Link: The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (Figma)

Figma Link

Oh c'mon... Christmas is over; not one of Santa's merry toy making elves! Anyways, all joking aside, I'm sure everyone knows this iconic hero from the Zelda video game series. If you don't have any clue who this dude is or what the game is all about then that makes the two of us (like we care, right?) because never in my childhood years had I played Zelda. Call me "ungroovy" but I just can't get into it! Something just drives me not to like this game or maybe it's just me but at least I know this guy's name. His name is Link... distant cousin to Legolas and Tinker Bell's half-brother.















I might know a thing or two about this game but when it comes to action figures, I can tell you all that you need to know about the good ones like this Link figure by Figma. Looks like a CGI model, doesn't it? It's Figma's finest in my opinion, that is well translated from its pixelated origins to this articulated plastic. The details are just spot on based on his appearance in The Legends of Zelda Skyward Sword.

Never have I seen a figure so relaxing and soothing to look at. Link's vibrant and pastel-like colours makes it easy for my eyes gaze upon him for a long period even with his simplistic colour scheme. The paint is exceptional without any scuff marks or bleeds at the edges. You can see the pinpoint accuracy on the paint job just by looking at how the eyes are shaped, the designs embossed on the shield, and just the neat look on the figure. It's laughable to see how my beloved Marvel Legends tries to fair up with this Figma.

The overall sculpt is smooth and seamless as though someone "nail filed" all the curves and corners. All the wrinkles and creases on his clothing are sculpted realistically; bringing this character alive. While I admire the simplicity and neatness of how the paint is applied, the same can be said when it comes to Link's sculpt. The body mold is well proportioned and balanced... though I can see that he got a large head but this is significant to the feature of this character as it was in the game.

Heading down now to his accessories. There are two main accessories and the rest are extras and/or interchangeables. Like the S.H.Figuarts War Machine and other Japanese imports of his kind, Link has loads of them which you can switch around and play with. Most important feature for his accessories is the Master Sword and the Hylian Sword which can be assembled and stored together at his back along with the sword sheath that can be attached through this peg hole at his back. Link has another peg hole designated for the Figma clear stand that he comes with. Some people had voiced complains about how difficult this figure to stand and pose without the stand but so far, contrary to what people say, I haven't had a hard time executing some pose with this figure even with such small feet.

Link's Master Sword combined with this translucent blue plastic gives it some motion; simulating a slashing-hacking type effect! Also, using a "sword-pointing" hand (which comes in pairs) holding the sword tight, it allows you to get a better dynamic pose and a more pronounced swing. Because it fits nice and tight, I often worry about paint rubs around the hilt so it's probably advisable to snug it carefully and gently.  He has a total of five pairs of hands; the sword-pointing hands as I've just mentioned, the normal sword grips, the finger-spreaded hands, the calm or relaxed hands, and lastly, the clenched fists which was attached to the figure upon purchase.

With such a beautifully sculpted figure, surely there must be some sort of trade off. Not that I'm looking for one but it's just there in his articulation. Link does not have waist swivel around his belt, and the fact that he wears a skirt and although it's made of a pliable plastic material still makes it hard for me to get him to do a better running pose. His head barely moves up because of the hair; rendering the ball-joint to his neck useless albeit rather not a deal breaker. Link got ball-jointed shoulders, double-jointed elbows and hinges to the wrists at the arms. Diaphragm swivel at the torso and a complex T-joint at the hips. His knees rotates and they're double-jointed with toe and ankle articulation at his feet and ankle rockers.

Surprisingly, Link is in perfect scale with almost all my 6-inch Marvel Legends figures! Standing at exactly 5 inches tall, he is like Thor's boy wonder sidekick. The Figma Link is a solid figure that earns recommendation especially for those of you who grew up playing the Zelda games. This figure is yet another example of top level import quality.

