The story of Hentai Woody goes back many, many years, with the initial release of the Revoltech classic giving an unfortunate "Scheming" face that with some angles, eye positioning, and lighting, could be easily corrupted. Thus the legend of Hentai Woody was born, and it was my desire to have this, rather than anything Toy Story per se, that lead to the figure making its way into my collection.
I think in 2021 or so, Kaiyodo announced it was doing a refreshed version of the figure (thus the Version 1.5) which offered everything the original toy did ,and then some. It was released in 2022, and I managed to get one when it was being cleared out on Anime Export.
Strap in for what is possible the most cursed photoset I've done in a long, long time.
Based on the cheerful blue box, you'd never know the horrors that awaited you upon opening.
I can't remember the exact MSRP on this set, but I believe it was something along the lines of double what you can get the Version 1.0 reissue for:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 5 x Faces (Neutral, Surprised, Scared, Happy, Scheming)
- 6 x Posing/Gripping Hands.
- 1 x Hat
- 1 x Microphone
- 1 x Lenny the Binoculars
- 1 x Green Alien
- 1 x Buzz Lightyear Hand (for use with Lenny)
- 1 x Green Alien
- 1 x Eyeball Tool
- 1 x Base/Stand
As mentioned, this set does cost more than the original, but it does come with quite a bit more in terms of parts. The Green Alien and three of five faces are new to the figure (everything other than the Scheming and Smiling).
The Green Alien is nice. Certainly well sculpted and fits in with the set, though you'd think it would have gone with Buzz.Lightyear, but what do I know? Articulation is pretty basic on this piece, consisting of a neck swivel and shoulder rotation. Acceptable for an accessory.
Corruption aside, the quality and accuracy of the original two Woody sculpts were actually pretty damn good. The Version 1.5 faces continue that trend with faces that honestly look like they were ripped right off the CG model and thrown into a 3D printer. Continuing the trend set by the previous set (and increasing the cost I'm sure), the eyes remain poseable, allowing for countless hours of photography fun... well, for me, at the very least.
In case you weren't aware, the reason there's a dedicated hand for holding Lenny is because there is a peg that gets inserted into the side of Lenny, securing it in place. Lenny himself hasn't changed, but this is a good segue into something that has - peg and hole sizes. Now I didn't test them all, but the hands for sure (and the peg on the Lenny hand) are different from the first one, to the point that they are no longer interchangable. Even the faceplates of the new figures are really tight when fitting into the old head. I wonder if that is a tolerance thing or if Kaiyodo had to redo some of the tooling due to age related wear.
So, what are the cosmetic differences between the two figures? Well, to start off, you might have noticed that new Woody doesn't have a sheen like he's sitting in confessional. That's because the new figure actually features a matte finish and more natural flesh toned plastic, along with improved rouge on the cheeks (where applicable). This new colour/finish carries to all other flesh coloured areas. The new faces also seem to lack the black outline present on the old one.
Other areas also feature significant colour updates as well. The bandana on the new one is a darker red. Silver on the new figure is metallic versus the flat grey. Gold on te buckle is a closer to gold than bronze on the old figure. Browns are also more towards tan as opposed to the red of the original figure. I'm presuming this extends to the brown on his Cowboy Hat as well.
Otherwise, the figure is same as before in terms of Articulation and Paint Applications. Woody is a pretty limber guy, and definitely posses an above average ability to pose. This is in part due to the Revoltech system, but also their ability to just place joints where it works as opposed to worrying about looks. I wish he had a bit more range of motion in the head, but then they can't all be super articulated superhero figures, I guess. Paint wise, I feel the new flesh finish makes the figure appear closer to its CG counterpart than before, which is a positive.
What I wasn't expecting was the change in Build Quality. There are some slight tolerance issues, but nothing to lose sleep over. They, however, did change the actual joints themselves. I may have forgotten this, but maybe at some point Revoltech moved away from the ratcheting joint system and went with smooth friction ones, which of course helps by allow more nuanced limb positions. This is a pretty jarring change for me, as I went from finding that one combination of positions that allowed the figure to stand to just.. moving the limb in place. The joints on mine, however, are a bit tight, and will give off a squeaking sound when manipulated.
So, bottom line.. which one is the one to get? Well it really comes down to what you want - presuming you're in the market for a Woody figure at this size at all. I would say of all the figures I've seen of Woody, in and around this size, the Revoltech one is probably the best of them all. Between these two versions though, I'd say if all you want a fun, basic figure to have in your collection, you're better off with the reissue of the first figure. But if you're into the more accurate aesthetics (or rather, the lack of plastic sheen) and a slightly easier time posing your figure, you'll want one of these. The additional parts are a nice bonus.
At the end of the day you can't go wrong with having a Woody on your shelf.
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