Who Did Abe Sapiens Makeup In Hellboy

Review of Abe Sapien sixth scale activeness effigy
Hellboy Ii

Hot Toys

Date Published: 2009-06-08
Written By: Michael Crawford

Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Introduction

I received my Hot Toys Hellboy and Abe Sapien at the same time, just broke upwardly the review into two for several reasons. Beginning, there'southward always a lot to talk about with whatsoever one Hot Toys figure, allow alone ii. Second, when removing Abe from his box I broke a small piece off his rebreather equipment (more on that in the Accessories give-and-take), making information technology necessary to apply a little super glue before any photos could exist taken. And 3rd, and virtually of import, I thought Abe was and so much nicer than the Big Red, that he deserved his own discussion.

That was my initial impression, just as anyone who has bought collectibles like this knows, sometimes as yous spend a little fourth dimension with your insanely expensive toy, your opinion changes. I wonder if that happened this time? Oooo, foreshadowing!

Abe is HB's right manus fishman, and has had a key role in both films. We got a Hellboy I version of Abe from Sideshow most five years ago, simply the figure was weak for even back then, and then getting this new, updated version is much appreciated. Also, at that place were more than changes in Abe's costume between Hellboy I and Two, making him an fifty-fifty better candidate for a new version.

Like all Hot Toys figures, this guy is a little more expensive than your basic Ken doll. He'll run you $150 at most places, and I doubtable he's one that's going to ascent over time.

Packaging - ***
It's the usual attractive Hot Toys packaging, with the outer sleeve over the inner five panel box.  I like that Hot Toys uses an bodily grapheme still for the front end of the sleeve, allowing the buyer to instantly compare their piece of work to the real bargain.

I did dock them though and it'south for the same reason that I docked the Hellboy package - twisty ties. I'm not a fan.

Sculpting - ****
Hot Toys keeps cranking out the exceptional sculpts. It's clear they take this calibration down, and some how they manage to get epitome level quality out of a production process.

The pare has the soft texturing we've come to expect, just this time it'due south a tad more amphibian than homo. The gills and lips have the extremely fine sculpt piece of work that adds and then much verisimilitude (hey, I'm running out of means of describing realistic, and then expect to see some new words with Hot Toys reviews), and the large optics are distinguished enough from the confront equally to appear as dissever entities.

The neck is covered in a soft prophylactic skin, just similar the arms. Hellboy got the skin treatment too, but I think it works a chip better here with Abe. You nevertheless take to take the aforementioned precautions, and not over bend or over utilize the joints, merely the elbows accept more a much greater range of movement than HB, probably due to the slightly thinner safety.

All four hand sculpts look peachy, and the gripping correct hand works fine with the gun. He comes wearing ii slightly relaxed posed easily, and the fourth is in his trademark splayed hand pose. The little 'suckers' on the palm look smashing, every bit does the finger webbing.

Abe is right about 12" tall, and stands simply slightly taller than Big Cerise. When I reviewed that figure, I wasn't sure if that was appropriate or non, merely mentioned that knowing Hot Toys like nosotros do, I figured information technology was. Several readers were kind enough to send in some useful stills from the motion picture, and sure enough, he should be slightly taller.

Paint - ****
Every great sculpt deserves a great paint job, and we got one hither. The eyes are the well-nigh impressive, with their extremely circuitous design. On shut inspection they only look better, something that's pretty rare.

With the 'lightening commodities' patterns, scaling on the sides of the caput, fleshy gills, and random dots, Abe has quite a scrap of variety and detail in his paint job. Fifty-fifty the safety pare looks similar information technology would exist right at domicile wrapped effectually the meat of an exotic fish.

How Hot Toys manages to get this kind of high quality pigment application out of a product facility is a secret every collector hopes other high end manufacturer will to learn. Of grade, if your Hot Toys, you're hoping they won't.

Articulation - ***
While Abe has the usual exceptional Hot Toys trunk, the safe adjust does tend to restrict the joint. It works a bit better than Hellboy's at joints like the neck and elbows, but the tight wet suit tends to restrict other joints similar the hips, shoulders and knees. You'll be able to become some skillful, natural poses out of him, but it'southward non going to exist anything extreme.

Accessories - ****
What you count as 'accessories' and what y'all count as 'outfit' is likely to alter how you score these two areas. I'm counting his gun, display stand, extra hands, goggles and breathing equipment. That leaves the wet suit, belt and boots every bit his outfit.

I already mentioned the actress set of hands, with one hand designed to grip the gun, and the other with the fingers spread out wide. Swapping the hands was quite like shooting fish in a barrel, and I never felt similar the wrist pegs were in danger.

The brandish stand is the usual. Yea, I don't use them, only if y'all practice, it fits in with the rest. It's also the new style that hangs under his crotch, rather than around his waist.

Then gun is an excellent sculpt, scaled perfectly, and has a spring loaded action! The top slide tin can move astern and springs forrad, calculation to the realism. Of course, the clip is also removable.

Because I added in the goggles and breathing equipment here, the score goes way up. Both of these are but amazing.

There's an additional rubber neck that goes with the breather. You popular off the caput, slide this rubber piece on over the gill cervix, and pop the head back on. The fit is not bad, and doesn't restrict the neck due to the soft nature of the rubber.

