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MI6 Review: James Bond - Sideshow
Collectibles
James Bond was originally meant to return in For
Your Eyes Only, but with the success of space based
adventures, Bond was set to visit the stars. In 1979 Roger
Moore returned to cinema screens in Christopher
Wood’s original screenplay Moonraker.
Moore's fourth Bond film saw him visit the USA, Brazil,
France and Italy as he battled Hugo Drax.
This is the second figure Sideshow Collectibles has released
under the Moonraker title, the first being the iconic over-sized
Jaws. After
a strong run with Brosnan and Connery Bond figures, Sideshow
has returned to Roger Moore. How well does this new Bond
hold up against his past incantations, The
Man With The Golden Gun and Live
And Let Die?
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Sideshow
Collectibles, founded in 1994, has been exclusively licensed
to create a line of 12" collectible figures in the likeness
of all five Bond actors, key villains and some of the famous women.
MI6 reviews the Sideshow Collectibles figures...
James Bond - Roger Moore
Item No: 7728
Size: 12 inch (304mm)
Weight: 3.00 lbs (1.30 Kg)
Units: 3000
Artist: Oluf Hartvigson
Order
Online - Sideshow Collectibles
Official Description
When a top-secret space shuttle on loan from Drax Industry
to the UK plummets mysteriously into the Atlantic Ocean,
British Secret Service agent "007" is asked to
formally apologize to the CEO, Hugo Drax. James Bond uncovers
a foul plan that involves the annihilation of the world's
population so Hugo Drax can repopulate it according to his
own twisted vision. A thrilling chase ensues that spans
across the globe, leading 007 to a space station high above
the earth's orbit!
Accessories
Over 30 points of articulation
Authentic Roger Moore likeness
Fully detailed Moonraker flight suit and astronaut boots
The Moonraker laser gun
Wrist watch dart gun
12" Figure Display base featuring the Moonraker film
logo
Articulation
Using Sideshow's well established sixth scale male body,
Bond has all the movement you would expect in order to place
him in the classic James Bond poses. The well-tailored jumpsuit
allows for full range of movement. This body features tight-fitting
joints from the head, neck, ball jointed shoulders, chest,
cut biceps, double-jointed elbows, and wrists. From the
waist down it features a twistable waist, hips, thighs,
knees and ankles.
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Outfit
The yellow one piece jump suit has been re-created fairly accurately.
The obvious difference is the storage pockets located on the shins
of the trousers (pants). The yellow jumpsuit and silver spacesuit
create a definitive look for this film and its marketing. Sideshow
has made the braver choice to produce the jumpsuit - similar in
style to Lee’s in 1973’s Enter the Dragon. On the
figure’s left is the Moonraker badge that is legible upon
inspection. Cargo pockets are located on each thigh and are finished
with silver buttons. A utility belt, as seen in the film, is secured
with a single popper at the rear. The Jumpsuit is finished with
a silver collar and black cuffs which feature poppers.
Above: Accessories including the exclusive
cigar case. |
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The tailoring for the figure sets it apart
from past Moore figures. Perfectly fitted, the jumpsuit
is loose enough to enable a range of full movement and is
in line with the late 70’s styling. Finishing the
jumpsuit off are a pair of white and yellow ankle boots,
which are modeled from soft rubber. Both are detailed with
dirt and scuff.
Accessories
The ray gun is the better of two accessories based on the
later action sequences in the film, which take place on
the space station. Built up of several pieces, the body
is solid black plastic with small silver detailing. The
barrel ends in clear plastic which gives a simple but effective
look to the weapon.
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Instead of a watch, the figure comes with a removable wrist dart
gun. Finished in silver with no detailing, the accessory relies
on the final modeling which holds up under close scrutiny. A little
fiddly to initially secure, due to a tight fit ensuring the dart
gun does not fall off.
Both accessories are well-formed and functional, and can be posed
on the figure. The dart gun is a single piece and is oversize
due to scale. No flashing can be seen which is impressive for
something of this size.
| Packaging
Sideshow has updated their inlay tray for the only 1/6 scale
Bond figure released in the last quarter of the year. The
number of anchor points has been reduce by one allowing
easier access to the figure and less damage to the box.
The layout for the box follows the standard Bond range,
with the US one sheet poster on the outer flap.
The inner flap features a short mission briefing and primary
cast list. The upper half of the text on the rear face of
the box looks at Moore’s career. This text is set
along-side a full-length image of the figure. Eight still
photos from the film split this from the bottom half, which
features text on ‘The Bond Gadgets’, ‘Villain’
and ‘Bond Girl’. Highlighted areas can be seen
all over the box taken from the opening sequence of Moonraker.
Detailing
As with all these figures most of the details can be found
on the head. Starting from the top, the brown hair has been
highlighted with light brown streaks. Both eyes are clear
and well formed, but focusing on a different focal point.
Subtle contrast has been added to the skin, with highlights
and darker tones on the face to help extenuate the sculpted
lines. There is no evidence of paint bleeding anywhere on
the head, and the detailing lines are clean and strong.
Faint amounts of detailing can be found the boots to simulate
scuff marks.
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Sculpting
Sideshow returns to Moore era films after focusing on Connery
and Brosnan. Oluf W. Hartvigson returns to lend his hand to shaping
the figure’s finer points. Using Sideshow’s well-established
body, additional detail can be found on the head and hands. There
is no visible flashing on either hand, however the veins are over
pronounced. Fully detailed creases and folds in the skin are present,
adding to the illusion of reality. The figure’s right hand
is posed allowing it to hold the ray gun.
Using the established Live and Let Die head from Sideshow’s
second Moore figure, Hartvigson has come extremely close in capturing
Moore’s youthful look. There are fine crease details on
the forehead and around either side of the nose. Only a tiny amount
of flashing is visible on the crown of the head and left ear.
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Accessories
Wrist watch dart gun
Laser gun
Overall
The two accessories are far from the best, however the costume
is near perfect - but some fans may have wanted to see the
traditional silver space suit. The skin colour is too dark,
but this figure works in general and exudes quality. Paired
along-side Jaws, this duo will be something special as Sideshow
adds a larger than life Bond to their collection.
MI6 Rating
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Related Articles
Moonraker MI6 Movie Coverage
Roger Moore - James Bond
Images courtesy Sideshow
Collectibles. Original content is copyright mi6-hq.com ©
1998-2005.
Bond materials © Danjaq and United
Artists. Bond trademarks ™ Danjaq.
