The Caesar is the latest addition to ThreeA’s ever-expanding 1/6th scale World War Robots line. Thirteen variations at $230 a pop went on sale on Bambaland in September of 2011, including this guy—the AP-PEL (or Steve J) Caesar, Ashley Wood’s tribute to Steve Jobs. These began shipping last month and have only just started to show up at collector’s front doors.
I normally don’t collect 1/6th scale WWR ‘bots, but I made an exception here since this is likely the only version of this colorway we will ever see and the only scale in which this particular ‘bot will be released, and being a life-long Apple user and fan, I had to have it (UPDATE: 1/12th scale AP-PEL Caesar is on the way!). Unfortunately for me, I missed the original drop date, so I had to rely on eBay to get mine and the pickins were slim. According to Wood, the AP-PEL was the least-ordered version, and since ThreeA toys are basically made to order, this ‘bot isn’t exactly flooding the secondary market. I got lucky with an auction, however, and he showed up at my door on May 4th. And the timing of AP-PEL’s release worked out to be a sort of posthumous tribute to the late Apple CEO, which makes him all the more endearing to me.
Caesar stands at a towering 16.6 inches in height and looks mighty impressive in person. This Caesar lacks the trademark “weathered” paint apps that tend to be ThreeA’s bread and butter, but it’s reasonable to assume that was done to not detract from the homage they’re going for here–the colors are a close, if not perfect, match to the original Apple Macintosh computer, one of the key machines that put Apple on the map back in the ‘80s. If that computer were able to transform into a robot, I’m pretty sure it would look a lot like this one.
In terms of design, the Caesar shares several design elements with the WWR Berties: a dome head with one large eye; long, formidable-looking arms; and a cylindrical torso. In fact, the Caesar looks very much like a Bertie with a more powerful set of legs, a shield, and a Dropcloth-esque skirt, so it may very well be an upgraded addition to the Bertie family of ‘bots. And while many of the WWR ‘bots have a bit of a goofy look to them, this guy looks much more “serious” in comparison, but this is probably due to his more “humanoid” proportions. The AP-PEL’s shield features the rainbow design that was characteristic of Apple’s logo in the early days and it really pops against the grey/green color of the rest of the ‘bot.
The AP-PEL Caesar comes with a set of accessories that are exclusive to this version: a 1/6th scale green apple and what appears to be a 1/6th scale iPad, clear tributes to Apple. Unfortunately, these are the only accessories included; there are no weapons even though on his belt hang a holster and a sheath intended for the weapons that do come with all the other Caesar variants. So this Caesar is a thinker and not a fighter? Or maybe the iPad is the only weapon he needs? Either way, this is something else that makes him unique because ‘bots in the WWR line typically come loaded with weapons, so while the other poor suckers are fighting, this guy is hanging back and playing “Words With Friends” and checking Facebook, apparently.
As mentioned earlier, this Caesar is not sporting ThreeA’s signature weathered paint apps. It’s a very clean-looking ‘bot which will definitely make him stand out in a ThreeA collection, and, for the most part, the paint apps look sharp and nice. However, upon closer examination, imperfections become more apparent. The paint around the eye could be a bit cleaner and there is evidence of minor paint slop, mainly visible around the domed head. Nothing major, but enough to be slightly annoying considering the price.
This is a highly-articulated figure with approximately 50 points of articulation, if not more. Dynamic posing is very possible, though somewhat unnecessary for this particular ‘bot since he doesn’t appear to be a fighter; he looks to be the introverted type who stays indoors with his computer. Nothing was loose or floppy, but some joints were pretty tight, particularly his thumbs. I couldn’t get them to move at the base, which is a ball joint, and had to take his hands apart in order to get them to move at all. This was also annoying.
The appeal here really is the Macintosh homage; there’s really no other reason to be interested in this particular colorway. The Caesar itself is an awesome figure and I’m anxious to see him in other colorways–when the portable versions go on sale I plan to snag a bunch–but what sold me here was the tip of the hat to Apple and Steve Jobs. It’s an undeniably cool and unique tribute. Now I just have to figure out where the heck I’m going to put him…
And as a bonus, all versions of the ThreeA Caesar come with a copy of the first issue of the long-awaited “World War Robot” comic book:
