Introduction
Thunder Toys TD2020 Hell Detective is neither the first nor the last rendition of John Constantine based on the live action movie Constantine (and at least one more version by a different company is marketed with the same name, Hell Detective). Without being the biggest fan of the film, the character, or even the actor, I liked what I saw of this set enough to pick one up, and rewatched the film before reviewing it. The set is a mixed bag, with plenty of pros and cons.
Packaging - 4/4 stars
The box is a simple shoebox-type affair, but beautifully designed in a dark burgundy matte background and an elaborate shiny pattern intended to represent flames of hellfire, interrupted by a stamp or crest design with religious symbolism now lost on me (presumably based on the film). The surface of the box is waxy, and the overall feel is stylish and dark, which is appropriate for the film. Inside are a couple of black foam treys, always a good thing in my book. Many of the individual pieces and accessories come in their own closable plastic bags, and a bonus 1:1 accessory, the chain and amulet, has it own little "velvet" pouch.
Sculpt - 3.5/4 stars
The head sculpt is very sharp, and if it looks a little too smooth, this is perhaps because it represents a much younger Keanu Reeves than we are used to looking at now, after the John Wick films. The hair strands are also nicely sculpted. The expression(especially the position of the eyebrows) and hair they portrayed is perhaps not the most characteristic for the actor's appearance, even in this film, but he is still recognizable. Somewhere between the sculpting and the paint job, one gets a bit of a stylized impression. It may also be that the light I used for my photos was not necessarily calculated to capture all the subtlety, although much of it can be seen there. The various hand sculpts and several of the accessories feature fairly elaborate sculpts or molds, like the 1:1 amulet, the Spear of Destiny, the lighter, and the brass knuckles. There is also plenty of detail, though not quite as exquisitely executed, on the cross-like holy shotgun and its rounds.
Paint - 4/4 stars
The pain job throughout the set is of excellent quality, if generally kept fairly simple. There is some subtlety to the mostly clean-looking face, the eyes are shiny, the accessories are given a modicum of weathering or wash, the cigarette box and screeming-beetle box have realistically ornate and minuscule printing. The rather thin Bible features actual printing on each individual page. One thing I did not expect was that Thunder Toys bothered to replicate Constantine's tattoos on his forearms, but you have to take off his jacket and open up his sleeves to notice.
Articulation - 2.5/4 stars
I imagine the underlying body is capable of achieving most poses, but it is difficult to do so in this outfit, especially with the jacket on, which is the most iconic look. Moreover, the body is at times less than ideal to work with, although I suppose I have gotten spoiled by TBLeague and high-end hard-plastic bodies. The one-piece head and neck design removes one potential point of articulation (at the base of the head) and also, in this instance, creates an overly-long-necked appearance. This is slightly better with the jacket on, but quite obvious without it. The relatively slim body's shoulders also look better with the jacket on.
Accessories - 3.5/4 stars
Short of providing a bottle and glass (which should be easy to supply from elsewhere), these are probably all the accessories one can think of as appropriate for this character. Spare parts include four additional hands, making six total: the pair of relatively relaxed hands that come on the figure, a right trigger hand, a right flipping-the-bird hand, a left cigarette-holding hand, and a left spearhead-holding hand. The hands work pretty well with the accessories, except for the brass knuckles, which could benefit both from a hand sculpt on which it would be easier to insert them in the first place, and one with bendy fingers, so it could make a fist once they are in place. The ornately decorated lighter flips open. The little box with the Cleopatra label on it opens like a matchbox to reveal the tiny sculpted screaming beetle inside. The cigarette box is hollow, and you can insert the three rolled cigarettes inside it. The bible has real pages with real printing on them, as noted above. It seems to be a little thin as a volume and unfortunately there is no hand sculpt that can hold it open quite like the character did on screen. The elaborate cross-like holy shotgun ("Dragon Lance") has a rotating drum magazine into which one can insert the 10 rounds. The tiny watch is a piece of art. The 1:1 chain with amulet pendant works as, well, a chain with a pendant. There is no action figure stand, although the figure can generally stand well on its own. This version (TD2020A) of the figure came without the Exorcism Mirror (which is part of the TD2020B set).
Outfit - 4/4 stars
Constantine's outfit was fairly simple, and not that different from the type of professional outfits we see Keanu Reeves sport in so many films, except perhaps for being more lackluster. There is a black coat, a white shirt, black pants, black silver-buckled belt, black socks (a nice touch, often omitted), and black glossy dress shoes. The coat does not button, at least not readily. The shirt and its cuffs button with push buttons. The tie has a wire in it, allowing you to pose it as if waving in the wind. This is nice, but it gets in the way of it hanging naturally (admittedly, it might not do that readily either, being so small a piece). As can be expected, the outfit (especially the jacket and pants) gets a little in the way of the articulation of the body, but otherwise looks just right.
Fun Factor - 3/4 stars
Without figures of other characters from the film (though Black Box did do a Lucifer figure), this guy is going to be fairly lonely, although I suppose one could pit him against any demons or monsters one deems fit. The slightly limited articulation and the ease with which the rounds fall out of the holy shotgun can be annoying. But with enough creativity and humor, one can probably do a lot with this set, given the ready applicability of the actor and look, and the wealth of accessories.
Value - 3.5/4 stars
The set is quite nice overall, and does not really lag behind what we might expect from the leading sixth-scale companies -- perhaps the only thing really missing is a stand. While secondary market prices are probably much higher (I have seen some very scary quotes), I got this for $185 (USD) and these days that is not a particularly high price for a set as nice and elaborate as this. Depending on one's tastes and needs, it is probably worth it.
Things to watch out for
Not much. Be careful with the delicate cigarette box and cigarettes, they could be easily squished. The small accessories in general could be easily lost or misplaced, perhaps especially the screaming beetle and the rounds which fall out easily from the rotating drum of the holy shotgun.
Overall - 3.5/4 stars
Overall I like the set and do not regret getting it. It is very nicely done and quite elaborate, although some looks and functionalities are better than others. The detail is not quite as sharp as it appeared in macro photos of the prototype, but it is close. There are aspects of the set that are less than ideal, but on the whole I think they can be overlooked or overcome with a modicum of kitbashing. A true devotee of the film and character might find this even more enjoyable and worthwhile.
Where to buy -
These appeared and disappeared with great speed, and I am probably lucky to have secured one at the original release price or something like it. I found mine on GianToy. Now they seem to be out of stock there and in most places, but you can hunt online and still find the Exorcism Mirror version (which is more expensive) here:
https://www.tnsfigures.com/thundertoys-td2020b-1-6-hell-detective-dx-ver-in-stock/
I hope this has been useful. What do you think?
I have absolutely considered changing the body, de-necking the head, and using a shorter neck (or whatever is on the body). And I will probably do that. Of course, for the review, I had to go with the product as sold.
I Like the slim body and the little trick with the tie in the winds of hell 