Cylon Centurion
“The world is over. The fight has just begun. The Cylons were created by Man. They rebelled. They evolved. They look and feel human. Some are programmed to think they are human. There are many copies….and they have a plan.” – BattleStar Galactica (2004 TV series)
To fans of the new series, those were the words that started the show. While many can debate which series was better, the campy feel of the 78 version or the sheer dramatic (and some say masochistic) grit of the 04 series. One should not debate that during the BattleStar Galactica pilot, when the femme fatale Six walked into the diplomat’s room, many of us were also captivated by the new Cylon Centurion. The spider like fingers, imposing stature, and robotic dimensions, that abandoned the guy in a plastic suit look of the 78 series, creating a figure both inspiring and nightmarish in its creation.
On the Sci-Fi channel they sell some merchandise that coincides with its shows and Majestic Studios created this premium collectible figure. The Cylon Centurion is a 1/6 scale, which translates to 13 inches tall and 15 inches when on his stand. The packaging is flawed and awkward, and I was impressed that my collectible did not have any damage from transit (the heavy stand lies on top of the legs and never could figure out which way was bottom of tray or top).
The feel of the Cylon, while not diecast, has a metal feel…and parts I would swear are metal.
The figure is very tall (it won’t fit in my IKEA display case), like stated before around 13” inches.
The red eye is supposed to move by “a lenticular process. Allows eye moment without batteries.” (quoted from box)
However, I can not see any movement and every review online has the same complaint…you can barely see the red eye, let alone its movement (every time I stare at it…it does seems to be in a new spot…maybe hope is making it shift…however, I have never seen it move!). The hands and guns switch. The closed hands go with the activated gun turret system and the open “spider” hands go with the retracted gun turret system.
The hands swivel and tilt with a tab system that locks into the wrist cleanly. The turret gun gauntlets click on top of the wrist well, but can pop off.
An online review complained about the gauntlets edges, but I think mine look clean, fine, and well crafted.
A surprising and impressive thing is the stand; it is solid metal and heavy, more like a paper weight than a stand. It has two pegs that lock into the feet. While they do the job and the Cylon does not slip out of them easily, no real lateral positions are possible.
The Centurion bends at the knees, wrist, elbows, and shoulders. While that may sound like a good amount, I found the figure frustratingly static and its biggest flaw.
It seems to me a major oversight that the waist, feet/ankle, and head do not move/tilt/shift. The head especially is annoying because if you look at the locked and fused joints…they scream for movement.
Also, the feet/ankle being fused really hurts creating stable and menacing poses.
Finally, the collectible’s movable parts only move forward or back…no side to side with this guy (the elbow joints don’t twist, even though the wrist do???).
Majestic Studios are known for nice collectibles and this is no exception. However, with just some minor tweaking (adding swiveling joints and head movement) this figure would have gone from good to incredible. Honestly, I have to force myself to be calm when I touch this thing; the head sooo looks like it should move…I come close to snapping it in order to turn the head every time I touch the figure.
The original listing on Sci-Fi called for 89.00 USD selling price. I got mine on EBay for 69.00 USD + shipping.
Overall Majestic Studios created an imposing, well crafted, and cool looking premium collectible figure for the redesigned BattleStar Galactica Cylon Centurion. If you are a big fan of the 2004 series or like a cool 13 inch robot in you collection…grab one… and just make sure its frozen waist, head, and feet will not drive you crazy.
