| Bruce Lee Enter the Dragon Gallery |
"Mr. Lee, Why You No Wear
Uniform?!"
Uniform?!"
Rites of passage.
We all go through them several times in our lives. Different things and events can trigger these moments,
especially when you're a little kid. Some little kids go through it when they find out that certain heart felt truths
aren't true at all. For some kids it can be something like finding out that Santa Clause isn't real. It's quite the
blow for the little ones out there realizing that. For me, it was finding out that Bruce Lee was dead. Not only
was he dead, but he died before I was born. It was quite sobering. I was little, watched every martial arts
movie my dad was able to get with his EROLS card and to this day I remember that the first EVER VHS
movie my dad ever rented was The Chinese Connection (which in reality was Fist of Fury, but you already
know about that story). I was little and I saw "Bruce" everywhere. Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee (oh God
was he awesome and terrible. He was Awerrible) and I thought the guy was in a billion movies. Needless to
say I learned a lot about Bruce over time. Who he was, what he believed, what he did and what he didn't do. I
even did a portrait of him for my illustration class final. It's quite obvious that his charismatic hold on me never
waned.
Flash forward to October of 2006. ENTERBAY had knocked everyone out with their-then upcoming line of
Bruce Lee one-sixth figures. It literally was the talk of the one-sixth community. Whether it was good, bad,
overpriced, it didn't matter as the buzz on it was more than good or bad comments could smother.
We all go through them several times in our lives. Different things and events can trigger these moments,
especially when you're a little kid. Some little kids go through it when they find out that certain heart felt truths
aren't true at all. For some kids it can be something like finding out that Santa Clause isn't real. It's quite the
blow for the little ones out there realizing that. For me, it was finding out that Bruce Lee was dead. Not only
was he dead, but he died before I was born. It was quite sobering. I was little, watched every martial arts
movie my dad was able to get with his EROLS card and to this day I remember that the first EVER VHS
movie my dad ever rented was The Chinese Connection (which in reality was Fist of Fury, but you already
know about that story). I was little and I saw "Bruce" everywhere. Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee (oh God
was he awesome and terrible. He was Awerrible) and I thought the guy was in a billion movies. Needless to
say I learned a lot about Bruce over time. Who he was, what he believed, what he did and what he didn't do. I
even did a portrait of him for my illustration class final. It's quite obvious that his charismatic hold on me never
waned.
Flash forward to October of 2006. ENTERBAY had knocked everyone out with their-then upcoming line of
Bruce Lee one-sixth figures. It literally was the talk of the one-sixth community. Whether it was good, bad,
overpriced, it didn't matter as the buzz on it was more than good or bad comments could smother.
Review by Gatack
Photography by Tendou Kabuto
6/17/07
Photography by Tendou Kabuto
6/17/07
Then came Medicom to sneak in their offering of the ENTER THE DRAGON Bruce Lee. It was a
clever way to steal some of the thunder the ENTERBAY Bruce initiated. I was surprised that they
(Medicom) made another one. You see, there are 25 Bruce Lee Medicoms out there. 24 of them
are from the Eric So designed line and the one non-Eric So designed one was an older and
essentially dated Medicom (which I guess this new one could be called Bruce 2.0). The Eric So
line however wasn't that old thus I didn't expect for Medicom to do ANOTHER Bruce Lee. But they
did. And while it was dumped on by a lot of people who didn't really give it a chance due to the
impressive nature of the ENTERBAY Bruce (as some viewed it as a consolation prize for those
who couldn't fork over the money for the ENTERBAY release), I noticed that this new Medicom
Bruce would have quite a few things going for it that the ENTERBAY Bruce had lacked (This isn't
a comparison of the two by the way. That might come later when ENTERBAY does their own
“Enter the Dragon" Bruce, but who knows what the time table on that one is but you seriously
cannot do a review of one without mentioning the other to some extent.)