Deathstroke: Batman Arkham Origins (DC Collectibles)

Batman Arkham Origins Deathstroke

Many times I've been thinking about playing the Batman Arkham Origins video game on my PS3. This is all because of its notable graphics and gameplay that had me a little excited and could possibly bring back my addiction to video games. Most of all, it's about Batman! And you know how I feel about him and the entire "Batman Universe". In addition to that is Deathstroke, another bad ass character who's one of my favourite villains. Deathstroke may be DC's answer to Deadpool but regardless of whether he can compete with the merc with a mouth or not, I like the kind of coolness this guy has especially how they made him a lot cooler in the video game.













DC Collectibles has done a great job translating these characters into plastic. Despite how awesome these action figures are, I don't have plans of making them part of my collection. A man has his limits. The only reason why I bought this figure is because it's Deathstroke. The figure just renders accurately but boy oh boy... I've never been so scared of playing with it after I heard some complaints by other reviewers about its poor quality of plastic that breaks easily once you move the joints. Fortunately, I haven't encountered such problem yet.

The main highlight of this figure is inarguably the sculpt. There's just good depth in here with Deathstroke. Almost half of his body is covered with armour. I describe it like a thick protective shales of rock molded on top of his clothes and it made him look heavy. The other good thing is that there is so much attention to details over his ammo pack, grenades, utility belt and holster for his gun. The holster is made of a pliable material so it's easy to snug the gun in. Also, you can't ignore the head sculpt. His hollowing eye is perfectly recessed at the left orange side of his head and looked a lot realistic and superior than the other Deathstroke figures I've seen.

The style of painting is something that I'm not a fan of. The choice of colours used on this figure are not bad and lean closer to the standard. However, all these scratch marks that seem to render a battle damaged armour are over the top and not properly done. In fact, it seem to look like some 3-year old was scribbling aimlessly with a pen on this figure. I'm not an expert in this art but I know the paint job could have been done better. Otherwise, the rest of the body parts are paint detailed nicely.

I wish Deathstroke had an additional handgun and a sword plus an assault rifle, but that's just asking too much. I thought he could look more deadly and intimidating other than just his bō staff, his one handgun and his ninjato (a.k.a. ninja sword), but what can you do. The funny thing about Deathstroke's sword is that it got this soft rubbery hilt that is kinda hard to get it through his grip and quite prone to being destroyed. I got no issue with his gun and staff. All his accessories are painted in gunmetal and black which is perfect.

The more current and newer releases of DC figures are more articulated and highly poseable and this figure is one of them. But like I've said, the joints break easily and some of them are stuck. With my Deathstroke, I got a problem with the ab crunch- it's stuck! The rest of it got no problem. His neck is on a ball-joint that has a decent range of motion. He got ball-hinged shoulders, mid-bicep swivel, single-jointed elbows that bend at a perfect 90 degree angle and hinged wrists that bends and rotates. He got a ball-jointed waist that allows him bend forward and back; compromising his dysfunctional ab crunch. Like a Marvel Legends figure, he got T-joints at the hips, upper-thigh swivel, double-jointed knees and hinged ankles with ankle pivots.

The DC Collectibles Arkham Origins Deathstroke doesn't go well in terms of scale with either the Marvel Legends or the Marvel Select figures. He stands at 6.7 inches tall that made him a little too big for a Legends but too small to be a Select, which I guess DC has to do in order for them to not support the competition! And I guess that's what business is all about. Nonetheless, a DC action figure collector might be happy to own this figure because of the detail that would fairly look cool on top of a shelf. If you're strictly a classic comic book fan then this Deathstroke is not for you. Personally, I think the unique feature of this video game Deathstroke should be something that we could consider to be standard.

Kratos: God of War (Play Arts Kai)

Looks like someone here's messing around with Hades' barbecue grill! You guys care to give him a face cloth? Interestingly, this character doesn't really exist in ancient Greek mythology. There is a demigod though by the name of Cratos but this dude doesn't closely resemble the Kratos that we know from the game. However, Sony did pick up a perfect name for this ill-willed walking time bomb. Kratos is a Greek word for power. The word- "democracy" comes from two Greek words- demos (people) and kratos (power). Whether the people power in democracy is true or not, one thing about Kratos is that he literally defines the true meaning of power. And honestly, it's actually quite liberating to play a character that can slay gods.

