Art Asylum Reviews

Having previously bought the NX-01 and NCC-1701A models by Art Asylum, my expectations were high. Overall I am pleased. The basic shape and details on the toy are well done and correct to the ship as seen in the features. This is especially nice when compred to the two previously released Playmates versions of the same ship, which were horribly inaccurate. So in the areas of sculpting and modeling, this version is superb.

The one area that I was disappointed in was in the paint-job. Some of the colors used seem far too 'contrast-y' compared to the way the model and CGI version appear on screen. When compared with footage from the films, the gray patches on the secondary hull of the toy seem really dark, whereas the film shots show a much more subtle grade of shading overall.

I was also slightly disappointed that the blue areas of the Nacelles did not light up, and that the alternate hull bottom without the mounting hole( included with the previous Art Asylum ships ) has apparently been dropped for future releases.

Still, overall I would recommend this toy for those like me who don't care to build models much anymore.

I do not remember why I missed "Dark Angel" when it originally aired, but I have made up for that big mistake by having both seasons on DVD. The story, developed by James Cameron, was set in Seattle, Washington, in the year 2019, which is after "The Pulse," an electromagnetic bomb that basically pushed reset on the United States. However, that is only the setting, because the star is Jessica Alba as Max Guevera, who at first glance has a day job as a bike courier, and at second glance works as a cat burglar at night, bit at third glance and closer examination turns out to be a genetically enhanced superhuman created by the government who escaped from a military training school ten years earlier.

Alba was truly stunning as Max, able to play hard, soft, or whatever the scene demands. Because of her striking looks, which come from a Mexican father and a mother of French and Danish descent, Alba has become the poster girl for the word "exotic" in the dictionary. Then again, she has also been the poster girl for "Sin City," "Into the Blue," "The Fantastic Four," "Honey, and "The Sleeping Dictionary" (i.e., for every film in which she has starred). Part of her appeal is that to date she has avoided doing nude scenes (Nancy Callahan in "Sin City" always danced topless in Frank Miller's graphic novels, but not Alba in the movie), which I can argue actually adds to her sensuality.

That brings us to the 3" "Dark Angel" Max X5-452 Minimates Action Figure. As fans of the series all know, "X5" was the series of genetically engineered humans that Max belonged to and her designation "452" is said "Four-Five-Two" (No, you do not get to see the bar code on the back of her neck because her hair is down and you cannot see the back of her neck). The figure has fourteen points of articulation, but you are rather limited in how you make Max strike a pose if you want her to stand upright. I bought this as a gift for my wife so that Max could guard her computer at work (there is not a "Eyes Only" companion minimate that she might have preferred).

The downside to the figure is that if you did not know this was Max from "Dark Angel" I think that very few people would ever recognize it. She is wearing her black cat burglar outfit, but I do not remember the white stitching standing out so much on the vest. The hair does not particularly remind me of Alba, although I do get a sense of how they were trying to capture her eyes. So it is more the idea than the execution that is appealing here. If you want something more realistic, then you have a trio of 7" action figures of Alba to track down with the "Season 1 Max & Ninja 600 Bike," "Dark Angel 'Jam Pony' Max," and "Dark Angel Season 2 Max." Or you can pass go and go for her "Sin City" Nancy action figure.

This is a good toy for a while but eventualy the warp nacells will wear out and fall off. Mine no longer work and i cant get new ones. But the other startrek ships by Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys are very durable. Like the Enterprise A and E. They are great.

When Art Asylum originally gained the contract to make Enterprise and other Star Trek toys, I was more than a little skeptical for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I didn't think that a toy company whose reputation rested on making replicas of Eminem and other sort of fringe genre figures would be able to appreciate the delicate art of pleasing the very demanding (myself included) group of hardcore Trekkers out there.

I was wrong. Art Asylum has done a superb job with the Star Trek contract, and has turned out the most beautiful set of toys I've seen, toys definitely meant for the 'adult collector' range of buyers. And this model of the Enterprise NX-01 is the jewel in the crown.

I purchased it right away when it came out almost a year ago, and was immediately struck by the quality and detail of the design. Clearly the creators of this 'toy' were thinking about its potential as a display item as much as a toy -- the stand, for example, is much sturdier than the more flimsy versions that have come out with previous starship models and attaches to the ship in a clever and ingenious way.

About the only downside to this model is there are some fit and finish issues which could have been improved, and to get the full effect, you have to download and attach some decals from their website. None of that has bothered me much, however, and I'm very pleased to own one of these for myself!

I was disapointed in how the nacelles kept popping off!! I ended up using superglue to keep them on.
Other than that, its a very nice looking model, feels sturdy, much more durable than a plastic model you put together.

I purchased this piece solely as a collector item. I've enjoyed these pieces due to the high level of detail and artwork. The packaging also reflects quite well the themes of the trilogy movies.

The Lord of the Rings Warriors and Battle action figures from the representatives of Middle Earth.
It's highly detailed. Includes environmental display base and multiple weapons and accessories