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I, Robot LE "Sonny head" (Japan)

written by Juice / photos by Juice

A life-sized Sonny head!

The I, Robot LE head has a limited production run of 5000 copies. Another incredible, high-priced LE coming from Japan, it appeared to be swept up in pre-orders. However, if you look hard enough, you can still find copies of it online for sale.

The release of this bust immediately had individuals comparing it to the Alien Quad head, previously released from Japan. My question isn't how does it compare to the Alien Quad head, it's how do you showcase these two large LE's next to each other on your DVD storage unit!

Sonny comes in two different boxes, the first is the shipping box, which, like the Alien Quad Head and Japanese Thunderbirds LE, comes with it's own carrying handle. The exterior box is made out of standard corrugated cardboard, and is covered with Japanese characteres.

Inside the shipping box is a second box, which is white, and has "I, Robot Collectable Head" written on it in english. There is a seal that you must break in order to get into the box, it has Japanese characters on it.

Oddly, even though the exterior shipping box had very little damage (some minor dents), the interior box was fairly banged up. I think this is because the interior box is much thinner, and has the head in it, which must shift during shipping due to its weight.

Opening the white "collectable head" box, you can see down into it, and get your first glimpse of the top of Sonny's head. Custom cardboard packaging keeps him in place, and he is wrapped in a loose plastic bag. The DVD case is nestled into the side, as is the booklet that comes with this release.

Not only is Sonny's head wrapped in a loose bag of plastic for protection, a shrink wrapped band surrounds the upper portion of his head. It appears this was placed on the packaging to stop the back portion of his head from coming loose during shipping. I'll show more detail on the back portion later in this review.

The shrink wrapping is just that, thick, stiff shrink wrap that I had to carefully cut off. It starts right below the eyebrow, and continues up to almost cover the top of his head.

Pulling the plastic covering off, we finally get a good look at Sonny's face! Smooth but detailed, the thick white plastic is slightly transparent. His blue eyes sit behind clear plastic, giving them an excellent illusion of depth. As you move around the room, his eyes will appear to follow you.

The back of the head is well detailed. The head is connected to the base by a metallic spine, which is anchored by several black "tendons". The ear and tendons are nicely detailed, and it's wonderful to be able to see through Sonny's "skin" and be able to check out the inner workings below.

The tendons and spine do not move, and are all made of plastic. The tendons are soft to the touch, and can move a bit, but do not move with the head. You cannot turn his head left, right, up or down.

Getting closer to the back of the head, we can take off the back portion which covers his "brain core". This allows us to take a closer look at the intricacies revealed. The detail under the covering is fantastic, with multiple levels of the "brain" being shown, highly stylized and matching the movie itsefl. The covering is thick plastic that matches the rest of the head, but it is held on by three thick metal studs. These slide into 3 slots that are designed to look unobtrusive.

My only complaint with the back of the head is the fact that inside the brain core is empty. You have this wonderful looking exterior, but you're presented with a large hole, which makes anyone looking at the set look into the hole to see what is stored inside Sonny's head. Sadly, there is nothing. It would have been nice if that had either been covered, up, or if there'd been something within.

Moving on to the base of the head, the title of the movie is emblazoned across the front in raised, silver letters.

The back hosts the two slots to store the DVDs that come in this set. The slots are covered by a door that folds down, exposing the slots. Each slot has a soft pad inside to keep the discs from scratching. I found it a bit difficult to pull the DVDs out of the slots without having to tilt the head back.

On the underside of the base, which is a fairly elaborate contraption, the title of the movie, "I, Robot" and the Fox studio info is printed in raised lettering.

The two dvds come in a standard case. The case and the DVD artwork is almost exactly the same as the UK LE release. I'm assuming this artwork is standard for the case and DVDs across all region releases.

The last component of this review is the booklet that comes with this release. A nice, oversized booklet, it is packaged in a plastic bag to protect it. The cover and back are printed with a brushed metal reflective look to the paper. The inside is full of large, full color imagery from the movie and press stills.

Information about the characters and actors is printed, however this is in Japanese. There is a nice fold-out spread showcasing one of the pivotal scenes in the movies. What I found interesting, and something I'd not notice before looking through the book, was that all of the robots in the "search" scene show in the pull-out spread are standing in "Hanger 18". A nice nod to the mysterious "Hanger 18".

This life-sized LE is excellent. If you can find space on your DVD showcase to put this up next to your Alien Head, do it right away. This is yet another true DVD collectors item that will put a dent in your wallet!.

- Juice's Verdict -

- Build Quality: 10 -

Fine detail, sturdy plastic, there's nothing wrong with the build or contruction of this set.

- Content and Extras: 7 -

The only extra in this package is the booklet. I'm not counting an included wipe cloth to keep the unit dust free as an extra. The book is nice, but not in english.

- Overall Rating: 9 -

Since the extras are lacking, and the price for the head is fairly high, I'm giving this a 9. A great set that gets the attention of anyone who enjoys movies and collectables.