Play Arts Kai Kratos (by Square Enix)

And about the "Hades' barbecue grill" thingy, I meant to point out the paint job on Kratos' face. I think it is a little excessive on their part that they covered his entire forehead and cheeks with some gray and black paint to the point where you'll barely recognize him. I don't think this is helping with the contrast on his face at all, and this is my only complain with this figure.

The paint job on his upper and lower body is phenomenal. I like how the blending of light and shadow came together between his rippling muscles along with his tattoos. On his right arm, he wears this Golden Fleece Armor that is very well sculpted and painted, and again, having these dark colours around the corners to make it look alive. Most impressive of all is the sculpt and paint on the belt and tunic that are high on details and artistry. Furthermore, Kratos' Blades of Chaos looks like a fiery lava with the application of red and orange.

Ignoring the paint job on his face, the face sculpt is actually pretty game-accurate but I'd rather praise the NECA version Kratos for its angrier and more vengeful look. The length of his arms, legs and torso are well balanced and proportioned along with the size of his muscles. Molded around his wrists are chains made of hard plastic that tries to mimic these real metal chains that link the forearms with his weapons.

Like every Play Arts figures, Kratos has a ton of articulation. His head can move up and down, and rotates 360, and he got this neck joint under his collar bone that lets him bend his neck all the way down. With that Fleece Armor molded unto his entire right arm, it is not possible for this arm to be raised sidewards yet both arms got swivel to the biceps, ball-hinged elbows, ball-hinged wrists that flex and rotate, and armpit joints that lets you thrust his arms forward.

Moving on to his torso, he got diaphragm swivel and waist swivel hidden underneath that tunic. Kratos' got ball-jointed hips and the Play Arts Kai double-jointed knees, which you've probably seen in my Solid Snake review. His ankles can move up and down, rotate 360, and got these little ankle pivots.

















The features and accessories he comes with includes 2 pairs of interchangeable hands which you can have either the gripping hands for his weapons or the half-opened hands for choking his enemies or gouging the eyeball of a Cyclops. Also, he comes with another pair of weapons that he used in God of War 3 called, the "Claws of Hades." Both Kratos' weapons can go with these metallic chains that you can hook under his wrists. With this 1.5 inch plastic rod, you can have him carry his weapons around his back while have him carry his other weapons with his hands.

Kratos stands about 9.2 inches tall, and it just looks weird to see him standing almost as tall and as big as the Play Arts Dante. Usually, this is the problem you get from the Play Arts line- these guys don't care much about proper scaling especially with game characters that are not related to the same company. But against the average Marvel Select figures, this guy just towers over them like they're little children.

Nevertheless, I would totally recommend this action figure if you're someone like me who is a big fan of the God of War games, and the godslayer himself! This action figure is something you might want to treasure.

Spartan - Mark V Gold (Play Arts Kai)

Play Arts Kai Spartan-Mark V

Now here's an appetizer for those who are expecting to get the new Halo game on Tuesday! This is the Gold Spartan - Mark V by Play Arts Kai. Now I know some people picked up those ones from McFarlane, and there are quite a lot of them at Wal-Mart actually, but I like this one better. Although it's a bit pricey but it's worth it. Play Arts has been creating some really awesome action figures lately, based on video game characters, so... go Play Arts! Can't wait to see more of your products.

















I'm not sure how accurate this action figure is compared to Master Chief or whoever that guy is in the game but this is how Square Enix envisioned their version of the Spartan. But the way I see this, I think it's true to the games and the amount of detail is phenomenal!

The entire armour is painted in metallic gold; even the visor is painted in gold, which could have been done better but no biggie. The sculpt on the armour just look complex and really well-defined.