clever way to steal some of the thunder the ENTERBAY Bruce initiated. I was surprised that they
(Medicom) made another one. You see, there are 25 Bruce Lee Medicoms out there. 24 of them
are from the Eric So designed line and the one non-Eric So designed one was an older and
essentially dated Medicom (which I guess this new one could be called Bruce 2.0). The Eric So
line however wasn't that old thus I didn't expect for Medicom to do ANOTHER Bruce Lee. But they
did. And while it was dumped on by a lot of people who didn't really give it a chance due to the
impressive nature of the ENTERBAY Bruce (as some viewed it as a consolation prize for those
who couldn't fork over the money for the ENTERBAY release), I noticed that this new Medicom
Bruce would have quite a few things going for it that the ENTERBAY Bruce had lacked (This isn't
a comparison of the two by the way. That might come later when ENTERBAY does their own
“Enter the Dragon" Bruce, but who knows what the time table on that one is but you seriously
cannot do a review of one without mentioning the other to some extent.)
Now that he's here lets find out whether he deserves to be lost in the one-sixth Bruce Lee crowd or if he can separate himself from the
pack.
Unlike the form-fitting stuff Bruce would wear on his off time, his movie outfits are very baggy and loose. Here his two shirts are
virtually identical, except for the obvious color difference. One is white with three front pockets and the other is dark blue four front
pockets. Both long folding sleeve shirts are Mandarin collared style. Very traditional and it's something we've all seen in martial arts
films at one time or another. Both have Velcro on the front so you won't have to fiddle with any buttons (and the Velcro is very thin and
is concealed very nicely). The white one is obviously from his tournament match-up with Han's boy, Ohara. The dark blue one is from
the beginning of the movie after he had his sparring session with a then unknown Samo Hung and speaking to his poorly-dubbed
Monk friend.
pack.
Unlike the form-fitting stuff Bruce would wear on his off time, his movie outfits are very baggy and loose. Here his two shirts are
virtually identical, except for the obvious color difference. One is white with three front pockets and the other is dark blue four front
pockets. Both long folding sleeve shirts are Mandarin collared style. Very traditional and it's something we've all seen in martial arts
films at one time or another. Both have Velcro on the front so you won't have to fiddle with any buttons (and the Velcro is very thin and
is concealed very nicely). The white one is obviously from his tournament match-up with Han's boy, Ohara. The dark blue one is from
the beginning of the movie after he had his sparring session with a then unknown Samo Hung and speaking to his poorly-dubbed
Monk friend.
He has one pair of pants that work for both shirts. The great thing about this outfit is that it
doesn't restrict his movement in the least which for a martial artist is a good thing. in addition
to the pants you get two little strips of Velcro-cloth to taper off the bottom of the pant legs (to
mainly be used for the white Shirt for his fight with Ohara). Add to that two pairs of easy to put
on soft vinyl Chinese slippers (one pair with white soles the other with black soles), a pair of
white sox and you have Bruce's ensemble. They are very well stitched together in typical
Medicom fashion, no unsightly loose threads of anything like that. There is nothing to look out
for as the outfits are simple and gadget free (unless you want to call Velcro a gadget).
Sculpt wise you’re talking about two things, the head and his nine hands. Is his head sculpt
very good? Yes it is. Is it the best likeness that Medicom has ever done of Bruce? Yes it is. Is
it comparable to the Arnie Kim ENTERBAY interpretation? Yes, I think it's comparable to the
ENTERBAY "Game of Death" Bruce that's out right now (and even that one isn't perfect as
Bruce's face was a little bit thinner in the movie than it is in the ENTERBAY head sculpt. It's
the paint application that really makes the ENTERBAY ones look incredible). From the
mushroom-like hair to the scar on his cheek its easy to see that this sculpt is Bruce from
ENTER THE DRAGON. Sculpted by Kyouji Maeda, the head does look like Bruce Lee. I've
seen really bad sculpts of Bruce Lee but this one certainly doesn't fall into the "bad" category.
