Dragon's 1/6 scale Astronauts

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

I was originally gonna use an earthrise for a background, but as it turns out my limited space will not allow for it as of now.

These are my two favorite shots (pretty decent resolution as well)...

Nice pics! Have you considered one of those LED-lighted Maybang display cases w/ the mirrored back? Although, not cheap @ over $100, and BIG @ about 12" x 13" x 16"...

 

[Maglor]

I've only just assembled mine. Batty and Maglor it was made so much easier thanks to your pics and descriptive posts, thanks for that! Overall impressions is that, while I missed out on the earlier releases and have been waiting a while for this release, I don't think this figure does enough to warrant the pricetag - $145 (plus no free shipping to Oz, that's extra of course).

It's the little things:

*no assembly guide. Which is in keeping with Dragon's other figure releases. Dragon know that it's mostly military enthusiasts who collect their figures, so they have never seen reason to bother explaining to people what they likely already know. But in this case, how many people really know how a space suit fits together... and there is surprisingly little reference material available that shows the nitty gritty of the pack assembly.

* Another nitpick is the inclusion of a stock Dragon stand that isn't large enough to accommodate the space boots. What about some love for those collectors - most I'd say - who will be displaying their figure with the boots on?

* The helmet components are not well considered. The collar, as has been noted before, is a bit clumsy. But for all the bits not to snap together as they look like they should is my biggest gripe. A high-end figure price tag demands better tooling.

* The fabric covering the pack is a bit cheap looking. I don't really want to be seeing the cheap plasticky guts underneath the fabric.

*the clip on the chest box. Grey plastic. Come on...

I am glad I picked this up - it won't get any cheaper, with ebay prices already up since its release - but it doesn't quite sit comfortably with my other high-end collectibles. I think I'll come to love it more over time, but initially I can't help but be disappointed that prices are getting higher and higher for what are essentially mid-level figures, ie they're in a range that 6 months ago was where Hot Toys priced their basic figure sets.

Agreed on all points. However, I don't even remember noticing that he came with a stand. The moon boots provide a nice wide base, so it's a non issue for me.


Also, although I agree that the clip on the chest box is a bit chincy, I prefer the look of the figure with the camera on, so it's covered anyway.

Nice pics! Have you considered one of those LED-lighted Maybang display cases w/ the mirrored back? Although, not cheap @ over $100, and BIG @ about 12" x 13" x 16"...

I'll look into it for future reference.

However, his stuck on a crowded shelf right now, so all the space I can afford is for the figure itself:

 

[aesthetics]

have him standing face to face with a HT big chap alien would be awesome, create a bit of an "what if" scenario , might be getting this figure just for that!

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

However, his stuck on a crowded shelf right now, so all the space I can afford is for the figure itself

Display space is a problem for me too, Maglor, I'm married. ('Nuff said!) Trouble is I like me some 1/18 scale diecast cars and 1/72 scale diecast airplanes, too.

I like your TZ doc/nurse figs. I might have to look into those. I like the way you have the nurse holding her hands—perfect! Have any more TZ figs? I loved the original Outer Limits, also. I wish I knew how many figures were produced for that.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

OK, I just opened up the box and I have a dilemma already: Maybe a stupid-sounding Q but I searched through these posts and I couldn't find any mention on whether the "inner" boots stay on underneath the outer boots. (I don't even know if it's possible to remove the inner boots; they seem to be on there pretty snug.) My guess is yes, that the "moon" boots go over the other boots. Anybody?

** Never mind, I heated the boots up w/ a hair dryer like someone had suggested and they slipped right over the other boots real easy.

I used tweezers to tuck the pants into the boots which keeps the boots on relatively tight and keeps them from slipping up and down if the figure is picked up. That looks more correct, too.

Onward...

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

Well, that's it, about an hour later I'm done. The hardest part was threading the chin strap through its plastic buckle thingie—required 2 tweezers and my daughter's help. The inner helmet doesn't exactly snap into the suit rim, but it fits snugly enough into it and all seem to work.

Part of the Velcro of the outer helmet collar is exposed, which I don't much like. And the backpack material doesn't fit around the inner plastic piece well, but overall this figure looks better than I expected once it's assembled. I'm very pleased, overall.