Everything you're looking for in an action figure can be found here. Poseability wise, the Spartan can execute whatever pose you could imagine with ease. It's got ankle pivot, double jointed elbows, and it's got some kind of an extendable shoulder blade so you could actually move the entire arm across the chest. One thing that most people complain about the Spartan, and I guess all Play Arts action figures, are these odd knee articulation. It is like the knees are stretching as they're bent. It's not really obvious though but you'll notice it the longer you look at it.

Playability wise, this action figure has interchangeable hands that you can switch between "pistol-gripping" to "rocket launcher-holding" hands. However, I prefer to use the pistol-gripper for any type of weapon because it has a tighter grip and holds much better than the other one. I wish they added an assault rifle into his arsenal; I just find it unacceptable not giving this Spartan his main weapon. I know the Blue and Red Spartan got the rifles (although no rocket launchers) but this one has none.
















You can place all his weapons around him. Rocket launcher goes on the back, and pistol goes on the right leg. One thing you've noticed on the first photo is that the pistol got that shimmering peg that goes into its hole. I think I'm gonna trim that off just a little so it doesn't look ridiculous.

And overall, this is a nice piece of work by Play Arts, and if you just love Halo, then having this action figure is the way to show your love to it. Just my opinion though.

Dante: Devil May Cry 3 (Play Arts Kai)

Play Arts Kai Dante (by Square Enix)

Not that I am making a mockery out on this figure but I'd like to point out that the feature and sculpt on Dante's head can easily be re-used for a female action figure. I mean it is possible and yet, for me, this is probably a more accurate rendition of Dante on an action figure. I always look at him as one of the pretty boys in the game world. You know those video game characters with unblemished skin and nice hair; as though they are being followed by a hairdresser while fighting bad guys (Final Fantasy is filled with them)! But I like Dante, I adore his job being a devil hunter and this guy is crazy, and having this action figure in my collection just fattens my heart. What I really like though is the DMC4 Dante that was already out before this guy here, and it's not that because this version of Dante I have has a juvie feature, but because he just lack some aggression over his face.











Nevertheless, this Play Arts figure is probably among those figures with superb articulation. Even Dante's trench coat can move! With a few snaps and clicks at the bottom part of his coat, you can get a dynamic air assault pose from Dante. The two ball-hinges that made this pose possible is what make this action figure unique. In addition, he has these pair of hinges that are located between his shoulders and chest (I don't really know what to call them) that would allow you to move his shoulders towards the center of his body. This is useful when you want him to cross his arms while holding his handguns; again for that dynamic pose and stylish gun fight.

Other areas of articulation are pretty much Play Arts standard. ball-jointed neck and shoulders, ball-hinged elbows and wrist. He's got diaphragm swivel and ball-jointed hips; this guy can salsa! And I like how this figure hides his ball-jointed hips with this soft rubbery thing that's part of his pants, and again with the double-jointed extending knees. They also incorporated a couple of mid-calf swivel, hinges to both ankles and rockers that are almost not there.

But you gotta like Play Arts for being consistent of keeping both decent articulation and high amount of sculpt and paint apps together. His red trench coat just looks leathery and feels leathery, and the details such as the straps, elbow pads, and the creases and all that are being molded and sculpted professionally. Dante got two holsters at his back where you can snug his handguns tight and fit. I like how his dark faded jeans came out having a little of these brown wash all over the place. Dante got this perfect male model body, and he got this strap across his chest, which, I presume, a part for his holsters and kinda act like a protective covering for his male nipples.

Dante comes with some basic accessories and this really cool weapon called the Nevan! You won't have this on the DMC4 Dante and this Nevan here can actually turn from this hellishly cool-looking guitar to this demonic scythe (looks kind of like an arm of an insect). And of course, he got his primary weapons; his two handguns- Ebony and Ivory, and his humongous sword- The Rebellion that almost rival his height.

Speaking of height, this DMC3 Dante may look tall prior to being size compared due to his skinny body type, but he is actually an inch short to Solid Snake. For me, this height of Dante is not so accurate since he is long-legged and he's probably the same height as Snake.

