Tag Archives: robocop

Oct 12 2022

RoboCop 2: RoboCain (1:18 Scale Exquisite Mini) by Hiya Toys

I started collecting Hiya Toys’ RoboCop Exquisite Mini line when they first revealed that they were doing Cain from RoboCop 2. It’s a figure I’ve wanted for a long time, and with NECA surprisingly silent on the subject, I thought it would be worth picking up the rest of the toys in this line to go with him when he finally shipped. Well, now he’s here, and I have to say, I’m very glad that I went this route and can finally have Cain and RoboCop battle it out for supremacy on my desk!

The packaging here is the same as we saw for ED-209, only a bit smaller. You get a fully enclosed box with some artwork and shots of the toy, and everything is collector friendly. Inside Cain comes sandwiched between two plastic trays and all ready for action! I make it no secret that I consider the first RoboCop to be a near perfect film. I can’t say the same for RoboCop 2, but I do still love it to pieces, and it is criminally fun to watch. While the first film was a blood-soaked satire on municipal corporate takeover, the second film takes that concept and blends it with Frankenstein, and nothing reflects that more than the designs of each film’s Big Baddie.

And here he is out of the box and ready for his Nuke fix. If ED-209 was a sleek corporate product, RoboCain is more a misshapen robotic monstrosity. It’s a complex design and to be honest, I don’t think I fully grasped all its nuances until having this figure in hand. He comes out of the package with his legs retracted into his dormant mode, like he’s resting on his haunches, but we’ll stretch these out in a bit. His primary arms rotate at the shoulders and are hinged at the elbows, with a smaller secondary set of arms resting on the fronts. HIs right claw is hinged to open and close, and his left claw is shielded. It can extend outward to punch, but not as far as it did in the movie. The left arm is also equipped with a minigun, and he has a second gun mounted on his right shoulder. RoboCain can swivel at the waist and turn his head from side to side.

The sculpted detail on this figure is quite impressive and complex. There’s tons of little bits and bobs, hydraulic arms, cables and hoses. There are sculpted rivets in his joints, and toothy gears making up his shoulder swivels, with more hidden down in his hips. None of the hoses or cables do anything to restrict his articulation, and they seem pretty solid.

The head is probably the most stylish thing about the design, with it’s prominent brow and concave cheeks framing the complete lack of a face, which makes it look cold and creepy. Sadly, the head does not open, but I can’t say as I was expecting that for a figure in this scale. A swap-out head showing the video monitor with a lenticular sticker of Cain’s computer generated face would have been a really cool bonus. A close up view shows some really nice weathering, a bit of rust, and brushed steel look to the painted finish. It’s pretty damn convincing as plastic for metal, making the figure look like it should weigh more than it does. I especially like the dry brushing and nuke symbol on his chest’s cannister caps. The painted finish here is every bit as good as the sculpt, and that’s saying something!

The smaller, appendages roll up onto his shoulders and can flex outward. On the left he has the snapping claw that Angie said she could get used to. Or not. It’s also good for crushing remote control units. Come to think of it that would have made a cool accessory. The pincer itself, however, is not articulated. The right arm is equipped with the arc welder he used to mess up Robo’s helmet seen in that absolute banger of a poster!

As mentioned earlier, the legs extend quite a bit to give him a nice bit of height and they can hold his weight in any number of poses. The first thing I checked when I got him out of the box was to see if his toes were articulated, since that’s the first glimpse we get of him when he steps out of the truck. Alas, they are not.

I am thrilled to finally have a figure of RoboCain and considering the high expectations I had, I am delighted with the final product. He’s so much fun to pose and play with and he looks fantastic next to the Exquisite Mini RoboCop figure. Now, that having been said, this is a figure that is best regarded for what it is, and not for what it isn’t. There’s a lot of stuff missing that I would have liked to see, most notably the the aforementioned extra head, and an opening Nuke receptacle. I also would have liked to see some swivels in the arms. I suppose you could also gripe about the lack of electronics, since ED-209 had a sound chip. But RoboCain didn’t speak, so you’d just be getting gunfire sounds. Still, considering the scale here, I’m still very happy with what we got. RoboCain is also available in a battle damaged variant, and I believe there’s a set of that version with a battle damaged RoboCop, which is something I might just have to pick up before it gets scarce!

Sep 7 2022

RoboCop: ED-209 (1:18 Scale Exquisite Mini) by Hiya Toys

A few weeks back, I checked out some of Hiya Toys 1:18 scale RoboCop figures, and as promised I’m back to have a look at their ED-209! As I mentioned last time, I was finally motivated to collect this line when Hiya revealed that they would be doing a Cain figure in this scale, and since NECA wasn’t stepping up to do it, I started picking up these figures for when that day finally arrived.

ED comes in a fully enclosed box, very similar to the one NECA’s figure came in, only this one is about half the size. You get a nice combination of toy pictures and movie scenes on the package, along with the RoboCop logo and the OCP logo as well! The package doesn’t make a big deal about it, but the toy does feature some electronic sounds. Inside the box, ED comes sammiched between two clear plastic trays. There’s no assembly required, and no additional accessories in the box.

And here he is out of the package and ready to serve! As with my RoboCop figure reviews, it seems only natural to make a lot of comparison’s to NECA’s offering, and I’ll be doing some more of that here. And once again, I’ll just throw out there how much I adore this whole design. RoboCop was a film that really needed its future concepts to have grounded designs to make it work, and that’s certainly the case here. ED-209 is menacing and terrifying and yet still looks like something that could be cooked up by some misguided robotics lab in the very near future. And that’s a pretty terrifying thought all by itself.

While scaled with the roughly 4-inch RoboCop figures, ED is big enough to give Hiya a little more plastic to work with, and they really went all out on the detail of this sculpt. The armor plating is mostly smooth and devoid of any panel lines, just like the on screen model, but it’s inside all the little nooks and crannies that the sculpt really shines. There are exposed gears and wires in the elbow joints, and taking in all the little mechanical bits and bobs that make up the legs is like sensory overload. I can practically see all the stop-motion effects from the film going to work when I look at this beauty of a toy. There’s also just a little bit of weathering added around the bolts, and a little dry-brushed abrasions on the toes, which I don’t remember seeing on my NECA version.

There are a few areas where NECA’s larger toy outclasses this one in terms of sculpt, and that’s mostly around the rocket launcher on the right arm, but without making a direct visual comparison, I doubt I would have noticed. On the other hand, I have to say the paintwork on HIYA’s has a slight edge thanks to some of those little flourishes.