Will post some pics soon.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

On an old bed sheet lunar surface stands Neil Armstrong with the (1/48 scale) "Eagle" perched in the background. The last picture shows yours truly with the camera reflecting on Neil's visor. Note my "dome."

This was a quick set-up just for the pics.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

And here's the scene in an IKEA Billy bookcase with an approving Cpt. Kirk just off to the side. Kirk is supposed to be 1/6 scale but he sure looks smaller next to that bulky space suit. I've got to do something about all that whiteness.

Actually this is a temporary setup as I have Mr. Spock on pre-order, and he's gonna want to be at his Captain's side.

 

[DeadLeaves]

Nice pics! I still have to put mine together, you've almost motivated me.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

Nice pics! I still have to put mine together, you've almost motivated me.

Put together sure adds up to more than the sum of its parts. But I still can't decide which way I prefer to display him: visor up or down, or with helmet off with him holding it similar to this pic:

 

[Lejuan]

Visor down for me, the head sculpt just doesn't pass muster next to my other figures.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

Visor down for me, the head sculpt just doesn't pass muster next to my other figures.

I'm leaning that way, too. Although that way you miss out on viewing the inner pressure helmet and skull cap w/ the communications system and also the Neil identity—even though it's not a very strong likeness, it's ok.

 

[Lejuan]

I'm leaning that way, too. Although that way you miss out on viewing the inner pressure helmet and skull cap w/ the communications system and also the Neil identity—even though it's not a very strong likeness, it's ok.

I know what you mean, I do like both ways of displaying the figure. If only the sculpt was just a little better, mainly in the paint app. I'd like two of the outer helmets tbh as I have already put tiny scratches on the reflective visor from switching between the visor up/visor down modes. The scratches are barely even there, but I can see that keeping a shiny new visor for the lifetime of this figure will mean not doing a lot of switching.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

These are nice clear reference pics, but unfortunately have little to do with the actual figure. As you said, the Electrical Umbilical Hose isn't even coming out of the right side.

I have no intention of modifying the figure to be more accurate. It's just a matter of figuring out what Dragon had in mind for the hose coming from the box...

Yeah, I think Dragon got some of this stuff wrong. The Electrical Umbilical Hose should be coming out of the right side of the control box, not the left.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

I know what you mean, I do like both ways of displaying the figure. If only the sculpt was just a little better, mainly in the paint app. I'd like two of the outer helmets tbh as I have already put tiny scratches on the reflective visor from switching between the visor up/visor down modes. The scratches are barely even there, but I can see that keeping a shiny new visor for the lifetime of this figure will mean not doing a lot of switching.

Woa, didn't realize that thing gets scratched from doing the ol' up and down. I think I'll keep it down and leave it alone.

 

[Lejuan]

It could just be me and my clumsy fingers - it's just something to watch out for

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

I noticed that I had velcro-ed the collar up too high on the helmet so I fixed it. It needs to be positioned so that the visor tabs on the bottom are exposed, as circled in blue on the reference pic of Neil's suit, below. This is a little tricky because the helmet rim below the visor isn't very wide—which doesn't leave much room to work with—and the helmet material tends to want to hitch up and cover the tabs. It does look much more correct, though, once fixed and it helps make the collar somewhat narrower-looking.

 

[NCC-1701 no bloody ABCorD]

Hmm, looks like people have started to lose interest in this figure—and this thread—just when I got all excited and went out and bought one.

 

[Lejuan]

Hmm, looks like people have started to lose interest in this figure—and this thread—just when I got all excited and went out and bought one.

Typical life cycle of a thread. It'll get bumped again when the next collector picks one up. In the meantime, it's not a figure that offers a huge range of posing and photography possibilities; it's not attached to a larger line, doesn't have a bunch of QC issues and pretty much what you see is what you get. All those factors combined bring us a lightly frequented thread

 

[Maglor]

Hmm, looks like people have started to lose interest in this figure—and this thread—just when I got all excited and went out and bought one.

Sorry man, I've been meaning to reply for a while. I will soon.