Now the question is... should I recommend this figure? Well he runs like around $68 bucks on retail so might as well get him than pay more than a hundred on a DMC4 Dante. Personally, I prefer the DMC4 Dante because of the more mature and masculine looks of his, but this one is not bad.

Samus Aran: Metroid- Other M (Figma)

Figma Samus Aran

If you're one of those guys who haven't played Metroid back in the late 80's and still hasn't played it today because you just don't wanna get yourself a Nintendo Wii, then you're like me- clueless as to who this Megaman wannabe is while thinking that this character is a dude! Who would have thought this hero is a heroine when every part of her body is covered? If your eyes are not as keen as that of a hawk, then you wouldn't notice those lovely curvaceous waist and butt, and those long slender legs. Samus Aran is right up there on the list of top female video game characters along with Chun Li and Lara Croft! She's probably the answer to Capcom's Megaman, and Figma's finest video game figure it created.












Personally, I think this Samus figure needs interchangeable heads where I can switch between her ala-Master Chief type of helmet and an unmasked version showing her pretty face. Instead we got five (5) different interchangeable left hands- three (3) of which are somewhat unnecessary like the "thumbs-up" hand, the "high-five" hand, and the hand that's sort of holding a melee weapon or something but not sure where I could use it because she doesn't come with any wieldable weapon! It's interesting! The clenched fisted hand and the "relaxed" hand which can also be used to hold and stabilize her arm cannon are those I like best.

And speaking of that arm cannon, it comes with two (2) different interchangeable nozzles- the standard one which has a narrow diameter, and the more aggressive type which has a wider diameter. Also, with these comes two (2) different pink translucent blast effects that are interchangeable. Both blast effects can fit right into any of those two nozzles, but I always pair up the aggressive type with the double-shot blast effect because to me, it makes more sense. Moreover, Samus Aran comes with the infamous Morph Ball which (you might know) is what she's gonna turn into when she's dashing and charging like a crazy bowling ball. And like all Figma figures, this figure also has the ever useful Figma clear stand.

Besides rolling herself like an armadillo, Samus has the ability to fly at short distances thanks to these jet boosters behind her shoulders. No flame effects to go with it unfortunately, but the sculpt on this figure is pretty game accurate. Based off from the 2010 Metroid game, Figma didn't miss on the very important details like her big rounded shoulder guards, her pointy knees and ankles, and the overall contour and shape of her body armour as well as the line works that gave rise to her unique design.

When it comes to paint application, this figure can be almost compared to a brand new car! Other brands or toylines may give you that sloppy paint job with colours overlapping at each other but you can't see that with this Samus figure. Not only that I'm impressed by its consistency and tidiness but also with the addition of gloss and a few glitter dust coating the figure. It's done masterfully and I got no complains about it.

The articulation on this figure is more than enough to allow plenty of natural poses. Samus' head is on a ball-jointed neck that lets it rotate, lean side to side but sadly due to the nature and size of her chest armour, her head can't look up. Her shoulders are on double ball-joints that allows full extensions of the arms and articulated shoulder guards to keep them out of the way. Elbows and knees are on this "disc-type" of joint almost works as a double-joint! There is no waist rotation but a diaphragm joint/swivel filling the role. Samus' hips are on that ball and socket type of joint that gets her to kick at an ideal range. She has upper-thigh rotation and ankle rotation with pivots.

Without further ado, let's have a Super Smash Bros. scenario- Link vs. Samus Aran! Both are in good scale as they were made by the same company. Nothing could probably give you that excitement, especially if you're a huge fan, to see your favourite game characters made into plastic. For non-gamers and action figure collectors, you will still love the Figma Samus Aran not only because of its playability and design, but also it has that adult collector value in it. Honestly though for me, I love playing with it.

