IBUKI - Street Fighter Bishoujo Statue

Ibuki is the sixth figure (I believe) released in Kotobukiya's Bishoujo Street Fighter line of "pretty girl" statues. I've resisted diving into this line for nearly three years, but with 2017 shaping up to be an all-out Street Fighter merchandising blitz, I just couldn't hold out any longer.

Ibuki is a fixed-pose, PVC statue based on the artwork of Shunya Yamashita. She comes packaged very carefully in a window box (with 3 windows!) featuring the beautiful artwork that inspired the figure. Everything is protected very well, and the box is attractive enough to keep and even add to the display (I've got the box turned around to the full-artwork side as the backdrop behind the statue). The figure is advertised as 1/7 scale, and she stands about 9" tall atop her non-removable, clear plastic base.

The sculpt is excellent. The pose is interesting, and eye catching. Visually, there's a neat line created from the bend of her right elbow, following her forearm, across her throat and down her extended left arm to her hand. It's tilted slightly downwards, which I wish was a tiny bit different - raising her left arm and hand just a little would have added just a touch of aggression that the statue seems to lack. Along those lines, Ibuki's face is a tiny bit longer and thinner than the artwork of Yamashita. The result is a more "pixie-ish" look that I have a harder time taking seriously as a ninja warrior. It's not bad, by any means, just different enough from the illustration to be noticeable.

The outfit has plenty of detail in the form of creases and folds to suggest motion and depth. The lower portion is a separate piece, allowing for space between the body and "clothing" in places. The hair is fantastic, with the enormous tail whipping up over her head and back around to her waist, and three tremendous strands bowing down in front of her face. They are not pliable, and I'd suggest being careful with them. The same should be said about the blade she has in her right hand, as it is fairly pointy and made of pretty hard plastic.

The paint is the real highlight of this statue (and, from what I've seen, of the entire Bishoujo line). It really is exceptional, and really serves to enhance the sculpt. The base colors are all applied perfectly, with absolutely no bleed or blemishes. Granted, it's a pretty simple color scheme: flesh, brown, dark brown, light brown, off-white, beige and pink fingernails. That said, Kotobukiya applied some expert airbrush highlighting to make everything pop. The clothing and actual flesh both sport subtle shading in strategic locations, never feeling overdone or sloppy, while standing out when examined closely - it's artfully and tastefully done.

The face is clean and sharp, with a gloss applied to the eyes. As I mentioned before, I prefer the face of the illustration to the final product, but the statue certainly isn't bad. Ibuki is a terrific addition to my shelf, and (yes) I will be getting more Bishoujo Street Fighter statues. She's beautifully sculpted, painted perfectly and looks great on the shelf. A quality statue is one that draws you back to it time and again, while a powerful work of art encourages you to notice new things on each visit. I feel like this line of statues has the care and craftsmanship to make both of these things possible, and I certainly look forward to adding new releases (as well as old!) to my collection...

BRUCE LEE The Martial Artist Series No. 1 by Storm Collectibles

Storm Collectibles released the first in their line of Bruce Lee statues in June of 2016. Dubbed "The Martial Artist Series No. 1," it depicts Bruce Lee flexing his muscles in a pose taken directly from a scene in "Way of the Dragon." Storm's website lists this item in their "1/12 scale" category, but unfortunately this figure is absolutely not in 1/12 scale. Nevertheless, it's a terrific piece, and a fitting tribute to Bruce Lee. No. 2 is due out some time in Q2 of 2017, and I'll be picking that one up, as well.

Right off the bat, know that this is a plastic statue. There is no articulation, save what you may be able to achieve with the alternate heads. There are two included, each with a magnet inside, and they attach securely to the neck, which has another magnet embedded in its top. The standard head features a shaved face and eyes staring straight ahead, while the alternate has a bearded chin and eyes which are shifted off to the figure's right. Both are beautifully sculpted, but I prefer the clean-shaven look, which has a better paint application on mine. The paint is actually quite good. The skin his a lifelike texture, and the eyes have a slight glassy appearance. Fine details like the eyebrows and faint stubble are excellent and understated, though they do much to add to the realism. I feel like the eyes on my bearded head are a little askew, but the beard itself is great. Both feature a slight blush to the cheekbones and the excellent detailed sculpting of the hair complete the package.

