to put his machine gun and backpack to display the Panzer Cop with his main accessories in the same tray. That was a really cool touch.

The figure comes with seven gloved hands, a backpack that can be broken down into a radio an ammo drum, a C96 pistol, and a MG34 heavy machine gun with spare barrel.

The C96 pistol is nicely sculpted and one of the hands is specially designed to hold the pistol. The C96 has a removable clip, and also comes with a stock that attaches to the butt end of the gun, but unfortunately, the figure is unable to hold the gun properly with the stock attached. The stock also doubles as a holster for the C96 and slides nicely into the armour.

The MG34 looks great as well. It has a built in spring and moving parts as well as a removable barrel. The MG34 would overheat in battle and the barrel would need to be changed in the field so machine gunners would be carrying spare barrels. The spare barrel when not in use fits snugly into slots on the ammo drum. The bullets are just made of plastic but look good and connect nicely from the ammo drum to the machine gun. The best feature of the MG34 is the bipod which can actually detach and be reattached towards the middle of the gun so that the figure can grip it like the Protect Gear soldier. He comes with an extra hand that can do just that, which is terrific and great to see included. Unfortunately, I found my MG34 to be quite flimsy after a while and I ultimately had to crazy glue it together as it kept falling apart.

If there are any shortcomings about the figure it would be the accessories. I would have liked to see more gear, like a combat knife. Even though you dont need it there wasnt a figure stand and I wish the accessories had been less delicate.

The figure’s Protect Gear suit is very elaborate and detailed with many pieces. It’s just gorgeous and looks very menacing. The figure’s outfit includes a tank top, faux leather pants, a leather jacket, a flak jacket, leather gauntlets, and the hard armour that goes on top of everything. There are little intricate details everywhere on the armour, like circles in his helmet and the hinges in his chest plate.

The armour has some detachable parts which offer opportunities to customize the figure’s look; the shield can be removed, and the shoulder armour and hip protectors can be swapped around. The aforementioned radio pack and ammo drum snap on snugly and you can attach either one or both for different looks. Included are a set of decals with different numbers and rank symbols that can go on the helmet and shoulder armour. However, I like the plain look just fine.

The gas mask looks great with its red reflective eyes and fits over the balaclava easily. The gas mask hose has been reported to deteriorate over time, although mine is still fine at the time of this writing. One other thing you should look out for is the balaclava staining the face. The simple solution is to wrap the head sculpt with cling or sandwich wrap prior to putting on the balaclava.

I did find some fault with the shin guard armour straps which keep getting looser over time. The armour and tight jacket also restrict some of the figure’s mobility. However, overall, the outfit is fantastic both in looks and quality and is the figure’s greatest strength.

The figure uses Takara’s male GenX Core body. It is a fantastic 1/6 body and I totally love it. It can do almost any pose you can imagine with no loose joints even today. To date, the only other figures using the male GenX Core body is Takara’s Batman Begins Batman and their other two Protect Gear figures.

I don’t know if Chuichi Koshiramaru was a real character before this figure and so I have no idea how close his head sculpt comes to the original source material it was based upon. As a head sculpt, it’s actually pretty simple and it goes for a more stylized anime feel, rather than realism looking. To me, it’s perfectly fine and does the job. It’s nice to see that underneath all that scary armour and deadly weaponry, there’s a guy just doing his job.
I could take pictures of this guy all day. It never gets old. He looks great at any angle, poses really well, and the quality is there. You just can’t ask for much more from your 1/6 figure.

The popularity and value of this figure has gone down a bit since Takara’s release of two other Protect Gear figures which sport different head sculpts. One of the new releases also comes with a pair of shades but otherwise the three figures are the same. Still, if you can only own one Protect Gear figure, I personally think Chuichi is the best one out of the three as he looks the most ‘military,’ with the crew cut.

Medicom and Dragon have both released several different incarnations of the Protect Gear figures but none of them touches Takara’s which is overall hands down the best at this time. Takara also released a fantastic female Panzer Cop Midori Washio figure under their Cool Girl line which is worth seeking out.

As for the price, $150 is not bad at all, especially when you compare it to similarly priced releases by other companies such as Medicom, that come with far fewer accessories. The shortcomings of the figure are all rather minor and with Protect Gear Chuichi, you really do feel you’re getting your money’s worth.

In February 2009, we will see Takara attempt to outdo itself with the release of a brand- new grenadier-type Protect Gear figure. Meanwhile, this figure remains one of the brightest gems of my collection even after three years.

