Terminator 2: Judgement Day was the block-buster sequel to the original Terminator movie. Where not one, but two Terminators are sent back in time: one to protect a young John Connor and one to terminate him. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T-800 reprogrammed to protect; in one of the most iconic Sci-Fi/Action movies of the 1990s, if not all time.
Name: T-800 (Battle Damaged Version)
Line: DX
Product Code: DX13
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2013
Price: Then: $280. Now: $360 MISB Minimum.
Scale: 1/6
Accessories: Various hands and weapons as well as T-1000 display piece.
Hot Toys have released a number of Terminator collectibles, with some of their first Movie Masterpiece releases being Terminator figures. They have covered characters from each of the first two Terminator films and Terminator Salvation. One of the most fan requested was the T-800 from T2 as it looked at the very end of the movie: Battle Damaged. Ever since the first MMS Terminator 2 T-800, fans have been asking for this figure. Finally, Hot Toys have delivered with their DX13 T-800.
The reason why I have been so late in getting to my review of this figure is simple: I could not decide if I wanted it in my collection or not, I pre-ordered one and received it when it was originally released, decided I didn’t want it, sold it.
Bought another one from Mandarake a few months later, decided once again I didn’t want it and sold it.
Finally, this year I decided to be true to myself and focus my Hot Toys collection more on the figures I love, namely Terminator and other 80s/90s movies, therefore I needed DX13. I was lucky enough to get one off Yahoo Auctions Japan MISB for $270 AUD as well as the spare clothes to make the second one (I already had the spare body at home) and had it shipped to me while I was in Tokyo. First thing I did after unpacking when I got back to Australia, was assemble the Terminator as both versions: some-what battle damaged and really battle damaged.
So after having this figure for a few weeks now and having previously owned it on two separate occasions, have my thoughts on it changed much? Let’s find out!
LIST OF PARTS
Inside the box you get the following items:
One T-800 Terminator figure
Eight interchangeable hands
Two head sculpts
Two leather jackets
One damaged grenade launcher
One pistol
One machine gun
One bandolier
Twelve Grenades
One rod
One T-1000 Statue
One display stand
SCULPTING
The two heads that come with DX13 are excellent! They aren’t perfect, but are some of the best Arnold sculpts we have ever gotten from HT. However, the heads appear a little big and that could just be because they had to fit PERS and a light up feature in the head(s). The only problem I have with the head sculpt is Arnold looks a little too pouty around the lips, so the portraits border a little on caricature, but otherwise great and it is definitely Schwarzenegger at every angle!
The torso is also newly sculpted to show the damage done to the T-800’s chest. We lose the torso articulation just under the pectorals, but it doesn’t matter too much as the new body looks fantastic and more than makes up for it.
PAINT
Hot Toys always impress with their paint applications and this time they’ve done an excellent job! Especially on the damaged and bloody parts of the figure, they look great when compared to the source material, the skin tones, as the norm for Ht figures, are amazing.
The only negative I have with the paint is the “stubble” affect on the face with all the heads I’ve seen it can sometimes comes a bit too dark; it’s hard to tell from these photos, but it looks like the T-800 has 5 o’clock shadow and a number of photos online and figures I’ve seen in person all have this same problem, it bugs me a bit.
the DX10 had an issue with an over pronounced stubble mustache, but they really pushed it a bit too much here, they’ve toned it down for the T1 Battle Damaged Terminator, but it’s something Hot Toys really need to address, when the Terminator, in the bulk of his scenes looks clean shaven, please don’t go giving him a “stubble” effect just because it’s more realistic HT!
It seems like I’m the only one, who has noticed this problem, but it really bothers me, the two heads I’ve got, it isn’t too bad, but it can be worse or the same depending on who painted the figure at the factory, they got it right with the MMS and Tech Noir T1 I really hope HT can stay away from copying Enterbay on this matter!
ARTICULATION
The articulation is almost the same as the DX10 body, (or “Arnold” Body if you will) Ball-jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, double jointed elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge waist, swivel/hinge groin, double jointed knees and ball-jointed ankles. Hot toys do a great job with their bodies for their figures and this one is no exception. All the terminator type poses you want to put the T-800 in you can and it will look realistic and “hang” naturally. The boots and chest do restrict the posing a little, but not enough to ruin any enjoyment of this figure. Considering most poses involve the Terminator standing there and pointing a gun, achieving these poses isn’t a problem.
OUTFIT
Hot Toys really impress with the outfit as well, the ripped up and dirty grey T-Shirt looks great and the damage on both jackets look amazing too. Even the pants are impressive with the rips and tears made to the “leather”. The outfit isn’t real leather like the DX10, it’s the same material as the MMS release, however they have really improved the fit and quality of the jacket in between releases.
The weathering is fantastic and adds to the awesomeness of the figure, HT have outdone themselves here.
ACCESSORIES
You get a number of great accessories with DX13, pretty much all of weapons as used by the T-800 at the end of the movie and one massive accessory being the t-1000 statue that can be used when posing the T-800. I really think the T-1000 statue, while cool, is a bit of a waste of space. It’s not something I would want to display with my DX13 when I already have a few T-1000s already, which look a lot cooler next to DX13.
The weapons are up to the usual standard from HT and as expected all look great! We are given 12 grenade rounds for the bandolier even though Arnold doesn’t have that many by that part of the film, it’s still nice to have them.
We are also given the typical over-sized DX base, anyone who knows me, knows my thoughts on these bases are this: I don’t like them and prefer the smaller classic style bases from HT. In fact for my DX13s on display I’m using the MMS display bases instead. They are just that much nicer in my opinion.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Nothing really to worry about, I think Hot Toys have the PERS figured out quite well by now, I don’t think it will break as easy as the DX01 used to (not that I’m trying to break it when I use it!). However still be careful when using PERS and don’t forget to read the instructions that come with the figure.
Also be careful if you are changing the arms over on your figure, the arm joint is a lot smaller to accommodate the destroyed arm, make sure you use a hair dryer to soften the arm components so they change over as easy as possible, you don’t want to break that smaller joint.
PRICE
I paid a really good price for my DX13, considering people are asking much more for it, $270 AUD is a steal. If you are able to find one at a good price, then go for it. Just try not to pay over $400 AUD for one as they can still be found for good prices if you know where to look!
OVERALL
Even after not really being sure if I wanted this figure in my collection or not, now after making a firm decision and welcoming it back in the fold, I am happy to say it is very deserving of the DX title. It’s not perfect, but it is one of the best Terminator figures released and in my mind even tops Enterbay’s ¼ scale Terminator, mainly due to the sheer amount of display options and ability to have multiple figures from just one set. If you are a Terminator fan, you must have this figure. If you are a Hot Toys fan it’s definitely worth picking up for its excellent craftsmanship of an iconic character.
Like Mike’s Toy Blog on Facebook to stay up to date with new posts and content!
This page copyright 2015 Mike’s Toy Blog. All rights reversed.
