Review: Hot Toys Agent Phil Coulson 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure!

So this is the one I was convinced I was going to skip. Iron Man? Yes! Thor? Sure! Black Widow? Absolutely? But I don’t need S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Phil Coulson, right? That’s just a mature dude in a suit! But then... it does look like a pretty cool figure... And what if the upcoming Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series is amazing? Because you might think he died, but Coulson apparently lives! And if I don’t get him and later regret it, he will cost a bazillion dollars on ebay... ARRARARRRGRARRGH!!!

So I got him, and I don’t regret it for a moment. There’s something so affable and instantly likeable about Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson character that I can’t help but smile every time I look at that mug. And, now in my mid thirties, I’m kind of glad that an older guy in a suit, with zero powers, can be a hero too. As strange as it may seem to an outsider, Coulson has a rabid fan base, and now I too have been swept up by the hype.

Far more images and info on Hot Toys Agent Phil Coulson... after the jump!

As always, we start with a box. I’ll bet Clark Gregg never imagined that he would one day see something quite like this... IMMORTALISED!

Beneath the cardboard outer sleeve is the less exciting but functional window box in which Coulson is imprisoned. I like that striking black and white though...

This is a cheaper figure than the others and has perhaps the simplest costume, but Hot Toys hasn’t skimped on the character specific accessories. There’s a lot of cool stuff tucked away in here which allow you to display Coulson in a variety of ways. Plus, of course, there’s the requisite extra sets of hands to allow him to interact with the various things. (And read the instructions before you free him, although this time it’s pretty straight forward).

And here he is right out of the box... MAN. IN. SUIT.

And it's a very fine suit for this scale. Casual clothes can often like doll clothes, but this is well tailored, finely pressed and has a ton of tiny little details. It's like a tiny perfect real suit for humans. I can't believe how much I love this suit. I'm more impressed than I was with Thor's costume.

However, don't assume that you can just pull off Coulson's head and whack on a Bruce Wayne or a Tony Stark. Coulson's body is a little more portly than that and he has some padding around the middle. The suit is probably a touch too big to use for that sort of custom.

Hot Toys, of course, are renown for their uncannily life-like head sculpts. Let's say how Phil Coulson stacks up...

And it's good! Really good in fact. I don't think these images really do it justice. It's definitely Clark Gregg and he looks especially likeable in person.

So let's start getting him kitted up. Starting with his trademark name badge which hooks into his tiny functional pocket...

But there's much more. He has a smartphone, which I haven't photographed, as I prefer this far more ostentatious walkie-talkie. Not to mention his bitchin' sunglasses! So agenty!

And a THIRD communication option is this microscopic earpiece that I'm terrified I'd lose in a display. They really covered all the bases. I'm surprised he doesn't also come with two tin cans and a length of string...

And here's a folder of ZOMG SECRET S.H.I.E.L.D. files. The only disappointment here is that the paper inside is actually blank. Hot Toys are usually such sticklers for detail that I expected them to have actual secrets sprawled across them. Like why Hulk doesn't completely split out of his pants.

Coulson is facing all sorts of crazy super-powered bullshit so we need to arm him. First up is a pistol that he can hold like a total badass, especially while wearing his sunglasses. He's quite a flexible figure seeing as how he's not wearing any outlandish body armour like the other heroes...

And you can spot his wrist watch in this next one, which is also a separately packed piece...

So that was all pretty great, right? Well, it gets even better. He comes with his treasured vintage Captain America trading cards, and not only are they to scale, but each one is individually printed with a unique image.

They're fantastic, although isn't it a little weird that they're covered in Coulson's blood!? How does that make any sense. I guess they are only of use if you're displaying him as post-Avengers resurrected Coulson. That scene in the film is so weird when Maria Hill mentions to Fury that Coulson wasn't even carrying these cards when he died. I imagine Samuel L. Jackson dipping the cards into Coulson's open chest wound like Doritos in a salsa.

This might be my favourite image...

And there's STILL more. Speaking of Coulson's spoileriffic death scene, here is the unfeasibly giant experimental gun that he brandishes.

How big is it? Massive...

And yet his joints are strong enough for him to wield it one-handed, or even over his head. It's a fun accessory for an otherwise conservative figure, and even better still it lights up!

It takes three tiny batteries which are thankfully included. I'm glad they went that extra mile as it's a really nice effect.

And here's how I will probably display him. I wanted to keep the gun in but I don't want him to take up a massive amount of space, so I think this a nice compromise that shows off my favourite stuff.

So yes, as you can no doubt tell I am both surprised and thrilled with this one. Might be one of my favourites even though I nearly skipped him. Definitely worth your time, and if his TV show is good then this thing will be coveted.

Now the bad news... our friends at Sideshow have sold out of him AND our friends at Big Bad Toy Store have sold out of him. You really have to pre-order this stuff, folks! But Australians are in luck! Popcultcha still has him if you're fast here.

Next time... a certain feline villain...