Review: Hot Toys Nick Fury 1/6 Scale Collectible Figure! (The Avengers)!

I've been greatly anticipating Hot Toys line of 1/6th scale figures based on Joss Whedon's crowd-pleasing, problem-punching, superhero flick, The Avengers! After what feels like a long wait, the first character is finally becoming available and, thanks to an early birthday gift, I have scowling, shiny-domed, S.H.I.E.L.D. co-ordinator Nick Fury right here in my quivering, over-eager hands!

"CALL ME A DOLL AGAIN, MUTHAFUGGA!" This badass is going to bitchslap Ken and get your Barbie's pregnant. If you want to see a lot more pictures of him and find out what I thought, then let's assemble... after the jump!

Not really a member of The Avengers, per se, it's possible that Mr. Fury is your least anticipated of the bunch, but don't rule this guy out yet, he's an excellent figure and satisfyingly sets the tone for what's to come. And certainly easier to pick him up now while he's fresh than try to by him on the secondary market later when you realise you still need to get him to cap off your collection. And already that could be easier said than done. Our friends at Sideshow have recently sold out of him.

I have no idea if the boxes will follow a similar design for each figure, but his features a large monochromatic character photo with his name emblazoned across the top.

It's as simple as one of these boxes gets - there's no magnet locks or folding out pieces like the DX series - there's just an outer sleeve that slides off to reveal a window box containing the character clamshell/blister. This blister consists of a number of layers, however, with the figure on top and the accessories on a separate tray beneath...

You might recognise a few cool things in there already but we'll study them closer in a minute. First let's whip out this bad mofo and take a look at what Hot Toys have accomplished this time....

I run out of things to say with these. I mean just look at that, cat! I'm out of hyperbole! Hopefully the pictures should speak for themselves. It's a well-tailored, detailed outfit, he has a realistic stance, and there's no denying that this is a killer head sculpt. It captures Samuel L. Jackson's likeness perfectly. If anything it's probably a little on the flattering side, capturing perhaps a slightly younger Sam than we saw on the screen. (He's what? 135 now?) Regardless, he has an extremely iconic noggin that is instantly recognisable here...

No detail has been lost through the bald head. Look at all those veins and pores and wrinkles! And take a close look at his (one functioning) eye in this next picture. Absolutely captures that Sam Jackson intensity. "Yo, Toy Story! Woody ain't no Cowboy I ever heard of! Get that muthafuggin' snake out of yo' muthafuggin' boot!"

I kind of what to take the big black foam ball off the end of a microphone and affix it to his head so that I have a Pirate Pulp Fiction Jules. I think that there are some likenesses where you have to get the right angle to see it clearly. With Nick Fury here I think it really clicks together from every angle. It's incredibly strong work. 

Let's look at his accessories. I complained in my Abigail Whistler review that she needed clearer instructions on how everything worked. Thankfully this has been addressed with Nick Fury thanks to a photo-filled instruction pamphlet that shows you how to attach each piece correctly, starting with a holster that straps onto his thigh. You're going to feel real weird strapping something to tiny Samuel L. Jackson's thigh. It was exciting and dangerous. Like a cobra was about to strike.

He's got a pistol which I guess proved pretty useless against Norse mythology...

May as well keep this one holstered. I don't think it's going to fend off that alien invasion.

He's got a tiny headset that you can plug into his ear. Also felt weird. Like I owe him an apology.

Or, if you prefer, a more old skool walkie-talkie. I think he'd be better with a struttie-jivie. Think about it.

If we take off that big ol' Shaft coat of his we can see his black ops garb underneath. He's a lot more flexible without his coat but depending on how you position his arms, he also looks a little more dollish...

I think the real issue here is that he's just too slim. Sam in the film had eaten a few more Big Kahuna burgers than this guy and had a bit more bulk to him. The jacket achieves that but without it he looks a little bit weird to me. Although you can find poses where he looks kind of badass...

The articulation is fine for him. I don't need a lot for a character like this. Sam Jackson maybe intense, and powerful, but he's not athletic. 

Oh! There's an accessory I didn't photograph either, which is his wristwatch. I should have added to the picture above because it only fits when he has his non-gloved hands plugged in. He is packed with a range of hands, both gloved and non-gloved, which enable him to interact with his various bits and pieces.

His base is very basic, but check out the detail on those insurgent-stomping boots!

Bad. Ass. And I'm all over the place here, but to compensate for that tiny pistol he was packing earlier, let's even the score with this mighty black metaphor...

You probably can't really operate a bazooka with one hand, but hey, if anyone can do it one-handed it's probably Sam. Right? 

But I've saved the very best accessory for last! Let's pry open that briefcase...

ZOMG! It is the Tesseract, or as the man-on-the-street might call it: "the Cosmic Cube"! The cube itself is removable and made out of a mesmerizing transparent blue material which is probably magical/alien in nature. And if you flick the switch on the left there, the whole thing lights up!

Let's turn the lights off so we can see it better...

Ooh! It's nice here with just you and I and the lights off. Are you ticklish? No - that's not my hand. I swear!

This is the best accessory ever and I have to admit it was a bit of a selling point for me. How can you collect The Avengers and not own this part!? Look at this thing!

And although the case does have some weight to it, he has a very sturdy, gloved, case carrying hand, and this is exactly how I will be displaying him (once I clear some more room... I think I might need to buy some more glass cabinets)...

And that, my friends, is Nick Fury! If they can keep up this kind of quality for the rest of the line - and I'm sure they can - then this will be a truly amazing collection. I just hope I can keep up with it myself. The next figure down the pipeline is Hawkeye, expected any time between now and September. But don't fret, I have another Hot Toy en-route that I will be reviewing before the end of the week! More then!

As I said, Sideshow have sold-out of Nick Fury but you might be able to get on a waitlist. You can check out their range of Hot Toys right here: Sideshow Hot Toys 

Our friends at Big Bad Toy Store DO have him in stock! You can order him here.  And if you're in Australia you might want to check out Popcultcha who have him here.