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As I mentioned
in my introduction to Needless Things’ Whoniversary, the
Cybermen scare me. In my opinion they are the Doctor’s most
dangerous and terrifying adversaries, not just in appearance but in
motivation.
As far as their
sinister purpose, they are intent upon converting all life into
emotionless, hive-minded Cybermen. Whether that life wants it or not.
The evolution of
the Cybermen over the last 47 years is a strange one. As their
purpose and existence has grown more complex and evil, their
appearance has softened. From the absolutely terrifying (but
admittedly cheap-looking) original versions seen in The Tenth
Planet to the upgrades in Tomb of the Cybermen to my
personal favorite look in Earthshock, the Cybermen changed
quite a bit over the course of the 1963-1989 run of Doctor Who.
And then Russell T. Davies brought them back as the nightmare
creations of an industrialist from another dimension.
I was okay with
the story of these new Cybermen. I don’t find it as compelling as
the origin from The Tenth Planet (particularly when you take
the outstanding Big Finish dram Spare Parts into
consideration), but it seemed to lend itself to modern concerns a bit
more. The behavior of these new Cybermen was also a bit scarier. Gone
were the minor physical and behavioral differences apparent in
Classic Who. These were purely identical automatons – all operating
under the command of the Cyber Controller. The spoke, moved, and
attacked in perfect unison. The only thing I didn’t care for was
the new look. They had big, goofy extremities and looked kind of like
they came out of a 1950’s American kitchen. Their behavior was
menacing. Their looks – not so much.
Finally we have
this iteration of the Cybermen. Directly descended and evolved from
the original Mondas stock of Classic Who, these Cybermen – first
seen in Neil Gaiman’s “Nightmare in Silver” (which I reviewed
here) – gave up on looking menacing and just straight-up
jacked Iron Man’s style. They also stole the fighting style of the
Raston Warrior Robot that made them look like a bunch of little
bitches in “The Five Doctors”.
I didn’t like
“Nightmare in Silver”, but I’m okay with the new look of the
Cybermen and glad the franchise has seemingly ditched the Cybus
models. If they could just streamline this new version a bit more I
think that’s be great.
First
Glance: I likened these to Iron Man, which certainly applies,
but these could also be New 52 Cybermen; what with all of the
extraneous seams and lines and whatnot. Still, it’s a pretty cool
look and works extremely well as an action figure.
Articulation:
Character Options have mostly preserved the articulation of the
larger line.
Head – swivel
Shoulders –
ball joint
Elbows –
swivel/pivot
Hips – ball
joint
Knees – pivot
The shoulders
are slightly restricted by the thick armor plating, but in all
honesty a Cyberman doesn’t need to move that much.
The elbows are
great and I was surprised by the swivel at the top of the pivot.
That’s a bit of above and beyond right there.
The hips are
restricted similarly to the shoulders, but it’s fine. I’ve never
seen a Cyberman squat or do the splits.
Sculpt:
This is an amazing representation of the Cybermen from the screen.
The sculpted detail is fantastic.
All of the armor
plating is clean and angular. The facial detail is distinct and the
form of whatever that handle is on the head is perfect. From the
spine to the detail in the joints to the lines on the sides of the
legs that are reminiscent of the original Cybermen, the profile of
this figure is awesome.
The hands are
sculpted in a neutral pose that I can’t say that I’ve seen very
often. They aren’t open fists or flat palms. They look natural. I
like them a lot. And the detail on those hands is just ridiculous.
All of the joints and plating is sculpted into the design.
Everything is
molded out of a solid plastic that works well with the joints and
maintains shapes.
Coloring:
Not much to speak of here. This guy is pretty much all silver.
Though I will say that I like the silver they used quite a lot.
Rather than just a flat color, they used a very metallic, flecked
gloss. It looks great.
Unfortunately,
the only real issue with the figure is here. The only spots with
paint applied are the eyes and the mouth, and there is some slop on
the left corner of mine’s mouth. It looks like it’s drooling oil
or something, which makes it appear to be an imbecile Cyberman.
I have to admit,
though – I kind of like it. Similar to the bad paint on the eyes of
my Thun-DERP-unch He-Man, I feel like my Cyberman has a little
more character. If I were going to buy several more (which I normally
would) this would be fine.
Accessories:
Like almost all of the figures in this line, the Cyberman comes with
a stand. It’s in the shape of the “DW” logo and is a little
chunk of “whatever”. The figure doesn’t need it to stand up,
which is good.
I’m not one to
call for extraneous accessories just for the sake of having a
pack-in, but I don’t think it would have been unreasonable to throw
a gun arm (which is part of a variant figure) or make a little
floating cloud of Cybermites.
Packaging:
A simple blister card. The packaging is exactly the same across this
line except for the insert in the bubble. It’s eye-catching and
easy to open.
Value:
I think these worked out to about twelve bucks apiece, which is
absurd. This is a seven dollar toy at best.
Overall:
This is a must-have unless you’re just opposed to collecting this
scale. We’ll never see this Cyberman in the 5” scale and this
sculpt is the best way to fully appreciate the new design. If it
weren’t for the one spot of actual paint being flawed it would be
perfect. And your figure might not have that problem.
4
out of 5
I really don’t
know if these will show up at brick and mortar retail or not. You can
buy them from pretty much all of the online toy stores, though.
-Phantom
The
next two weeks here on Needless Things will be dedicated to Doctor
Who. I have Guest Posts, Toy Reviews, and more on the way. The site
will be jam-packed – relatively – with content. Please share
these links wherever you can and spread the word. And if you’re so
inclined, throw a few dollars at the Needless Things family. I have
to send you to the podcast homepage because Blogger doesn't want this
sort of thing. Just check out the widget on the bottom right
here.This
is all out of pocket for me, so anything I receive during this time
will got to site costs, hosting, and possibly new merchandise if I
get really ambitious.
Also,
you can buy the Limited Edition NeedlessThingsSite.com Luchador vs.
Owlbear t-shirts here.
I can’t say they’re selling fast, but once this style is gone,
they’re gone forever.
And I do intend on being famous one day, so wouldn’t it be cool to
have the first shirt I ever designed?
Remember
to check in every weekday between now and the 23rd for
new, original content.
Finally,
be sure and come out to the HUGE 50th Anniversary Party
that TimeGate, Earth Station Who, the folks behind The Forgotten
Doctor, and (others) are throwing at the Holiday Inn Select; the
same location where TimeGate is held each and every year. There will
be panels, games, Whovian carousing, and a LIVE recording of Earth
Station Who immediately after “The Day of the Doctor” airs. You
will literally never have another opportunity to attend a party like
this!
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