scifi.com navigation Cool Stuff RECENT REVIEWS The Life Eaters Star Trek: Trek Tek Phaser Pistol Alien Queen Diorama Star Trek: The Next Generation Busts Terminator 3 Terminatrix Endoskeleton Mini-Bust Saruman the White Radio Command Dalek Lobby Reloaded Trenchcoat Force FX Anakin Skywalker Lightsaber Replica Universal Monsters 12-Inch Action Figures Request a review Gallery Back issues Search Feedback Submissions The Staff Home _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Suggestions [sfw;sz=120x60] Dr. Stephen Hawking Action Figure Now that the admired author of A Brief History of Time has guest-starred on The Simpsons, isn't he just a doll? * Dr. Stephen Hawking Action Figure * By Playmates Toys * MSRP: approx. $7 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Review by Sean Huxter __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ M uscles, dramatic poses, guns and gear ... this is what people have come to expect from their action figures. Military figures, martial combat experts, samurai swordsmen, spandex-dressed superheroes, stars of the big screen and the small screen--each of these is expected by the kids, the collectors, those who thrill for action. One of the most popular lines of action figures these days is the Simpsons series, by Playmates Toys, perhaps best known for its long-running Star Trek line several years ago. Our Pick: B+ So it comes as a bit of a surprise to review a figure based on someone who is not known for action, not known for battles, not known for his physical prowess. Here is a figure based not on a star of the big screen or the small, but a star of the scientific world--an author, thinker, scientist. Far from being an action hero, Dr. Stephen Hawking is a renowned outspoken physicist and author of one of the most widely read books on the universe--A Brief History of Time. A man attacked at an early age by an incurable motor neuron disease that has confined him to a wheelchair and left him unable to talk but for a computer-generated voice module. However, not only has Stephen Hawking become a household name because of his popular book, but he has also made several guest appearances on TV shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and in "They Saved Lisa's Brain," a 10th-season episode of The Simpsons in which Springfield's Mensa organization takes over the town government to form an intellectual utopia, only to find that the ideal is a hard one to achieve. Playmates has been producing wave after wave of Simpsons figures, making a brave and bold attempt at depicting in plastic every character that's ever been seen in the series. In a recent wave of figures came one of the most unusual "action figures" ever--Dr. Stephen Hawking himself. Dressed in a gray suit, seated in his power chair with several special features, including rolling wheels, the Hawking figure includes retractable helicopter rotors, four jet motors, a (nonworking) spring-loaded boxing glove, a mug of beer and his glasses. Like the rest of the Simpsons figures, Hawking features "Intelli-Tronic voice activation," which means he can be placed on a Simpsons World of Springfield Interactive Environment and utter digitized voice segments. The figure is around four inches high and comes packaged on a blister card. The world's smartest action figure While Playmates tries to create just about every character, however minor, from The Simpsons, it is the quirky, unusual appearances that get collectors and toy lovers most excited. Hawking has to be the most unusual of all of the guest appearances to be commemorated in plastic. The theoretical physicist's power chair has several slots to fit the series of parts that are packaged with the figure. When these are removed, you simply have Dr. Stephen Hawking, with his touch-activated speech module. However, when the slots are filled up, you have a fully loaded jet-powered helicopter chair complete with boxing-glove defensive weapons. The figure, while highly cool just for its daring oddity, is not perfect. First, the separate glasses do not fit well. While this can be fixed with a little glue, they could easily be lost if left as designed, as the glasses have nothing to hook into and remain fast. The spring-loaded glove falls out easily, but the rest of the fittings stay put. Hawking can hold the beer bottle well, and the voice module can swing out of the way if needed. The module shows text saying, "If you are looking for trouble, you found it." One of the oddest things about this figure is that it is compatible with only two Town of Springfield playsets, and they are seemingly the least appropriate: the Military Antique Shop and Aztec Theater. It seems that there are more appropriate sets he could have been activated on, but strangely, no. Another disappointment is that while many Simpsons figures spew three to five soundbites, Hawking says only two: "That's the smartest thing I've heard all day" and "If you're looking for trouble, you found it." This is a bit of a waste. Most Simpsons figures have a playset connector in the feet, and it can be a bit difficult to connect the figures at times. Hawking's chair is designed with a connector that slides up and out of the way when not used, and down onto a playset when needed. This works well, and I had no problem placing Hawking on the Military Antique Shop playset. But since the figure's footprint is larger than most, it probably won't fit into all of the Intelli-Tronic locations on the playsets--certainly not behind the counter--and there's little room for company on the same playset. The best thing about this figure is the price. This Cambridge professor can be purchased for less than $7.00. Albert Einstein. Carl Sagan. There are not a lot of household names in physics. Thanks not only to his incredible intelligence but also to his obvious sense of humor, we now have Stephen Hawking as an action figure. Like his book, it's about time. -- Sean Back to the top. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [ichome.gif] [icnews.jpg] [icscreen.jpg] [icbooks.jpg] [icgames.jpg] [iccool.jpg] [icclass.jpg] [icsite.jpg] [icint.jpg] [icletter.jpg] [c_cass.jpg] Home News of the Week | On Screen | Off the Shelf | Games | Cool Stuff Classics | Site of the Week | Interview | Letters | The Cassutt Files ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 1998-2006, Science Fiction Weekly (TM). 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