Hot Toys Planet of the Apes ( Review )

[megozilla13]

Thanks for the review megozilla13, but many apes’ fans won't agree with all your points. I for one find the hair on these apes laughable… and the price is just mad.

I’m a HUGE Planet of the Apes fan, and I’m also a fan of Sideshow’s Planet of the Apes lineup. Admittedly Hot Toys made some GREAT costumes, but the gorilla sculpts and the hair is really lacking for such a hefty price. I would never pay this insane price for a toy of this quality. To me, this is nothing more than a hyped up, glorified Hasbro toy.

I have to stand with the folks that believe Sideshow has made the best apes to date. I also believe Mego made the best nostalgic ape toys.

Without question, the Hot Toys General Ursus looks the best of the three Hot Toys. However, that’s probably because his “troll like” hair is being covered up. I’m certainly not a fan of that wooly hair.

I'd say just the outfit on the soldier ape is worth $100+ They found incredibly thin leather and incredibly thin velcro and made an almost perfect replica of an actual outfit thats in perfect scale and perfectly tailored.
The hair, I agree looks completely troll like and laughable in every picture I've seen on the internet, but in real life the figure looks much better. I can't imagine it being possible for a toy company to do a better job with the hair in this scale. If you have a picture in your mind of a certain soldier ape that to you, is representative of what all soldier apes should look like, I agree this isn't it (at least not to me). No widow's peak...hair is too long and flowing,........... but there were vastly different looking soldiers, some with big 80's- like hair, short hair, flat tops, no peak, sharp peaks etc...., and this is just one of them.

The costumes on the Sideshow gorillas were not movie accurate and the sculpting on the head was more cartoony than the realism they tried to achieve with the human characters imo.

As far as mego apes being the most nostalgic, I have a few of those and I agree. I'd also say some of mego's sculpts (zaius, burke and virdon, maybe cornelius) are just as accurate and detailed as anything sideshow or hot toys has done.
mikej

[Gorn Captain]

Great photo comparison, Jessica.

To be honest, I'm glad I didn't pay a $100 extra, just for that "cheap wig" the Hot Toys has on.
Ursus might be "saved" by his helmet covering up most of his hair. But what's the point of having the "real hair" as the main attraction, and then having to cover it up because it just didn't really work?

I also thought his "battle armour" looked better in the first pre-release photos. Less "plastic-like".
If ever I do buy one, it'll be at a convention, where I can inspect him personally.

[jessica]

Here's Hot Toys gorilla Captain and Sideshow gorilla side by side:

[jessica]

I'm actually happier about the Captain. He was hideous when he was first posted and in hand he looks better than what I expected.

I will have to see General Ursus again Gorn Captain, and see how he fares against his first photos.

[censy]

I kiss apes, when no one is looking.

Chris

[Gorn Captain]

Am I wrong, or does the Ursus costume look a little less impressive and detailed than the initial pre-release photos?

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

I have often been disappointed in the vast differences between Hot Toys pre-release pics and the final product.

[Gorn Captain]

Hot Toys is making some great stuff, but I still think they're overpriced.
You can almost buy a real monkey for that.....

[jessica]

Guilty as charged!!!

I love them so much!!!

[angelofmusic2112]

I don't think any people (other than you Jess) will be kissing these hairy apes.

[jessica]

When I have enough chimpchange, I am splurging on the regular gorilla soldier from Hot Toys. I don't mind the troll like hair. It makes them more kissable.

[angelofmusic2112]

Sorry, I don't know how to post pictures but there are plenty on ebay to see. I preordered them in January and was starting to lose faith that they would ever be released. They finally arrived Today!!!! I ordered the General Ursus and the Gorilla Soldier. I didn't order the Gorilla Captain because he seemed to me pretty much the same figure, and they are kinda pricey averaging about $140 each shipped.
I was most excited about receiving the General Ursus, he looked awesome in the pictures I had seen prior to its release. Although its a great looking figure, I was kinda disppointed. I was expecting the outfit to be a little more intricate for the price. In the pre-release pictures it looked to me that they
had incorporated leather and metal into the outfit but alas it was all rubber with the cloth underneath. And his only accessories are a hand gun and machine gun. Except for looking a little long legged, The likeness, I feel, is remarkable. Its as if someone shrunk down the actual General to 12 inches.

I was not as excited about getting the Gorilla Soldier. In the prerelease pictures, his hair seemed to not work and looked odd. I was very pleasantly surprised. He is by far my favorite of the two. Although, they weren't able to give him the sort of widow's peak most Apes had, I still think his hair works great. The detail and stitching on the tunic is un -freaking-believable. And he comes with a bunch of incredibly detailed accessories. I think he, much more than Ursus is worth the $140 paid.

When you put these next to the SideShow Apes released a few years back, they make them look like cheap toys. When you put them next to the 12 inch Apes Hasbro released you'll want to throw those in the garbage. I wish Hot Toys would make more Ape characters, but my source in Hong Kong said these will be the only ones. They can only put out so many figures a year and they have too many big licenses lined up.

I will get the Gorilla Captain after all, and maybe another soldier.


mikej

Thanks for the review megozilla13, but many apes’ fans won't agree with all your points. I for one find the hair on these apes laughable… and the price is just mad.

I’m a HUGE Planet of the Apes fan, and I’m also a fan of Sideshow’s Planet of the Apes lineup. Admittedly Hot Toys made some GREAT costumes, but the gorilla sculpts and the hair is really lacking for such a hefty price. I would never pay this insane price for a toy of this quality. To me, this is nothing more than a hyped up, glorified Hasbro toy.

I have to stand with the folks that believe Sideshow has made the best apes to date. I also believe Mego made the best nostalgic ape toys.

Without question, the Hot Toys General Ursus looks the best of the three Hot Toys. However, that’s probably because his “troll like” hair is being covered up. I’m certainly not a fan of that wooly hair.

[jessica]

Even on a humble panda, the General Ursus is mighty grand...

[censy]

Panda of the Apes! Awesome pic Jess.

Chris

[jessica]

Until I can manage to paint up his horse and recreate all the horse trappings, this photo will have to do.