Courtesy of Amok Time Toys, it's a frakin' Cylon review!

...As the Reimagined Series draws to a close this month, let's take a moment to appreciate what has come before...

Established toy retailer, Amok Time, has been involved in producing their own toys for some time now, and we're proud to have had the chance to review just a handful of them on CDX. About a year ago, when they announced that they were going to produce a series of 1/6 dolls from the classic 1978 television series, Battlestar Galactica, in their MONSTARZ line, I flipped!

I grew up watching the original BSG in syndication, and I always loved the Cylon's mechanical shock troopers, the Centurions. Their uniform, chromed look and menacing reciprocating red eye put them way ahead of Star Wars' Stormtroopers in my book! Oh, and their monotone robotic voice? Killer! Eat your heart out, Soundwave!

Granted, these dudes were just about as foppish as Stormtroopers: sure, they looked cool...but with a gun, they couldn't hit the broadside of a Basestar! But, hey, what can ya do? If Centurions were actually capable of taking out main characters effectively, you'd have...well...SciFi Channel's Reimagined Series.

The figure comes in a very nice, lidded window box shown above. The cardboard is thick and the graphics are glossy. The cover stays shut with the help of a couple velcro patches, and opening it reveals the doll, stand, and accessories, along with a brief synopsis of the first episode of the show on the inside of the lid.

Once you crack this sucker open, you have to wrestle with a few twist-ties and a couple clear elastic bands...and you've got yourself a 12-inch scourge of the galaxy!

In all its chrome toaster glory, the Centurion is exactly what you'd frakin' expect. Shiny. Menacing. Tough to photograph. ;)

This toy looks superb! Essentially, what we have is a typical-quality 1/6 ball jointed doll (BJD) wearing a stretchy black nylon suit. This suit has several velcro connection patches sewn onto it. The chrome armor bits slide onto the limbs or attach to these patches. And, oh, is that chrome gorgeous!? Some sprue bits are visible on the edges of the armor pieces, but it's very minor.

The boots and hands are molded in a very dense, but slightly flexible hard plastic. The sculpt detail on them is perfect. The arms feature flexible, ribbed sheaths around the elbows and chrome guards around the upper- and forearms. The legs have similar shiny vinyl covers that fit over the upper legs. Chrome armor bits rest over the calves, on top of the boots.

The backpack looks great--it perfectly captures the somewhat hunched appearance these soldiers had in the original show. Also, hanging from the back of the belt is a metal skirt brilliantly mimmicking the chainmail worn in the show. I swear, my girlfriend has earrings made of this stuff!

Now let's look at the accessories. First, the figure comes with a nice doll stand. Unfortunately, it's not adjustable: the support bar and flexible metal "tongs" are set at a height just above the Centurion's belt. That's fine, though--these dudes weren't exactly spry in the old show!

Honestly, the stand isn't even all that necessary. The figure has very solid hip and knee joints (and no ankle joints at all!), so he's very stable.

Next up, we have the weapons. The most common Centurion weapon was their rifle: a dopey-looking affair with a clear, light-up "barrel" at the end. This rifle, along with its short bayonet, is reproduced very nicely in this scale. The plastic is very matte, with a tiny bit of speckled silver applied to make it look worn. The barrel is, indeed, clear plastic.

The pistol is very similar in style and finish to the rifle--only no clear plastic tip...it's painted silver. The chrome sword is really just ornamental-only. I vaguely remember a Centurion drawing its sword once in a classic ep, but I always just assumed they were there to intimidate the Cylons' fleshy enemies. And appropriately enough, the handle on this toy version is far too narrow to fit in the doll's hands!

One thing to note about the sword, however, is that there's a peg right at the guard (on the opposite side shown in the pic above) that fits into a hole on one of the chrome plates adorning the Centurion's belt. With the chrome coat, the peg is WAY too thick to fit into this hole--I had to scrape off the chrome coating with a hobby knife to get it to attach properly. No biggie.

Next up, articulation! Unfortunately, this is probably where the toy loses the most points. If you're familar with BJDs, they can get a bit fiddly...especially with a lot of clothing/accessories attached to their bodies. The Centurion is no exception.

