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Terminator 2: Biker T-800 & Kyle Reese
The availablity of the Terminator 2 Minimates are as convoluted as the time-travel storylines, and make your head hurt about as much. Essentially these are available at Toys R Us, and also in comic book stores, but not always the same sets. This is the only pack so far that you cannot find in Toys R Us.
Packaging
The box for this set is similar to the others for this series, with the Biker T-800 posted on the front, a group shot of the figures from this and future waves on the back, "control art"-type pictures on the front, and figure shots on either side. The only major difference for this particular pack from the Toys R Us releases is that it is an exclusive to comic shops and online retailers, so there is a little "PX Previews Exclusive" logo included.
The Figures
Biker T-800
The first figure in this pack is Biker T-800. He is the figure represented on the top of the box for this series of figures - Arnold Schwarzenegger as he appears in the beginning of T2, wearing the clothes he steals from a. . .erm, biker. This design is also known as the "Pescadero Escape" T-800, since it is the look that he has when he goes to the Pescadero State Hospital to rescue Sarah Connor from the T-1000 Terminator.
Similar to the T-800, the face here bears a good enough resemblance to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The hairpiece, again, works fine on this figure, representing the short, somewhat spiky hair that Arnold sported in T2. One huge difference between this figure and the other T-800 reviewed previously is that this figure has no apparent battle damage, and no extra hairpiece with sunglasses. Instead, the sunglasses are painted onto this T-800’s head. I was hoping that this figure might have a reversible head with no sunglasses, so that I could work on a "Dutch" custom (Arnold’s character from Predator), and possibly a movie Conan, but no such luck. For that, you would have to pick up the SDCC 4-pack.
Arnold’s outfit once again is very basic, following the source material pretty accurately. Arnold has a gray undershirt, a leather jacket that helps to bulk him up (as he should be), black pants, black shoes, and a gray belt. Not much else to say about it, as it is all fairly basic, but this works well for the character. If you know the character and the film, then you will probably know who this is with one glance, which is a definite plus.
Accessory-wise, Arnold comes with the sawed-off 10 gauge, lever-action shotgun that he is pictured with on the front of the box, and that he used against the T-1000 in T2. It looks pretty accurate, and is necessary for completing the "Biker Terminator" look. It is nice to see DST investing in molds for these character-specific weapons, and I hope they will continue this trend into the future.
In conclusion, I’m not as huge a fan of Arnold’s Terminator design from T2 as I am of the T1 version, but there is no denying that this is a fantastic representation of this iconic character. If we ever get a Minimate motorcycle, then this figure will really stand out in any Minimate collection. Even without this iconic vehicle though, he is still a great figure that any fan of T2 should seek out and pick up.
MMC Score - 9 out of 10
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Kyle Reese
Kyle Reese is the soldier sent from the future to protect Sarah Connor in the first Terminator film. He is portrayed by Michael Biehn, who went on to play important roles in other James Cameron movies such as Aliens and the Abyss. This figure really acts as a complement to the previously reviewed T-800, as both are from the first Terminator film and don’t really appear in T2 at all (though Reese does appear in a flashback scene deleted from the theatrical release).
The face here doesn’t look like Michael Biehn to me at all, really. The main issue seems to be the eyes, which make him appear almost Oriental, whereas Biehn has pretty generic-looking, Caucasian eyes. The eyebrows also appear a bit too dark and pronounced to me. He does have some nice stubble, though, reflecting the disheveled look that he had throughout the movie, and his pouty mouth suits both Biehn and the character. Though his hair in the film wasn’t as clearly parted as it is here, I think the hairpiece works fine.
Reese’s outfit is a mixed bag. The undershirt is represented as a light gray, almost tan color covering the entire chest block except the neck peg. In the movie, he had a funky sleeveless, light gray shirt with black lines covering it. This doesn’t matter too much to me personally, but this little detail would have been nice. The lines are so small that maybe it was better to do this and save a bit of money, rather than putting black lines that would appear too large, anyway. Further evidence that this may have been a cost-cutting measure is that there isn’t even a design where the top of his shirt collar would appear. The entire block is just this one, bland color, but if you stand back and look at his shirt in the movie, it does look similar to this.
Reese’s trench coat is a pretty nice representation of the one from the movie, being a drab olive color. His trousers are a darker gray than the shirt, with a belt/buckle tampo of the black belt appearing on all 4 sides of the crotch piece. The trousers are fine, but another missing element is the worn look of the trousers in the movie, with apparent paint stains. I believe that they were also cuffed at the bottom, but there is no indication of this on the Minimate. Finally, Reese is wearing black Converse All Star-like shoes (no star is included in the circle on these shoes, though). He wore Nikes in the film, I believe, but the color scheme is right on, so these work nicely.
Reese is not meant to have any accessories here (as you can see on the packaging on the back of this pack), but you could give him Arnold’s shotgun and it wouldn’t be too far off, as Reese uses a shotgun in the film to fend off the Terminator.
In conclusion, I like this Minimate quite a bit. He is a great complement to the T-800, and despite the intentionally boring color scheme he is a pretty distinctive, cool little figure. Having said that, the likeness to Biehn just isn’t there, the single colored chest block is fairly bland, and he doesn’t have a shotgun of his own or pipe bomb. As such, I can’t give him too high a score, but still recommend him to any fans of the Terminator. "Come with me if you want to live!"
MMC Score - 7 out of 10
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Review and pictures by karamazov80
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