Friday, May 15, 2015

Review 1: Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" 1/6th Wolverine 12-inch Figure

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is a 2014 superhero film based on the fictional X-Men characters that appear in Marvel Comics. The story, inspired by the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline "Days of Future Past" produced by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, focuses on two time periods and Wolverine going to 1973 to save the future of mankind.

Convinced that mutants pose a threat to humanity, Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) develops the Sentinels, enormous robotic weapons that can detect a mutant gene and zero in on that person. In the 21st century, the Sentinels have evolved into highly efficient killing machines. With mutants now facing extinction, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) volunteers to go back in time and rally the X-Men of the past to help change a pivotal moment in history and thereby save their future.


Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" 1/6th scale Wolverine 12-inch Collectible Figure is an authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in "X-Men: Days of Future Past". It is Wolverine of the future so he has some grey / white hair and he wears a specially-tailored future Wolverine battle suit with armor parts, including knee armor and black armored boots. Of all the X-Men in the comics and movies / films, Wolverine is the only mutant who has been replicated most in 1:6 scale, mostly by Hot Toys. There were other X-Men in all the movies as well as super villains but we haven't seen any of them materialize. Professor X / Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) from 2011's "X-Men: First Class" almost made it but he got canned - Check out a picture of the 12-inch figure on display at STGCC2012 HERE

I guess Wolverine is the only figure that brings in the dough for Hot Toys as far as the X-Men is concerned. Money talks in the real world and the other X-Men just don't have the pulling power to warrant a space on the display shelf which is quite sad since many collectors would like to see the whole team assembled. Guess the only team that made it to completion is the Avengers. Every other team has fallen by the wayside after one or two members were released. It is looking like Guardians of the Galaxy will be missing Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) because nothing has been heard or seen of him and Hot Toys has been keeping real quiet about the whole issue. Well, as they say in show business, we have to get on with the show.

Scroll down to see all the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better views.


Hot Toys "X-Men: Days of Future Past" Wolverine was part of my April 2015 haul (see my toy blog post HERE) and I really like the outfit he comes in. Box packaging is the standard Hot Toys shoe-box style for all their MMS (Movie Masterpiece Series) products these days.


Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" 1/6th scale Wolverine 12-inch Figure does not come with any accessories - zero, zip, zilch, nada... NOT a thing except for two pairs of extra hands - pair of fists with metal claws and a pair of relax palms, besides the pair of fists that come with this figure


There's the instruction sheet that tells you what you can and cannot do with this figure. It's mostly the usual stuff about lifting the head before turning it and how to switch out the different hands.


Here's Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" 1/6th scale Wolverine 12-inch Figure out of the box. I immediately switched out the hands to the ones with adamantium claws because to me, Wolverine isn't who he is unless he has his claws out. Wolverine first appeared in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk #180, with his first full appearance in #181 (cover-dated Nov. 1974). Wolverine is typical of the many tough antiheroes that emerged in American popular culture after the Vietnam War; his willingness to use deadly force and his brooding nature became standard characteristics for comic book antiheroes by the end of the 1980s.


In 1999, Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000). At 1.89m (6 ft 2.5 inches), Jackman stands 30 cm taller than Wolverine, who is said in the original comic book to be 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m). Hence, the filmmakers were frequently forced to shoot Jackman at unusual angles or only from the waist up to make him appear shorter than he actually is, and his co-stars wore platform soles. Hot Toys 1:6 scale Wolverine stands approximately 30 cm tall with a muscular body that has over 30 points of articulations.


In the comic books, Wolverine's claws extend from the backs of his gloves. But for the films, his claws extend out from between his knuckles. Wolverine's hands do not have openings for the claws to move through: they cut through his flesh every time he extrudes them, with occasional references implying that he feels a brief moment of slight pain in his hands when he unsheathes them. Jackman had to get used to wearing Wolverine's claws. "Every day in my living room, I'd just walk around with those claws, to get used to them. I've got scars on one leg, punctures straight through the cheek, on my forehead."


Wolverine has appeared in every single movie in the X-Men film series, being played by Hugh Jackman in all seven films. Jackman is set to reprise his role as Wolverine in a third Wolverine film in 2017. On May 7, 2015, he said it would be the last time he depicts the character on film: "It is my last time. It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let's be honest, 17 years. I never thought in a million years it would last, so I'm so grateful to the fans for the opportunity of playing it." Wolverine will be back... but for how long more, no one really knows.


