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RoboCop 1.0

July 4, 2014 | By Errex More

I loved the original RoboCop movie. It was at the same time the most violent, yet subtly subversive sci-fi movie I got to see at a theater back in the 90’s. I liked the sequels considerably less though, and by the time there were Kenner toys based on the TV show I wanted nothing to do with the concept.

That is why I was rather skeptical about the 2014 RoboCop movie, but since I just don’t feel like discussing the movie itself, let’s just focus on the toy line associated with it.

The toy license went to Jada Toys, a rather small company better known for their model cars and more recently for their series of licensed Halo vehicles, which also happen to feature small articulated figures.

Jada toys attention to detail is fairly evident in the RoboCop 1.0 action figure. The sculpture is based in the new movie design, which in turn is reminiscent of the original vintage design.

The new body is sleeker, with a very impressive amount of sculpted detail in it. Normally, the 1/18 scale segment in most modern toy lines doesn’t get this level of detail, making RoboCop 1.0 quite an impressive little figure to look at.

And I mean that literally, since RoboCop here is made strictly as a 1/18 scale action figure, which means he will look rather small standing next to a Star Wars or G.I. Joe action figure. But then again, that was to be expected considering that Jada Toys is primarily a scale model manufacturer.

The only parts that feel a bit lacking in terms of sculpting are the organic ones, namely the right hand and the small section of exposed flesh on his head. Both areas have very little detail in them, with the mouth being just a suggestion produced by the subtlest of shadows. The right hand is functional, but looks bloated and undefined next to the sharply defined details sculpted on the suit.

The RoboCop 1.0 suit has a fairly small number of articulation points in the form of:

• Ball jointed neck.

• Pegged hinge shoulders.

• Pegged hinge elbows.

• Pegged hinge hips.

• Upper thigh swivels.

• Pegged hinge knees.

Not a lot to work with, to be sure, and some of these have a rather reduced range because of the armor design. Surprisingly, the hip joints work remarkably well and are implemented nicely, but the mid-limb articulation doesn’t bend beyond a 45-degree angle.

It is still possible to squeeze dynamic poses out of this figure, just not many, as the lack of ankle joints does cause stability issues when the center of gravity is not quite properly aligned.

The definite strength of this figure is it’s appearance. RoboCop 1.0 comes molded in a nice, dense black plastic, with all the silver and flesh bits painted on, While the paint applications on the organic bits is perfunctory at best, it is in the metallic colored parts where Jada Toys excels, as the finish is thin and smooth, with a perfect coverage.

There are a few small accents here and there painted either in silver or black all over the suit, and a thin red line representing the illuminated helmet visor.

RoboCop 1.0 comes equipped with a couple of weapons. One is a pistol and the other seems to be some type of fully automatic weapon with an extended stock. Both weapons are almost flat in their design and have deco painted in dull gray and black colors. On the magazine of one of them you can even see “OCP” stenciled in white.

Although RoboCop can grab either gun with his right hand, the left hand was clearly designed to hold only the larger weapon, as it has the tips of thumb and index fingers fused together with barely enough space to slide in the grip of the full-auto gun.

Overall, I like this figure, despite the few shortcomings. It is fairly evident that Jada Toys needs some more experience when it comes to designing articulation for action figures, but I really like the level of detail they put in this version of RoboCop.