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REVIEW: Hot Toys MMS-181 Pirates of the Caribbean Angelica
Penelope Cruz Sails On Stranger Tides...
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After knocking it out of the park recently with the release of the incredibly detailed MMS DX-06 Captain Jack Sparrow (see our review HERE), Hot Toys returns of the world of Pirates of the Caribbean with the beautiful Penelope Cruz as the manipulative Angelica from the last Pirates film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This MMS release marks what could be the last Pirates figure for a long time (or at least till there’s another sequel) and is part of a group of three collectibles that are exclusive to the summer conventions (the other two are Lt. Jim Gordon Swat version and Captain America Rescue Version). The figure also surprisingly marks the sultry Spanish actress’ first foray as an action figure (not counting the other Angelica figures on the market).
With many of the Hot Toys figure releases, the packaging is as much a work of art as the figure itself and this one is no exception. The outer slipcase is made of a stiff, canvas like material with a full color image of Angelica wrapped around the front, side, and back. The inner box pulls out like a drawer using a finger hole with a large grommet and view of Blackbeard’s standard through the hole. Once you remove the box you see the figure viewable through a protective window on the insert cover.
The insert features a large Blackbeard symbol on the left flap and the smaller one that was spied earlier on the right flap. The bottom flap features a die-cut of the bleeding heart from Blackbeard’s flag, an unnecessary, but welcome little detail. The figure itself is housed in the typical Hot Toys figure tray with a clamshell cover and plastic covering things like her face and boots for added protection.
Angelica, like most Hot Toys figures, is loaded with detail with an incredible wardrobe and fun accessories. Her costume features multiple layers and includes a white shirt with open shoulders, black corset, long patterned vest, black pants and boots, long jacket, and her long patterned jacket. To complete the ensemble Hot Toys included many small features such as her earrings, gold cross necklace, belt, and scabbard with should strap. All of her costume is expertly crafted and features a lot of great patterns and embroidery. Everything is out together well with no noticeable flaws or loose threads. As far as accessories go, she doesn’t have many, but what she does have is interesting and compliments the Jack Sparrow DX figure. She features two swords; one that is her design and the other is Jack’s design (for when he was impersonating him). She also includes the two silver chalices, a small dagger, the voodoo doll of Jack, a Hot Toys figure stand, and her stylish hat with a real feather.
The figure itself features a True Type body with around 28 points of articulation allowing for a nice range of movement and posing. The head sculpt features the likeness of Penelope Cruz and while I can definitely see her there, it’s by no means perfect and something I feel throws it off is the eyes. It is extremely difficult to find an angle where the eyes look good and I think they are looking slightly up rather than straight ahead. Another issue I have with the figure is the real-rooted hair. In the 3 or 4 figures that they have done with hair it never seems to look good and is hard to manage and keep all the loose hairs off the skin.
Angelica also includes 5 hands: 3 for her left arm and 2 for her right. Both sets of hands feature sculpted rings while the left hand is actually a longer piece with a sculpted glove that goes up her forearm. One other small detail I’d like to note is there is a tattoo on her chest right above her left breast that is hidden by her shirt, something that could have been skipped, but ultimately show’s Hot Toys attention to detail.
Angelica is certainly an interesting looking figure and includes some great accessories and while Angelica is not my favorite figure or character in the Pirates line, she is a welcome addition to a series that is sorely lacking some major characters. It seems like such a missed opportunity for figures of Blackbeard or more importantly Barbossa who went four films without a figure and who sorely deserves a DX version with a change of costume. Perhaps someday we will see some more Pirates characters to complete our collections. In the meantime, The Hot Toys MMS-181 Pirates of the Caribbean Angelica is going to be in short supply so get your Summer Convention Exclusive before she sails away.
You can find her in stock now at Sideshow Collectibles and many other fine online retailers.
Review & Photos by Michael Klein
Review Sample courtesy of Hot Toys