The articulation here is certainly solid, although I did find NECA’s to be a bit more poseable, but again the difference is pretty slight. HIYA’s ED has problems turning very far to the left and right, because he doesn’t quite clear some of the wires. Still, all the toes here are still articulated, and he still has the ability to extend his legs out quite a bit to give him a considerable boost in height. The NECA version has a lot more weight to the upper body, which sometimes causes it to droop like ED is powering down, and that doesn’t seem like it will be an issue here. As for the electronics I mentioned earlier, they consist of a few sound clips of him walking and firing his guns, and the usual, “You have twenty seconds to comply.” The sound effects here are nowhere near as good as the ones on NECA’s ED. There are fewer clips and they sound pretty muffled on my toy. Maybe the batteries need to be replaced. In fairness, I didn’t even know there would be any electronics in this toy when I bought it, so I can’t complain.

HIYA’s ED-209 is the perfect companion for my Exquisite Mini RoboCops! This bruiser cost me $49.99 and I think that’s a pretty great deal considering how much quality and love went into making this guy. Sure, NECA’s ED-209 was only $60 when I bought him, but that was a while ago and their re-issue is just shy of $100, so… yeah. HIYA’s ED is also available as a battle damaged variant for the same price, which includes some brand new sculpting, or for ten bucks more you can get the battle damaged version with a battle damaged RoboCop, and that one might be too tempting for me to pass up. Either way, I’m happy to have this little guy on my shelf, and I’m anxious to see how Cain turns out. He’s due to ship in a couple of months, but I’ll believe that when I see it! And believe it or not, I’m not quite done with my RoboCop/ED-209 reviews. In a couple of weeks I’ll be back to have a look at the ReAction versions!

Aug 17 2022

RoboCop and RoboCop 2 (1:18 Scale Exquisite Mini) Figures by Hiya Toys

I do love me some RoboCop toys, but after picking up the Hot Toys Diecast figure quite a ways back, and just about every NECA release, I decided that Murphy was well represented in my collection, and passed on the Hiya Toys 1:18 (roughly 4-inches) scale figures. But then it happened. Hiya solicited pre-orders for a Cain figure from RoboCop 2. Now all bets were off and I decided to go back and collect what I was missing from the line so I would be ready for Cain’s arrival. As a result, we’re going to take a quick look at four carded releases from RoboCop and RoboCop 2, and then I’ll open one and see what these little guys are all about! At least two of these are some kind of Exclusives, but I can’t remember the details on those.


Let’s start with RoboCop from the original film. All of Hiya’s RoboCops come on old style cards, which look very nice but they are definitely not collector friendly. One odd thing about the packaging here is that the cards each come in sealed window boxes, but they’re all punched and the condition of the cards are a bit rough by collector standards. It’s not a big deal for me, but it certainly may be fore more particular collectors out there and makes me wonder what was the point of the outer box? I love the layout of the original RoboCop’s card, and I really dig the character art. It’s gritty and looks like something from an old pulp magazine. You get some bullet holes superimposed over the image and a movie scene up at the top edge of the card. This is the figure that I’ll be opening to review.

The following three are all from RoboCop 2, starting with the regular vanilla flavor of OCP’s future of law enforcement. The sculpt on this one appears to be identical, but the paint shows some differences in how it portrays that purplish-hue that the armor gave off under certain light. The accessories are also mostly the same, but here you get Cain’s brain container, which is pretty cool! The character art on the card is a very similar pose, but it’s still all new art. Murphy seems to be jutting out his groin a bit more in this one. Cheeky bastard! You also get a scene from RoboCop 2 up at the top edge of the card.

Next, we have the battle damaged version of the last figure. There’s a new character pose on the card and the damage on the figure is mostly found on the front chest plate and the helmet, where he has the burn streaks from Cain’s arc welder.

And finally, and easily my favorite of the variants, you get KIK ME RoboCop, reflecting the scene where Murphy tried to go all Afterschool Special on a bunch of kids and they tagged him with spray paint. The card is given more of an orange hue to the deco and we get another new piece of character art, this time with orange paint on Murhpy’s helmet. I’m assuming it’s also on the front of the figure’s helmet, but I’m never opening this one to find out. It’s just the perfect figure to keep sealed. Also, this one does not come with the Cain Brain Jar. And that’s all the packaged shots I’ve got, let’s get RoboCop from the first movie free and see what he’s all about.

So, straightaway, I’ll credit Hiya for what is a spectacular sculpt for such a small figure. In terms of the detailing in the panel lines and all the finer parts of his exo-skeleton, I’d say this sculpt is every bit as good as what we saw on NECA’s 7-inch versions. And that’s intended as high praise, as NECA’s RoboCop figures are all quite excellent. The sculpted lines might be a little softer in some areas on this little guy, but I’m very impressed that they packed so much of it into so little plastic. They also really nailed his overall proportions, making even this 4-inch figure look powerful and menacing. The figure is simply a delight to hold in the hand and I just don’t see anything in this iconic design that got lost in the translation.

I will say that NECA’s version looks a lot cleaner and smoother, and I think that’s because of the painted finish on this little guy. And while I do like the more polished factory-new look of NECA’s, I think it was sacrificed by Hiya here to better recreate that purplish-silver hue that the suit reflects on screen and when seen in certain light. And to be sure, it’s not an easy thing to reproduce, although the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece version did a nice job of it. NECA’s captured a little of that, but I think this figure does it better. Whether the trade off is worth it will depend on personal taste. I’m not sure this finish would have worked as well on a bigger figure, but in this scale I’d say it works very well.

The portrait is especially impressive, especially considering the smaller size and there’s only the lower half of the face to work with. Regardless, the likeness in that lower half is superb. The stern expression, and tightly pursed lips leave me with no doubt that it’s Peter Weller under that helmet. There’s a hint of overspray around the lower black part of the helmet and his skin, but it’s really only noticeable when you get in close with the camera. About my only other nitpick with the head sculpt is there’s a hint of seam running across the helmet from the mold process, but it’s really not too bad.

The articulation here contains most everything I would want in my RoboCop figures. The arms have full rotation in the shoulders with just a very little bit of lateral outward movement. The hinged elbows can do 90-degrees, and the wrists are ball joints. The legs have full forward and backward movement at the hips, and a little bit of lateral outward movement. The hinged knees can’t quite make 90-degrees back, and the ankles are hinged. The hydraulics on the ankles and back of the legs are designed exactly like the ones on NECA’s figure, allowing the piston to move in and out with the ankle articulation, and that’s damn cool for the scale! There are two ball joints in the abs, giving him a nice range of movement there, and the neck is ball jointed. The joints all feel solid and he has very nice balance. Robo is basically a walking tank, so I’m not looking for any kind of super articulation here, and I think what Hiya went with replicates his capabilities quite nicely.