Even though there are hardly any 1:6 scale accessories that come with this Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" Wolverine 12-inch Figure, I really like the costume / battle suit with armor parts, including knee armor and black armored boots. And Hot Toys has really done them well and I like how it all comes together.


Check out the close-up pictures taken of Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" Wolverine 1/6th scale head sculpt and body armor. There's no mistaking from looking at the head sculpt that it's Hugh Jackman and Hot Toys scores top marks in this area. They have captured his likeness with real-like hair sculpture, facial expression, detailed wrinkles, beard, gesture and skin textures. And the armor has so much intricate details. The base layer is a stretchable fabric which allows for much articulation without any restrictions. The armor is non-removable and Hot Toys advises against trying to detach it. Scroll down to get a closer look at all the nice details.


The pair of black armored boots plus knee armor are just as cool. See all the nice details in the pictures below.


The right and left knee armor are different which is a nice touch, just like the Star Wars Stormtrooper leg armor which is not the same for each side and that makes it more unique. See my toy blog post HERE where I posted comparison pictures of different 1:6 scale Star Wars Stormtroopers produced and released by Hot Toys, Sideshow, Medicom and Marmit.


Here's a picture of the Figure display stand with Wolverine nameplate and the movie logo, the only accessory that came with this figure besides the two extra pairs of hands.


NEXT: Hot Toys MMS264 "X-Men: Days of Future Past" 1/6th scale Wolverine 12-inch Figure in some action poses.

Related posts:
November 20, 2008 – Hugh Jackman / Wolverine named 'People's Sexiest Man' for 2008 post HERE
November 22, 2008 – Wolverine by Medicom posted on my toy blog HERE
May 5, 2009 – Wolverine on top (pictures HERE)
January 15, 2010 – Hot Toys "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" 12-inch collectible figure Reviewed HERE, HERE and HERE
July 29, 2013 – Kitbash "X-Men: The Last Stand" 1/6 scale Wolverine Limited Edition 12-inch Action Figure HERE
August 5, 2013 – Comparison pictures of 1/6 scale Wolverines - Hot Toys, Medicom and Kitbashed X-Men Wolverine posted HERE
November 7, 2013 – Marvel Comics Wolverine 1/6 scale Uniform / Costume and Equipment set for Captain Action (pictures HERE)

7 comments:

Kaido said...

Very nice pictures, figure looks great Alex.

Speaking of incomplete Hot Toys line ups, what about the Watchmen? The rest of Sucker Punch? More GI Joe? Deunan in the new Appleseed movie? I mean, who would even buy Briareos without Deunan?

Yet, they can't seem to manufacture enough bloody Iron Man figures... Yes, I've been frustrated with Hot Toys over the years, I become like a grumpy old man.

alex teo said...

I guess we have to look past the bad and appreciate the good haha Hot Toys has brought 1:6 scale to a whole new level and we have had so many wonderful figures because of their innovation and dare-to-do spirit. I'm still grateful for the figures that were released and the ones that I do own :)

As the saying goes "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw"

So keep on playing and we won't be grumpy old men LOL

D7ana said...

I like the figure. Interesting that they aged him - that they didn't retain the younger Wolverine.

I like Hot Toys' faces ... my gripe with them would be the spindly ankles. Does this figure have molded boot feet or a is it a regular Hot Toys action figure body wearing special boots.

Thanks for the many and detailed photos and your response ;-)

Unknown said...

Wow!!!

alex teo said...

Hi D7ana I think the younger Wolverine would look very much like the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" figure so that's why HT went for future Wolverine instead.

This figure doesn't have any feet but "beet" which are just boots connected to the ankles, just like all of Hot Toys action figures.

Glad to share the pictures and grateful for the encouraging response and likes / comments.

Cheers!

Scudbolt said...

What I read was that Hot Toys would have to obtain likeness rights from each actor individually because Fox did not include likeness rights in the actors' contracts. Apparently, some of the X-men actors simply refuse to authorize their likeness, so it's unlikely we'll ever see the full team. In truth, I really don't expect to see any other X-men besides Wolverine. Once Jackman leaves the role, Fox may have trouble keeping the franchise marketable because Jackman's Wolverine is arguably the biggest draw for moviegoers. However, you can bet that even when Jackman leaves, Fox will hold onto the X-men film rights like grim death before letting them go back to Marvel.

alex teo said...

Thanks for sharing Scudbolt :) Probably explains why Drax will not get made because Dave Bautista didn't authorize his likeness. Which means Guardians will be one short :(