The shoulders can achieve a wide range of motion, but they're a tad looser than I'd like. Sometimes, when extending out one arm, and then adjusting some armor that's out of place somewhere else on the doll, the arm will flop back down. That's par for the course with BJDs, however. They're not so much meant to be played with as much as posed and put back on your shelf.

Anyway, when you're not shaking the thing around, the shoulders keep their pose fine. The elbows fare less well, though: those bendy vinyl sheaths aren't that bendable. The elbow joints are fine, but they're not strong enough to resist those sheaths flexing back to their original shape.

The wrists and neck just rotate: no ball-joint.

There is a double-jointed waist, but it's a bit awkward underneath all the armor (again, a flexible vinyl sheath) and the belt. It can get floppy at times, but it's not much of an issue.

The hips have a fantastic range of motion, and they're really sturdy. They have detents, but they're very coarse...so, when clicking the legs forward or backward at the hips, they rotate through quite a distance before locking into position. The knees are strong as well, and also have wide detents. Unfortunately, much of this added articulation is wasted because of one major omission: ankle joints. So, if you place the legs in any kind of action pose, the feet won't be flat with the ground and the figure won't be able to stand.

Sure, you can use the doll stand, but remember: its height can't be adjusted, so either the legs have to be more or less straight enough to reach the ground, or your "action pose" will make it look like it's flying! Again, these dudes weren't known for athleticism in the old show, so I'm not really all that bothered.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this figure. My only criticisms were regarding the articulation, but the reality is that this toy has all the flexibility of your typical BJD. And besides, you can easily achieve all the "classic" Cylon poses with no problem! Still...I may try to figure out a way to replace the elbow sheaths with something more flexible. Adding just that small amount of articulation would do wonders for posing the Centurion with its weapons.

If I could magically have my way, I'd have worked electronics into this toy. I'd add a red LED mounted on a tiny motor in the head to replicate the reciprocating red eye. Second, I'd definitely add a sound chip that played back classic Centurion lines in that crazy modulated voice! Ah, to dream...

Anyway, in the final analysis, this is one of the few toys of the classic BSG Cylon Centurion that actually features chrome armor and looks as fantastic as these guys did on the small screen. For that reason alone, you should pick one of these up from Amok Time Toys today!

BY YOUR COMMAND!

I picked a good time to start getting interested in statues...

After a few 12" dolls and a 16" vinyl robot, now Amok Time brings us their first fixed pose statue. And so far I'd say it's my favorite entry in their short existence as a toy maker. This statue is a sure fire winner for monster collectors and Vincent Price fans. It depicts Vincent Price in the guise of a vicious member of the Spanish Inquisition, as he prepares to torture a victim, during the classic 1961 movie The Pit and the Pendulum. This was a great role for Price and one of the best Edgar Allan Poe inspired films that he collaborated on with Roger Corman and A.I.P.

The statue comes packaged safely in a large 2-part styrofoam tray. Unfortunately, this makes the box a bit bigger (16.25"x12.75"x9.5") than I was expecting for a 12" piece, but it's a necessary evil. The box itself is a beautiful presentation showing the statue in closeup on the front and back and in a wide shot on each side. The back also features an image of the original theatrical one sheet poster, in addition to information about the item and it's makers.

BOX FRONT

BOX BACK

BOX SIDE

The statue is limited to only 500 numbered pieces, with mine being number 458. Also, it has the approval of the Vincent Price estate. And why wouldn't it? It's a gorgeous piece and the sculpt is an amazing likeness of the man.

In addition to just looking amazing, this statue also has a couple of unique features that I'd like to touch on. First, it actually incorporates magnets into the design! Both hands need to be attached when you take it out of the box but they simply pop right on (and off later if need be) because there are magnets in the wrists and in the sleeves. This was a really great idea. In fact, in hindsight, I wish it had been included in the Saucer-Men statue from Ultratumba so that you could swap out the alternate hands instead of having to pick which one to glue in. Oh well, maybe next time.

The next thing that I really like about this one is that the cauldron of burning coals actually lights up red! This is a great effect and looks really nice in person. It was a bit hard for me to show it properly both in pictures as well as in the video review, but take my word for it, the effect is superb.

The effect requires 2 AA batteries but those are included in the package. The on/off switch is simply on the back side of the base, out of view, but easily accessible.