You get one set of hands stock hands, which are just open with the fingers slightly splayed. Additionally, the figure comes with a right gun hand and a right fist with his data spike extended. The spike hand is cool, but the spike itself is very bendy and kind of hard to keep straight. What’s the point of putting Adult Collectible on the package if you can’t include a proper eye-poker? Either way, I understand why this is always included in these figures, but it’s not something I’m likely to display with him.

Especially not when that hand needs to be holding RoboCop’s trusty Beretta Auto 9. It fits into the gun hand snugly and he looks damn good holding it. No, the leg doesn’t conceal a holster, which is understandable for this size. Even when NECA pulled it off in the 7-inch scale, the mechanism was pretty complex and fragile. Still, it would have been cool to have part of the leg pull off and a replacement with the open holster pop on. But that would have surely required a big boost in the price tag.

Finally, RoboCop comes with a little stand to display him on. It’s a simple rectangular block with some sculpted tiles, which look like they’ve been crushed under the weight of our hero. If you noticed the weird H-shaped plastic pieces in the packaged shot, those are connectors so you can join multiple bases together and display all your RoboCopses on one big platform. It’s a pretty cool idea, and certainly a nice bonus.

In the end, Hiya’s little RoboCop isn’t going to replace the NECA or Hot Toys versions as my favorite, but that’s not to say I don’t love it a lot. The new scale certainly has possibilities that are already paying off with the upcoming release of Cain. And yes, Hiya has already released an ED-209, and I hope to get around to checking him out next week. And who knows? Maybe we can even get a Ford Taurus (or Mustang for you RoboCop TV Series fans) for this little guy to drive around in! Probably not, but a little wishing never hurts! Probably the best thing of all is that these little RoboCops sell for about $20 a pop, and that’s not too bad considering a lot of retro-styled figures with far less detail and articulation are among the competition at this scale these days.

Feb 22 2018

RoboCop Vs Terminator: Endocop and Terminator Dog by NECA

I know, most of you came here to see a Transformers Thursday review, but until the new wave of Hasbro’s official convertorobots starts showing up, TF Thursday will have to go on hiatus. I do need to get caught up on my Masterpiece figures, so maybe I’ll add one of them to the collection this month. In the meantime, we’re almost two months into the new year and I still haven’t done a NECA review. And with all the cool shit they showed off at Toy Fair, I do believe I had better get cracking on getting caught up. So let’s remedy that today by checking out the recently released Endocop and Terminator Dog from the RoboCop Vs Terminator comic by Dark Horse!

Holy shit, look at that snazzy packaging!!! I gotta be honest, there could be nothing in that box and I would probably have still bought it. The artwork is fantastic and the logo is printed in a brilliantly reflective foil lettering that screams, “I’M COOL, BUY ME!!!!” Granted, I don’t think I’ve read this comic more than a couple times since it came out. I remember being pretty stoked at finding all four issues at a used book store on the way home from one of my classes one day. I remember tearing into it and being so intrigued by the cross-over and digging the time travel elements, but it just wasn’t something I went back to a lot. Nowadays, when I think of RvT, I tend to think of the video game more then anything else. But that going to stop me from enjoying these figures.

I don’t know if this technically counts as one of NECA’s Ultimate Series releases, but the packaging is very similar, complete with the folding front flap covering the window. The presentation is top notch and everything is collector friendly and that’s a good thing, because while I toss most of my action figure packages, I like to keep all these NECA boxes lined up on my shelves for easy access. The packaging also showcases Future RoboCop as coming soon and indeed, he’s already here! Inside the box, Endocop comes on a tray with the Termitator Dog (T-Dog, hereafter) positioned in front of his legs. Let’s start with Endocop!

The Endocop looks like a kitbash, and that’s totally appropriate since these guys are basically RoboCop’s own design augmented by Terminator parts. And so it’s only natural that NECA raided the cupboard for some parts for this figure. The torso and legs are taken from their regular RoboCop figure, with the biggest change being the rocket boosters added to his lower legs. The chest might be knew, as this one looks a little smaller than the one on my original figure. Either way, you still get all that amazing detail in the sculpt, right down to the OCP logos and the working pistons that connect his legs to his ankles. The silver paint job is a little more dynamic than the original RoboCop release as well. It has some blue spray here and there to simulate that blue-purple sheen that the costume had when seen under just the right lighting. The pelvis is also painted silver here instead of black.

The new arms are patterned after the Terminator Endoskeleton designs. I’m pretty sure these are newly sculpted parts, because they’re a lot beefier and a lot less fragile than the arms on my most recent NECA Endoskeleton. Most notably, the shoulders are much bigger and more pronounced. The arms also include some articulated pistons in the biceps, which are cool enough that they justify the lack of a bicep swivel. Every time I play around with my Endoskeleton I get worried I’m going to break something, but Endocop presents no such worries. He’s a solid dude!

The head sculpt is brand new and it is creepy as all hell. It’s basically Robo’s helmet, but with the grim visage of the lower half of an Endoskeleton’s face where Murphy’s face should be. Here’s where I let you all in on a little secret. Robots with real human looking teeth really freak me the hell out. You ever see those dolls dentists practice on? I’m talking nightmare fuel! Anyway, I really dig the extra parts fitted to the torso to help support the arms. These include some discs where the shoulders attach, and the pistons that sword of resemble a human clavicle. Very cool!

The Endocop comes with Murphy’s Auto-9 pistol, which fits quite well into the right hand, and the trigger finger is soft enough so that it can go through the trigger guard. I’m having a lot of trouble keeping track of some of the story elements from this comic, and I can’t for the life of me remember why Murphy would replicate his gun for his Endocops, but whatever. Keep in mind, since this figure uses the earlier RoboCop release, it does not include the spring-loaded leg holster, so there isn’t anywhere to put the gun when he isn’t holding it. That’s probably for the best as that thing was really crazy fragile. All in all, I think NECA did a beautiful job with this figure, and while it does reuse some parts, they still went the extra mile to make the figure feel fresh and new. It would have been a worthy pick up all by himself, and that brings us to the awesome bonus. The T-Dog!

While I was pretty excited about getting The Endocop, The T-Dog was a case of love at first sight. He was the first to come out of the box and I’d say the Endocop didn’t come out until about twenty minutes later because I was busy playing with my new killer robot dog. This sculpt is absolutely magnificent and I found myself just turning the figure over in my hands so that I could drink it in from every angle. Make no mistake, this is a full-fledged figure and not some pack-in accessory. Indeed, I could have seen any number of toy companies stamping out a mostly static PVC piece for this dog, maybe giving it rotation at the tops of the legs, and calling it a day. But NECA just poured the love into this killer mutt. Besides the exquisite sculpt, the articulation goes above and beyond. The legs feature four points each, including ball joints in the feet. You also get a few points of articulation in the body, two points in the neck, and a hinged jaw.

