Packaging: Window box which has an "R" Rating label and a photo of R. Lee Ermey in his Drill Instructor outfit. The back of the box has an area for the signature of R. Lee Ermey in the event you see him at a Toy, Movie, Comic Book, or Collectibles Convention. R. Lee Ermey has had an amazing life, with a career as a U.S. Marine, Drill Instructor, then came his acting career, and most recently his T.V. series MAIL CALL (on the History Channel).
Headsculpt: The R. Lee Ermey headsculpt is very close to what R. Lee Ermey looks like now, but not when he did Full Metal Jacket. The headsculpt is too flabby, the eyebrows are too arched, the face is too long and oval. If you look at the photo on the box, Sgt. Ermey's jaw squares when he is shouting, and he has high cheekbones. The collectible figure headsculpt softens these features and makes Ermey's face look more oval and somewhat flabby. He looks a tiny bit like Stan Laurel more than he does R. Lee Ermey. This face needed more muscle tendons and bulging veins on the neck, face and head! The other feature that I used to dislike is the teeth. If you see R. Lee Ermey's photo, all his teeth are all bright-white and together. The commemorative figure has seperations between each tooth, but I guess it is the only way that they can look "realistic." The "teeth" seems to be an issue that many of the companies have not figured out how to deal with. G.I. Joe just gives you a mouth painted white; and the companies that take the trouble of sculpting teeth want to make sure that the collector/buyer will see the teeth, so they end up making the teeth a yellowish, peach, or grey color, and sculpting deep separations between each tooth. In reality, anyone that had small gaps between each tooth would probably be using orthodontic braces. All that being said, it is not bad, just a little bit of a sculpting issue. Collectors, hobbyists, and/or fans of Full Metal Jacket and R. Lee Ermey should really enjoy this action figure!
UPDATE: I recently had the opportunity to inspect a new batch of the R. Lee Ermey figures, and the teeth have been greatly improved! They are no longer yellowish, now they have very shiny ivories! A tip of the hat to Sideshow Toys!
Articulation: The body is Dragon-like, with cut-joint ankles, thighs, biceps, and upper wrists. The neck does not move up and down, just side to side. This is due to the voice box mechanism being located in the upper chest.
Outfit and Gear: The outfit looks like the Drill Instructor dress outfit from Full Metal Jacket. A nice ceremonial sword and scabbard is included. The tie is OK, but this looks like the kind of outfit that would be hard to take off and then put back on without messing up the tie. The shoes look like the vintage G.I. Joe Dress Cadet shoes. Overall it is a nice outfit except for the tie.
Voice-Box: This is the main attraction, and the best part. The figure is advertised as a "Motivational" toy, but it only has about two phrases that are "motivational." The first phrase is: "I am Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, I am your Senior Drill Instructor." Then there are the Full Metal Jacket type remarks: "What in the Hell is your major malfunction?" and "Are you trying to be cute? What in the Hell is it going to take to motivate you any god-damn way?" and the "War-Cry Practice." Two phrases are throw-aways, like "Don't screw with my buttons again, numb-nuts." and "You just pushed my button again, you sorry sack of shit." Then there are the two most Motivational phrases: "Get you r head out of your ass, wake up and smell the roses, numb-nuts. You are the asshole in charge of your own Destiny!" and "Motivation and Confidence are the keys to Success! Now, drop down and give me twenty!" The phrases are very cool, especially the "Motivational" ones. The R. Lee Ermey figure could have added about five more of his classic movie phrases, as he has had many great lines!
Price: About $30.00 to $35.00 including shipping. Maybe less if you get a good deal. Sideshow Collectibles has these sets available at their website.
Overall: A nasty Drill Instructor-like face; a well done outfit; good articulation; a few good phrases that are "priceless." I like R. Lee Ermey, and I doubt that he will ever be getting any other "commemorative" figure, so this is as good as it gets! UPDATE: Sideshow Toys has released the X-TRA SALTY R. LEE ERMEY figure, and this one is dressed in modern Desert fatigues and has an extended vocabulary! Click here for more R. Lee Ermey sound bites and see the photo review of the X-Tra Salty R. Lee Ermey.
GRADE: A+