Overall, I have absolutely zero complaints with this item, which is rare. There's almost always something that could have been done just a little bit better, but I can't think of anything to improve on this one. Maybe a higher production run so that no one misses out? To be on the safe side, go get yours at Amoktime.com before they sell out!

He was called The Creeper, The Brute Man and the Hoxton Strangler.. but now we just know him as Rondo...

The first figure I saw Amok Time advertising on their site was this 12" figure of Rondo Hatton and I gotta admit, although the face was familar, my knowledge of the man was limited. I had a vague idea of who he was from a memory of always seeing VHS tapes of House Of Horrors or The Jungle Captive where I used to buy my movies. But honestly, although I always meant to buy those ones, it seemed there was always something I wanted a little bit more and I regret to admit that I still haven't seen them to this day. But I used to love watching the old Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (the Holmes and Watson, for my money) on one of the public broadcasting stations here in Boston (Channel 64, WGBH, I believe it was) and so there's a pretty good chance I did see him in 1944's The Pearl Of Death when I was little. But if so, the details of the man faded from memory and now thanks to Amok Time, Rondo is back in the spotlight. From the back of the box:

Rondo Hatton was born on April, 22nd 1894 in Hagerstown Maryland. Before Hollywood, Rondo served in the National Guard to pursue a military career. He was stationed in France during WWI. There, he was exposed to poison gas, hospitalized with lung injury, and was medically discharged from the service and given a pension. Now living in Florida, it was after his military service that he developed acromegaly. Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that most commonly occurs in middle-aged men and women. The name "acromegaly" comes from the Greek words for "extremities" (acro) and "great" (megaly), because one of the symptoms of this condition is abnormal growth of the head, hands and feet. This unfortunate affliction gave him his unique appearance. While shooting in Florida, a Hollywood director saw Rondo and thought that he had a face that was meant to be in pictures. Moving to Hollywood from Florida, Rondo was given a string of mostly uncredited bit roles. His uncredited acting luck changed when he was cast for the role of the "Hoxton Creeper" in Universal's The Pearl Of Death (1944). This was the start of the Rondo most remember, a skulking, shadowy figure nicknamed The Strangler, Creeper or Brute Man. From these roles a star was born. Unfortunately, due to health complications from acromegaly, namely heart disease and diabetes, Rondo passed away far too early, February 2, 1946. From his short Hollywood career his legend grew thru the classic monster renaissance of the late 50-60s.

The Rondo figure comes packaged in a nice box with opening lid and window box interior. The box art is beautifully painted by Rainer F. Engel* of Nightmares In Plastic magazine. When the box are was initially revealed, I remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by it, but as time has gone one I've come to like it more and more. I think it just took a little getting used to since I'm so accustomed to having the old poster art on these boxes. The interior of the lid features a nice image of the toy. In fact, if you look closely, you will see that the painting wraps around the lid and serves as the background for both the painted image of Rondo on the cover and the photographic image of the toy inside!

But perhaps best of all might even be the interior tray that holds the plastic that the figure is packed in. Check out this awesome image of the shadow of the Creeper!

That blew me away when I saw it. It's so representative of the style of thriller made back in the day. I only wish it was much bigger so that you could really use it as a display backdrop for the figure.

Anyway, about the figure. I am really, really happy with it. In fact, it's surpassed my expectations. I figured I would get it just to add that variety that by now you know I love, but in person the toy really stands out. First, the sculpt of the head and face is PERFECT! One of the very best of any 12" doll I have. It looks great from all angles and the attention to detail is striking, from the wrinkles in the forehead to the veins in his temple. The nose looks like it's been broken and entire face is hard. This is a guy you don't wanna mess with!

Rondo comes with two different hats that he can wear as well. One is tall than the other and the smaller one has a sort of belt molded onto it. They both look good, but I tend to prefer the smaller one.

Rondo's clothes are also extremely well done and are bulky enough to provide that intimidating mass that gave his characters such a frightening appearance. His outer jacket has two buttons to open/close it and I think these might be my only "complaint" with the figure. The buttons are actually sewn in there! Although this detail is to be commended for it's realism, I worry that at some point I might break the string that attaches them and it can be a bit difficult to get the buttons through the holes on the other side. A snap button would have been easier, but that's just a personal preference on my part. Most people would probably applaud the extra effort that Amok Time has taken here. Heck, he even wears a real belt that has been expertly cinched off rather than one that is just snapped on!