The body is just as well-done. The muscles, textures and paint all work together seamlessly to create an illusion of realism, even coming complete with sculpted veins popping in strategic places. The sculpt captures Lee's physique very well, and looks just about exactly as it did in all of the prototype promo pictures. I will mention a couple of things that are bugging me about the sculpt, though. First, the promo pictures seemed to imply a sleeker, glossier skin tone - almost like sweat, which would be entirely appropriate for the scene the pose is taken from. I find the matte, dappled paint they used doesn't bring out the muscle sculpt as much as the glossier finish would have. That said, he's still incredibly life-like. My other quibbles have to do with the proportions of the sculpt itself. This statue has incredibly long forearms. Either that, or they are thin that they give the figure an almost bird-like appearance. The more significant issue has to do with his proportions at the lower torso and legs. The cloth pants (which are done nicely, and are glued into place - not adjustable) do a lot to hide this, but the figure's legs are ridiculously long in comparison to the upper torso. The distance from his belly button down to the base of the crotch is the same as the distance from the belly button up to the chin. Like I said, it's mostly hidden by the pants, but it's there.

The last thing to note is the size. I bought this because it was advertised as 1/12 scale, and I thought it would be awesome to have a Bruce Lee to display among my NECA Street Fighters and Storm Collectibles Street Fighters and Mortal Kombat participants. It's not 1/12 scale. The figure measures 7 & 5/8" tall (and there is no base). If my math is correct, that puts this figure at between 1/8 and 1/9 scale in comparison to the 5' 7" Bruce Lee. I don't have many figures on my shelves in a 1/8.6 scale, so he looks woefully out-of-place beside just about anything. That said, Bruce Lee probably deserves his own shelf. If Storm Collectibles manages to get No. 2 as right as this one is, and can continue the line through track-suit versions and more, I'll happily built a Bruce Lee 1/8.6 scale shelf all its own. In the mean time, I'm happy to have this one, and continue to be impressed by the level of quality Storm Collectibles exhibits.

Alongside Storm Collectibles MK 1/12 Scorpion

RYU VS SAGAT - SOTA Toys Street Fighter 2-Pack

 This 2-Pack, released by SOTA Toys in 2006, features Ryu with an alternate screaming head, 2 Hadoken hands, 2 fists and his traveling bag, and Sagat with alternate head, and 2 open hands and 2 fists. The figures are beautifully sculpted and superbly articulated. This set shows Sagat with his scar healed, and his imposing size and impressive sculpt make him my favorite figure from this line.

Ryu is a bit bland in comparison. His standard expression is pretty blank, and I feel like the chest sculpt is a little overdone, in the sense that there are a lot of lines (striations?) sculpted over the pectorals that aren't very convincing to me. That said, it's Ryu!

I'm hesitant to open the package for any of these SOTA Street Fighters because 1) they are so relatively expensive on the secondary market,  2) the couple that I do have out of package tend to loosen their joints pretty quickly and 3) Storm Collectibles and SH Figuarts have new Street Fighters on the way for my shelf. As a result, the SOTA figures are hanging on my wall for display.

SCORPION - Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat action figure

I missed out on SOTA's Street Fighter figures. What I mean is that I completely overlooked them when they were available at retail. I have no idea what I was focused on at the time - probably Spawn or Star Wars, but I didn't realize what they were producing until it was too late. I have been able to pick up quite a few on the secondary market, but their prices have been so high that I've chosen to keep most in-package. I think it's maybe because I'm not much of a gamer, especially when it comes to fighting games, that I didn't bother with them originally. Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter and the rest are just properties I didn't pay much attention to. But something happened along the way: I got hooked on Udon's Street Fighter comics. I loved the characters, loved the story line, and discovered that I had missed out on what many collectors might consider to be one of the best, if not the best, action figure lines ever made. SOTA's Street Fighters had it all - scale, sculpt, articulation and accessories - and the line had depth! I've literally been waiting forever for someone else to pick up the mantle and tackle the line with as much respect and professional love for the property as SOTA had. I had high hopes for NECA when they released their SFIV line, but it was short-lived: only 6 characters were made.

And Mortal Kombat? Jazwares made some of the poorest quality figures I've ever seen, and they still command incredible prices on the secondary market. So that shows an interest for the property, right? Well, Storm Collectibles has finally decided to put in a play for both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat in a rough 1/12 scale, and I couldn't be more thrilled. These look like exactly what I've been waiting for, for near on a decade. I've only gotten Scorpion in-hand so far, but he's so good that I went ahead and cancelled my Figuarts Ryu pre-order and pre-ordered a second one from Storm instead. I'm all-in for these guys, and I couldn't be happier. For this review, I'm taking a look at Storm's initial MK offering: Scorpion.

