Didn't have much time playing with the figure, but here is a quick first impression on the 30 mins I have messing with it, it has some goods & bads.
- Awesome package with magnet cover, fake BAD vinyl and foam trays (but need to be delicate handling them, or you can tear some glue) that are very attractive and makes it very easy to take out the figure & accessories or putting them back. You don't feel like you have to make some effort to store or take out stuff. Probably my favorite HT package so far.
- Head sculpt is as good as most good pics we've seen. Michael looks great on likeness at certain angle but not always. While less Asian eye than the prototype make up suggested, the eyes' shapes are a bit off on likeness, and not enough eye line/ make up. A little paint touch up can help. The PERS though work great. You get good expressions on the eyes and they even painted in a little blood vains. Iris is reflective, and looks really nice when it catches light at an angle (almost like tin foil). The face paint is decent (not as breathe taking as T-800), and the brown on the lips made MJ look a bit dead, when compare to live photos.
- Outfit is my biggest gripe. Detail they may seem, but most of the buckles on jacket is non-functional. Zippers are fake ones, and there are a lot of messy threats I need to snip off. Jacket is way too form fitting (when the real one is baggy) which makes the shoulder and collar bunch up way too easy when posing. And the tight jacket is so tight, you'll have a hard time moving up MJ's shoulders/arms. Mine already have frayed stitching (made a small hole) on one shoulder trying to move MJ's arm. Knowing HT's stuff with a number of previous releases and military figures, they almost always have functional buckles and zippers. the T-800 even raised the bar on the leather jacket, which is jaw dropping. So kind of felt like they cut corners on MJ's jacket, with it being one size too small, messy sewing, and no functioning bits. I was so down on displaying the jacket look, but now, I think I'll eventually take it off.
- Sucky ankle joints. They are very poseable, which is great pulling off MJ moves. BUT, they are very loose. MJ will fall with a slightest touch and gets off balance, as the ankle joints have very little tolerance on the figure's weight. When many of the other smaller companies can make cheaper figures that stands very well with great poseability on the ankles, I don't see why HT being the 12" big daddy can't get this right, especially on a DX.
Overall, its still a good figure, from what I can see. While the jacket is a let down to me, it does have nice sculpted accessories throughout on the belts, shoes, gloves...etc. Hair attached with a strong magnet, poseability is very good (when the jacket is off). Its a nice figure with awesome packaging. But didn't get the jaw-dropping feeling from some of their earlier stuff, military stuff, or the T-800 that they recently released. Hope I find more good stuff on it as I spend more time fiddling it more.
My MJBad has been dispatched!! ..expect a full on review soon people ..also got one of those rotary bases coming to, so you will get a nice 360 look at him.
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