itness a dark tale of a hospitalized woman disfigured horribly. A doctor and nurse treat her, but doubts arise that she will ever look as beautiful as she once did. The woman is seen only with bandages covering her face. The doctor and nurse are seen only in shadow, their faces never revealed. Until the end. Then we discover that beauty truly is in "The Eye of the Beholder."
Watch as a man, terrified of flight, ventures to peer out of the window of the airplane on which he is flying. He sees something in a flash of lightning. But what? Upon further investigation, he is sure it is a vile creature tearing at the airplane's wing, pulling wiring from its engine. No one else can see this thing, and only he is faced with the "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."
Observe as we meet a race called the Kanamit, who come to Earth with promises of new technology and a lasting friendship. While most of humanity accepts their generous gifts, a few question—what price will these aliens ask for carrying out their stated objective, "To Serve Man?"
These three tales of the unusual were brought to you courtesy of creator Rod Serling in a TV show that changed the face of television itself and became legend—The Twilight Zone. Now, Sideshow Toy has released three box sets of four new figures from the series—the doctor and nurse from "Eye of the Beholder," the gremlin from "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and the Kanamit from "To Serve Man."
Each box is gorgeously printed in deep matte black with images from the TV show, and pays appropriate homage to the classic series as it describes in great detail the plotline of each episode, complete with famed prologue and epilogue from Rod Serling and detailed production credits, including cast and crew.
The doctor and nurse come with hospital whites, gauze, a hypodermic needle and a stethoscope. The gremlin comes with a mangled piece of airplane wing and a coil of wiring. The Kanamit comes with white robes covering silver underclothes, and boots and a book written in an alien language. Each figure has a display stand with the show's name and the episode's title.
Classic episodes made real
Sideshow Toy has made a mission of producing 12" action figures from licenses that have rarely been tapped before. Each figure has an incredible range of movement, with more points of articulation than most action figures, including double-jointed elbows and knees that allow for extreme poses.
The doctor and nurse's strangely porcine faces are well sculpted. The nurse's body is a little lithe, however. Her thin arms seem a little too spindly for a normal woman, but then again, this nurse isn't exactly a normal woman. Their uniforms are meticulously detailed, including small plastic buttons that scale well. Fastenings use metal snaps rather than the much less desirable Velcro all too often used by toy makers.
At first glance, the gremlin seems almost silly. While he has a fully articulated body, it is hidden entirely in an over-padded plush outfit that befits more an urban self-defense instructor than a deadly monster. It is somewhat comical, until you realize it's a pretty accurate representation of the creature as seen in probably the most recognized Twilight Zone episode of all. His hair is made of similar material, and just doesn't look threatening. The face, however, is a good representation of the ghoulish face Bob Wilson sees staring back at him, inches from his own.
The Kanamit figure is an unusual one for Sideshow. This lanky alien, played in the show by Richard Kiel (known best for his portrayal of the James Bond villain Jaws), stands 2 inches taller than the standard 12 inches. This is apparently achieved by using the same standard body, but with extended limb parts, including thighs and forearms, as well as thick-soled boots. Perhaps it is because of these accommodations that the Kanamit suffers so in posability. The wrists have no articulation whatever, nor do the feet. In fact, the boots attach directly to the lower leg, allowing only a simple rotation. Still, his white robe is excellent (though not removable due to the fact that its neck is not wide enough to fit over the figure's extended cranium).
For a TV series that ended nearly 40 years ago, it is quite refreshing to see such detailed depictions of some of its most memorable figures. Surely for fans of this legendary TV show, this set of toys has been a long time coming.
