After dealing with Kirk, it couldn't get much worse right? Well, thankfully no; Nero is a slightly better figure, which isn't saying a lot. Playmates' Star Trek Warp Collection 6 inch line is shaping up quite poorly, and Nero is just another weak figure representing his line perfectly.
Name: Nero
Line: Star Trek, Warp Collection
Manufacturer: Playmates
Released: 2nd Quarter 2009
Price: Retail: $7.99-$10.99, Online: $9.99-$13.99
Scale: 6.00 in.
Accessories: Staff, Stand
6 / 10 - Nero is sculpted straight up like he's been attached to a splint, and it looks bad; evreything is too geometric; no natural shapes, curves, or angles; head sculpt is way too soft and has poorly defined ears; figure looks like a child; there are a lot of sculpted details on his body; good texture work on chest and legs; crotch doesn't match pants with lack of texture; staff looks really good, but isn't stiff enough; hanging coat tails look nice.
5 / 10 - Drab and boring colors, but they reflect the movie, so it's okay; huge color matching issues from rubber overcoat on torso to arms and legs, they're not even close; absolutely zero paint apps on the body, for better or for worse; eyes are a little wonky and crossed, but nothing too bad; decals on head are really crisp; weird black airbrush effect on the side of his face; skin tone is matched well from face to hands.
4 / 10 - Not very much articulation to consider; he's stuck standing straight up as no other leg poses are reasonable for style or function; arms are reasonably well articulated; knee joint is way too low, so it looks like his calf breaks everytime you bend that joint; everything has its full intended range of motion; nothing is broken or stuck; it's impossible to use his ab swivel, the joint just snaps in two; hips and elbows look terrible, but shoulders are well hidden.
3 / 10 - Not suited to kids or collectors; an ugly figure that's not fun to play with, which is a terrible combination for fun; his accessory does look slightly dangerous and may be used in more dextrous hands; no articulation to pose/play with; packaging doesn't go out of the way to help; nothing is actually broken or frustrating; bad guys are fun to have around.
4 / 10 - How are you going to use him since he doesn't play or display; comes with an almost cool accessory; rubber suit seems like it could be damaged easily; otherwise feels sturdy and durable; not outrageously expensive, but then again it's like a figure from 1993; nothing is broken or missing.
Overall Score: 44 / 100 - This is a Poor Toy
Nero might be okay when it comes to sculpt and paint, but he's just not any fun. Any technically average toy needs to be fun to achieve greatness, and Nero doesn't even get close to reaching that high.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if this is the one).
-The Articulated One