To begin with, the packaging is perfect. It accomplishes my 4 most important things: 1) it protects the contents, 2) it shows you exactly what you are getting, 3) it is completely collector-friendly and 4) it looks just as good on display for MIB collectors. Storm's packaging is attractive, features terrific artwork, and is visually appealing.

Scorpion comes with 7 additional hands, a coiled spear-tipped rope, a thrown spear-tipped rope, an alternate "cloth" mask (MKI version), a skull head with articulated jaw and a 2-piece Hellfire effect part. Everything is housed sandwiched between two plastic trays, safe and sound. It's a nice selection of accessories, and provides just about everything one could need to pose this figure in a wide variety of ways.

This figure itself is impressive in nearly all aspects. The articulation is plentiful, well-thought-out, practical and (with the exception of the elbow joints) nearly seamless. The joints are mostly tight (my ankles are a little loose, but he still holds poses fine), and nothing falls apart MAFEX-style. He's fun to play around with, and one can generally find satisfactory looks with this guy without too much difficulty.

The paint is at an equally high level of production. There's a faint airbrushing to highlight the arm muscles, and a silver dry-brush applied to the gloves and forearm armor. The shin guards and knee pads are also weathered impressively to add depth and realism. In all, the sculpt covers the articulation, which is excellent, and everything is complimented by the paint. It's exactly what anyone could desire from a high end collectible action figure.

In general, I am just as pleased as everyone else who gets this guy in-hand seems to be. I particularly love the plastic they chose to use. It's durable, weighty and looks amazing. The flesh-tone plastic is particularly striking visually, and feels great, as well. I personally prefer the MKII mask over the cloth-style version, which just seems too bulky to me on his face. My one issue with the figure (and it's a relatively minor one) has to do with the sculpt when the figure is viewed from the side.

From that angle, he appears somewhat flat. I think this may be an optical illusion brought on by the wide tapered V of his outfit, combined with the bulk of his arms, but the figure seems like it needs more of a chest sculpted in. It looks particularly odd when the flaps are pulled down out of the way and the figure is viewed from the front - there are no pectoral muscles. Maybe Storm figured that would be covered anyway, and additional bulk could impede the articulation? In any event, it's mostly evident in a vanilla pose, when viewed from the side. Otherwise, this guy is just about perfect in every way! I'm still eagerly awaiting the release of Ryu and Sub-Zero, and with the NY ToyFair reveals of Bearded Ryu and Reptile shown earlier this month, my excitement is still running high.

KOTAL KAHN - Mezco Mortal Kombat X action figure

It's Mortal Kombat season in my world. With Storm Collectibles debut offering of Scorpion due to be delivered tomorrow, and all of the early reviews I've seen proclaiming the figure to be stellar, my anticipation is high. I thought it a good opportunity to take a look at an MK figure I've had for a while, but never really took the time to examine closely...

"Kotal Kahn is a warrior from the realm of Osh-Tekk. After Shao Kahn was killed in the war with Earthrealm, Kotal served his heir, Mileena. However, her instability eventually led him to overthrow her and assume the emperorship."

Kotal Kahn was released in 2015 by Mezco Toyz as part of the second wave of their short-lived Mortal Kombat X line (which only lasted for 2 waves). The package shape replicates earlier Jazwares card-backs, and is done in a plain black and white, with a notable stress on this figure being appropriate only for adult collectors aged 17+. The card-stock is thick enough to resist bends and creases fairly well, especially considering the shape, but the bubble has a sculpted, raised Mortal Kombat logo atop it. As a result, it's pretty difficult to make out the details of the figure underneath, despite it's being visible. All of this combines to make this figure less eye catching on the wall than it might be on the shelf. Packaging verdict: B+...open it.

Kotal Kahn is an impressive looking figure in every sense of the word. His size is imposing (within the line itself), and the sculpt and paintwork are exceptional. The head is gorgeous, from the intricate bird-themed helmet to the bundle of softer rubbery feathers extending out back. The visible face is stern, has eyes painted to look like they are glowing with s blue fire, and sports a tiny, painted bone piercing its nose. The shoulder and chest armor are equally impressive, with shapes and paintwork to match the helmet. The skeletal loincloth is incredible. The skull is painted with tiny eyes in the sockets and there are three sets of lower jawbones descending down the length of the cloth. Overall, it's absolutely A+ quality sculptwork, and the paint compliments it perfectly. Kahn has sculpted tatoo details raised over his torso, arms and legs. Even the choice of blue frosted plastic for the body works really well, making this one of the most eye-catching figures on any shelf I have.

