Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. Our very own Russ Sheath wrote in with a review of an upcoming Hot Toys/Sideshow release. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much in love with Hot Toys. I only own one (Dark Knight Joker), but I have two on pre-order (Snake Plissken and Marty McFly). It's an expensive hobby to indulge in, but hey... it's better than a coke habit, I say.
Anyway, Russ got sent Space Pirate Captain Harlock to check out and wrote up the below piece. Give it a view to find out how Hot Toys and Sideshow did on this figure!
A new Sideshow figure is always something to look forward to, so when the masters of super realistic collectible figures offered to send me a review edition of their upcoming Space Pirate Captain Harlock figure, my first thought was,
“Cool, a new Sideshow figure to review”!
Reviewing Sideshow products is always a treat so I will always enjoy checking out the magic that goes into a new Sideshow figure.
After a pause, my second thought was….”what the hell is a Captain Harlock”?
Having grown up in the UK in the 70s and 80's we had a lot less imported anime than our American cousins, on our 4 TV channels at that time. Sure, we had Battle Of The Planets but we missed out on so many great series such as Gundam, Robotech and the aforementioned Captain Harlock, but, when I googled the eponymous Captain Harlock, I realised our paths had crossed many years ago.
A playground encounter with a school mate led to my first meeting with this mysterious, cartoon like action figure who bore all the hallmarks of pirate, but with a futuristic sci-fi leaning. I never forgot that cool action figure from the playground and neither did fandom as Captain Harlock returns both in a new CGI movie and as a 1/6 scale, Movie Masterpiece figure from Hot Toys and Sideshow.
Standing at just under 35cm tall, Captain Harlock is a movie acurate likeness from the recent CG animation film.
In the box, Captain Harlock shows all the hallmarks of a Sideshow classic, a stunning packaging design and a great selection of accessories, all showcased in clear window packaging. Sideshow products never fail to look great on the shelf and opening a Sideshow figure is always married with a hint of sadness when breaking the pristine seal for the first time.
You’ll also find the trademark selection of accessories, weapons and equipment and, staying with the movie accurate interpretation of the character, Captain Harlock doesn’t disappoint.
You’ll find everything that the good Captain needs to do battle, from pistols and rapier, gun belts, holsters and of course interchangeable hands which allow for holding weapons and various gestures. Rounding out the accessories is Mr Bird, the Captain’s sidekick from the movie.
Costume wise, Sideshow achieve a realistic leather look with the costume in an outfit that has the visual weight (if that makes sense) of real leather, aged by years of battle across the galaxy. Its this attention to detail that, again, makes a hot toys product stand out, the ageing on the costume, the weathered brown gloves and gun belts and the frayed edges of Harlock’s cape, all add to the sense of character.
With the sculpt and inparticular the head sculpt, Sideshow offer fans a lifelike interpretation of the character, complete with battle scar and eyepatch. The choice of sculpted hair Vs ‘lifelike’ hair, as seen on the likes of Sideshow’s Avengers line for example, is an interesting one. In this instance its a choice that works particularly well with this character, again, providing a sculpt that adds to the characterisation of the moody, black leather clad pirate.
Costume wise, the layered, textured costume works well as a representation of the onscreen costume as Sideshow work wonders presenting fans with an interpretation of a outfit that has never been realised beyond pixels in a computer. Similarly Sideshow continue to work wonders in areas such as miniaturising functional accessories such as belts and zippers, here choosing to go with a printed interpretation of zippers, a choice which works well as this zipper heavy costume (if it were ‘real’) and the challenges of truly making in-scale features such as zippers, may detract from the overall effect of the figure.
Remember when I said I really didn’t know a lot about Captain Harlock when Sideshow offered to send me this figure?
The hallmark of Sideshow’s Space Pirate Captain Harlock, over, for example their GI JOE: Retaliation line, where the purchase was inspired by other media, is that THIS figure has made me want to find out more, and in my mind that is testament the genius that Sideshow weave into each of their lines, from Marvel and DC figures to to Captain Harlock.
Almost 30 years after that first playground encounter, Sideshow have made me want to find out more and I for one will be watching the new movie.
Be sure to check out Sideshow Collectibles for more information on the figure which is currently available for pre-order for $249.99.
Check out the trailer for Space Pirate Captain Harlock:
