The Good: Great sculpt, Decent accessories, Good articulation, Collectible value
The Bad: Slight balance issue, Over accessorized, I’m not wild about being able to see so many joints.
The Basics: One of the most enduringly valuable Cordelia figures, the Short Hair Cordelia is bound to please Angel fans!
One of the last toys I picked up for my very small Cordelia Chase collection before my crush on the character (and actress Charisma Carpenter) effectively ended was the very limited edition Short Hair Cordelia from Clayburn Moore Action Collectibles. The figure was a Summer Show Special, but a dealer friend of mine had a surplus and I was able to get it for a song. Given that several of my Cordelia figures remain packed away, I am going by memory, but if memory serves, the Short Hair Cordelia was virtually identical to another Cordelia figure from the early Angel line, save with a different head.
But, between its value, the cool accessories, and the style of the figure, the Short Hair Cordelia is a worthy addition to anyone’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel figure collection!
Basics
Short Hair Cordelia is one of the exclusive action figures from the Angel figure line from Clayburn Moore Action Collectibles toys. This Cordelia get up was only in Angel and the figure comes boxed in an exclusive box with a small window, letting collectors know exactly what it is and how rare it is. She is a 5 7/8 inch tall action figure featuring a sculpt of Cordelia Chase as she appeared in the second season of Angel when she cut her hair short.
The sculpt is an excellent one, capturing a wry look and subtle smile than some of the other Cordelia figures. The figure looks like Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, which is a step up from many of the earliest Cordelia figures, which looked more like Eliza Dushku as Faith than Carpenter's Cordelia. The Short Hair Cordelia is well-sculpted featuring Carpenter’s cheeks and nose detailed expertly. As for the body, the Short Hair Cordelia is wearing heels, a red tank top and black pants that, while flared at the bottom, resemble leather pants. The Short Hair Cordelia features detailing like molded fingernails and the button on the front of her pants. Her hair is also textured for greater realism.
As well, the coloring is realistic and well done. While the outfit is colored entirely in monotones, the skin has realistic depth and shading. Instead of being a monotonal peach color, it has some red and tan in it, so Cordelia looks pretty realistic. Clayburn Moore Action Collectibles also got Cordelia’s eyes right, so they are brown with tiny black pupils and they look as realistic as they can for an action figure. Even Cordelia’s fingernails are appropriately colored dark red or black!
Accessories
Cordelia comes with four basic accessories: a bag, an ax, a stake, and a flashlight. The bag is actually more detailed than the figure! In perfect proportion to the figure, the Short Hair Cordelia comes with a bag that can be slung over her shoulder and the strap is flexible enough to allow the bag to hang in a fashion that looks (mostly) realistic. The bag is detailed with straps and clasps that make it almost look like one could open the outer pouches! The bag is colored to look like distressed leather and its coloring detail is immaculate.
The least impressive accessory is Cordelia’s ax. The ax is a hand ax or very small battle ax with two blades. Measuring 1 15/16” tall with a head that is 3/4” wide, the battle ax is detailed well, like the bag. The handle is brown and black and detailed just enough to make it clear it is supposed to be wood. The head looks like steel and is colored gunmetal and black. The black ornamentation on the head is surprisingly intricate.
Arguably the most impressive accessory is Cordelia’s stake. The stake is a small, 3/4” pointed cylinder that looks like a sharpened wood stick and it looks neither simple nor out of proportion.
Finally, there is the flashlight. The Short Hair Cordelia’s flashlight is 1 5/16” long and very simple. The cylinder has one wider end, painted silver, that makes it clear that this is a flashlight and it looks good in Cordelia’s hand. In fact, all three of her primary accessories fit perfectly in either of her hands.
Playability
Short Hair Cordelia is a very problematic figure to balance. While her articulation gives her many options, her heeled boots require her to be contorted in a way that is very difficult to keep her standing. To alleviate the balance issues, Cordelia has holes in the front of her shoes that presumably fit in the pegs on stands and playsets for the Angel figures. Unfortunately, though, Short Hair Cordelia does not come with a stand and I know of no Angel playsets.
Short Hair Cordelia is also strengthened in posability by her impressive articulation. Cordelia is articulated at sixteen points: knees, thighs, groin joint, shoulders, elbows, biceps, wrists, waist and head. The elbows and knees have hinge joints, while all the rest are swivel joints. That gives Cordelia a great range of motion for a figure without any ball-and-socket joints.
Collectibility
The Short Hair Cordelia was a Clayburn Moore Action Collectibles exclusive figure and was strictly limited to 2000 pieces for the 2002 Summer Show circuit. This is actually one of the few Angel figures that has retained its value and if you can find one inexpensively, it may be a decent investment figure. Given, however, that the Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel phenomenon seems to have passed, it is hard to believe that the Short Hair Cordelia is not now at its peak price.
Overview
Fans of Cordelia Chase will enjoy the concept, execution and options presented by the Short Hair Cordelia, even if the price may be steep for some who see her only as an old figure with a new head.
This figure represents Cordelia as she appeared early in the second season of Angel, reviewed here!
For other Angel toys, please visit my reviews of:
“You’re Welcome” Cordelia
Puppet Spike doll
Pylean Princess Cordelia Chase
7.5/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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