The first Terminator Endoskeleton from NECA came out in 2006 as part of their Cult Classics range. In 2009 the figure was re-packed into the Terminator series of releases and went on onto become highly sought after on the secondary market. In 2014 the sculpt was given a new lease of life as part of the NECA Video Game line, Robocop vs Terminator. In this incarnation the Endo came single packed with a machine gun, and then in a twin pack with the original guns - both painted in "video game" colours.
In 2015 NECA announced that the Endoskeleton would be re-released as a stand-alone release, very likely to take advantage of the release of Terminator : Genisys. But regardless of the reason, fans welcomed the new figure particularly as NECA were initially releasing it via Walmart in the US (Walmart had not carried NECA before) and at a lower price point than usual NECA 7" figures.
The Endo comes in a box rather than the usual blister-pack. The Box itself is not new as NECA have used it on the Planet of the Apes figure and of course the Robo vs Terminator range. There is likely nothing more suspicious in NECA using a box this time other than the packaging was already in use for the Video Game version so all that was needed was new box artwork.
The box is very reminiscent of the 1980's with a metallic look and the red "matrix" style graphics. The front has a head shot of the actual figure, and the figure itself can be seen in the window with that red squared background behind it as an insert. Both sides have a Cyberdyne logo and the rear then has a bit of bio about the T-800 Endoskeleton.
Out of the box and the Endo is an impressive piece in hand. Now this is certainly not 100% screen accurate, making such a thing in this scale and in this plastic (and at this price point) would be near impossible. NECA have gone with a very clever sculpt that is very close to the original, and certainly matches what 12 year old me imagines a T-800 Endoskeleton should look like. Starting at the head and the sculpt has captured that grinning skull so well. The eyes are nicely sunk back into the head and painted with bright red to replicate the glowing red LED eyes. The teeth are nicely yellowed and grin in that disturbing way the original did in the movie. Around the head are plenty of panels, wires and detail and the whole thing is bang on creepy. The head however does not move and is fixed in place.
Moving down to the body and you realise this figure was not so much sculpted, but more designed and the way this thing moves is nothing short of genius. The whole body is full of detail - pipes and wires, panels and joints. And the pistons are the crowning glory, as not only are they aesthetically good, a lot of them are actually functional. The arms are articulated on a shoulder joint which can move the arms out and then rotate them forward or backwards. There is a bicep swivel and then down into an elbow joint and it is here you can see these pistons in action as they move in and out with the arm elbow movement. Down to the hands and they are very skeletal and quite a soft plastic. The hands rotate at the wrist, and the soft plastic is probably intentional to get that massive gun into the Endo's hands.
Back at the torso and there is a weird flap just under the chest which I assumed was designed to move when the figure was bent at the torso joint. The problem is the torso joint only rotates a few degrees side to side, so am not sure what this particular flap is for - or if it is just a hangover piece from earlier articulation that has since been removed. Like the arms the legs move out to the side then back and forth and as you do this two more pistons do their job between the thigh and the groin. The knees have a standard joint and this means you can get Endo into a sitting position, albeit a bit wide legged. The feet rotate on the ankles and there is then a joint in the toes, which is something you don't find very often on NECA figures.
The whole figure is done in a pretty decent silver finish and is then washed in black to bring out the detail. If there is any criticism of the paint, then the wash is a bit too thick in places. But it does certainly make the Endo look battle worn. The gun is a basic piece, and faithful to the move. This too is painted in a black and silver finish with a wash.
All good so far? Well yes, there is very little to fault in the design, the sculpt or the articulation and only a minor gripe with the paint. But own this figure for a day or so and you will soon find out its biggest flaw. Sadly, Endo is a serial shelf diver. First off he doesn't stand all that well on his own, the feet are designed with those ball heels that are seen on the original prop - and that is effectively putting him into high heels and making him quite unsteady. There is thankfully peg holes so you would think dropping him onto a NECA stand would fix the problem? Again, sadly not. The figure still gradually leans, even on the stand and will eventually fall over.
Looking closely at the stability problem and it is a perfect storm of issues. First, although the figure is very light it is still top heavy. Secondly, the plastic is quite soft and gets softer if the room temperature gets warmer. Thirdly the knee and hip joints aren't ratcheted and are quite "loose". And fourthly, and this is the key issue, those articulated toes mean that as the figure begins to lean the feet don't stop the lean and instead the toe joint begins to bend and eventually gravity will take over. I have owned this figure 4-days now and he has fallen down from every position I have put him in. I am now considering dropping him onto a Kaiser stand with a hip clasp, or even gluing his leg joints.
The T-800 Endoskeleton was a strong 4 out of 5 when he came out of the box. Unfortunately the stability issues are a flaw across all the figures as reported by many collectors online, this takes at least one star away and leaves the Endo with an average 3 out of 5 rating.
Should you buy the NECA Endo, well absolutely if you haven't got the NECA version. It is a real step up from the older McFarlane Movie Maniac version (see comparison pictures) but be warned about the shelf diving - keep him safe and away from other figures or you will have a plastic avalanche.
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