Rise
of the Planet of the Apes
combined the best elements of many different branches of sci-fi.
There was shady corporate conspiracy, genetic experimentation,
post-humanism (of a different sort than we normally see), and a
celebration of discovery of the new that I think is specific to
science fiction. The human performances were brilliant, but the star
of the movie was Caesar – an amazing blend of CGI and Andy Serkis’
motion capture performance. I still can’t quite believe that
technology has gotten us to the point where such a creation could be
the star of a live action movie.
It’s
been a long time since I’ve bought anything specifically for the
monkey shelf. It started as kind of a coincidental thing where I
realized I was buying monkey figures from lines I didn’t
necessarily collect and also happened to already own a ton of monkey
figures. Then I got to a point where I was actively sought out simian
action figures. I remember hunting down the Fisher-Price monkey
family and that monkey figure that’s in the space suit.
I
managed to resist the Japanese Caesars. There might have actually
only been one, but it seems like every successful (and some
unsuccessful) American sci-fi franchise gets three or four figures
from various Japanese toy companies – Hot Toys, Medicom, Bandai,
and who knows how many others. The specific one I was considering
looked cool but was around forty bucks. I generally try not to spend
forty bucks on 6” scale figures.
By the
time I finally saw Rise,
Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes was already underway
and shortly after that I found out that NECA had the license for both
the new movie and the classic movies. I had no doubt that there would
be plenty of Ape figures in my future.
After
Mrs. Troublemaker got me Maurice
from this line for Father’s Day I couldn’t very well go without
Caesar and Koba, could I?
FIRST
GLANCE
While
I love the Maurice figure, Caesar and Koba are definitely more
exciting to look at. The designs they have painted on them add a new
dimension to the figures. Also, the chimpanzees don’t have the long
hair that Maurice had, so there are more opportunities for meaningful
articulation.
Of
course, the painted designs also mean there are more opportunities
for NECA paint boo-boos. All of the Caesars and Kobas I have
inspected at retail have looked very different. This isn’t a huge
deal, as the designs are rough and primitive, but you’re going to
want to compare figures and find the one you like best.
PACKAGING
It’s
an ugly, hard-to-open clamshell with nice graphics and creator
credits:
LOOKS
This
is not the innocent, slightly mournful Caesar from Rise
of the Planet of the Apes.
This Caesar looks intense and slightly angry, with his teeth just
visible through his lips. The facial detail is tremendous. The lines
and wrinkles are well defined and the shape of Caesar’s face is
quite distinctive. This is definitely the star of the movie. I’d
almost like to have a version without the facepaint just to see what
the face would look like without the skull accents.
Caesar’s
torso is two pieces that are sculpted to incorporate the joints as
smoothly as possible. The upper torso uses the basic shape of the
chest and rib cage and the lower torso is narrower. I like how NECA
worked the abdominal joint into the natural contours. The fur has a
texture that is realistic and natural – it doesn’t all grow in
the same direction and it looks layered.
The
arms are thick and muscular with the same fur detail as the torso.
The paint detail on the forearms is done well, showing flesh where
the hair is thinner.
Caesar’s
hip joints are a little more visible than Maurice’s thanks to his
shorter hair.
You
guys – I am finding that there is not much to say about a well done
Chimpanzee action figure. And I have another one to review at some
point.
Caesar’s
hands and feet have the same paint and sculpt detail as his face.
From
a purely aesthetic point of view Caesar has a lot of subtle but
visible joints. His proportions are great and the overall shape of
the figure just feels right. It’s a chimpanzee shape with a human
posture, if that makes sense.
ACCESSORIES
Caesar
comes with an extra set of hands and a spear that comes in two
pieces.
The
hands are open fists meant for holding things. They pop off of the
pegs easily. They’re made of a softer plastic and hold the spear
well.
The
spear pieces don’t fit together completely. There’s a male and
female side with a raised notch to make sure you put them together
correctly, but the male won’t go all the way in. The spear still
looks good, though. I like the distinctive head and the detail of the
haft and wrappings. The wrappings are painted a different color,
which makes this crude implement look much nicer than the accessories
of certain other toy lines.
FUN
Caesar
has a solid number of joints, but they are all limited. This is not a
super-articulated action figure. It is a very nice looking figure
with a number of joints.
The
head is a simple ball joint with a good range that can actually pop
right off. The shoulders have a good range while the elbows seem
oddly limited. This is a result of the swivel being below the pivot
joint rather than above it. The simple peg joints on the hands work
surprisingly well.
The
hip joints look like they are going to be great, but are limited.
Because of the sculpted fur extending over them from the torso they
can’t go very far in any direction, though they do swivel just
fine.
The
knees are restricted similarly to the elbows and the feet work as
nicely as the hands.
The
figure can achieve a lot of very Caesar-y poses. It can’t sit and
it can’t do anything that requires deep pivots below the waist, but
it does look very good doing the things that it can do. Caesar can do
a little more than Maurice, but not as much more as I expected when
comparing their builds.
OVERALL
I
like this figure a lot. The paint looks great and the proportions and
overall shape are very nice. But I am left wanting a super
articulated version. I feel like a chimp should be more poseable than
this figure is.
But
once again I am reminded that NECA walks a fine line between form and
function and at the same time manages to maintain very reasonable
price points. This might not be the ultimate Caesar figure, but for
under twenty bucks it is a very, very
good one.
4
out of 5
Hey
kid – wanna buy a monkey?:
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