Indy Arrives

The 12-inch Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, fully-articulated figure that I ordered from Sideshow Collectibles finally arrived at my local comic book shop. The shop owner presented the figure to me and I cautiously, breathlessly, cradled the box in my hands. I was immediately struck by the pictures decorating the box on all sides.

Each side pictured the enclosed figure in varying poses. I held my breath and gently pulled the Velcro lid fastener open, revealing the two separate inside halves of the box. One side contained various accessories and the other, covered in tissue paper, was the Indiana Jones figure itself. A Raiders of the Lost Ark synopsis is printed on the inside flaps

The figure (one of Sideshow's ball and socket and multi-tier, overlap torsos) fits snuggly in the clear plastic, molded container, with molded lid, that is specifically designed for the figure. The Indiana figure is dressed in his trademark fedora that is given the appearance of age and wear by paint application. The figure comes dressed in an off-white long-sleeve shirt with twin breast pockets, safari shoulder accents, front pleats and buttons running down the front and on the pockets. The shirt is tucked in gray/green slacks with front and back pockets. A military cloth belt with brass buckle holds the pants up.

A belt and holster are over the pants' belt. Indy wears his trademark high brown leather shoes with laces and worn leather pilot's jacket with twin front pockets, leather draws and with snaps and zipper. the deep brown leather coat is lined by a lighter brown fabric. Each hand is covered by worn leather gloves.

The clothing details are impressive. Buttons, zippers, buckles and pockets a precisely scaled to the figure. No oversize zippers or awkward button holes. The hat is part of the head. The facial features and coloration of the face are dead-on perfect matches to Harrison Ford's. The figure's blue eyes reflex light as if real and the nose, mouth, ears and facial structure, even the beard stubble, give the figure the appearance of almost being alive.

The head can be detached and replaced with Indiana's head without a hat. An additional set of three hands also come with figure: two without gloves, one with. The gloved hands are in fists and the plain hands come open and shut, allowing the figure to grasp items that come with the it. The only weakness I spotted with the figure are the gloved hands. The paint application duplicating the worn leather looks a little blotchy and uneven.

Accessories include a bag filled with sand as seen in Raiders, two whips (one coiled and one open), a revolver, an automatic with removable magazine, an extra (clean) fedora, the golden fertility idol also seen in Raiders and Indy's shoulder satchel, complete with buttons. The Sideshow exclusive figure comes with arrows and torch. I have the regular version.

Details on the guns are accurate, the whip is flexible for easy posing, the idol appears made of actual gold (nice paint application) and the extra Fedora and satchel appear identical to their movie namesakes.

Overall I give the figure an 'excellent' rating. Figure articulation is smooth with no binding caused by the clothes. Weapons and accessories fit snuggly into the figure's hands with no slippage or forcing a fit. Paint application is extremely well-done with no slop-over or jagged paint edges. Color gradation-feathering makes the face appear as if it has real skin with varying tones.

The figure stands easily on its own without the use of the stand that is included. Packaging is tight and secure with colorful interior and exterior art and photo accents. The figure is a little pricey but well-worth the money invested. I was not disappointed with figure. I consider it one of my prize Indiana Jones collectibles.