I have to admit the very minute I saw the box at a collector's shop, I HAD to buy it. But a word of caution though, this figure is not an official release. There's totally no endorsement from Paramount Pictures and NO mention of the name ETHAN HUNT on the box art. But one cannot deny the resemblance of the figure to Tom Cruise in M:I2. I'm not a regular collector of 12" figures (e.g. 21st Century, Dragon models, etc) so forgive me if I got some of the jargon wrong.
Priced at S$86 (US$50), I wasn't exactly sure if it was money well-spent. But it became apparent upon closer inspection. What struck me most were two things: a) the more than decent facial sculpture and b) the details in the boots (you could even untie the shoelaces!) What's more, another 'spare' head (without sunglasses) is included to allow further customisation. I wanted to detach the default head to try that on but it just won't budge even after a few tugs. The leather jacket is a fantastic miniature. It's possible to remove it but great care must be exercised. The figure wears a long-sleeve pullover beneath and sports a holster band. The accessory pistol is a disappointment. I know it's meant to be a Beretta pistol but accuracy would be greatly appreciated.

The figure is highly articulated (over 34 joints, as the box art claims). Even the fingers are bendable. This is rare as 12" figures I've come across so far all have clenched fists. One aspect of the figure which isn't totally correct would be the height. We know Tom Cruise isn't THAT tall but the figure looked as though Cruise went through some serious leg stretches. But I'm not going to dwell on that as the figure looks imposing. What's more, it's technically the FIRST figure from any John Woo movie, and that alone is reason enough to celebrate. If any of you own a 1/6th scale motorcycle, you could place the figure over it and I guarantee you the result will look fantastic.

Some of you might be wondering WHERE you can buy it. Well, I bought mine from a shop called ACTION CITY here in Singapore. The store has a website and they sell the Ethan Hunt figure online. Grab yours before it's sold out.

Detective Chow >





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