In fact, it looks better than the initial images (and it's worth saying that since the differences
between the initial images and the final product are usually negligible).
doesn't restrict his movement in the least which for a martial artist is a good thing. in addition
to the pants you get two little strips of Velcro-cloth to taper off the bottom of the pant legs (to
mainly be used for the white Shirt for his fight with Ohara). Add to that two pairs of easy to put
on soft vinyl Chinese slippers (one pair with white soles the other with black soles), a pair of
white sox and you have Bruce's ensemble. They are very well stitched together in typical
Medicom fashion, no unsightly loose threads of anything like that. There is nothing to look out
for as the outfits are simple and gadget free (unless you want to call Velcro a gadget).
Sculpt wise you’re talking about two things, the head and his nine hands. Is his head sculpt
very good? Yes it is. Is it the best likeness that Medicom has ever done of Bruce? Yes it is. Is
it comparable to the Arnie Kim ENTERBAY interpretation? Yes, I think it's comparable to the
ENTERBAY "Game of Death" Bruce that's out right now (and even that one isn't perfect as
Bruce's face was a little bit thinner in the movie than it is in the ENTERBAY head sculpt. It's
the paint application that really makes the ENTERBAY ones look incredible). From the
mushroom-like hair to the scar on his cheek its easy to see that this sculpt is Bruce from
ENTER THE DRAGON. Sculpted by Kyouji Maeda, the head does look like Bruce Lee. I've
seen really bad sculpts of Bruce Lee but this one certainly doesn't fall into the "bad" category.
In fact, it looks better than the initial images (and it's worth saying that since the differences
between the initial images and the final product are usually negligible).
The hands are all sculpted very consistently with each other, the fists aren't you stock
medicom fists. Bruce's fists are tightly clinched with the appropriate "veinage" being sculpted
on said hands. All are consistent detail wise with each other right down to the fingernails. The
hands are slightly off in comparisons to the skin tone of the head. It's not exact but it's close.
medicom fists. Bruce's fists are tightly clinched with the appropriate "veinage" being sculpted
on said hands. All are consistent detail wise with each other right down to the fingernails. The
hands are slightly off in comparisons to the skin tone of the head. It's not exact but it's close.
First and foremost Bruce Lee himself has an abundance of style and this Medicom translates that style very well into one-sixth form.
You literally can take screencaps of scenes from Enter the Dragon and have the Medicom Bruce duplicate it. The only drawback
about this Bruce is that he's not meant to be displayed without his shirt. The iconic battles at the end of the movie can't really be
duplicated because of this. He has your 301 Kai body underneath the clothing so all the joints are exposed and it really doesn't look
very good. That's why most people only have shots of him clothed (at most you can have shots of his shirt opened with a bit of his
chest and abs exposed). He’s just flat out not meant to be posed without a top which is in contrast to the ENTERBAY Bruce where he
looks great without his top but isn't as poseable. Medicom brings this Bruce Lee to life which is all anyone can hope to get from a
one-sixth.
This is going to be short as there's only one thing to talk about, his head. The hair is black, no highlights or anything of the sort. The
skin tone is mostly that of the plastic with light shading. The eyebrows are painted without any type of over spray or bleeding. The
mouth has a darker hue and it all blends in very nicely. The face has some light shading around the cheek area and chin (keeping
with the Japanese philosophy that it's all in the technique, not the amount of paint you glob on). Again very natural shading which
gives it a great natural look. The eyes are carefully done as the brown color of his eyes are consistent throughout (color and
application wise) with a hint of reflected light on the top left corner of both eyes, nothing to complain about here.
