This marks my first experience with a TTL product, and it’s always nice to hope a new company will come along and be able to hold it’s own. Add to this the fact that is a black ops style figure with multiple weapons, and slick gear, and you begin to understand my eager expectation of this figure.
I should mention before going any further that I had already weathered the weapons before taking pics of the fully outfitted figure. I did however take before and after shots of the weapons themselves for the purpose of comparison. I waited to add weathering to the figure’s uniform and gear until after the first set of pics. In other words, the figure is fully personalized ( weathered, painted, etc ) in the second set of pics. I apologize for any confusion this may cause, and it is something I will give more thought and planning to in future reviews.
Head-sculpt and base body…
In this case the head seems to be an intended likeness of actor Zachary Quinto. In addition, at certain angles, there are marginal similarities to both Tom Cruise and Eric Bana ( at least in my estimation ). The skin tone is decent, with the less is more style of painting. I imagine that the big boys figured out that by casting a head in semi-translucent flesh-tone material, and then applying thin, light coats of paint they could more closely mimic the look of human skin. Kind of like the techniques wax museum folk use to make their eerily realistic and creepy waxy figures.
An example of this can be described by shining a light through your finger and noting that the light will pass through thus creating a diffuse glow. Now imagine dipping that same finger in paint and repeating the experiment. I have come to think that this can also be applied to head-sculpts. So that those heads which are heavily coated in paint will exhibit less translucency and more opacity. With the newer sculpts from companies like Hot Toys and Soldier Story, you can see the translucency principal at work by again shining the same bright light through areas like the earlobes and nostril area. Conversely, this is how the original bad boys of 1/6 like Hasbro and TUS did their sculpts. There is of course, a nice rich coating of colors and tones that make up the eyes, lips, and hair. With the appropriate amount of gloss applied to the eyes and lips to provide natural catch lights. Not too shabby TTL.
The body is the TTL – I am not sure here… the TTL something or another, as it seems they have several different iterations of their base body out on the market at the time of this review. And this one is just about what you would expect from a base body these days – good articulation, rotation in the wrists and ankles, and a simple system that allows for easy removal and swapping of the head. My only complaint is looseness in the figure’s knee joints. This can be fixed, or can be circumvented, with the use of a figure stand. One nice point was the level of articulation in the elbow joints. This allows for the figure’s forearm to fold more naturally toward it’s upper arm – even allowing the figure’s right hand to touch it’s right shoulder. That equals some nice possibilities for action oriented posing of the figure.
There are two sets of hands – a bare set, as well as a set of molded Oakley style gloved hands. It is an added bonus that both sets of hands come with wirst pegs. All in all I award TTL a score four out of five stars in the category of head-sculpt and base body. The score would have been higher had there been more attention to detail cleaning up the remnants of material around the molding lines on the head-sculpt, and if the figure had come with stronger knee joints. Although, the issue with the knees may be limited to the sample I had.
Uniform…
The stitching is good throughout, as is the fit and weight of the material used in both the pants ( BDU six-pocket style ), and the jacket ( which shares many of the techy zipper-rich look common to Crye and TAD gear ). Oddly, there is no undershirt, long sleeve base layer, or even a plain old tee-shirt. This guy just goes around with a jacket over his bare torso. It would have been nice to see a mock turtle neck here ( that may be the first and only time I ever utter that sentence ). Also absent is a rigger style belt, or any belt for that matter, with which to hold up dude’s trousers.
Now for the boots. They are one of my favorite things in the entire wardrobe, constructed from a combination of web and leather reminiscent of the old Hi-Tec SWAT boots. They feature real laces and sturdy eyelets, and are both light enough to move with the articulation of the figure’s ankle ( extension and pronation ), and tough enough not to rip apart when you tighten the laces. Well done TTL. There is also a very nice balaclava included with the set, which can be partially rolled up to form a makeshift watch cap.
Also worthy of addition to this section is a quick discussion on what I call “Thread Patrol”. Let me explain… One of the byproducts of sewing is leftover thread. This is an unavoidable outcome that can be solved with some deft scissor work. For the most part 1/6 companies do a fair job of removing the surplus thread remnants, but there is always something leftover. Often times the amount of leftover ( overlooked ) thread remnants is roughly equal to the quality of the garment ( the better the sewing – the better the finishing ). And in some cases ( I won’t mention names as I don’t want to hurt any feelings ), the amount of leftover thread can be downright ridiculous. With that said, part of my preparation of a figure always includes the removal of the thread remnants from any and all of the cloth elements – I feel it just looks better to have the figure’s uni and gear neat-looking and squared away. My preferred method for removing the pesky threads is the use of a butane lighter. I simply pass the flame over the loose end of the thread and viola… it’s history. In cases where the loose thread is longer that an inch or so I will trim it down with scissors before giving it the butane lighter treatment. The lighter not only burns the thread down, it also cauterizes ( or seals ) the end of the thread thus helping to keep the seam from unraveling. This method requires some practice as you want to melt the thread without burning the garment. But once mastered it can become an invaluable finishing tool. In this case I had an average amount of Thread Patrol duty.
Getting back to the review… It is difficult to award a high score here due to the lack of a belt and shirt. The less is more approach can certainly work, but that is usually more the case when either the less is really sweet, or the less is reflected in the price. Therefore I feel it fair to give this section a three and a half out of four stars.
