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Manufacturer: Sideshow Toy, Inc. (www.sideshowtoy.com) |
HOME...REVIEWS...TOYS...BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
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Hot on the heels of the Buffy Summers figure comes a 12-inch representation of one of the show's more popular characters: Angel. Angel, the brooding vampire with a soul, was quite an involved character and proved popular enough to get his own self-titled spin off series. Sideshow Toy has included an Angel figure as part of their Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("BtVS") line, and why not? He was such an important character in the first few years of the show.
Packaging:
Angel comes in a front-flap box similar in presentation and style to the
Buffy Summers figure. Unlike the Buffy box, Angel's has a red background
color. The front features a photo of David Boreanaz, the actor who played
Angel, while the left and right sides display a photo of the upper body of
the Angel figure holding a sword. The back of the box features a
mini-biography for Boreanaz, including his birth city and the college he
attended, as well as upcoming performances in film and television. Below
this biography are various shots from the BtVS show, as well as a
shot of the Sideshow Toy's Angel figure holding the Buffy figure.
Upon opening the Velcro flap, the box opens up to reveal Angel, fully visible via a plastic window in the packaging. The figure itself comes in a plastic tray and is held fast by a few twist ties and plastic bands. On the opposite side of the flap is included information on the Angel character, including background information on him that occurred before the start of the show. Also depicted are more pictures from the show, including shots from the Season 2 finale "Becoming, Part 2".
As with the Buffy Summers figure, the packaging is slick and shows off the figure and accessories well.
Sculpting and Paint:
Continuing the quality used with the Buffy figure, Angel's likeness
is a near replica of David Boreanaz's. Angel's brooding expression is
fitting, since that is the expression he usually displayed in BtVS
and Angel. What is really nice about this sculpt is that Angel
even has wrinkles along his brow and cheeks molded-in, highlighted with
appropriate paint.
There's not much to say about Angel's hair; it's painted dusky brown and molded onto the head in the shape of the character's standard stylized hair. One nice touch is that the molding even includes a part down the side of his head. The paintwork on the face is also an excellent job, right down to the fine eyebrows and skin tones. The detail in some places is pretty amazing; for instance, Angel's eyes are slightly bloodshot.
The last molded parts of the figure itself are the hands, and both manage to surpass the work done on the head. Both continue to employ the same attention to detail. The paintwork is of the same quality as that of the face, and his hands are molded to look old, almost skeleta, with tightly pulled skin and well-pronounced veins. These are all nice touches, considering he is an elder vampire, and amazingly, these are all done via molding and paint only. Rounding the hands out are three rings, two on the right and one on the left. Each ring is unique with its own tiny details.
There is some great work here; Angel is a major improvement over the Buffy figure, and that was already a nice figure.
Articulation:
Angel uses the standard Sideshow Male body. Basically, he can assume any pose a human -- or vampire -- can, which includes various fighting poses. The articulation allows him to "interact" with the other characters in the BtVS line.
Costume:
Since Angel isn't exactly the most fashionable vampire out there, one
might think his clothing would be bland. Surprisingly, the clothing packed
with the figure isn't. It may look like a simple black outfit, but Angel's
wear is really impressive. He comes with a black overcoat, a black shirt,
black pants, a black belt, and, deviating from the black theme, brown shoes.
The most noticeable part of his ensemble is his overcoat. Made in black cloth material, it manages to fully cover Angel, but is totally removable as well. The coat has little buttons on it if one want to close it up. Also, it includes two pockets, able to store several of the included accessories.
As said, Angel's shirt is also black, but the cloth used is a shiny material, allowing it to stand out from the coat and pants. The fully removable shirt includes buttons and a pocket of its own.
Angel's pants are made of the same synthetic, black material as Buffy's pants. Much like hers, these are well made and include belt rings and pockets, as well as a button fly. The pants are held up with a small belt, which is made out of synthetic material that looks like alligator. The belt also has a large, circular belt buckle that has a molded cross motif on them.
Lastly are Angel's working shoes, and even here, no detail has been spared. The melding on the bottom matches up with what you would find on real shoes of this type, and there is also a complete sole. The shoes are painted a weathered brown color, making them look like they are in need of a good shining.
Accessories:
Angel doesn't have as many accessories as Buffy did, but the ones he does
have are rather nice. The most prominent accessory is the large sword he
is packed with, the same sword used by Angelus/Angel in the season 2 finale
of BtVS. The sword is meant to be held by Angel's right hand and
comfortably fits in the's grip. The sword itself is molded with details
to match the weapon used on the show, from the ridged grip to the little
snake design on the butt.
The other accessories included for use with the toy are three bottles of holy water. This set of bottles is molded in clear plastic, and each has a little holy water icon painted on them. What is really nice is that these bottles can fit in the numerous pockets on the clothing for the figure.
Lastly, Angel comes with a stand, identical to the stand that came with the Buffy figure.
Overall:
Sideshow Toy's Buffy figure was a really wonderful piece, but Angel is an even better figure. The figure manages to capture perfectly Angel's look and character from the two shows he was on. If you only get one figure from this line, try to get Angel.
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