You literally can take screencaps of scenes from Enter the Dragon and have the Medicom Bruce duplicate it. The only drawback
about this Bruce is that he's not meant to be displayed without his shirt. The iconic battles at the end of the movie can't really be
duplicated because of this. He has your 301 Kai body underneath the clothing so all the joints are exposed and it really doesn't look
very good. That's why most people only have shots of him clothed (at most you can have shots of his shirt opened with a bit of his
chest and abs exposed). He’s just flat out not meant to be posed without a top which is in contrast to the ENTERBAY Bruce where he
looks great without his top but isn't as poseable. Medicom brings this Bruce Lee to life which is all anyone can hope to get from a
one-sixth.
This is going to be short as there's only one thing to talk about, his head. The hair is black, no highlights or anything of the sort. The
skin tone is mostly that of the plastic with light shading. The eyebrows are painted without any type of over spray or bleeding. The
mouth has a darker hue and it all blends in very nicely. The face has some light shading around the cheek area and chin (keeping
with the Japanese philosophy that it's all in the technique, not the amount of paint you glob on). Again very natural shading which
gives it a great natural look. The eyes are carefully done as the brown color of his eyes are consistent throughout (color and
application wise) with a hint of reflected light on the top left corner of both eyes, nothing to complain about here.
The Medicom 301 Body is the best one-sixth body in the world. Bar none, and now out of all the
things I've reviewed in the past Bruce is the only one that takes full advantage of the 301 body.
This one is a 301 kai body (Kai translates into "custom") specifically made for this Bruce Lee
Medicom. I love how Medicom goes the extra mile and doesn't mind creating a brand new body
just for one figure. I'm very happy to say that Bruce can do all of his trade mark martial arts
moves and then some. He is an incredibly well balanced figure as he's even able to do an
extended high leg kick without the aid of the Medicom stand (good, because stands are evil).
There isn't a single thing that this Bruce can't do, from attacks to stances he can do it all (not that
Bruce did a lot of kicks or anything fancy. As we all know, there is no wasted motion in Jeet Kun
do). Every single character related pose he can do well. Really, I don't know what else I can
really add.
things I've reviewed in the past Bruce is the only one that takes full advantage of the 301 body.
This one is a 301 kai body (Kai translates into "custom") specifically made for this Bruce Lee
Medicom. I love how Medicom goes the extra mile and doesn't mind creating a brand new body
just for one figure. I'm very happy to say that Bruce can do all of his trade mark martial arts
moves and then some. He is an incredibly well balanced figure as he's even able to do an
extended high leg kick without the aid of the Medicom stand (good, because stands are evil).
There isn't a single thing that this Bruce can't do, from attacks to stances he can do it all (not that
Bruce did a lot of kicks or anything fancy. As we all know, there is no wasted motion in Jeet Kun
do). Every single character related pose he can do well. Really, I don't know what else I can
really add.
This is really nice packaging. I've done some research for the images on the box as it has that one-sheet
poster look to it. I didn't find any posters that matched the cover art. I can't confirm if it is or isn't based off
some old art but it does have that old poster style to it, which I love. Kudo's to Yoshihito Sugahara for
illustrating an image that harks back to that vintage 70's style movie poster. The inside flap gives us a couple
of images of Bruce in each outfit with little stats about what he comes with and so on. Opposite side of that is
a clear window that shows you the figure. The back of the package is like a movie credit listing with the
names of the Medicom staff who worked on it with an image of Han's "furry" claw capping it off (which is
appropriate since the last shot of the movie is a close-up image of that claw).
Inside he comes on double-stacked tray. One for the body and the another one behind it that stores all of his
accessories. Since it is double stacked it's a little bit thicker than your standard Medicom box but it's really
not that big of a size difference.
This Bruce does itself a huge service by coming with several hands. He has nine hands total. He comes with
fists, a pair of grasping hands, another pair for grasping (mainly for nunchaku), one open handed left hand
and a pair of signature stance, Bruce Lee hands (four right hands and five left hands). His fingers can move
slightly, I won't say they are articulated (because they aren't) but they aren't stiff either.
