Super7 Planet of the Apes Astronaut CorneliusSuper7, 2019
Day #2,887: July 17, 2025
Astronaut Cornelius Ape Is Enough
Planet of the Apes ReAction Figure
Item No.: No. 03436 Manufacturer:Super7 Includes:Helmet Action Feature:n/a Retail:$17.99 Availability: March 2019 Other: Coming In to Los Angeles
The Astronaut Cornelius was the last figure from this line I got (thanks for your help/foresight, Seth Longmire.) Not only did I see these early, but Super7 went out of their way to show them to me at Toy Fair - and boy howdy was I excited! Like a fool I dragged my feet starting a collection that for all I knew could have kept growing, but it stopped at a couple of waves, a couple of statues, and a playset. So, backfill! It was worth it - everything about this line turned out well, especially if you wanted gorilla troopers and hats.
In a world where Star Wars Kenner has been quasi-revived, and where Dana Gould hosts a talk show dressed up kind of like Dr. Zaius, it's a gleeful time to dwell upon your overly specific fandoms. (Dana, can we talk about making a Dr. Z figure? Or Break On Through with JFK? C'mon, call me.) But I digress. Cornelius (...or Astro-Cornelius) is a great figure and I absolutely hate that it got so expensive over the last couple of years on the secondary market. Go click that ebay link - it's selling for around $150 now, but you can kind of see why.
Star Wars fans will look at this costume in the helmet and be reminded of spacer rando barflys from the original film. If you compare this suit to that of Ellors Madak, the Duro that Hasbro made, who I guess got renamed again to Ohwun De Maal because Disney or something, they're very similar. If Hasbro took this exact sculpt and put the blue alien head on it you'd say "great, I'll take two." That's how good it is. The level of detail is beyond my ability to complain. The lines are wonderful deep grooves - there's no softened detail here. It feels a little stiffer than the average old figure, but the joints move so dang smoothly. It's better than you remember your old space toys being, even if it is mostly white with a little paint on the gloves, zippers, and helmet.
The head sculpt is good, and when I first saw the protoype at Toy Fair 2018 I assumed it was Sal Mines, Dr. Milo. The make-ups are very similar in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (those five movies are required viewing.) Regular Cornelius [FOTD #2,546] has a different head sculpt, so if I were a kid I would absolutely treat this like another character. I assume the face may have been tweaked to fit the helmet, but it's hard to know for sure. His nose was pushed in a bit, but he looks very good, with excellent paint, and - this is notable - visible ears. Regular Roddy McChimp here does not have visible ears.
The costume's sculpted detail will just make you mad. Not because it's bad, but because it's exactly what you'd see on old Kenner figures - the original Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker had some light texture on smooth parts, and that looked great. Hasbro's 2023 reissue is totally smooth. Cornelius has simple - but excellent - texture, with hands that can grip some Kenner accessories. His helmet is hard plastic painted black for the visor and silver on the back, with a notch that fits precisely in place on the body. It does not rotate. I admit that's a very un-Kenner choice, but the materials line up with how the original The Power of the Force Stormtrooper Luke felt. It's a sensible accessory, and you can kind of wedge it between his open right hand and thigh so he can hold it.
This might be the most desirable ReAction Figure in the line. Star Wars fans want it for their Cantina dioramas. Apes fans will want one - or more than one - to customize into the other characters. You'll probably want one. If you ever see one for a fair price, or an unfair price, go get one. The license expired, it is unlikely Super7 will rerun it, but maybe Stan Solo or a similar patron of the plastic will see it and make use of this body - or mold - again somehow, somewhere. I'd even say Hasbro should track it down and adapt it for a Duro. Do not let this one go if you have it in your sights for under $100.
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