A year or two ago, I randomly ordered a pair of figures I knew nothing about, from a company I had never heard of for a property that I liked: Kai Play Arts Resident Evil 5. I pre-ordered the pair, despite a pretty hefty price tag ($35 each at the time) and promptly forgot about them. When they finally arrived at my home several months later, I was pleasantly surprised. The Play Arts figures exist in their own scale, with loads of sculpted detail, extravagant (sometimes overly so) paint applications, an interesting assortment of articulation, and some pretty cool accessories. They don't skimp, but they certainly don't come cheap. Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar were a welcome addition to my collection- they were unlike anything else I had. So, when Assassin's Creed's Ezio came along, I gladly pre-ordered him, as well. He raised the bar even further- I was so impressed with him that I decided not to hedge any further on licenses I cared about. Hence, the topic of this review. I'm a fan of Street Fighter, but not the games- I never got into them. But, I think SOTA's action figure line is one of my favorites ever, I've gotten through the entire Udon comic collections more than once, and I've plowed through the animated movies and series' with glee. So, when Ryu and Chun-Li popped up for pre-order, it was a no-brainer for me. So, what did I get myself into...
Ryu comes in the "standard" Play Arts Kai packaging: a window box, with the figure and its accessories neatly displayed. It's collector-friendly in that everything can be replaced easily, and you can clearly see what you are getting. My Ryu's plastic "sandwich" insert didn't fit snugly against the holding shell, with the result being (as you can see in the picture) that his alternate face was spun around, and one of his open hands was rattling around in the package. Otherwise, the box is functional. Ryu comes with a fire-blast effect and a clear display stand to support it, as well as two sets of hands (fists and open) and an alternate "screaming" face. The face switch is pretty nifty, in that the front half of his head can be popped out by pulling on the chin, which will cause his face to separate behind the ears and just underneath the headband. Slide the face down and out, and replace in the reverse order. It's a cool effect, and it's so cleanly done that I never would have the seams.
Personally, I don't like the screaming "alternate" face at all. It doesn't sit as well in place, and there's something about how it makes the whole head look that doesn't agree with me. Speaking of the head, the stoic face doesn't quite match the prototype pics on the back of the box, either. The prototype seems to have narrower eyes, giving Ryu a more serious and mature look. The actual product has giant child-like doe eyes. Not terrible, but not as good as the box version for my tastes. The box back shows Ryu in several fighting poses, as well as a shot of the other figure from Series 1, Chun-Li.
Another way that the final figure differs from the prototype is the paint. My one consistent issue with the Play Arts figures has to do with their paint work. The basic features are usually sharp and clear, but the "washing" technique they use is so heavy and inconsistent, that it draws attention. Case in point: Ryu's knees (especially the left) are so dark that it looks like he's wearing protective knee-cap covers or something. There's no trace of that on the back of the box, but check out the pics of the actual figure and you'll see what I mean.
The rest of the work is good, despite an occasional "oops"- my figure has a glop of white paint around his tricep where it touched the white paint of his outfit before it was dried, I guess- with some muscle and creasing highlights. The lettering on his belt is clear and clean. The translucent-ish fireball is really cool, and the stand it sits on uses a ball-joint connection, so it can tilt well.
Ryu sports a considerable amount of articulation, but I must confess I don't find it easy to maneuver. His ankles are on balls, but don't seem to want to tilt side to side, so I can't get them to sit flat. The hands switch out on small, thin balls/posts, and I'm afraid to snap them. The base of the neck as a joint, in addition to the head's, but it looks odd, and doesn't work very well. As I mess around with him more, I hope to discover that the action poses I'd like for him to hold are possible, though I don't think I'll be able to get the looks I can get from my NECA Ryu.
Many of the joints are the "clicky" kind, and ratchet audibly to hold his poses. The makers declined to include a stand with Ryu (Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar each came with one), so the jumping and off-balance poses are out without one of your own.
Ryu stands about 8 3/4" tall, and he's got some heft to him. He's well-designed and painted, for the most part. Is he worth his price tag? I'd be comfortable paying $30-$35 dollars for him. Sadly, he costs a bit more than that. There are very few figures I'd be happy paying $50 for, and he's not one of them. Nevertheless, I'm in for the long haul with this line. I've got some nits to pick with the final figure, but overall I'm pleased with him. I love the characters from Street Fighter, and if we're only talking about a few figures a year, I can see collecting this line well into the future. Play Arts Kai certainly put more care and thought into this than Jazwares did with their offerings, so I'm willing to go for the ride here.
Despite the fact that Ryu has had more action figure versions of him created than many characters would ever dream of I'm glad to add this one to my collection. His size, unique articulation, blast effect and detail set him apart from most of my collection. He looks terrific on the shelf, and I'm predicting that he'll be fun to pose and play around with once I get the hang of those joints. Not to mention how great he'll look surrounded by Chun-Li, and the upcoming Akuma and Cammy figures (heck, he and Chun-Li look awesome together now!). I can't wait to see what the future of Play Arts Kai Street Fighter figures have in store...
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