Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Review HPC Toys Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" 12-inch collectible figure aka Con-Air Cage

Con Air is an 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of The Rock. It stars Nicolas Cage as ex-U.S. Army Ranger Cameron Poe, about to go home to see his daughter Casey whom he has never met after eight years in prison. Poe is arranged to be flown back home to Alabama on a C-123 known as Jailbird where he will be released on landing. Things don't go as expected and mayhem ensues.

This is HPC Toys second project: Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero". I had posted reviews of HPC Toys Film Series 001 1/6 scale "A Cop Never Dies" 12-inch figure aka Die-Hard 5 Bruce Willis as John McClane HERE and HERE. Check HPC Toys out on FB and LIKE their page HERE to get updates. They deserve our support for wanting to make affordable collectible figures for us :) Needless to say, "Jail hero" must have been inspired by Nicolas Cage's character of Cameron Poe in Con Air.


HPC Toys Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" 12-inch collectible figure comes with the following: Newly sculpted 1/6 scale head, Narrow shoulder muscle PVC & ABS body (12-inch tall), Four Extra hands (6 hands in Total), A black pistol, A blue prison shirt, A pair of blue jeans, A white tank top, A pair of black leather shoes, A white bunny and A movie like background attached with the figure box.




The packaging is certainly interesting :) Unlike the first box packaging for John McClane (Bruce Willis) which was all black, this one has an illustration of Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) on the box cover. Over that, a slip case has been added with rectangular cuts made to give the added dimension of cell bars over the image, giving the impression of someone (Poe) locked behind bars in a jail cell.


Once again, HPC Toys (they describe themselves as "A bunch of freaks that love 1/6 scale collectibles, decided to start their own brand. Providing various movie star figures to the collectors!") has included a movie-like background with their box. This time instead of a fiery explosion which was most appropriate for "Die-Hard", it's a scene of the Las Vegas Strip (an approximately 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada). Why? Because in the climatic scene of "Con Air (1997)", the plane Poe is in (aptly named Jailbird) crash-lands on The Strip, destroying landmarks and ripping the plane apart, with the fuselage ending up at the lobby of the Sands Hotel.

Click on the pic for a bigger and better view :)

Inside the box packaging you'll find the figure nicely tucked inside the foam / black sponge tray which holds everything neatly together without the need to use twisty ties. Easy to remove and put back. Hassle-free packaging and I like it :)


Here's HPC Toys Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" 12-inch figure with open palm hands straight out of the box, wearing the white tank top, A pair of blue jeans with black belt and A pair of black leather shoes


Scroll down to see the turnaround views of HPC Toys Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" 12-inch collectible figure (Nicolas Cage as ex-U.S. Army Ranger Cameron Poe in "Con Air")


The pair of black leather shoes are more like boots as they go up to his calves. The boots are made of black suede leather-like material. Very well made :) Quality finish with studs at the bottom / soles. They are similar to the ones worn by HPC Toys Film Series 001 1/6 scale "A Cop Never Dies" 12-inch figure (see the close-up and detailed pictures of the shoes HERE)


Nicolas Cage certainly let his hair grow for this film. Not sure why. I always thought they had to keep their hair short when in jail.


Check out the close-up pictures which show off the HPC Toys 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" head sculpt. It looks pretty darn good IMHO There's no mistaking that it's Nicolas Cage all the way.


The same 12-inch figure body that HPC Toys has produced for their first figure is also used here. It is a Narrow shoulder muscle PVC and ABS body and it is GOOD. Joints are nice and tight which allows you to pose the figure and let the figure hold the poses without toppling over. But this time around, HPC Toys have painted the "chest hair" which can be seen on the first version body although it was not painted. See the pictures of the topless body HERE


1/6 scale hair has always been an issue because at this scale, it's almost impossible to make the head look realistic due to the sculpted hair. But this is definitely much preferred rather than rooted hair seen in most doll figures and on female heads. I would be devastated if rooted hair was used here LOL


Besides the basic figure, there are also the 1/6 scale accessories: A blue prison shirt with numbers 00102875 printed on it, A white bunny, Four Extra hands (pistol gripping right hand, relaxed palm and a pair of fists) and a black pistol.


Sid has commented that the 1/6 scale handgun appears to be a Browning Hi Power 9mm pistol which is identical to the one that came with HPC Toys Film Series 001 1/6 scale "A Cop Never Dies" 12-inch figure except for the different paint scheme. This is now the SECOND 1/6 scale gun I've seen that has a slide release lever which is the safety which blocks the trigger when the hammer is back. Full close-up detailed pictures HERE (showing how the slide release lever works in sequence)


Why the white bunny? In the film "Con Air", Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) struggles to connect with his daughter Casey in an early letter-writing montage. He then packs a stuffed bunny along for his trip home, perishing the thought that he would return without a present for Casey’s birthday. His dedication to this minor symbol of fatherhood is so strong that he ends up killing a man in part for trying to take it. Similarly, in one of the film’s stranger scenes, villain Cyrus “the Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich) threatens Poe by holding a gun to the (inanimate) bunny’s head.


So yeah, Bunny here plays a big part in the film ;p




For purchasing the figure the best way is to buy it from HPC Toys directly on FB (link HERE).

NEXT: More pictures of HPC Toys Film Series 002 1/6 scale "Jail Hero" 12-inch collectible figure aka Con-Air Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage)

Other Nicolas Cage figures released:
August 17, 2008 – Dragon Models Limited (DML) WWII "Windtalkers (2002)" USMC SGT Joe Enders posted HERE
August 19, 2008 – Dragon Models Limited (DML) WWII US Army 82nd Airborne Pathfinder "Tom" pictures
August 22, 2008 – Dragon Models Limited (DML) WWII (Wesel 1945) US Army 17th Airborne Bar Gunner "Jeb" pictures
December 7, 2009 – Soldier Story WWII USMC Flamethrower PREVIEW pictures
September 26, 2010 – Heroic "Face Off" (Preview pictures)

Related post: 1/6 scale Jailhouse Joker (Heath Ledger) 12-inch figure as seen in "The Dark Knight" posted in my toy blog HERE

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