With a new film on the horizon, NECA have just released the latest Endoskeleton in their Terminator line. Fans won’t be too surprised with what this figure can do, as it’s seemingly just a repaint of the video game-based figure, but as far as repaints go — this guy is a welcome release.
It also happens to be my very first Endoskeleton. As a huge Arnold fan, I loved the original film (and parts of T2), but sadly, the Terminator franchise never stuck with me. After seeing the new trailer, I’m not exactly clearing shelf space for new toys, but the Endoskeleton is a classic movie monster now, and I don’t think my collection would be complete without one.
Packaging
This is a simple, relatively generic-looking, window box. It looks nice and keeps the figure safe, but other than that, it’s pretty forgettable.
Sculpt
I’m sure bigger Terminator fans out there can identify all the mistakes made in terms of sculpt, but this looks just like the T-800 Endoskeleton that I know and loved. Tubes, hoses, working pistons, espresso machine — NECA did a great job jamming tons of details into the figure. This guy stands 7 inches tall and has the thickness and look of a killer, although I would have liked it if he had just a little more heft. As is, this Endo is a very light and somewhat fragile-feeling figure once you have him in hand. My favorite part of the sculpt is the head, which maintains the cold and creepy look of the character on film.
Accessories
Also included is the Endo’s rifle, which looks pretty cool in that “this is what the future looked like to a person 30 years ago” sort of way. It’s blocky and simple and looks like it came out of Rob Liefeld’s gun safe. I love the rifle, but the Endo’s grip is a bit weak and he can’t hold it all that convincingly.
Paint
NECA have given us a classic Endoskeleton. The figure looks to be cast in black plastic and painted in a dark metallic silver. The paint has a very nice sheen, and although it’s been applied a little thick here and there (to the detriment of the sculpted details), it’s still FAR preferable to the swirly gray plastic that we get as metal substitute in some of the other mass produced 6-inch lines. It may be a little sloppy and uneven, but it actually looks like metal. The face has a few nicely painted details, such as the eyes and teeth, and I’m happy to say that they’re cleanly applied. One nitpick is that the paint is so heavily applied in some spots that it caused a couple of joints to be frozen solid.
Articulation
Overall, the articulation is decent but not great. I’m usually OK with robots and cyborgs being somewhat limited, but C-3PO this is not. The endoskeleton should be able to get into as many poses as a human character, but NECA didn’t quite pull it off. Endo has a seriously limited ball-jointed neck, cut-and-pinned shoulders, bicep cuts, single-pin elbows, cut wrists, limited cut torso joint, pin-and-disc hips, single-pin knees, cut ankles, and a toe joint. There are also two little back flaps near his rear delts. The good news is that the joints are pretty well hidden in the sculpt, and aside from the toes, are all nice and tight. The bad news is that NECA added eight working pistons that attach the different “muscle” groups together (bicep to forearm, ribcage area to hips, etc.), and while they look extremely cool, they also limit what you can do. That, and they are extremely fragile. I had one break on the left arm the first time I moved it.
These are showing up on Amazon, but helpful Fwoosher SalemCrow has pointed out that they have been showing up in Walmarts in the collectible trading-card area. An area I never would have thought to look.
Overall, this figure was a nice little surprise as I knew nothing about its release. With sloppy paints, stuck joints, and broken parts, it certainly has its issues, but nothing that makes me regret the purchase. It’s still a fun toy and I have finally filled a glaring hole in my collection.
Thanks for reading!
