Dr. Zaius PF review

Just when you thought the Planet of the Apes license was dead, Sideshow releases their Premium Format Dr. Zaius! I don't know about you, but I sure was looking forward to this guy. Unfortunately, it's not their best work, especially at this price point.

You can find the review at the usual:

https://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading, and have a terrific weekend!

Michael
MWC

Another great review, Michael... it practically mirrors my own review posted here:

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43967&page=6

Yeah, you are right about the back flap on Zaius's shirt being wrong. It's funny though, for the 12" version of the very same "Forbidden Zone" Zaius, Sideshow got the back right but the front wrong. And I think BOTH shirts need a bit more orange tinting to be more screen accurate.

And I agree that Planet of the Apes, as a classic piece of sci-fi cinema, deserves better representation in the world of collecting. Hopefully, Hot Toys has plans beyond their initial three 12" gorillas.

But, in the end, I can't help but feeling lucky that Sideshow took the time to make even this PF. It's nice to have a Zaius this BIG even with all of his problems. The biggest problem, the paint application, is an easy yet expensive fix. As a early Christmas gift to myself, I might just be sending this big guy to one of own fine custom artists on this board.

Thanks for confirming on the jacket. It just didn't look right to me.

And yea, with all it's problems, I'm glad I have it. As I said in the review, I've been trying to broaden my PF's for the home theater and bar I'm building in my basement, to cover a greater range of movies, and having something from one of my all time favorite sci-fi movies really adds to it.

Bummer about that awkward pose... did it change from the proto? Seemed fine when the first showed it, but the final product looks a bit disappointing.

Final piece does look disappointing and I'm also disappointed with the new packaging. I just received my Blackbeard EX today and it's packaged in the same simple one layer shipper box.

galactiboy said:

Bummer about that awkward pose... did it change from the proto? Seemed fine when the first showed it, but the final product looks a bit disappointing.

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Strangely enough... the more I look at it, the less it looks awkward.

Michael Crawford said:

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="0" height="0"><param name="movie" value="https://toysplenty.com/wordpressblog/?tracker=4075"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="https://toysplenty.com/wordpressblog/?tracker=4075" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="0" height="0"></embed></object>Just when you thought the Planet of the Apes license was dead, Sideshow releases their Premium Format Dr. Zaius! I don't know about you, but I sure was looking forward to this guy. Unfortunately, it's not their best work, especially at this price point.

You can find the review at the usual:

https://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading, and have a terrific weekend!

Michael
MWC

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I agree that it kind of looks awkward and thanks for the review anyway.

It's not so much the body, but the neck and head. And it really isdesigned entirely around having the exclusive doll - without it, the pose doesn't make much sense.

So basicly it's another senseless exclusive, ala, the Caesar paper poster?

No, exactly the opposite - the exclusive accessory is necessary to make the pose, base and expression make sense!

Wow..Not that in matters that much, but I think its the cheapest and Ugliest box I have ever seen on a Sideshow PF....

Michael Crawford said:

No, exactly the opposite - the exclusive accessory is necessary to make the pose, base and expression make sense!

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Right. So it's senseless. If the PF was sold in the same pose, on the same base and with the same expression to both regular edition buyers and exclusive edition buyers and that accessory is necessary to make it work, then to me it is a senseless move, a spit in the face if you will, to anyone who was only able to afford/get the regular edition. Between that and the Dr's jacket not being done right, its almost as if Sideshow wants it to fail so they can say "see we brought it back and it still didn't do well" .
For all the items they released in the 1:6 line, released together and too many of one character, they never showed the love for the line that they professed to have had.

But I-man, you said the the doll is "another senseless exclusive "akin to the Caesar poster. But the doll is not senseless in and of itself, like the poster. What Michael is saying is that the doll is crucial in the presentation of the PF. I agree. The poster was not crucial in ANY WAY to Caesar. In fact, as we talked about it before, I still believe that the exclusive version of Caesar should have been the Battle version of Caesar. BUt that is just me.

So in my mind, the doll should have never been an exclusive but part of BOTH the exclusive and regular ediitions. It is the removal of the doll for the regular edition that is senseless.

Shai Hulud said:

Wow..Not that in matters that much, but I think its the cheapest and Ugliest box I have ever seen on a Sideshow PF....

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The ugly Zaius box appears to be part of a recent trend of Sideshow's when it comes to low run PF editions... not the exception.

Michael, here's pictures of the outfit

Eny- said:

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Seeing your review and photos, I can say that I'm really disappointed with this one. Specially the lack of screen accuracy on the doll

Ironman1188 said:

Right. So it's senseless. If the PF was sold in the same pose, on the same base and with the same expression to both regular edition buyers and exclusive edition buyers and that accessory is necessary to make it work, then to me it is a senseless move, a spit in the face if you will, to anyone who was only able to afford/get the regular edition. Between that and the Dr's jacket not being done right, its almost as if Sideshow wants it to fail so they can say "see we brought it back and it still didn't do well" .
For all the items they released in the 1:6 line, released together and too many of one character, they never showed the love for the line that they professed to have had.

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I'm sorry, but I don't think you understand the concept of 'senseless'.

Protozaius said:

But I-man, you said the the doll is "another senseless exclusive "akin to the Caesar poster. But the doll is not senseless in and of itself, like the poster. What Michael is saying is that the doll is crucial in the presentation of the PF. I agree. The poster was not crucial in ANY WAY to Caesar. In fact, as we talked about it before, I still believe that the exclusive version of Caesar should have been the Battle version of Caesar. BUt that is just me.

So in my mind, the doll should have never been an exclusive but part of BOTH the exclusive and regular ediitions. It is the removal of the doll for the regular edition that is senseless.

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My apologies for the miswording. Another late night with little sleep. The bolded section is exactly what I meant.
I'll refrain from replying to Michael Crawford, because 1) I am now more awake, and 2) I don't want to start a war in an ape thread. Even if it is only a PF.

Prozaius and Michael; Thanks to both of you of for the reveiw.

I was going to post pics last night, but when I opened the utterly shocking and disappointing packaging, I noticed the hand was broken, the one that switches out.

So I will have to phone SS on Monday for a replacement.

In the meantime, when I received the package, I thought to myself : wow, they really improved the shipper. Then I opened it and realized that the shipper was the collectors box. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this, but I am starting to get the jist that I was not the only one here who felt this way.

And I hear the Blackbeard is the same way. I may cancel this tomorrow if this is the case.

As for MO of the figure itself, I cannot offer any because I did not even bother setting it up.

Batman29 said:

And I hear the Blackbeard is the same way. I may cancel this tomorrow if this is the case.

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you would cancel your Blackbeard PF because of the box? ...

samueljd said:

Final piece does look disappointing and I'm also disappointed with the new packaging. I just received my Blackbeard EX today and it's packaged in the same simple one layer shipper box.

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Do you think this is a new trend with SS? I hate opening up that kind of styrofoam because a) it gets all those pieces all over the place, and b) it makes one trip and you have to tape the case up where it begins to break.

Michael Crawford said:

No, exactly the opposite - the exclusive accessory is necessary to make the pose, base and expression make sense!

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Yes, I agree.

Shai Hulud said:

Wow..Not that in matters that much, but I think its the cheapest and Ugliest box I have ever seen on a Sideshow PF....

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Yup.