Look at that face! The piercing red eyes and realistically painted teeth make him all the more terrifying! Remember what I said about robots with human teeth? Well apparently it goes for robots with animal teeth too. The T-Dog is no little lap dog either. If you stand him up on his hind legs he’s as tall as the Endocop. He’s also very sturdy and has a nice heft to him. The paint finish is a little less dynamic than The Endocop’s, but it looks like real metal with a little wash to give it a worn patina.

As a two-pack, this release set me back a little more than the usual NECA boxed figure. I was able to get it for $35 from one of the major online retailers, and I’m guessing that’s about what the MSRP is. Considering that the single packed figures go for $22-25 these days, I think this is a pretty good deal. And as excited as I was to get it, this set impressed me even more once I had the figures out and in hand. From the art direction on the box to the little touches of detail on the figures, this is yet another love letter to the fans, and I love NECA for that. So much so, that I can see picking up a second one of these is in my future. And speaking of future, I’ll have a review of the RvT Future RoboCop coming up either next week or the week after.

Nov 24 2014

Movie Masterpiece Diecast RoboCop (MMS 202-D04) 1:6 Scale Figure by Hot Toys

It’s finally time! RoboCop is here and I’m really excited to check out this figure! Those of you who have been kicking around FFZ, either here or on Twitter or Facebook, know the delays involved in getting Hot Toys’ RoboCop in hand. I pre-ordered this guy in May of last year. He was originally due to ship in Q1, but he got bumped back to August and then to September and then to October. There were times when my faith began to falter, but he finally shipped earlier this month and now that I have him, I can honestly say he was absolutely worth all the waiting and all the precious monies he cost. RoboCop is certainly one of my all time favorite movies, but even more than that I think this design is the one of my favorite iconic sci-fi character designs of the 80’s and that’s saying an awful lot. That’s why I’m so happy to say that the end result of Hot Toys’ labors on this figure is quite spectacular. In fact, I’ll lay it down right now that there are only two issues I have with this him, and one is really just an annoyance. Well, we’ve got a lot to look at, so let’s jump right in and check out The Future of Law Enforcement!

mmcrc1 mmsrc2 I haven’t been overly impressed with the packaging and presentation of some of my Hot Toys figures lately. I haven’t seen anything bad, but maybe not as special as they could be. I’m not really big into package design as part of the collectible experience, but when you’re paying a lot for these things, a higher level of presentation is expcted. This box mostly delivers by being something different and something special, and for a $300 figure it well should! The front and sides of the top portion of the box have illustrations of Robo and the whole thing is covered in a clear plastic laminate. The back features the cast of artists that worked on the figure. I love that Hot Toys does this. These guys are indeed artists and I it’s only right that they should get mention on the packaging.

mmsrc4 The top three-quarters of the box lifts off to reveal a brick of styrofoam underneath with the RoboCop logo sculpted into it. Here we can take the top off to reveal the tray with the figure and his accessories around him. The back of the styrofoam has a smaller tray that lifts out the back and contains the instruction booklet, figure stand, the remote control, a magnet tool, and three button batteries. To activate the electronics you will need two LR-1 batteries which are not included. So, all in all, I think the packaging and presentation is a win. It’s elegant, it’s very collector friendly. The only other gripe I have is that I found it curious that “ROBOCOP” isn’t lettered out the way it looked on the posters or the film’s title screen. mmsrc5 mmsrc6 Robo comes out of the box and ready for action and he is indeed spectacular. As soon as I got him out I scrutinized the figure top to bottom and front to back to see if there were any QC issues, but this figure is absolutely flawless. There isn’t a scratch or a blemish anywhere to be seen and that’s incredible when you consider that almost every inch of this guy is either metallic silver or high gloss paint. The silver also gives off that exquisite purplish hue when the light hits it just so. In fact, I’m going to come out and say that I actually think the silver on this figure looks better in person than it does in the official publicity shots for the figure. How often does that happen? I’ll confess I was a little apprehensive about the use of diecast in the figure throwing off the balance or making it awkward to pose, but it does quite the contrary. The diecast in the lower legs give him a stable and steady stance even without the stand and Robo has strong ratchets in the legs to support him.  And yeah, it does add that satisfying heft that feels good in a figure that just set me back three bills. In fact, that was probably the first thing I noticed when I removed him from the box.

mmsrc18 mmsrc7 mmsrc10 There’s all sorts of great detail on the armor. Both the sculpted seams and the panel lining look phenomenal, but I’ll just point out a couple of my favorites other points of attraction. First off, I love the way they designed the pistons on the back of his calves. They’re hinged at the ankles and ball jointed at the tops and work like real pistons. The rods are also flexible so they will bend to accommodate the ankle movement until you reposition the ball joints at the top. To me, they also feel like the most delicate thing about the figure and require some care when laying the figure down. I also dig the OCP marking running down his left leg. The fact that OCP branded the hell out of RoboCop was a great extension of the film’s corporate satire. The carved lettering is sharp and looks great, both here and on the helmet.

mmsrc9 mmsrc8Speaking of the helmet, the portrait is definitely up to Hot Toys best. I’m not sure if it was easier or more difficult for them to work with just the lower half of the face to get Peter Weller’s half-likeness, but they certainly nailed it. The skin tone is eeriely realistic right down to the pores and the way the entire helmet assembly fits around the facial area is perfect. The sheen on the black parts surrounding the head is so brilliant that it shows off finger prints like crazy, so it’s not a bad idea to have a soft cloth available for when you’re done  handling him!

mmsrc15 mmsrc17 The articulation here is very well done. Let’s face it, RoboCop was a walking tank and wasn’t exactly a fellow with a lot of range of motion. I think what we got mimics his on screen capabilities quite well. The most impressive thing to me is the way the shoulder joints pull out a bit to give him that greater range of motion in the shoulders. Apart from those ball jointed shoulders, the arms feature hinged elbows and ball joints just below the elbows and again at the wrists. The legs have ball joints in the hips, heavy ratchets in the knees, a slight swivel just under the knees, and hinges in the ankles and again in the toes. The lower torso features a ball joint and the neck has a particularly generous ball joint. Weller relied on a lot of head movement for expression and the figure certainly pays respects to that.

mmsrc11 mmsrc13 Obviously, one of the coolest things about Robo’s design is the leg holster and Hot Toys certainly did it justice. To open it, you simply get your fingernail on the tab and slide the hatch to the back, revealing the holster inside the leg. The gun sits comfortably in the framework inside and is easy to remove. I’m a little surprised that this whole assembly feels as simple and solid as it is. I was a little worried that I would be afraid to open it because it would be too delicate, but in hand, I’ve got no such concerns. It’s just pure functional elegance.