Gear: ( soft lines – or web and cloth gear )…
The vest comes with molle style webbing chains and separate pouches designed to be woven to the chains. By now most of us have probably had experience with the 1/6 scale equivalent of molle webbing, and have our own tried and true methods for attaching molle pouches. I use the mosquito forecept method, and in some rare cases the glue the pouch to the vest method. The first method works best for me as it allows me to remove and reconfigure the pouches in the future. In the TTL CIA case, the pouches are decent in both scale, style, and finishing. There are, however, a few points that bear mentioning…
Firstly, a few of the fastex buckles on some of the pouches are a bit rough, with remnants of plastic scrap left over from the molding process. These are easy enough to remove with a hobby knife, but it would be nice to see TTL’s Q.C. address this issue so that the purchaser doesn’t have to go into fix it mode as soon as they unpack the figure. Another point of contention I had with the pouches concerns the molle style web straps that are sewn to the back of the pouches. With the exception of the hydration pouch, the molle webbing is very thin and has a tendency to become twisted on itself. This makes the lacing of the webbing through the molle chains more difficult that it should be. A problem exacerbated by the fact that the webbing straps are a bit on the short side. 1/6 manufacturers take note of the webbing used by Playhouse on their recent RCT marine. In my opinion it is the best, and the easiest with which to work.
Moving on to a prize piece of the set – the whatzit waist pouch. I use this description as I am at a loss to describe just what it’s function is. The pouch is well made, and super sexy in that ballistic-tech sort of way. I imagine that it is fashioned after a Maxpedition style pouch, and no doubt is used to hold a myriad of SWAT stuff. Whatever the use, it is a great addition to the set, and it’s multi-purpose nature will offer a whole world of possibility for bashers.
Another nice piece is the MP7 holster. Again, well made, and suitable for multi-purpose bashing. Strange that with all of the pouches and web gear there isn’t a holster for the Colt handgun that comes with the set. Maybe there just wasn’t room for it, but then again, it is an issue that I feel can be lumped in with the missing belt and tee-shirt. Lastly, there is a nice ballistic vest that fits well under the web vest. Score total here: four out of five stars.
Gear: ( hard lines – or sundry parts )…
Included here are little things like the goggles and radio. Now, goggles and radios are two of those things that are sometimes easy to overlook, so is that what happened here? I hate to come down hard on TTL or their product, but if need be this where I feel it is most appropriate. Not only were the goggles poorly made and finished with an undersized fraying elastic strap, the paint on the frame actually came off when I removed them from the packaging, staying stuck to the tape holding the goggles into the tray. TTL, take a look at this and see what can be done in the future – I think we all have high hope.
The radio is the next piece that I had issues with. First off, there is very little wire running from the hand switch assembly to the ear mic. So little, that the I could see the 1/1 scale equivalent tearing loose from the operator’s ear anytime they moved their head. Add to this a woefully tangled length of cord running from the radio to the hand switch, and you have what essentially becomes either a heavy fix, or a throw away item.
Moving on, I was very happy with the helmet, which has a good shape, sturdy construction, good fit ( when used over the balaclava ), and a neato diamond shaped NVG mount. The webbing is also hassle free, with a working chin strap fastex buckle. Other bits offered in the set include a Gerber or leatherman style multi-tool with vinyl carrying pouch, three zip ties to restrain the baddies, a mag light with belt-mount hanging loop, a bayonet style knife with sheath, two MK18 smoke grenades, a carabiner, a nicely detailed hydration bladder for the molle mountable hydration pouch, a set of knee and elbow pads, and a pair of shades. Not a bad haul of stuff, with the exception of the goggles and radio set up. I give the sundry gear a three and a half out of four stars.
Weapons…
Ah, the weapons… a big part of any figure, and here we get several. First off the HK417. TTL seems to have borrowed a page ( and possibly a mold ) from Hot Toys as the lines and functions are very similar between the two companies.
In TTL’s case there is slightly less in the way of paint, and slightly less in the way of moving parts, but it is none-the-less a very nice HK417. You also get a total of three magazines with this one, which are made from a clear plastic with a slight bluish tint. I liked that for some reason – maybe because it is different without being cheap or poorly made. The MP7 is almost identical to if not a spot on match to the MP7 that came with BBI’s CyGirl Mystere figure. Right down to the suppressor and Micro T-1 style scope ( which is glued on in this case ). I’m not complaining, just voicing my curiosity as to whether or not companies share parts.
Moving on to the Colt handgun ( I don’t know the exact model represented here ). A nice piece, with extra magazines and a decent frame-mount tac-light that comes complete with a little wire running to the hand grip. A nice detail in my opinion. My only question is where to place the handgun on the figure. Does it go in one of the larger magazine pouches? All things considered, I feel it is fair to award a score of four out of five starts in this category.
Things to be mindful of/overall score…
First thing, be prepared to have some minor hassles with the molle straps. Not a deal breaker, just worthy of mention. Second thing, be very careful with the goggles, if you want to use them and not have to find a replacement in the spare parts bin. Take extreme care when removing them from the carton, and even then there are no guarantees.
Also, be prepared to find a solution for the shorty mic cord. Luckily, decent and affordable radio gear can be had as a loose parts purchase, so you may already have something in the chute. Overall, I am awarding a four out of five stars to TTL for this figure. It has it’s problems, but it also has it’s charm. A good measure of that charm is evident in the fact that it is not only a decent figure on the whole, but is also a decent figure when divided into it’s component parts, and a must watch item for loose parts.
Score recap:
Head-sculpt, base body, hands: 4 out of 5 stars.
Uniform: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Gear ( soft lines ): 4 out of 5 stars.
Gear ( hard lines ): 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Weapons: 4 out of 5 stars.
Grand total: 4 out of 5 stars.
What I changed and added…
In the case of the figure in the second set of pics, I went through and made some additions and substitutions, including the addition of new cords on the radio set, a new set of goggles, and a supressor for the HK417. I also applied weathering to both the weapons, and the uniform/gear… My way of personalizing an already decent figure.
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Thanks much – I am very happy that the reviews are helpful.
Best regards, Mike