The figure includes one set of alternate hands, a jagged stone knife and an enormous spiked paddle, dubbed a "macauhuitl." The second pair of hands look like gripping hands, but I've not seen the need for them since Kotal Kahn holds both weapons just fine in his curled right hand, straight out of the package. The knife is wicked looking, and the macauhuitl is fantastic. The black spikes are glossy and look like obsidian. There's a wonderful two-headed snake sculpted on the flat surfaces, with the paint allowed to bleed through the matte red enough to give a sense of shading. Overall, it's big, heavy and really unique. Accessories: A-...functional and well-made.

The trade-off for this guy's amazing sculpt, paintwork, and reasonably low retail price (just about $20) is his limited articulation. He's got enough to enable him to get several good looks, but they won't work to give him deep stances or dynamic looks. There's no biceps swivel, and other joints like the hips and head don't get the range of motion they really need. That said, there's enough here to make Kotal Kahn look great. Articulation: B.

Overall, Kotal Kahn is an awesome-looking addition to the Mortal Kombat figure universe. It's probably my favorite figure of the second wave, and really serves to show just how incredible Mezco can make their figures look. I don't know MKX at all, and I have no attachment to the character at all, but I'm happy to have KK at home on my Mortal Kombat shelf.

A reflection on my hobby in 2016 and a look ahead to 2017...

I bought 101 action figures in 2016. For anyone outside the toy-collecting-hobby world, I'm certain that would sound like an exorbitant amount. Combine that with the fact that my purchases totaled just shy of $5,000 and it would be a fair assumption that this "hobby" could easily be considered "excessive" or bordering on "out of control." All that considered, 2016 was actually the year I got my habit under control. Both my total number of figures, and my total amount spent were down from previous years, and (more importantly) I no longer feel like the toys own me: I don't buy out of anxiety or fear, and I rarely regret my purchases any longer.

My resolution for 2016 was to stop buying everything, and focus on just the things I loved. I wanted to restrict my purchases to "items of quality." My mantra was going to be, buy what I love, and love what I buy. For the most part, I managed to stick to that. I did veer off track on occasion (for instance, I regret buying a whole lot of Arkham video-game figures when I was completing Arkham City), but I was better than I'd been in previous years. All-told I've identified 17 figures that I regret buying as my "worst purchases" of 2016. The three worst were: 3) Play Arts Kai BvS Wonder Woman, 2) Play Arts Kai Rise of the Tomb Raider, and 1) Figma Windranger. Man, that Windranger was a total dud, and the first figma I've ever been completely disappointed in. The two terrible PAK figures sealed my intentions not to buy those any more, and I have no interest in going back.

I also planned to restrict the buying of doubles, which I wasn't quite as successful with (I bought 8 doubles and 1 triple, 6 of which were NECA figures). The triple (Ultimate Kratos) was absolutely unnecessary, but he is an awesome figure. For 2017, my plans are more restrictive. I'd like my total number of purchases to cut in half: 50 or less. I'm not worrying too much about the total amount spent - I figure that will come down significantly. To that effect, I'm planning to focus my collecting to the following.

First and foremost, I'm in for Mezco's One:12 Collective. These are the figures that currently make me enjoy the hobby the most. My two favorite figures of 2016 are from the One:12 Collective. I love everything about these figures, and it's the only line that makes me want to buy figures of characters I have almost no interest in. I'm not interested in being a completist, mind (no Kirk, Frank or Sulu for me). I've learned my lesson about that. But I am willing to go for figures I'd never consider in any other format (Punisher, Daredevil and Green Arrow). With possibilities for a Dawn of Justice Batmobile and an oversized Darkseid this year, I'm predicting the bulk of my funds will go towards this line.

Second, I'll keep my eyes open for S.H. MonsterArts and 3A Toys 2000AD lines. No re-paints for the SHMA line for me, and I won't pre-order anything, but if they make a figure of a character missing from the collection and the QC on it is good, I'll bite. I've had pretty good luck (I'm very happy with my 1954, GMK, 1989 and 2016 figures from this past year) and the QC on my particular pieces has been good, so I'm not completely turned-off, but I am wary. So far as 3A goes, I'm in for the Dark Judges (Fear and Mortis are due for release any day), the 12" Dredd and anything else from that universe. However, since it takes a year or more for the figures to move from initial pre-ordering to actual release, and nothing beyond those have been mentioned, I feel pretty confident that I won't be buying past those 3. No more doubles on those, though. I've got 2 Death figures and 3 Dredd figures (1 is the Comic Book Version). Mortis and Fear will be 1 apiece.