mmsrc22 mmsrc26 mmsrc21 RoboCop actually comes with two Auto-9’s, one plastic and one diecast. The plastic one features all the great detail and features that I’ve come to expect from Hot Toys’ Sixth Scale arsenal. The slide action on it works and you can remove the clip. The diecast gun is just a solid piece of metal. It has the same great detailed sculpt, but it lacks some of the paint apps. Why provide two guns? I’m still not sure on that one, but my best guess is so that you can always keep one in the holster. I tend to keep the diecast one holstered and I use the plastic one for when I want him holding his sidearm. The better detail is nice and I find that the lighter pistol works better in his articulated hands.

mmsrc27 Speaking of hands, RoboCop comes with two sets of hands. You get fists and you get the articulated ones. The fists are pretty self explanatory. The articulated ones feature hinges and ball joints in the fingers and these are the ones you use to hold the gun. I’ve found it can be a bit tricky to get him to hold it and the finger tips will sometimes pop out of their hinges and need to be popped back in. I had the exact same issue with the mechanical hand on my Sideshow Major Bludd figure. The fact that the finger tip pops off isn’t such a big deal, but my biggest fear there is that I will lose one of his fingertips. Remember, I said I had two issues with this finger, well that’s number one. I wish they could have found a way to give him a regular gun holding hand.

mmsrc23 mmsrc24 You also get an extra right hand with the data spike deployed. It’s certainly a necessity to include with the figure, but I don’t have a lot to say about it. It can easily be used for hacking computer terminals or for stabbing bastards in the throat.

mmsrc25 mmsrc28 mmsrc29 mmsrc30 RoboCop comes with three extra faces, or in this case half-faces, all mounted on a nifty tray. You get “pursed lip” face, “partially showing teeth” face, and the fan favorite “gritting teeth in pain” face. The swap out is really easy. You just lift off the helmet and make the change. The helmet is held on by a magnet, but I don’t even think that was necessary as it fits snugly on the figure. I do appreciate extra options, especially in this case since with most of his face covered, Peter Weller had to be extra expressive with his mouth when acting the part. That having been said, of the three extra faces, I can only see myself using the clenched teeth expression. The differences between the other two are pretty minor. Plus, the pain face goes so well with the battle damaged parts.

mmsrc33 mmsrc34 mmsrc35 Yes, even though Hot Toys has already revealed their forthcoming battle damaged RoboCop, they still included some extras to kit out this figure with some distress. Those damaged parts include a new helmet and a new chest plate. Once again the swap is easy. The chest plates just clip and unclip at the areas around the shoulder. The sculpting and paintwork on the damaged pieces are really impressive. At first, I thought the helmet looked more like the damage from the cutting torch that Caine used on him in the second film, but having consulted my Blu-Ray it looks pretty much in line with the first film damage. The chest features bullet holes, gashes, some scorch marks, and trails of oil leaking out through the holes and vents. It looks horrible, and by that I mean it looks great!

mmsrc36 Of course, you also get a figure stand. In this case it’s a raised hexagonal base with the OCP logo printed on it and layered over with a glossy finish. It also has “ROBOCOP” printed on it in the official title font that was missing from the box. The stand itself is the standard crotch-cradle type, which works well as the wires can be bent out so that they position themselves right inside the gaps of his hip joints. If I had one beef about the stand is that it’s rather small for a figure of this stature. It works fine if you just have Robo standing at attention, but I plan on displaying most of the time with one leg up on the stand and the other on the shelf as he prepares to draw his pistol. To do that you have to turn the base a bit so that the stand will still grab him. No big deal. Plus with the way the remote control doubles as a name plate, you can always place it on the base to orientate the stand no matter what angle your viewing it from.

mmsrc32 mmsrc31 And that brings us to electronics. Robo features a rotating litany of iconic quotes from the film, but first you have to get him ready to go. First, the three included button batteries go into the remote… easy peasy. Next, you have to put two LR-1 batteries into the compartment in Robo’s back. First you use the official OCP magnet tool (love it!) to easily remove his back plate. Next, you need a small Philips head screwdriver to remove the battery door. This was a little tough as that screw was over-torqued like crazy and I was afraid I was going to strip it. Once the batteries are in you turn on the switch and close him back up. Pressing the button on the remote will cycle through each of his quotes…

  • “Serve the public trust. Protect the innocent. Uphold the law.”
  • “Drop the gun, you are under arrest.”
  • “Thank you for your cooperation. Goodnight.”
  • “Stay out of trouble.”
  • “Dead or alive, you are coming with me.”
  • “Com quietly or there will be… trouble.”

mmsrc37 The sound clips are all clear, and while the recordings do pick up some background noise from the film, I think the quality is solid. But, herein lies my second an biggest gripe with the figure. Robo powers down after about five minutes of inactivity. To get him to speak again you need to remove his back plate and switch him off and on again. That sucks! I mean, thankfully the switch isn’t inside the battery compartment itself, but it still sucks. Sounds and lights are usually not a big turn on for me with these types of figures, but I was looking forward to using Robo’s voice chip a lot. With the bother involved, I’ll certainly be using it a lot more sparingly.

mmsrc14 mmsrc16 mmsrc38 If ever a figure deserved the word “Masterpiece” in its title, then Hot Toys RoboCop is certainly that figure. I can’t recall another time when I had to wait this long or built up this much anticipation over a single figure. When I got him in hand, opening him was like an event. It was the culmination of almost two years of excitement and it encapsulated everything about why I collect these bits of plastic. At the same time I was a bit worried that he couldn’t possibly live up to my crazy expectations, but in the end he did just that… and then some. Even after a long wait, and $70 disappearing from my checking account every month for a while, I have no regrets. I’d probably rate it as the finest figure in my collection right now and it’s certainly the best representation of RoboCop I ever expect to own. Lately, I think some of Hot Toys’ releases have been received with a bit less enthusiasm than in the past. At least that’s the feeling I get from reactions in the collector community. Either way, Hot Toys really upped their game on this one. They did a stellar job and it’s made me all the more excited to start seeing The Guardians of the Galaxy figures ship next year! It’s also made me seriously start to consider picking up that Diecast Iron Man Mark III that’s coming out next year.