Super Mario & Playsets (S.H.Figuarts)

S.H.Figuarts Super Mario

Super Mario is too popular and iconic that it's almost a crime not to be able to recognize his face. He is the Muhammad Ali of the world of video games and probably a part of mankind's history. But to me, Mario is just a childhood memory holding a special place in my heart- the first ever video game character I got introduced to before everything went hi-def. My girlfriend, Elaine thinks he's cute (like a stuffed animal sense of cute) but like all other guys, I think it's the mechanics of the game that make him "super", and that what made me become a fan! Ironically, I don't play the games anymore but with this S.H.Figuarts release, I was just too excited to get one of my favourite characters to go into my collection along with these playsets.











On to the figure! Each of these sets are neatly packaged with standard S.H.Figuarts windowed boxes with the figure along with the pieces showcased behind its clear plastic. The boxes don't have any "Mario-themed" artwork from the game at all, but instead we see all these pictures of the action figure and all these accessories you're getting from these sets. The "Main Set" contains Super Mario while Playset A and B are technically just add-on accessories that would give you more display options. Most importantly, you gotta get the Main Set. Though A and B are not that essential but to me, it feels incomplete not having them both. And so here's what these boxes contain:

Main Set

Main Playset

Super Mario Figure

Mushroom x1

Question Mark Block x1

Coin x1

Coin Stand (short) x1

A

Playset A

Gumba x1

Question Mark Block x1

Regular Blocks x2

Coin x1

Coin Stand (short) x1

Coin Stand (long) x1

Attachable Peg Piece x1

Figure Stand Assembly x1

B

Playset B

Gumba x1

Coin x1

Turtle Shell x1 + Double-End Pegs x4

Pair of Hands x1

Coin Stand (short) x1

Coin Stand (long) x1

Warp Pipes x2

Like most playsets, the whole gimmick with the S.H.Figuarts Super Mario is to create some really good scenarios and/or environments, which are made possible by these eye-catching accessories. My idea of a good scenario is to use a combination of pieces from those three different sets (Main Set, Playset A & Playset B) I've mentioned, and that's the reason why it is recommendable to get all three of them because it's a lot more fun! Probably the most common scenario that most people like to make is by having Mario suspended right below a question mark block (or ?-Block) as if he's trying to jump-hit it. The only drawback I've found is that the height of this "invisible" pole holding the ?-Block (along with these regular blocks) is too short and enough to make this entire scenario a bit odd. Using these green warp pipes from Playset B, you can simply put Mario on top of either one of them as if he's rising up. These pipes have different heights and depths with the lids being interchangeable to give you some minor options.

Also, Playset B gives you the "turtle shell" which is the only accessory that Mario can wield. Of course, you can't have him hold it with his fisting hands. Mario has a pair of opened-palm hands and a pair of double-pegs that connect the turtle shell with the hands together. Getting Mario to stand or fly, he needs this figure stand (from Playset A) with an articulated neck that goes to his back via a special removable peg piece for Mario. The sculpt and paint job of each are nicely done and the amount of accessories just blows everything out of the water! ...but of course, it is a playset.

The paint job is simple and solid to which I'm actually impressed, with the red, white and blue all painted neatly without the bleeds. Also, I like how they added a bit of gloss to the brown boots. It's the figure that doesn't need colour shading or any paint wash. This is how I want a Super Mario to look like; nothing more, nothing less.

I got no major complain with the sculpt and body mold at all. Super Mario's body is suppose to be anatomically interesting with a fat head and small torso. But from what I've noticed over the years, his physique has been changed, remodelled and reincarnated by Nintendo. A slimmer and taller version of Mario could be the one from the Super Smash Bros. game to which by the looks of this one, doesn't match that description. I believe this is rather the classic version of Mario we've seen in a lot of Super Mario video games which to me, looks much better!

