I found this at a local Toys R Us on Friday afternoon. I haven't seen any new shipments of Mortal Kombat figures beyond the initial release over the summer. Those sold out pretty quickly, and haven't been re-stocked...until now. The new release seems to include the same Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Rayden, but there was 1 Johnny Cage on the pegs, as well, so I was fortunate to snag him. The packaging is identical to the previous releases for Johnny. I find it pretty eye-catching and it shows off the figure well, but there are too many bendable edges for a MIP collector to appreciate. There's also a tendency for the package to develop creases in the back. Luckily, this one didn't have any.
There's a pretty detailed bio on the back, and a very cool in-game shot, just like with the other figures. Unfortunately, the great shot of the digital model makes the finished figure look silly in comparison. I tried to figure out exactly where the look went wrong- Jazwares included all of the major and necessary details. The "Johnny" tattoo is crisp and centered. The arms are wrapped, and the "Cage" belt is where it should be, as are the shinguards. The shoes look huge and somewhat "clownish" to me. But I think my major disappointment is with the face. The digital model hasn't got any eyebrows showing, while the figure itself has a VERY pronounced pair. Rather than looking tough, Johnny looks surprised. VERY surprised. If the eyebrows were more hidden under the sunglasses, and if they were more curved, like a wraparound pair, I think he'd look a whole lot better. As it stands, he's ok. The rest of the sculpt is pretty good (shoes notwithstanding), torso-wise, though I just noticed a distinct lack of wrinkles in the pants.
You'll also see in the pics that Johnny's hips are misaligned, with the left SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the right where they plug into the crotch. It may be that there's a weird tilt in the package, making them look "off", and it would even out once opened, but I have my doubts. Johnny will be staying in-package, mostly because, even though he's got 16 POA, like his mates, these figures are hard for me to get a decent pose from. The articulation doesn't work well to get natural fighting stances for me. Johnny comes with 2 alternate, open "karate-chop" hands, and nothing else. Toys R Us sells these figures for $15.99, which is highway robbery. I used a coupon to save about 30%. Your willingness to be ripped off will depend on your passion for the license, I suppose.
I found this at a local Toys R Us on Friday afternoon. I haven't seen any new shipments of Mortal Kombat figures beyond the initial release over the summer. Those sold out pretty quickly, and haven't been re-stocked...until now. The new release seems to include the same Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Rayden, but there was 1 Johnny Cage on the pegs, as well, so I was fortunate to snag him. The packaging is identical to the previous releases for Johnny. I find it pretty eye-catching and it shows off the figure well, but there are too many bendable edges for a MIP collector to appreciate. There's also a tendency for the package to develop creases in the back. Luckily, this one didn't have any.
There's a pretty detailed bio on the back, and a very cool in-game shot, just like with the other figures. Unfortunately, the great shot of the digital model makes the finished figure look silly in comparison. I tried to figure out exactly where the look went wrong- Jazwares included all of the major and necessary details. The "Johnny" tattoo is crisp and centered. The arms are wrapped, and the "Cage" belt is where it should be, as are the shinguards. The shoes look huge and somewhat "clownish" to me. But I think my major disappointment is with the face. The digital model hasn't got any eyebrows showing, while the figure itself has a VERY pronounced pair. Rather than looking tough, Johnny looks surprised. VERY surprised. If the eyebrows were more hidden under the sunglasses, and if they were more curved, like a wraparound pair, I think he'd look a whole lot better. As it stands, he's ok. The rest of the sculpt is pretty good (shoes notwithstanding), torso-wise, though I just noticed a distinct lack of wrinkles in the pants.
You'll also see in the pics that Johnny's hips are misaligned, with the left SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the right where they plug into the crotch. It may be that there's a weird tilt in the package, making them look "off", and it would even out once opened, but I have my doubts. Johnny will be staying in-package, mostly because, even though he's got 16 POA, like his mates, these figures are hard for me to get a decent pose from. The articulation doesn't work well to get natural fighting stances for me. Johnny comes with 2 alternate, open "karate-chop" hands, and nothing else. Toys R Us sells these figures for $15.99, which is highway robbery. I used a coupon to save about 30%. Your willingness to be ripped off will depend on your passion for the license, I suppose.
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