Feb 10 2014

Robocop: ED-209 by NECA

My undying love for Robocop has been well documented here in the past. I’ve bought everything from the excellent NECA figures to the crappy vintage Toy Island stuff. I even have three hundred bucks down on Hot Toys’ new figure, which is now pushed back to August. Oddly enough, I’ve never owned an ED-209, but 2014 certainly seemed like the year to change that.  The best choice seemed to be Hot Toys’ version, but even I have my limits, and as much as I would have loved to pony up another $400 on Hot Toys’ ED-209, I managed to stay my hand and I have NECA to thank for that. The fact that they were releasing their own ED-209 to go with their 7-inch scale figures meant that I could add a quality Urban Pacification Robot to my collection without having to break the bank. Will the NECA version scratch my OCP itch? Or will I wind up signing up for ED-209 Flex Pay after all? That’s what we’re here today to find out.

ed20915

ed20916

NECA is usually all about clamshells. Hell, even the huge Motorized Patriot from their Bioshock Infinite line came in a gi-normous clamshell. ED-209 bucks that trend with a regular old box. The front of the box features some awesome artwork that looks like it could be on a billboard advertising the newest OCP product. In addition to proclaiming ED-209 to be “The Future of Law Enforcement” the fine print reads, “ED-209 has superior firepower and the reflexes to use it. Developed by Omni Consumer Products.” Man, I love that shit! It really gets into the spirit of the movie. The two side panels show photos of the actual toy and the back has a picture of the toy with NECA’s own Robocop figure and a list of some of the toy’s features. I’m very happy that NECA went the boxed route, as it’s more collector friendly. I’m really anxious to get this guy out, so I’m going to start slicing some tape!

ed2091

Inside the box, ED comes snug and twisty-tied into his own little cardboard garage. There’s a bubble wrap packet on top to protect his head. It took me a while to get him out, mainly because I wanted to be extra careful. The plastic used for this toy isn’t what I would call rugged or particularly durable. Plus, ED has a ton of little wires and delicate parts and I was a little worried about ripping something off of him while extricating him from the inner box.

ed2092

ed2093

So, wow! The detail on this thing is absolutely insane. This is literally the first time I’ve ever personally seen, let alone held, a 3D representation of ED-209, so I spent a long time scrutinizing every little nook and cranny with a big dumb smile on my face. Obviously this piece owes a huge debt to the design artists from the movie that created not only this design but the iconic Robocop suit itself. ED’s design is great because it’s totally credible. It looks like something that we could have cooked up in the “not too distant future” and the only downside of the film for me is that we didn’t get to see enough of him. Someone should have made a game where you got to play as ED-209 rampaging through cities. Actually, I someone more or less did, only without the license. It was called Futurecop LAPD.

ed2099

ed20910

Of course, a bitchin design is nothing without the sculptors to back it up and that’s where the wizards at NECA come in. They did a beautiful job recreating all the tiny bolts that hold the plates together as well as the clusters of wires in the arms, the textured dome, the whirling discs and hydraulic pistons in the legs, and even the teeny-tiny caution and hazard labels. All the little attention to detail really sells this thing as a miniaturized version of the OCP death machine. A lot of times I look at a collectible toy and think, “Yeah, that company did a nice job with that.” I look at ED-209 here and I think, “Oh man that is a labor of love!”

ed2094

ed2095

The paintwork on this piece is exceptional. Sure, ED’s not the most colorful killer robot in town, but his utilitarian blue-grey finish features a nice metallic sheen and it contrasts beautifully with the matte black that makes up most of the toy’s other coloring. Most impressive are the little instances of brushwork on the exposed wires and cables, the individually painted missiles, the hazard striping, and the little accents of silver scattered here and there. Beautiful!

ed2096

ed2097

With all the amazing detail, it was a little difficult to figure out which of ED-209’s parts are actually articulated and which are static. There’s actually a bit less articulation on this piece than I was expecting, but that’s not really a complaint. For example, I expected the toes to be hinged and they aren’t. I don’t mind, because I think having them static creates a more solid foundation for him to stand on. Leg articulation does include swivels at the hips, which allow the legs to move forward and back in a walking motion. They will also swivel outward and inward where the upper legs joint the lower legs. Lastly, the legs do actually extend thanks to ratcheting sliders. I love this feature, because you can shorten him to better fit in a tight display case, but if you want to give him a little extra height on Robo, that’s your option.

ed2098

Moving on to the upper body, the shoulder plates are hinged and the arms can rotate up or down at the shoulders. The elbows are hinged on some pretty cool looking gears and each gunpod can rotate 360-degrees. The missile launcher on the right arm can also slide into firing position. Lastly, ED-209 can swivel left and right at the waist. I’m particularly happy with the arm articulation, as you can move them inward to target both on a single object.

ed20914

And that brings us to the electronics. ED has a button located a bit behind his right shoulder. I’m not sure what the first sound clip is supposed to be. It may just be ED-209 powering up and it’s really the only dissatisfying sound in the rotation. If you keep pressing the button you’re treated to these classics…

“Will you please put down your weapon? You have 20 seconds to comply!”

[Growling] “You now have 15 seconds to comply”

[Machine Gun Fire]

“You are illegally parked on private property. You have 20 seconds to move your vehicle.” [Footsteps]

The machine gun firing clip is absolutely hilarious. It lasts for a really long time and is peppered with screams. It also sounds like it’s going to power down about halfway through and then it starts up again. It’s a veritable symphony of carnage. The only thing that’s missing is the sound of ED’s tantrum from when he falls on his back and can’t get up.

ed20911

ed20912

ed20913

NECA’s ED-209 retails at around $60. Some may argue that’s a little steep, I think it was was worth every last penny. The sculpt is staggeringly good making for a wonderful piece that displays flawlessly besides any of the 7-inch Robocop figures. Well, maybe not the glow-in-the-dark one or the 8-bit one, but he looks great with the rest of them. NECA didn’t go nuts with ED’s articulation, but what’s here is quite serviceable and the result is a very solid toy that has absolutely no trouble standing up. I’ve had this beauty on pre-order since it was first unveiled and I gotta say he lived up to all my expectations. I have no doubt that Hot Toys version is going to be a behemoth of beauty, but I can comfortably say I’m happy with this version. It looks fantastic and, above all, I won’t be afraid to play with it from time to time.

May 3 2013

Robocop (Spring-Loaded Holster) by NECA

Last year I picked up NECA’s excellent Robocop figure and not long after they revealed another one at about the same price with a working holster in the leg. CURSES!!!! I usually cry foul when companies make me double-dip, but it’s hard to get mad at NECA or the prospect of having another Robocop figure in my collection. It’s not like Robocop figures are flying at me from all directions. Anyway, I’d say I bought this one more out of curiosity than anything else just to see how the holster gimmick turned out, and whether it could replace the figure I already have as the definitive version. We’ll take a look at the packaging first, and then I’m going to dive right into what will largely be a comparative look at both figures. Robocop vs. Robocop… FIGHT!

