continued from previous post...
Before Peter Weller was cast, Rutger Hauer and Arnold Schwarzenegger were favored to play RoboCop by Verhoeven and the producers, respectively. However, each man's large frame would have made it difficult for either of them to move in the cumbersome RoboCop suit, which had been modeled on hockey gear and designed to be large and bulky. Weller won the role both because Verhoeven felt that he could adequately convey pathos with his lower face, and because Weller was especially lithe and could more easily move inside the suit than a bigger actor.
Even for the RoboCop reboot which was released in 2014, Joel Kinnaman who plays Detective Alex James Murphy / RoboCop was a very skinny fellow, just like Peter Weller was because physically they still had to put the RoboCop suit over his body for the close-up shots. CGI can only do so much and for the original 1987 RoboCop film, there wasn't any CGI at all as stop-motion animation was used where special effects were needed.
This is the Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Alex Murphy Collectible Figure which is part of the two-figure set which includes the battle damaged RoboCop covered earlier in my review posts on my toy blog HERE and HERE. This 1:6 scale figure has the authentic and detailed likeness of Peter Weller as Alex Murphy in his OCP police uniform as seen in the 1987 RoboCop film, with newly sculpted movie-accurate head sculpt that has facial expression with detailed wrinkles and skin texture as well as removable hair sculpture for wearing the police helmet, plus another piece of hair sculpture for placing at back of head sculpt when helmet is worn. It's all very cleverly done by Hot Toys and certainly deserves praise for their inventiveness and innovation.
You can order this from Sideshow Collectibles
Scroll down to see the rest of the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better views.
Box packaging is the standard shoe-box style with lid that opens to reveal the two figures inside the tray along with their accessories. The materials used for the box is rather thin and the box is not as sturdy as some of Hot Toys other packaging boxes.
Instructions are found on two separate Instruction Sheets, one for Battle Damaged RoboCop and another for Alex Murphy. I've already covered Battle Damaged RoboCop in the earlier review posts so now it's Alex Murphy's turn. The instructions are mainly for wearing the helmet which involves first removing the hair sculpture from Alex Murphy's head and then inserting the smaller hair piece to the back of the head. The OCP Detroit Police helmet is attached to the head in three parts and not slipped onto the head like conventional helmets. This helps prevent the paintwork being rubbed off and because of the way the helmet can be split up and assembled, delicate parts of the helmet (usually the straps) will not be stretched or damaged. It's all very cleverly engineered and I applaud Hot Toys for this innovative solution.
Other instructions include attaching the mic to the helmet for the complete look, wearing of the watch and equipping the belt and holster. There are still cautions to prevent paint being rubbed off and the helmet mic being damaged.
Here's Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Alex Murphy Collectible Figure sans his bullet proof vest and belt with holster. I wanted to see what he wore underneath. The OCP Detroit Police uniform is actually a navy blue overall / coverall with zipper down the middle. He has a grey round neck T-shirt under the overall. Murphy's name tag is sewn onto the overall although this would be covered up once the bullet-proof vest is put back on.
Hot Toys has used their True Type 30 cm tall Slim Body for Alex Murphy because that's one of the reasons Peter Weller was selected / cast for this role. Peter Weller's thin frame allowed the costume designers to assemble the RoboCop suit over his body.
Here's 12-inch Alex Murphy figure with all his 1:6 scale accessories laid out.
There's the 1:6 scale bullet-proof vest, black helmet with visor, pair of handcuffs, flashlight, watch, black belt with pouches and holster, and two pistols with removable magazines and working slides - a Heckler & Koch P9S and SIG-Sauer P226.
Also included: Figure stand with Alex Murphy nameplate and the movie logo, additional hands: pair of fists, pair of palms for holding pistol, right palm for twirling gun, left palm for holding flashlight plus the extra hair piece for wearing helmet as mentioned earlier.
Here's the assembled Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Alex Murphy Collectible Figure from 1987 RoboCop minus his helmet. That will be covered in the NEXT post.
Although RoboCop is set in a dystopian near-future where the city of Detroit has given mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) control of its struggling police force, the weapon used still looks rather "primitive" in that there's no tactical light attached to the pistol nor is there a laser sight. Police officers have to use the torchlight together with their gun when they enter a dark premise which was then the current practice carried over into the film.
Detroit Police Department Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) carries the SIG-Sauer P226 in 9x19mm as his sidearm before he becomes RoboCop. RoboCop is one of the earliest films to feature the P226, and likely the first film to ever feature the gun prominently in actual firing sequences.
Check out the close-up pictures taken of the Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Peter Weller as Alex Murphy head sculpt. Scroll down to see the turnaround views.
Here's a look at the black boots Alex Murphy comes with.
Closer view of the SIG-Sauer P226, watch and flashlight, all reproduced in 1:6 scale with nice details by Hot Toys.
Here's Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Alex Murphy Collectible Figure with the right hand twirling his gun. Twirling or Gunspinning refers to the old west tradition and Hollywood legend of a cowboy gunslinger twirling his pistol around his trigger finger. Gunspinning is a western art such as trick roping, and is sometimes referred as gunplay, gun artistry, and gun twirling. Gunspinning is seen in many classic TV and film Westerns,such as Shane and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The majority of gunspinning is seen as a precursor to putting the gun back in its holster. It may be used as a fancy ending to a trick shot, or just to impress or intimidate an opponent.
In the 1987 RoboCop film, police officer Alex Murphy is first seen spinning his pistol before holstering it by his partner Officer Anne Lewis. Murphy is inspired by his son's love of the popular television hero T.J. Laser who does the same action. Subsequently, when Lewis sees (RoboCop) spinning his "Auto 9" (a modified Beretta 93R) before holstering it inside his mechanical leg, she realizes that Murphy and RoboCop are one and the same.
Here are some close-up pictures taken of the 1:6 scale futuristic police helmet with visor. The helmet is very nicely detailed but the best part is that it can be dismantled into three separate parts and re-assembled again easily.
You can order this from Sideshow Collectibles
NEXT: Review and pictures of Hot Toys MMS266 1/6th scale Alex Murphy Collectible Figure with helmet and wielding his guns / pistols.
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