Sherlock Action Figure Review

Underground Toys has been distributing the Character Options 5 inch Doctor Who figures in the US for a number of years now, even commissioning plenty of sets of their own to sell in the US market. In early 2015 Underground announced that they would be enhancing their 5 inch scale range by bringing figures based on BBC Sherlock's to market. Rather than release in waves, the intention is to bring us one figure at a time in collector's packaging via both the BBC shop in the UK and then UT's own distribution set-up in the US.

The first figure, the titular Sherlock, was scheduled for a December 2015 release and actually arrived a few weeks early - an unusual situation in Action Figure distribution.

Sherlock arrives in a pretty smart looking box which is a cross between the current Doctor Who figures we are seeing at Toys R Us and the Velcro closed outer flap boxes that have been used on some Dr Who figures, and may be more familiar to anyone who is picking up the NECA Ultimate figures. As I have said previously if I was a Mint In Box collector, these outer flaps - which hide the figure - would frustrate the hell out of me.

This flap on Sherlock is done a little differently however, which is an improvement on some others we have seen. The design is that of the front door of 221b Baker Street, and the flap is actually a double opening, so the centre can be opened to reveal the figure within. The front door flaps have an insert of the actual figure itself, and the rather odd statement "Poseable Arms". Does that mean the legs and head aren't?

Both side spines carry a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and with two inserts advertising that the figure comes with a Violin and a Skull and Mobile Phone. The rear of the box is another larger image of Cumberbatch and a number of legal and safety text - interestingly there is no mention of future releases or other figures in the range. Once the front doors are opened the left has a picture again of Cumberbatch with a Sherlock quote. The right shows Dr Watson. The Velcro fasteners are circular and black and sadly stand out like a sore thumb against the white background. The window around the figure features another Cumberbatch image - by this time I think we have seen him 5 times. Behind the perspex is the figure, surrounded by the various accessories. And there again is this odd "Poseable Arms" quote in the bottom right.

Now if you stopped this review now and never opened the box, you will probably be happy with your new Sherlock figure. I am a loose collector and open everything, and this is one of the few figures I have put back in the box as the packaging is sadly much more impressive than the figure.

Underground have been involved, to some degree, with 5 inch figures for some time. But Sherlock is actually a huge step backwards in this scale to what we were seeing 10 years ago in the very early days of Doctor Who.

Sculpt wise, it's not too bad. It certainly has a good likeness of Cumberbatch and the body shape and scarf are reasonably well done. The issue's then start. The paint across the whole figure is thick! Any likeness in the sculpt is already spoiled by the thick skin colour and the giant brown eye brows and oversized eyes. And don't get me started on the rubbed hair paint which was already showing a skin tone underneath straight out of the box.

The head doesn't move at all, so you can cross off that possible point of articulation. The arms are really loose at the shoulders and there is a substantial gap between the shoulder and the coat which just looks odd. There is only a very old school rotating peg joint on the shoulder so there is no outward movement. The bicep is cut and can swivel, but again the gap is big and ugly and on my figure I am convinced that they have simply re-used the same shoulder on both right and left. I need another figure to confirm if this is an error at factory, or a cost saving exercise. Either way, on the figure I am looking at right now the right arm as I look at him is just not lining up at all. The elbows do bend and there is some swivel in the wrists although they are very tight.

The legs are articulated, phew! So at this point I still have no idea why "Poseable Arms" is branded all over the box. The leg joints start at the hip and with a thigh swivel. I then struggle to call the next bit a knee joint, as it's actually half way up his thigh so any bend in the leg looks like he has broken his femur. The leg joints are also restricted by the coat, so there isn't much you can do with the legs other than that neutral pose that he arrives in.

he coat is the next gripe. Its a decent sculpt, but doesn't sit on the figure round the back. It looks like he has a giant rear end, and if you push the coat there is a good 1/4 inch gap between coat and the back of the figure - this looks bizarre.

And finally, the accessories. They just about go in the hands, but there is no way you will have Sherlock remotely looking like he is playing that Violin. Also on mine the bow of the Violin was already violently bent when it came out of the sleeve and is too flexible to ever hold a straight shape.

This is sadly a very poorly executed release and that is such a shame. Sherlock is a bit of a cult show and ripe for collector grade figures at a smaller scale than the 1/6 versions from Big Chief Studio's. With the BBC licence not an easy thing to get, this feels like it has been wasted. The only positive is the price, which at £12.99 is cheaper than the current same scale Dr Who figures - although these Who offerings are 10 years ahead of this figure. I have no idea if this range will even hit figure number 2, which was scheduled to be Moriaty.

I score this figure, even at it's low RRP, a lowly 1 out of 5, and at this stage won't be opening up a Sherlock Archive until I can see some evidence of future figures and a step up in execution.

If you are still interested in buying this figure, then he can be bought from the BBC STORE