NECA expanded their 7 inch Terminator line with two new figures from the 2019 Terminator Dark Fate movie. Released in January 2020, Sarah Connor and the T-800 were packed in window box packaging and were initially planned as the first of at least two waves. As it stands it seems NECA have halted plans for any more Dark Fate figures.
Packaging 4/5
The Dark Fate packaging is similar to that used on the Terminator Genisys line in 2015 although the Dark Fate releases use a very dark colour scheme with black as the base and red prominently used for highlighting the artwork and the figure itself with a red backdrop included behind the figure tray. If you look closer the box carries a number of smaller details rather than being plain black - these include technical readouts in feint grey text and some metallic grey borders, with hotter red metal type effects around the window.
The boxes are generic and the only difference between the Sarah Connor box and the T-800 is the yellow lettered name on the front and round the back. The right hand side panel has a very striking image of a Rev-9 exoskeleton while the opposite side carries a large movie logo. Round the back we have another image of the Rev-9 skull underneath a short synopsis of the movie itself.
"Dani Ramos is living a simple life in Mexico City when a highly advanced and deadly new Rev-09 Terminator travels back through time to hunt and kill her.
Dani's survival depends on her joining forces with two warriors: Grace, an enhanced super-soldier from the future, and a battle-hardened Sarah Connor.
As the Rev-9 ruthlessly hunts for Dani, the three are led to a T-800 from Sarah's past that may be their last best hope."
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
Like the first Sarah Connor release, this older version from Dark Fate holds an excellent likeness to Linda Hamilton - particularly face on. The face is well painted although the eye brows are a little too heavy - I can't wait until NECA launch face print technology to see how that will enhance their scults.
The hair is sculpted as part of the head and is layered to sit further forward on her left side with the right brushed behind her ear. This is blonde as a base colour, with white over the top to give an overall greying effect. As this is not a separate piece it has had to be cast in the skin tone and then painted. This has led to some unpainted areas where hair meets skin and is particularly visible around the right ear.
A second head sculpt is included with the set and is, for me, the more striking. In this alternative look Sarah is wearing her aviator type sunglasses. This is the same head as the other, but with the glasses glued on top. The shape and positioning of the glasses is spot on and they are even reflective on the lenses when the light catches them. Excellent work.
The costume is excellent with a green shirt, overwhich the flak vest has been added as an individual rubberised plastic piece. This is not designed to come off. The legs are a skinny jean with the appropriate stitching and pockets and folds and creases in the fabric. The feet are combat boots with the jeans above them split to come over the top of the laced area.
This is the look Sarah wore later in the movie, where as the earlier costume had a black shirt with green combat vest.
A word of warning, be careful swapping out the head as the peg uses is very slim and getting the replacement head into position and locked requires a bit of pressure. A similar mechanism is in use on the hands which are also quite delicate.
Accessories 4/5
While this is not an Ultimate release, Sarah has been armed very well by NECA with three individual weapons included in the box as well as an alternative right hand. Having tried out both hands, there is very little difference between the two and they both seem to hold all the weapons included. The difference appears to be in the angle the weapon is held and one has a longer trigger finger than the other. It is really a case of trying out all combinations to find the best pose for your display.
The first weapon is a small handgun. This is cast in a hard black plastic which feels quite brittle compared to some plastics used by other companies - the trade off is the amount of detail in such a small weapon - including holes above the barrel and even a visible hammer on the firing mechanism. It fits into the right hand and when not in use there is also a holster at Sarah's waist. For some reason the gun will only go fully into this one way with the grip pointing out forward - looking at reference images this does look to be correct.
The second weapon is an assault rifle with scope. This is also cast in a hard brittle feeling plastic but again the trade off is the details in the weapon with crisp definition of each part. Once again it slots in the right hand and the left hand is designed to cup and grip the weapon for two handed posing.
Finally we have a shotgun, also cast in black plastic but with less detail this time round - but with an added feature that a front grip is articulated under the barrel and can be folded down and out for an additional second grip option.
While I don't wish to sound ungrateful considering the weaponry included, but I do love the look of Sarah wielding that rocket launcher and including that would have been cool (even though Sarah is in a different outfit when using this).
Articulation 3/5
Sarah Connor has a total of 14 points of articulation, quite low vs similar sized and priced figures.
Head : pivot neck peg
Body : waist ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot peg
Legs : ball joint hip, single knee joint, ankle rocker
The upper body works pretty well although had we had double jointed elbows and a more traditional head ball joint we might have got a bigger range of motion. What we get is the ability for two hand weapon posing.
The lower body carries forward the use of the rubberised groin which hides and then moves with the leg articulation. The issue is that the hips don't move too much and when they are moved they do stretch the groin area making it look a bit off. You can achieve some wider stances - but with single joint knees (and not even a rotation) and very limited ankle rockers you will most likely keep Sarah in a neutral pose.
While there are restrictions with the articulation, the look of the figure even with some basic poses, is fantastic and she looks great posed with Carl (T-800).
Summary
The Sarah Connor figure from Dark Fate is certainly a very visual good looking figure, with good paint apps in the main and plenty of detail around the sculpt. Alternative heads give two distinct looks and there are also three weapons to choose from.
The only real issue is the lack of posing options, with articulation limited in range.
I score the NECA Terminator Dark Fate Sarah Connor a 4 out of 5.
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