George Lazenby as James Bond (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) by Sideshow Toy

Unfairly or not, George Lazenby is often described as the, “Worst. Bond. Ever.”   I tend to disagree.  He had to exhibit a wide range of emotions not usually displayed by Bond: genuine grief and panic.  In fact, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service still ranks – in my mind – as one of the best Bond films.  It showed Bond relying on his wits and strength instead of a bunch of gadgets.  But as Lazenby only appeared in one Bond film, he’s largely ignored in the Bond cannon, which is why it’s so good to see Sideshow Toy produce such a good figure.

Sideshow always does a great job with its packaging, but they have outdone themselves with this one.  The front of the box features one of the most action-packed movie poster replicas ever.  It has a bit of a ridiculous ‘60s theme – Bond dressed in a tuxedo, looking relaxed, and fitted with skies, while Piz Gloria (Blofeld’s HQ) explodes in the background and a hundred machine-gun toting henchmen ski down the mountain.  But the icing on the cake is the large text that reads: “Far Up! Far Out! Far More! James Bond 007 is back!”  Oh, and Diana Riggs as Tracy wearing a funky disco outfit is good, too.  It’s almost a shame prying open the box to get Bond out of the box.

Out of the box, Bond has the standard cornucopia of articulation points that Sideshow provides its 12” figures.  All the articulation is hidden under his navy blue snowsuit.  It might have been a neat option to have another set of clothes, but he comes packed with some great accessories.  The main draw is the Armalite machine gun (with removable bullet clip), but he also comes with a Bond standard: the Walther PPK.

Hartvigson’s work.  He does a lot of work for Sideshow and he does the sculpt for Lazenby.  Another stellar effort!

As a display piece, he looks great when paired with Telly Savalas as Ernst Blofeld.  Keeping Bond standing is no problem at all thanks to Sideshow’s standard disc base. (It has an arm that clamps onto the waist of the figure, keeping it firmly in place.) Posing Bond isn’t a problem thanks to the copious articulation, although clamped into the base your options are more limited.

As a play toy, it’s really a no-brainer.  Any 12” figure opens up a lot of play possibilities, particularly if you have all the other Bond figures.  Two words: Battle Royale.  However, the hefty price tag and small accessories may stop you from handing him over to your kids.

I can definitely recommend Lazenby as Bond to collectors.

- Omni

(December 8, 2003)