Third, I'll be on the lookout for NECA's 1/4 scale Batman-themed figures. I love every Q-scale NECA I've bought this past year (6 of them), and I've had to work really hard NOT to go for the amazing Deadpool. Catwoman is on pre-order and they've mentioned that they are not done with Batman quarter-scale, so I'll wait to see what comes around.

Finally, my MOST anticipated line for 2017 is actually not one line, but 2: Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter V figures. They look amazing, are just starting to release, and hopefully will be successful enough to go past the initial releases. I've got MK Scorpion on the way right now, and pre-orders in for Sub-Zero, Ryu, Ken, and Bison. I like the look of these way more than the Figuarts Street Fighters we've seen (yes, I've got those on pre-order, too), and I'm really, really looking forward to what Storm might be able to pitch our way. We've seen prototypes for Goro and Shao-Khan, and I'm hoping we will see some female figures in the not-too-distant future.

Outside of those, I'll keep my eyes open for a miscellaneous gem every so-often. It's always nice to be surprised, and I've got to be open to a movie, video game or figure coming out of nowhere to capture my interest, but my plan right now (two weeks into the new year!) is to stay focused, buy what I love, and love what I buy.

THE MAXX - Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight Series 1

It's hard for me to believe that this action figure is nearly a decade old. Shocker Toys and their Indie Spotlight line have quite a storied past, which I'm not interested in getting into here. The shame of how things turned out in the end, is that I feel like I missed out on getting some really amazing action figures. The Maxx is one of my personal favorites even after all these years! I have their Tick, Katchoo, SCUD and Kabuki figures, as well, but none are as dear to me as The Maxx.

Released on a collector-friendly card (the backing can be slid up and out from the bubble, resulting in no damage to the figure or packaging whatsoever), The Maxx came with three Isz mini-figurines: one frowning black, one smiling white, and one floating pink, complete with stand. Maxx himself came with two alternate heads: one plain (my preferred version) and one "maned" (I don't remember exactly why he had those two looks, but I think it had to do with which "world" he was in - the "real world" was the bald look, while the fantasy dream world, The Outback, had the "wild animal" look). They each plug in via a socket for a ball joint at the base of the neck.

Maxx is a pretty big figure, standing about 7 & 1/2" tall in a the crouching pose I've got him in, and is cast in a deep purple plastic that looks beautiful and striking at once. It's a terrific sculpt that works perfectly with the articulation. He's got lots of deep muscles all over, and the proportions are excellent from head to toes. There are appropriate black highlights at the thighs, back and shoulders to add some depth and realism. The wrappings of his feet are beige/tan, and probably could have used some of the same highlighting or dry-brushing to give them a "dirty" feel, and they have what look like silver clasps to hold them in place. There's some excellent black at the forearms transitioning to the yellow spiked hands.

The yellow is good, and has more of a satin finish than the rest of the figure's matte. The only detraction here is that there's some red that's been applied haphazardly over portions of the hands. It's uneven and very thin, leaving an orangish haze in some spots, and nothing in others. The yellow on his head, on the other hand, is beautiful, and mostly crisp. There's a nice black outline around the eyes, and the white of the mouth (teeth?) looks great. They even applied some purple to the underside of the teeth, between each, so they stand out a bit more. The red feather highlights shown on the package have been skipped on the final version's Outback head.

The Maxx has terrific articulation, comparable even by today's standards. The head/neck combo has a wonderful range of motion, he's got biceps swivels, ball joints at the elbows and wrists (the wrists don't have a great range, but they can tilt), swivels and balls at the hips, double jointed knees, ball-jointed waist and ball joints at  the ankles. There's even a balljoint for the Outback version's hair! The only point that falls a little short are at the shoulders, which are only swivels. A 2017 version would probably sport lateral movement that this figure can't. If I remember, some of those joints could come pretty loose, but I tend to not handle this guy too much, so mine is holding together fine. He is quite top-heavy, so I could see the stress on the fairly-thin knees affecting them over time. I plan to baby mine, so I'm not anticipating problems.

Overall, The Maxx is a great action figure, which accomplishes everything that the Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight "mission" claimed: it's created with respect for the title, has a great sculpt, excellent articulation, acceptable paint and appropriate and valuable accessories. As I said earlier, it's one of the best action figures in my collection, and has had a prime place on my display shelf for nearly a decade now. With his brilliant purple and yellow color scheme, hefty size and unique look, I don't see that changing in the near future...

Scaled with SOTA's Riddick