“They made this to honor him.”
Omni Consumer Products was responsible for building RoboCop in the original film, but McFarlane Toys took their own crack at the cybernetic cop way back in 2004. It was an impressive effort, and one that far exceeded expectations. At the time, action figures from McFarlane were little more than nicely painted statues. Articulation, when present, was cut into the figures without consideration for functionality or aesthetic, often so awkwardly it was effectively worthless. McFarlane upped their game with RoboCop, delivering a beautifully sculpted and painted figure with a surprising range of motion. He’s not going to being doing handstands any time soon, but he can stand and shoot his gun just fine.
Unlike many movie heroes, RoboCop isn’t wearing a costume or suit of armor. That’s his body, folks — look ma, no hand! All that’s left of Officer Alex Murphy is his head. Gruesome, yes, but a perfect metaphor for the deindustrialization of working class cities like Detroit. The figure does a good job of staying true to its source material, with all of the vents, panels and hinges you’d expect to see. He’s tall too — at 7 inches he towers over other action figures. The figure’s body may seem a little narrow, especially in the chest, but when compared to movie stills it is surprisingly accurate. He wasn’t He-Man, after all — in spite of the film’s alleged “full body prosthesis,” it was still skinny little Peter Weller in the suit!
Unlike other McFarlane figures, Robo moves where he should — no rotating arms held 90 degrees away from the body here. The figure has a ball-jointed head, shoulders, and hips, with hinged elbows and knees, and pegged wrists and waist. The feet are also hinged, which is normal. What’s unprecedented is that the pistons that connect his feet to his ankles actually work! Okay, they don’t actually work as in “making his feet go,” but they do move up and down inside the housing. This may not seem to be a big deal in 2013, but back then this was bringing the “A” game. It still looks and works great today — well, at least on mine.
The paintwork is nice, but on the whole it is a touch too blue. In RoboCop 2, our hero was given a spiffy new paint job, which this figure seems to emulate. Problem is, this is meant to be RoboCop from the first movie — it says so right on the box. It may seem a minor nitpick, but it’s pretty noticeable after looking at a few pics. The blue tone just isn’t there in the original, making this seem more like “RoboCop Too.” That said, it all looks good; the blue overspray on silver helps convey the character’s metallic nature, while the flat, even tones used for the skin really add some nice contrast. The rubber sections are molded in black, but they get some nice gloss highlights.
As expected, RoboCop comes equipped with his iconic “Auto 9.” In actuality a heavily-modified Beretta m93R machine pistol, the Auto 9 was given to our hero after the film makers determined real-world guns like the Desert Eagle looked undersized in his hand. The same complaint could be made here: while screen accurate in detail, the McFarlane version of the Auto 9 is lacking heft. Its missing the mass and volume you would expect from such a high-powered weapon; every time I look at it I can’t help but think of the dainty blaster Kenner gave their original Princess Leia figure. It’s the figure’s biggest drawback.
RoboCop also came with a nicely detailed base. With ammo casings and guns scattered at his feet, it’s appropriately character-specific, if a little on the small side. Unlike many action figure bases that have ended up being thrown into a box (or the trash), Robo’s is actually useful. While Robo can be teased into standing on his own for long periods, eventually the figure’s own weight will drive the pistons downward, causing him to pitch forward. The pegs on the base are far enough apart that the tension keeps the pistons from moving, so it’s good to keep this one around.
In the end, RoboCop is a pretty nice figure. The likeness is there, the sculpt is sharp and clean, and, most importantly, he can move. While other companies have since put their own spin on the character, the McFarlane figure remains an impressive tribute to a ground-breaking film. Go, Robo!
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