Scarlett (2009)
A few posts ago, I mentioned Cover Girl’s less than glamorous looks, and the attractiveness
of the figure in relation to toy design of the time. Scarlett here was produced just a few years ago, and yet there’s still something off about this head sculpt. While the foyer doesn’t come across as ugly, and does resemble Rachel Nichols well, it looks odd nevertheless.
Maybe the issue with these realistic likenesses is similar to the “dead eyes” issue often seen when CG tries to mimic real actors’ faces. The Polar Express is a good example. We all know what Tom Hanks looks like, and we can even picture his face in our minds. Yet when a computer generated representation was on-screen, most people were creeped out. I think the same can hold true with toys, if the sculpt or paint job is off just a bit.
I wasn’t too impressed with the movie uniform designs, especially the fact that they were all black. I understand the limited use of color in the costumes on film vs a cartoon, but it was still a disappointment to not see very many nods to the action figures of old. Scarlett however does still have a version her signature crossbow.
Got this at a ROSS for $4.99–now THAT is the proper price for a Joe figure today.
I’m hoping to get an extra in order to make a slightly-armored Black Widow. I saw someone do it by sticking the belt and bracelets of an MU Black Widow on this figure. The head used is one I forget.
Yeah, $4.99 is like max for me, and what it should be, nearing the $10 range that I’ve seen on this and similar figures is just not a good value as I see it.
I have this figure but never gave it a good look I guess. I never realized just how much I don’t like it until just now.
Is this a B.A.T. disguised as Scarlett?
By the way, the dead eyes effect is one of the features that usually comprises the uncanny valley effect. Readers here can look it up.
Oh yeah, the uncanny valley. Good reference. Wonder how far scanned likenesses for toys fall in there?
That facial expression reminds me of Dull surprise. What has always bugged me about her is those lines that run lengthways across her boobs. Are they supposed to be zippers? Is it so she can breast feed during combat?
I think it’s just armor plating that connects different pieces.
Secondary weapons: they chomp enemies like a Pac-Man in CQB! These RoC figures could’ve benefited from subtle coloring like recent versions of Snake Eyes: black, charcoal, midnight blue, rather than a messy grey wash.
Nice body!
It seems much of the R.o.C. premise borrowed a lot from the years past.
I think R.o.C. would have been better had that creative team not relied so much on that avenue.
For me Scarlet was not an interesting character in the movie. The all black action figure look here, which was probably meant to come across as all “bad” among the good guys, but the large chunk of flowing plastic of hair just goes against the “dark” covert “good guy” aesthetic.
R.o.C. Scarlett would have done better with a tied-back hair form, and some sort of helmet that would tie into the batman-suit.
And was the laser cross bow ever explained in the movie? Originally, wasn’t Scarlett a covert intelligence type in ’82? A silent weapon like a cross bow worked then, that is not a covert weapon in R.o.C., awkward.