DSCN1020

While this figure still comes in NECA’s usual sealed clamshell, they did redesign the inserts since the release of my other Robocop. It makes sense to call attention to what is a new release, but honestly, I like the package design on the older release better. It was grittier and more in spirit with the original movies and it even had Murphy’s directives printed on it. This one has a somewhat cheesy top view of Robocop’s head making up the bottom insert, and overall it looks a lot more polished and sterile. Of course, none of this matters because the package will soon be in the trash. I’ll also point out that the new package includes a side panel with instructions on how to work the holster, because there is a trick to getting it closed properly. Also worth mentioning, Robocop is strapped into his tray with a bonafide zip tie, so make sure you have a good pair of cutters handy.

DSCN1037

DSCN1038

Straight away, Robocop is a great looking figure, but he’s mostly the exact same figure as the previous release. That’s a mighty good thing, because I think this is a pretty amazing sculpt. As near as I can tell, the only thing that’s been changed on the figure is the upper right leg for the new holster gimmick. The pistons on his back legs seem to stay on better than on my original release, but it doesn’t look like they’ve been actually changed. Maybe NECA just used better glue. Suffice it to say, with the holster closed, the only noticeable difference between the two figures, is the little button on the back of the right leg.

DSCN1048

DSCN1049

I will say that the consistency of the silver paint is slightly better on this newer release, but only slightly. I never really had a problem with the paint on the old one, but it did have some swirly bits on the top of the helmet, which this one lacks. I’m sure it’s probably more an instance of variances in QC than a deliberate change on the figure.

DSCN1046

As with the original release, this newer one comes with the same swappable right hand, which has the data spike deployed.

DSCN1039

DSCN1040

DSCN1042

And now we come to the reason we’re here… the spring loaded holster! You all know I love functional holsters on my action figures, but this one is a SPRING-LOADED functional holster. It’s one of the coolest aspects of the Robocop design, and no matter how good a Robocop figure may be, if it doesn’t have this feature, it seems like it’s missing something. Nonetheless, the idea of getting the feature to work in a 7-inch figure hardly seems feasible. Does NECA pull it off with this figure? Yes, they do… mostly. Flipping the switch in the back causes the front of the leg to snap forward and the side portion back, revealing the gun inside, and it all happens in an instant. Closing it up again is a tad more precarious. You only push on the front panel, and you have to use a fairly good amount of force. Once you hit the sweet spot, the side panel will come along and the whole thing will lock together with a satisfying snap.

DSCN1041

There is a little room for quibbling here. The gun, which is the same size as the gun included with the original release, sits pretty far inside the leg, so you really need to dig it out, and getting it back in can be a bit of a chore, since it has to sit just right in order for the leg to close up again. The side panel is held on by two pegged hinges and can be very prone to popping out, especially if you try to close it by any other means than ONLY PUSHING IN ON THE FRONT PANEL. It easily pops back into the hinges, but just looking at all the tiny plastic machinations inside makes me really nervous. It doesn’t look like it will take much to break any one of the tiny plastic parts that make this whole thing work. Now, with all that having been said, I really have to applaud NECA for not only getting this to work so well in a figure at this scale, but also for being able to contain the whole shebang inside the one leg piece without effecting the aesthetics of the toy beyond the small button on the back. Which brings me to…

DSCN1044

DSCN1043

DSCN1045

Articulation! Because everything involving the holster mechanism is confined to the one leg piece, this figure pulls off the exact same articulation as the first figure. In case you missed it last time, the arms feature ball joints in the shoulders, hinges in the elbows, and swivels in the wrists. The legs have ball jointed hips and hinges in the knees and ankles. The torso has a swivel at the waist and a ball joint in the torso, and the neck is ball jointed as well.

DSCN1050

You’d think the extra engineering would come at a price, but I picked up this version for around $17, which is actually a little less than I paid for the original release sans the springy holstery goodness. If you’re in the market for a Robocop and you have neither, I’d definitely recommend going for this one. Apart from the little button in the leg, it’s the same figure. The leg holds together so well, you can hardly notice it’s designed to open, and nothing else on the figure is compromised. The only downside is that I can see the holster mechanism breaking pretty easily, so caution is advised. Still, he’s an amazing figure for a very good price, but hey… it’s NECA… I would expect nothing less.

Aug 22 2011

Robocop 7-inch Figure by NECA

Here’s a helpful tip to all toy companies. Make Robocop figures and I will give you my money. Some people have a weird nerd fascination with Boba Fett, but for me it’s Robocop. Besides loving the movies, well two out of three ain’t bad, I’ll even happily suffer through episodes of the often terrible TV series just because I love Robocop so much. I’ve looked at more than a couple of the various vintage Robocop figures that have been produced over the years, and while some of those have their charm, I’ve been jonesing for a really solid modern figure of Robo for a while now and I was happy to see that NECA stepped up to deliver.

Robocop comes in what has become NECA’s standard sealed clamshell with a printed insert. The artwork and presentation is a tad on the cheesy side, but than watch the credits for the original Robocop film and you’ll see this presentation really suits it well. I love that they printed his Prime Directives on the insert and the back of the insert has a nice little blurb just in case you don’t know what this Robocop business is all about. The front insert does block the figure a bit, but only from the knees down. The best thing about NECA’s packaging is that a little deft work with a razor blade and you can get the figure out without damaging the package. And that’s cool, because this baby is going to hang on my wall.
In terms of sculpt, NECA really nailed it with this figure. The armor is beautifully recreated with all the tiny little panel lines and OCP writing right where it should be. Even the lower part of Murphy’s face looks right on target. There is one thing to watch out for, though.The little pistons that connect his ankles to his calves are only pegged in and one of mine flew off the figure when I removed him from the package. Luckily I was able to find it, but I’m definitely going to drop a dab of glue on each of these to keep them from popping off and getting lost. The big question most people have about this figure concerns the leg holster. Is it represented? Nope. And honestly, apart from having a whole piece that replaces half his leg, I can’t see anyway it could have been done on a figure in this scale and price range while still maintaining the sculpt. On the other hand, it would have been nice to get a second head showing Murphy without the visor and helmet.
Speaking of extra bits… you get only two accessories with Robocop. You get his trademark Auto-9 sidearm and an extra hand that has his computer interface spike deployed. The gun is obviously a requirement, but the spike hand is a nice extra bonus. I still would have liked that second head, though.
Robocop sports 14 points of articulation. These include: A ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, rotating hips, hinged knees, hinged ankles, a swivel at the waist, and a ball joint in the chest. There’s certainly the right number of points, but some of them, like the elbows, don’t offer a huge range of motion. I’m not going to complain, though, as Robocop isn’t exactly the most agile crime fighter around and the figure really can hit all the poses that he should be able to do. The only thing I would have added would be lateral hinges in the ankles. Robocop’s legs can achieve a nice wide stance, but without these extra points, his feet can’t lay flat on the ground. Not a big deal, but I still thought I’d mention it.
If you can find him at Toys R Us or a specialty shop, NECA’s Robocop should run you about fifteen bucks. Mine set me back $20 with shipping and I think it was well worth it. Great sculpt, good articulation, nice heft and quality, and an all around fun figure for the scale and price range. Is it a definitive Robocop figure? Nope, and I’m still looking into picking up the forthcoming Figma version to satisfy my ultimate Robocop itch, but for now, this one suits me pretty well.
Feb 7 2011