EDIT: as pointed out by a reader, it's also possible to remove the rubber cervix cover with the gills before y'all put on the black rubber suit section. It's not necessary for normal display, but if you lot are going to have him wearing the collar for a long menses, I'd remove the safety gil cervix. When ii pieces of softer prophylactic are in contact for any extended period, they can interact and it's never a good thing. Terminate EDIT.

Actually, before yous pop that head back on, you should slide the breathing equipment down over the rubber neck cover. To complete the associates, there are ii metal connectors in dorsum that tin be inserted into the costume at the advisable spots. This was a tad tricky, and I found that they tended to popular out besides easily. Fortunately, the metal kept them from being too fragile.

That doesn't hateful this piece isn't fragile, though. I broke off the lilliputian argent handles on the front as I was trying to take the thing out of the tray! Fortunately, they had simply come loose from the holes they had been glued into, and then gluing them back in was pretty easy, simply be very careful nonetheless.

The detailing on this thing is really amazing. It looks simply like the pic version, with all the small details necessary to achieve that kind of movie match.

The goggles attach to the face via a magnet. Information technology's a potent magnet too, and then you won't have to worry about them falling off with normal handling at any bending. The fit is perfect, and the engineering science couldn't take been better.

Outfit - ***
The outfit is the one area where I had some issues. The good news is that they may finish up being problems that you avert.

The boots are about as good equally you become, however. They look terrific, with a bang-up sculpt and paint. If I discover a fix of these parted out, I may pick them upwardly to try to notice a style to utilise them with Sideshow'due south Sara Connor.

The belt is extremely well synthetic, with a overnice holster and lots of leather pouches. The holster has a flap that attaches on the inside, rather than the outside. I couldn't find a way to get the gun into the holster without opening the flap, and once you exercise it'southward almost impossible to reattach it.

I also had a ton of trouble getting a couple of the pouches to stay airtight. This was the same situation I had with Hellboy, and the pouches accept the same small mail snaps. Withal, on HB the problem pouch was in back - this fourth dimension information technology was correct upward in front. I'd just get information technology to close, and information technology would popular open over again. I was well-nigh tempted to glue it shut.

But these weren't my biggest problems, just the minor ones. My big issue was with the wet arrange itself.

When I opened the figure, I loved the wet conform. It's amazingly detailed, with small zippers on the sides and dorsum done right in scale, Abe's name plate on his breast, and a perfect overall fit. They used the stretchy blazon of textile that looks like rubber, but fits much better and is far, far thinner.

In one case I started working with it, my issue arose. Y'all can see in the photos that below the circular, blackness plastic piece on his breast, there's a lighter circle. I suspect I'm going to end up with something similar on the right side as well.

The reason for this is pretty simple. The plastic 'caps' were glued to the accommodate while it was very much at balance on his body. In fact, with the i on the left, in that location was even a fleck of soft wrinkling nether it. When I started to move the body and the adjust stretched, every bit you await information technology to, the black plastic cap pulled free from part of the suit and took the color with it. It's annoying plenty to me that I'yard tempted to send it back...but I retrieve that because of the placement and size of the caps, that it will exist a more than common issue than merely this 1 figure.

Fun Factor - **1/2
These aren't really toys, although they remain true to their roots. The collector will have fun posing and displaying, but the average child would destroy them in 5 minutes.

Value - **1/2
Yea, he's a hella expensive figure. Merely with the circuitous outfit and accessories, yous get the feeling that he'south one of those that's really worth the cost you're paying. You won't experience like Scrooge McDuck, but y'all won't feel like you just got stiffed either.

Things to Watch Out For -
Every bit I simply said, these are fragile. That'south the price you pay for farthermost realism in such a minor calibration.

However, the simply affair here likely to break is the breathing apparatus. Those little handles in front are extremely easy to snap off if you put any pressure on them, and so don't.

There's also the usual warnings most the elbow joints, which are covered by the rubbery peel. Don't overdo the angles or utilise.

Overall - ***1/ii
Abe ended up with the aforementioned score as Hellboy, which isn't what I initially expected. Yet, the issues I had with the pouches and outfit concluded upwards pulling him down slightly. I yet think he's a slightly better effigy than HB (and HB is pretty damn sweet!), only I had enough issues with the costume to keep him from perfection.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Joint - ***
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***
Value - **1/2
Fun Gene - **1/2
Overall - ***i/2

Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:

-

has him in stock for $148.49.

- or you tin can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other related reviews include:

- last week I covered Hot Toys get-go version of Big Cerise himself.

- if you're looking for another expensive collectible, check out the i:ane replica Samaritan.

- there's the 3 3/4" line of action figures from Mezco, the SDCC exclusive Hellboy that is too in that calibration, as well as their 18" HB Two figure, and the smaller scale Angel of Death.

- Mezco released series 1 of their movie figures, which are covered in 2 guest reviews, 1 here and 1 here.

- I ran two 'retro reviews of the old Hellboy moving-picture show line - ane for Hellboy, and 1 for Sammael.

- I have my own reviews of the comic based battle damaged Hellboy and 18" version, the stylized Farthermost Hellboy, the pic eight" line  (including the Nazi Kroenen in the second series), the 18" version, and even some Mez-itz.

- as well picture show based, Sideshow has done several 12" figures, including Abe Sapien, Nazi Kroenen, regular Kroenen, and regular Hellboy.

- for those into mini-busts, there'south likewise this version that came with the release of the DVD.

You should likewise hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this ane was published.

Discussion:
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.

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