Here's something else that I noticed and at first I thought was a flaw, but I'm not sure it is. Both lower arms can be separated from the upper arms quite easily. At first I thought it might be broken, but then I realized that even though they can come loose, the lower arms are actually attached to the sleeves so that they do not come out of the clothing and off the figure altogether. This makes me think it was intentionally done as a way to provide more flexibility in the arms. Some flexibility was lost due to the bulky clothes I mentioned earlier so this seems like a really neat way to compensate for that!

Lastly, Rondo comes with his own 12" doll stand with his name on the base. It's a real treat to have these figures come with stands. These kinds of figures are cool, but it's a pain to have to buy them and then go buy stands separately so their inclusion is a real plus.

Rondo Hatton is gone but not forgotten. Every year, the best in horror films, comics, tv and other media is celebrated with the Rondo Awards, as voted by the fans. I think you can expect Rondo himself to compete for a trophy for "best toy" this year. You can get your 12" Rondo at AmokTime.com.

*Rainer is also a fellow member of the Universal Monster Army and his magazine is based on the book he co-wrote with Jorg Buttgereit, director of a little film called "Nekromantik", from whence my nickname came!

DO NOT PANIC!

but...SCREAM! SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!

"The Tingler" was a 1959 movie directed by the legendary William Castle and might be the best example of why I love good old gimmicky 1950s horror and sci-fi movies. They just don't make them like this anymore* and you certainly never see such an effort to get the audience involved like Castle did with "The Tingler".

In the movie, Vincent Price plays a scientist who discovers that the strange tingling sensation that you feel when you are frightened is actually caused by a parasite that grows at the base of your spine. The more frightened you are, the bigger it gets. Screaming relieves the fear and destroys the Tingler. But...what if you can't scream? A mute character in the film actually dies from fright and the Tingler is removed by Price and is shown to be a centipede-like monster.

Now, as if this isn't hokey and preposterous enough, William Castle had to make the movie even more entertaining by introducing "Percepto" to theater audiences. From Wikipedia:

"For "Percepto!" William Castle attached electrical "buzzers" to the underside of several seats in the auditorium. The buzzers were small surplus vibrators left over from World War II. They had been installed inside the wings of air craft and when activated would vibrate to help de-ice the wings by shaking and cracking the ice. The cost of this equipment added $250,000 to the film's budget. It was predominantly used in the larger theaters.

An alternate warning was recorded for Drive-in Theatres, this warning advised the audience the tingler was loose in the drive in. Vincent Price's voice was not used for the Drive-in version."

A friend of mine says that the drive-in version tells you to honk your horn or flash your lights in place of, or in addition to screaming. I have seen this movie at a drive-in, but it was the regular theatrical cut with Vincent Price's announcement.

So, now that you know something about the movie, we can move on to this release of the monster itself. The Tingler was originally released in 2004, but the version I have here is the 2007 second edition. Strangely, the "T" in Tingler is replaced with a "?" on the underside of the Tingler. It comes in a large box with a clear window on the front through which you can see the Tingler inside. The Tingler rests in styrofoam, which is fine, but I wish that there wasn't a large piece of styrofoam going right down the middle of the display.

The front of the box actually lifts up so that you don't have to slide the entire styrofoam tray out of the end to remove the creature. One end of the box shows Price along with a reproduction of the death certificate shown in the above trailer.

The Tingler itself is a fixed pose resin statue measuring about 21" long and about 6.5" wide. So it's a significant piece to add to your monster collection, in terms of size.

I'm not a big fan of resin statues, but I'm really glad to have a Tingler to display. The only gripe I have at all with it is that it appears that on mine the antennae were actually broken off and glued back on before the toy was packaged. I didn't bother to send it back since it's not a huge deal to me. You really can't tell without close inspection, but I think that sort of thing just doesn't reflect well on Ultratumba Productions, who made this. I don't ever plan to re-sell this, but I suspect that if I do, I'll have a hard time convincing my potential buyer that it came that way out of the box. C'est la vie.

* (Then again, maybe they do. There's been reports of, you guessed it, a remake being made.)