Vintage Vault: Robocop 4-inch Figure with Battle Damaged Armor by Toy Island

A couple of weeks ago on Vintage Vault, I looked at one of Toy Island’s 8-inch electronic Robocop figures, but the bulk of their Robocop action figure collection was done in the 4-inch scale. Actually, it was the same damn Robocop figure over and over again with a different soundchip and different accessories. I’ll get to some of those eventually, but today we’re going to look at one of the more unique 4-inchers in the assortment: Robocop with Battle Damaged Armor.

I don’t have an in-package shot of the figure, but it came on a simple card with a still from one of the films, showing Robocop against an exploding background. The figure was mounted under a fairly sizeable bubble with his face exposed and everything that he came with laid out beside him. The goodies include two swappable chest plates, two swappable helmets, and his trademark Auto-9 sidearm.

As already mentioned, there was no shortage of different versions of Robocop, but this was one of the few that wasn’t just the same figure with a different soundchip. The sculpt is quite good, and while the face isn’t necessarily a dead ringer for Peter Weller [or maybe it’s supposed to be Robert Burke from Robocop 3, or Richard Eden from Robocop: The Series? -FF], I think it’s close enough for an early 90’s toyline in this scale. The uncovered chest is sculpted with all sorts of hoses and circuitry and painted silver, red, green and black. The rest of the figure shares much of the same sculpt with the other 4-inch Robocops, which is to say it’s a quite decent looking figure and looks pretty close to the big screen counterpart. I do have a slight issue of leg warpage on mine, but that might not be common to all the figures.

The swappable armor gimmick is simple enough as the chest plates just snap on to his torso and the helmet, which is made of soft plastic just fits right on over the head. With the regular non-damaged armor in place, it’s tough to tell this figure apart from the regular ones. The biggest giveaway is the visor on the helmet, which is painted on, instead of clear red plastic to support the light up feature. The damaged armor looks really good, especially the visor, which has a hole that lines up with Murphy’s eye like in the movie. Unfortunately, the damaged chest plate doesn’t fit all that well and tries to pop off at the left shoulder.

The other big difference with this particular version of Robocop was the additional articulation. While the electronic 4-inchers only had four points of articulation, which consisted of arms that rotated at the shoulders and legs that rotated at the hips, this Murphy introduces hinged joints to the elbows and knees. Unfortunately, there’s still no neck articulation, which was understandable for the electronic figures, but kind of inexcusable for this one.

Overall, I think the paint job is a little better on some of my legion of electronic 4-inch Robocop figures. They’ve got a touch more blue and better gloss, making them a smidgen more movie accurate. But aside from that, this version of Murphy is my favorite in the 4-inch scale. Between the armor gimmick and the added articulation, you just have more display options and far more play value. And for that reason, if you’re going to hunt down just one of these 4-inch Robocops, I’d recommend going with this one.

Jan 20 2011

Vintage Vault: Robocop 8-inch Electronic Talking Figure by Toy Island

[I don’t tend to feature a lot of my vintage collection on Figure Fan, and I’ve decided to try to change that a little. If for no other reason, it provides a nice break up in the Marvel to Transformers to GI Joe, to DC to Doctor Who rutt that I sometimes fall into here. Honestly, I’ve got more than enough material for posting just on the stuff that’s coming out now, but it just struck me that taking a gander at some older stuff every now and then might be fun too. So today I’m going to kick it off with my man, Robocop. Enjoy! -FF]

Robocop toys are a tragic subject for me, since I love the two films [YES, I SAID THERE WERE ONLY TWO!!!! 😡 -FF] and I’d love to have a crapload of nice figures based on the property. The problem is that most of the really nice figures are as expensive as all hell and a lot of the others, well they aren’t that great. That’s not to say there weren’t some decent or at least passable toys out there that can still be had for little money. Toy Island made a crapload of Robocop figures starting around 1993. A lot of them were electronic, most of them were in the 4-inch scale, but today we’re going to look at one of the 8-inchers.

The packaging is long gone, but I’m pretty sure this guy came mounted on a card, rather than in a box. I can be completely off base on that one, as the early 90’s were my College years and hence is mostly a blur. The immediate downside of this figure is that at about eight inches, he’s not really in scale with a lot of other figures. Although he does fit in pretty well with any Megos you have lying around.

The sculpt here is pretty darn good. There are some proportion issues with the legs, which look somewhat underdeveloped, especially from the knees down, but from the waist up, I’m pretty impressed. The detail in the armor is pretty spot on and I like how the speaker is concealed in the ribbed portion of the chest. His right hand is molded to hold his weapons and his left hand is molded open. The head sculpt is pretty spot on, although the glossy flesh tone used on the exposed half of his face looks pretty waxy and fake. But, hey, this is clearly a toy and not a replica or high-end collectors figure. The color and finish on the armor is also really nice and screen accurate. Generally speaking, this is one nice looking figure.

Robocop has ten points of articulation. His arms rotate at the shoulders, have hinged elbows and rotate at the forearms. His legs rotate at the hips and have hinged knees. The head, unfortunately, doesn’t turn because of the electronics in the head.

Robocop’s accessories include his trademark high-powered automatic pistol, an M-16 style assault rifle, and an arm cannon attachment that can be swapped out by pulling off his forearm and plugging it into the socket.

The figure’s electronic gimmick is fairly simple, but still effective. Press the button right in the middle of his chest and the visor lights up red and he sounds off one of three clips. One is weapons fire, the other two are voice clips saying either “Freeze” or “Uphold the law!” Neither are direct rips from Peter Weller, but they sound good enough. I would have loved to hear, “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me,” but I’m guessing that might have been a little too hardcore for a kids’ toy.

When I pulled this figure out of storage, I was pretty amazed at how well it held up. I expected time to have exposed all this stuff as total crap, and that’s not the case at all. Don’t get me wrong, there are some pretty sub par toys in my vintage Robocop box, and we’ll get to those in good time, but this guy is nice enough that I opted to put him up on my shelf rather than return him to his Rubbermaid tomb in the back of the closet. He looks pretty nice and I’m absolutely amazed to find that his electronics still work perfectly, despite me being a dumbass and leaving the batteries in him for nearly a decade.