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REVIEW: Hot Toys 1:6 The Crow - ERIC DRAVEN
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I was 15 years old when The Crow first hit theaters. The film being rated R and me being under 17, I had to take an adult with me. Thus, opening weekend with my Grandmother Rose in tow, she asked what movie I’d like to see and I said nothing but The Crow.
I’d read the brilliantly violent and emotionally-charged comic by James O’Barr about Eric Draven, a musician whose life is tragically changed when he and his fiancée Shelly are murdered. Brought back to life by the mystical Crow, Draven seeks justice for the crimes committed against he and his love. Reading O’Barr’s masterpiece changed my life. I became almost obsessed with the book and the ideas presented within: that love is more powerful than any other emotion, that not even death can separate two souls in love, that justice will be served in this life... or the next. I had five or six The Crow t-shirts and wore them constantly; in fact, I wore them so often my friends began to call me “Crow” (and a few still do, even today!)
Sadly, the tragedy of The Crow became reality when actor Brandon Lee died tragically in an on-set weapons malfunction. However, the actor lives on in part through the film The Crow as well as in Hot Toys’ most recent Movie Masterpiece Series figure: Eric Draven.
Like other Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series figures, the Eric Draven MMS figure comes in a durable, collector-friendly box with movie graphics on the outside and the figure, accessories and display base firmly stored in a form-fitting plastic sleeve inside.
Featuring a Tru-Type Thin 12” body and an impressive head sculpt by Yulli, Eric Draven comes to life in 1/6th scale. With the sadistic, vengeful grin seen spread across Lee’s face throughout The Crow film, the figure’s facial sculpt captures in near-perfect detail the sinister look of the gothic warrior, back from the grave.
There’s only one minor sculpting issue: the hair. Molded hair on female characters is difficult most times; on male characters with long hair, it’s even harder to make look realistic. Here, Draven’s near shoulder-length locks look fake and wrong, especially near the front where the separate pieces of the mold meet. The hair hangs slightly away from the face and neck, emphasizing the hair being made of plastic verse natural materials. While it’s a minor complaint and not enough to dissuade fans and collectors from buying the figure, it’s noticeable.
Like other Hot Toys Tru-Type 12” bodies, Draven’s thin body features over 30 points of articulation, which provides plenty of opportunities to position the figure in a wide variety of screen-accurate poses. The figure’s most iconic poses – arms spread wide and playing guitar – are both easily obtained as are other basic poses.
Complementing the Yulli sculpt is JC Hong’s paints on the face and head sculpt. The white and black make-up – a replica of a masquerade mask seen in the couple’s apartment – beautifully brings to life Draven’s on-screen look. Described in the comic as “the colors of joy,” the white foundation plays background to the black circles and horizontal lines through the eyes and the “Glasgow smile” across the mouth. Both frightening to onlookers as well as a reminder of his past life, it is this look which Hot Toys has captured so well in paint here.
With costume design by Hai Lim, the on-screen garb worn by Draven gets replicated here in 1/6th scale to minute detail. From the gold engagement ring on the black cord around Draven’s neck and the damaged long leather jacket to the twine and electrical tape-wrapped shirt and pants, this is one impressive looking figure.
Screen-accurate, the figure features all of the minor details needed to keep die-hard fans impressed. The only issue I have here – and it’s a very minor one – is the molded leather boots which don’t do the boots justice. Again, this is a very minor issue hardly worth mentioning, but die-hard fans will no doubt replace these molded boots with real leather black boots upon purchase.
The Crow Eric Draven figure includes two main accessories: a crow (and stand) and a guitar. Both provide a number of display options, including the crow perched atop the stand and the guitar either slung across Draven’s back, Draven playing the guitar or Draven sans guitar. Additional accessories include a number of interchangeable hands, including one pair of fits, one pair of holding hands and one pair of relaxed hands.
Weather Vane pic
A third accessory included with the “Special Edition” of the MMS The Crow Eric Draven figure is the weather vane sword wielded by Draven near the end of the film. It’s a wonderful addition to the figure’s accessories, especially for those collectors looking for more display options.
With a retail price of $220, the Hot Toys MMS The Crow Eric Draven figure will appeal primarily to die-hard fans of the film and comic. With few accessories and a fairly simple costume, the price seems a bit more than the standard fare for a figure of this type. That said, like me, fans of The Crow are – like me – dedicated to the film and book and will no doubt add this to their collection, especially considering it’s the only licensed 1/6th scale figure of the character on the market.
Screen accurate, featuring an impressive sculpt and beautiful paint applications and character-specific accessories, Hot Toys MMS The Crow Eric Draven figure is well worth owning and adding to your display, especially if you’re a fan of the feature film or the classic comic.
Hot Toys MMS The Crow Eric Draven figure is available soon wherever fine action figures and collectibles are sold.
Be sure to check out our photo gallery with 25 photos of this impressive figure HERE!
- review by Jess C. Horsley
- photos by Luka Zou