If you're a fan of the S.H.Figuarts' super-poseability feature, then (sad to say) the Super Mario may get your nerves in distress. The articulation on this figure fails to meet the standards, but in fairness, this is probably the most articulated Super Mario you can find out there but still at a mediocre level. Being the classic version of Mario, it is considerably acceptable for his big fat head to only create such a small amount of movements but it is just strictly limited to the point where he better off not get a neck-joint at all. Mario's shoulders are on ball-pegs that don't really make the difference. His arms can barely raise, he got single-joints at the elbows and just rotation at the wrists. Mario has no waist rotation- huge disappointment! Probably the only saving grace for Mario is the articulation at his legs. The legs can kick forward via a swivel, spreads at a limited amount, the knees bend close to 90 degrees and he got rotation at the ankles plus ankle pivots.

Now I know some people, especially fans of the video game bought this figure just to put on a Super Smash Brothers display collection, and so here it is with the Figma Link and the Figma Samus Aran. This figure stands about 4.25 inches tall and Super Mario does seem compatible with these figure but I would have wished he is leaner and scaled-down especially the head.

Despite all that articulation issues and some not too intelligently executed accessories, the Super Mario may be a great figure to have in your collection but just prepare yourself and be warned about its flaws, especially if you're an articulation junkie. As far as the rendition and likeness to the character, everything is perfect. You can't find a better Mario figures other than the one from S.H.Figuarts by Bandai Tamashii Nations.

Solid Snake: Metal Gear (Play Arts Kai)

Square Enix's Play Arts Kai Solid Snake

What a way to start this year with this awesome Solid Snake action figure from Metal Gear! Now this has nothing to do with the Year of the Snake of the Chinese astrology, it's just that it's about time for me to introduce another Play Arts action figure after that marathon of Marvel Select and Marvel Legends reviews I had last year. So lets get on to Solid Snake shall we!



























The sculpt on Snake's sneaking suit is probably what makes this figure a real stunner. It just looks like it's wrapping tightly around his body and emphasizing those muscles, kinda like what latex does to a Marvel superhero. The paint app is highly detailed with a mixture of grays covering his suit as well as dark shading around the creases. The sculpt and paint on those belts, straps, and bags are gorgeous! If you look closely, you can see how it tries to imitate nylon fabric.

Also, great paint job and sculpt on Snake's head; with flesh tones all over his face, and the hair just looks nice. Although the headband looks great with all its creases for his frown, I find his eyes looking a little strange, kinda like he's intoxicated or something... it's probably the booze last night!... but it's deemed unnoticeable at first glance.

The first thing that caught my attention with regards to articulation are the toes. Snake's toes are not hinged but they're "swiveled." Now I'm not sure if this is suppose to replace and imitate the ankle rockers because it don't seem to do the job pretty well... and it looks odd. Another issue he has are those shoulder pads that're restricting his shoulders to raise up. Although I am kinda bummed about it cause I thought I can prone this guy while aiming his rifle, but what can you do. I wasn't expecting this on a Play Arts figure.

Play Arts has this signature articulation, "the extending knees" and I have talked about it in my Spartan - Mark V review that as you flex those double jointed knees, it seem to get longer and goes to normal as you unflex it back. But with Snake's knee pads, it's not obvious. Other articulations includes diaphragm swivel, ball-jointed hips, ball-hinged elbows, ball-hinged wrists, ball-jointed neck and my favourite collar joints!

Solid Snake comes with a few accessories; an assault rifle, a handgun with a removable silencing barrel, and interchangeable hands. I was hoping a knife for this figure! ...but oh well. I guess he is not CQC trained yet. The silencing barrel for his handgun is made of soft plastic, so it's really bendable and it's hard to straighten it up. So I advice you to put a small piece of metal rod (if you find one) inside the barrel to fix this problem.


















He stands about 8.5 inches tall, and you can't really have him play war games with the Spartan - Mark V, which is also by Play Arts, but he is in perfect scale with those Mass Effect figures.

Spartan (Halo) & Solid Snake (size comparison)

If you're a gamer and a huge fan of the Metal Gear game series, then I definitely would recommend you to get this action figure. Overall, Solid Snake has a satisfactory playability and poseability, and a fantastic sculpt and paint. Until next time, and please do check out my other reviews.