9/10



Review & Images By Kaido


2NDOPINION


I picked up Tak PG only 4 months ago on a recent trip to japan. The box is pretty bulky but it was worth bringing him back. I made the purchase from Mandarake in Akiba so the box had been opened but he only cost me $110 USD. The figure comes with alot of stuff and in the current climate of figures that include no accessories i feel you are getting your moneys worth. The detail on the accessories is excellent! the outfit is really detailed and the armour plates are impressive. the posing is a little restricted by the outfit but you can get alot out of him. Head sculpt is pretty generic and not that impressive by todays standards but it does have a nice anime feel and i doubt this guy will be displayed with his helmet off. To me Takara took the armoured charecters to another level with this release and its 3 years old! He is possibly my favourite 1/6 piece and you wont be dissapointed if you pick him up. I think Kaido's score is right on the money 9/10. - eRock

"Kamen Rider The Next" was the sequel to the Movie "Kamen Rider The First". Both movies are a re-telling of the original Kamen Rider TV shows, set in a modern setting, for the modern audiences. The figure we are going to look at today is Hongo Takeshi from the film Kamen Rider the Next.


This figure is a Figure Oh Magazine mailaway exclusive, meaning it was only available in Japan and its gonna cost you quite alot to get your hands on it. Mailaway figures usually means you need to go through a few contacts, as one of the criteria is that they will only ship to a Japan address. In total, it cost me around $320 SGD (210 USD) inclusive of cost of item, tax, shipping in Japan & shipping to Singapore. So was the $320 SGD worth it? Well, we'll find out in awhile.


The box design is the standard design for all Kamen Rider The Next Figures. It comes with a flap that opens, which allows you to inspect the figure. The cover box art is rather plain with a white background and a picture of the figure, with the usual titles description etc.

The inner box art is nicer though, with a nice composite image of the figure.The figure is house in a blister package tray with a cover tray that secures everything nicely. Medicom's boxes are the most collector friendly boxes, their simplistic design allows you to remove the figure & put it back for storage with ease. There are no tapes or irritating twisty ties to stop you from playing with your figure, the moment you get it.

Included accessories are pair of relaxed hands, a pair of fists and a pair of holding hands designed to hold his jacket & shirt for that all important Henshin pose. They are all nicely scaled & sculpted with fine details like the veins on them. Also included is the top half of the Kamen Rider No.1's helmet, so you can pose him just like in the movie. Unfortunately the helmet can't fit onto the head, since you can't really flatten sculpted hair. Lastly, theres the henshin belt which fits nicely on the figure. It is exactly the same belt that came with the Kamen Rider The Next No.1 figure, so you can expect the usual details. I hoping one day they will eventually make a belt where the cyclone wheel can actually spin....ah well, one could only dream.

The figure is dressed exactly the same as how the actor Masaya Kikawada was in the movie, almost every part of his costume is replicated exactly right down to the belt. The black T-shirt is made of a nice soft material, Im guessing its made of cotton. The stripes shirt pattern looks exactly the same right down to the cutting of it, that gives it the slightly unbalanced look.

The Jacket looks good & hangs naturally on the figure without making the figure look too bulky, which is a problem most 1/6 clothes tend to have. To achieve this, Medicom used a rather thin type of leather, the only downside is that it feels a little low quality. The Jacket also comes with working zip pockets & the zips are nicely scaled too. His jeans are made of a nice denim material & they have given it the old washed look, which looks very good. But Im not really sure if the jeans had that old washed look in the movie, since the movie was kinda dark throughout and you never really see the jeans in detail. His boots are nicely sculpted and once again Im not sure if its what he wore in the movie, since you never really get to look at them properly in the movie. But considering the accurate stripes shirt & leather jacket, Im sure Medicom did enough research from the official source materials to replicate them as well.

Medicom's RAH 301 body is one of the most articulated body out there in the world of 1/6 action figures, the body hangs naturally and poses naturally. Whatever posing restriction there may be is purely down to costume restriction. For this figure, the joints are nice & tight and I was able to achieve lots of poses including flying kicks & splits (without splitting the jeans of course). At this point it is good to point out that, Medicom's body construction certainly feels better than previous releases, as the plastic used is definitely sturdier & better.

Medicom excels in armoured figures & anime characters and human head sculpts ain't exactly one of their strong points. In the case of this figure, Im glad to say that Medicom did a very good job on the headsculpt. It is a stunning likeness of the actor Masaya Kikawada, right down to the funky hair cut that he had in the movie. For the most part, the paint apps are very clean & nice. Except for the right sideburn, which is missing abit of paint on mine, but thankfully it's not very noticeble. Also of notable mention, this figure skin tone is cast in a more lively colour, unlike previous releases which are usually too fair & pale.

I have to say that I am very pleased with this figure, the stunning likeness is one of Medicom's best and that alone is worth the amount of money I spent on him. This figure is highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of Kamen Rider.

This figure deserves a score of 8/10, I would have given it a 9/10 but the high price deserves a deduction.

Note: Cyclone Motorcycle & Kamen Rider The Next No.1 costume are not included with the figure. For a bigger image, simply click on the image itself & click on all sizes

Review & Images by JuN