Monday, March 7, 2016

Hot Toys "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" 1/6th scale Kylo Ren Collectible Figure Review 1

This action figure review is from my first haul of 2016, posted on my toy blog earlier HERE

A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber. As a leader of the First Order and a student of Supreme Leader Snoke, he seeks to destroy the New Republic, the Resistance and the legacy of the Jedi. He built his own lightsaber, a dangerous and ragged design, using an unstable kyber crystal, making the blade distorted and crackle unlike that of a typical lightsaber, and started wearing a metal helmet based on designs used by the Knights of Ren. According to J. J. Abrams, "Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force." Kylo Ren is the archetype of a new generation of dark side users that have emerged to fill the void left by the Sith's demise.


When the first trailer for the latest Star wars film was revealed, the crossguard lightsaber belonging to Kylo Ren was one of the highlights and talking points. Not much else was shown of the character but we all knew right away who the bad guy was. There's always one main villain to look out for in any Star Wars film. It started with Darth Vader in the original Star Wars and then there was Darth Maul with his double-bladed lightsaber in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. So we were all pretty excited with this new bad boy in Episode VII. All we had was a glimpse of a new kind of lightsaber belonging to a new villain because red was the color reserved for lightsabers of the Sith and their apprentice in Star Wars.

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


The standard black color box packaging is applied for all Star Wars products and Hot Toys has included an additional inner flap with a picture of Kylo Ren inside the box before the tray that reveals the box contents.


Hot Toys MMS320 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 1/6th scale Kylo Ren Collectible Figure comes with: Authentic and detailed likeness of Kylo Ren as seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens with finely crafted Kylo Ren’s helmet with weathering effects; An approximately 33 cm tall body with over 30 points of articulations; Seven pieces of interchangeable gloved palms including: a pair of fists, a pair of relaxed palms, a pair of palms for holding lightsaber, and a gesturing left palm.


There is also the Instruction Sheet which tells you how to put the hood on Kylo Ren and how to activate the LED-light up lightsaber right arm. The light up arm is an innovative concept by Hot Toys to enable 12-inch action figures to have 1:6 scale light up lightsabers, something that was not possible until recently. This was covered in my earlier action figure review of Hot Toys MMS297 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 1/6th scale Luke Skywalker collectible figure posted on my toy blog HERE, HERE and HERE.


There are also instructions on how to switch the light up lightsaber arm with the regular arm and caution about non-detachable parts of Kylo Ren's costume which are not meant to be removed.


Hot Toys MMS320 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Collectible Figure 1/6th scale accessories laid out: First Order emblem hexagonal figure stand with Kylo Ren nameplate and Star Wars logo, five extra interchangeable gloved hands, Kylo Ren's lightsaber and LED-light up lightsaber right arm (batteries included).


A closer look at Kylo Ren’s lightsaber hilt with weathering effects plus removable plasma blades which can be inserted into the LED-light up lightsaber right arm for greater effect. His lightsaber, based on an ancient design dating back to the Great Scourge of Malachor, relied upon a cracked kyber crystal that could barely contain the power of the weapon, necessitating the lateral plasma vents that produced its signature crossguard quillons. The fractured crystal was also responsible for the unstable, serrated appearance of the weapon's red plasma blades. The crossguard exhaust ports were also useful in combat when fighting up close, as seen in the film.


Kylo Ren's outfit consists of quite a few layers: a black basket weave pattern top coat, a black mid coat with accordion sleeves, black short under-tunic, black long under-tunic, pair of black pants, black belt and black boots. You wouldn't be able to tell because of the top coat which covers everything underneath but I'm glad Hot Toys stayed faithful and reproduce all the layers even though most of it would be covered up. You can tell from the picture below that Kylo Ren's pants are made from a material similar to those used for raincoats, shiny and waterproof.


Here's Hot Toys MMS320 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 1/6th scale Kylo Ren Collectible Figure in a walking pose to show off what's under the black basket weave pattern top coat. Check out the turnaround views.


Scroll down to see the close-up pictures of Hot Toys MMS320 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 1/6th scale Kylo Ren Collectible Figure


Kylo Ren wore a black hood and cloak, a dark mask, and wielded a dangerous and unstable lightsaber he had personally constructed. Ren wore a mask and helmet that altered his voice much like Darth Vader, his idol. However, unlike Vader, who needed a mask to keep him alive and hide a severely burned physique, Ren did not physically require the use of a mask.


J. J. Abrams approved the design of Kylo Ren's mask after numerous attempts. The Force Awakens costume designer Michael Kaplan said, "I don't know if it was the kind of spaghetti type lines on it or what, but the next time J.J. came by that was what we presented to him and he loved it. Also the silver in those lines kind of reflects and changes color with the action. You know, if he's standing in front of fire you see that, so it almost brings you into the mask."


Patterned after the battle gear of the Knights of the Ren,  the mask conceals Kylo Ren's identity and adds to his imposing demeanour. The silver inlay radiates from the eyes as a symbol of power and the integrated vocabulator projects Ren's voice. The mask is battle-damaged, as is his hood and cloak, singed from multiple battles.


NEXT: Hot Toys MMS320 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 1:6th scale Kylo Ren Collectible Figure with his LED lighted crossguard lightsaber

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