Weapons wise, Bruce comes with the trademark nunchaku (with metal chain) along with a pair of escrima
sticks. And while it would be cool if he came with a one-sixth Angela Mao we know that's not going to
happen, not even in mail-away form (fight back the tears man).
And yes, he comes with the tried and true clear Medicom stand. You know my feelings on stands and
obviously this Medicom in particular doesn't need one. He stands and poses fine on his own.
This one wasn't imported by Sideshow Collectibles. That alone should tell you that you're not getting this doll
for 99.95 USD. It's just not going to happen. I think this piece falls into the Kamen Rider category where the
subject matter is too Asian-centric for US appeal (although I would think Bruce would be the exception but
hey, whatever). The yen price on him is 16,800 which is 137.97 USD which these days is standard Medicom
price. All things considered, the articulation, the accessories and the price, this Enter the Dragon Bruce Lee
gives you the most bang for your buck.
poster look to it. I didn't find any posters that matched the cover art. I can't confirm if it is or isn't based off
some old art but it does have that old poster style to it, which I love. Kudo's to Yoshihito Sugahara for
illustrating an image that harks back to that vintage 70's style movie poster. The inside flap gives us a couple
of images of Bruce in each outfit with little stats about what he comes with and so on. Opposite side of that is
a clear window that shows you the figure. The back of the package is like a movie credit listing with the
names of the Medicom staff who worked on it with an image of Han's "furry" claw capping it off (which is
appropriate since the last shot of the movie is a close-up image of that claw).
Inside he comes on double-stacked tray. One for the body and the another one behind it that stores all of his
accessories. Since it is double stacked it's a little bit thicker than your standard Medicom box but it's really
not that big of a size difference.
This Bruce does itself a huge service by coming with several hands. He has nine hands total. He comes with
fists, a pair of grasping hands, another pair for grasping (mainly for nunchaku), one open handed left hand
and a pair of signature stance, Bruce Lee hands (four right hands and five left hands). His fingers can move
slightly, I won't say they are articulated (because they aren't) but they aren't stiff either.
Weapons wise, Bruce comes with the trademark nunchaku (with metal chain) along with a pair of escrima
sticks. And while it would be cool if he came with a one-sixth Angela Mao we know that's not going to
happen, not even in mail-away form (fight back the tears man).
And yes, he comes with the tried and true clear Medicom stand. You know my feelings on stands and
obviously this Medicom in particular doesn't need one. He stands and poses fine on his own.
This one wasn't imported by Sideshow Collectibles. That alone should tell you that you're not getting this doll
for 99.95 USD. It's just not going to happen. I think this piece falls into the Kamen Rider category where the
subject matter is too Asian-centric for US appeal (although I would think Bruce would be the exception but
hey, whatever). The yen price on him is 16,800 which is 137.97 USD which these days is standard Medicom
price. All things considered, the articulation, the accessories and the price, this Enter the Dragon Bruce Lee
gives you the most bang for your buck.
At first I wasn't in any real rush to get this one as I had other one-sixth on my mind. Then I saw some pictures of it then I got a bit ansty
about it and really wanted it. A trade here and there and I got it and I'm very happy that I did. This Bruce Lee snuck under my radar as
it was overshadowed by many new one-sixth that were being released this time of year. This Medicom Bruce Lee stands on his own
very well in a busy and heavily crowded one-sixth 2007.
about it and really wanted it. A trade here and there and I got it and I'm very happy that I did. This Bruce Lee snuck under my radar as
it was overshadowed by many new one-sixth that were being released this time of year. This Medicom Bruce Lee stands on his own
very well in a busy and heavily crowded one-sixth 2007.
| Sequence One |
| Sequence Two |
| Sequence Three |
| Sequence Four |
| Sequence Five |
| Sequence Six "One Inch Punch" |
| Sequence Seven |
| Sequence Eight |
| The End |
| For More One-Sixth Go Here... |