Tag Archives: Capcom

#3772: Cammy

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CAMMY

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

Last week, I really shook things up a bit with a video game related review, and this week, I’m taking the shake up and making it more of a status quo, so it no longer shakes things up? Look, what I’m getting at here is I’m doing another video game related review. This time around, I’m jumping over to Street Fighter, which actually does have a respectable little presence here. Keeping things in the Jada realm, just like last week, because their modus operandi appears to be “being awesome”, which is really good for them, honestly. A few months back, I looked at their Dhalsim, but now I get to review my personal favorite character from the game, Cammy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cammy is part of Round 3 of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, alongside Guile and Dee-Jay. All three hit together at the same time at the very end of last year. All three from a set hitting at the same time is actually a first for the line, which has thus far been staggering pairs and singles. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation. The articulation here is a little more straightforward than the Cammy Figuart I looked at a few years ago, but it results in some generally cleaner posing and range, especially on the legs. I was also quite happy that her neck joint allowed for upward movement, so she’s not perpetually looking down the way that figure was. Additionally, the assembly of the articulation is such that she winds up looking a fair bit less segmented when posed, which is always a plus. And, she’s surprisingly stable on her feet; the pose in the photo up top took some careful balancing, but required no other support. Cammy is sporting an all-new sculpt, specifically based on her SF2 design, which is my personal favorite. It’s an earlier Cammy, so the proportions are a bit more balanced, and not *quite* as thigh-heavy as later looks. In general, the sculpt is quite clean and a good match for the game design. She gets two different heads, one calmer and one more intense. Both expressions work well in the body and with the included parts, and the braids on both heads are articulated. Personally, I’d have loved a third head with a smiling expression, but two’s the standard, and the two they went with are solid. Cammy’s paint work is basic but clean, as you’d hope. I’m not super crazy about the marbelized plastic on the torso, and worry about its longevity. There’s also a little bit of mismatch between the molded and painted flesh tones. She is, otherwise, quite good. Cammy is packed with two sets of hands and a kick effect piece. I was surprised by the lack of stand, but as noted above, she balances okay on her own.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Due to the Toy Biz X-Men vs Street Fighter line, I had something of an early investment into Cammy.  I remember really wanting the SOTA one back in the day, but was never able to snag one at anything approaching a reasonable price.  Since she’s become my go-to character for the game over the years, I’ve always wanted a good figure.  The Figuart was an okay figure, but she was always a bit of a placeholder, especially with her being from V not II.  For a fraction of the price of the Figuart, this one is absolutely fantastic, and for me blows that one out of the water.  I’ve got my minor quibbles, but they’re very minor, and they don’t really hold her back.  Jada’s really onto something here.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3767: Elec Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ELEC MAN

MEGA MAN (JADA)

Okay, things have gotten too comfortable and predictable around here, so I’m throwing caution to the wind and going nuts, and…well, I mean I’m still reviewing action figures, so I guess it’s not that much of a change-up.  But it’s a Mega Man review, you guys.  Or a Megaman review.  They’re both confusingly accurate.  Whatever the case, I’ve only done one of those before, so I guess I’m gonna do another one.  So, let’s break out one the original six Robot Masters, Elec Man!  He’s electric.  Boogie-woogie-woogie.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Elec Man is part of the second series of Jada’s Mega Man line.  He’s one of the two Robot Masters included (the other being Cut Man), bringing our total count up to four out of six.  Elec Man’s based on his look from the first game, albeit a more “evergreen” take on the design, as was the case with Mega Man.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Both his scaling and articulation are very similar to the standard Mega Man I looked at last year, and that’s a good thing in both cases, because that was a really nice figure.  He’s quite easy to pose and generally pretty stable on his feet.  Elec Man’s sculpt appears to be totally unique, and like Mega Man’s, it’s very clean and slick.  Some of the detail seems a little bit sharper, and there’s just generally more going on with his design, so it gives him a better starting point, I suppose.  Elec Man’s paint work is a little more basic than Mega Man’s was, not getting the same degree of accent work.  He gets the base colors, and the application’s overall not too bad, but there’s a little bit of slop on the logo.  Of course, given the price point, it’s still really not bad.  I also appreciate that the wrist pegs aren’t painted this time, so there’s less flaky paint.  Elec Man is packed with two different heads (one with a slight smirk, the other appearing to be mid cackle), two pairs of hands (fists and a pointing/thumbs-up combo), and an electricity effect piece.  It’s a nice little spread of extras, and while it’s a little lighter than what Mega Man got, he’s also a slightly more complex figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t really have much specific attachment to this character, per se, so I didn’t have any sort of undying need to own this figure.  That said, I’m patiently waiting for Guts Man and Proto Man, the main figures I really want from this line, and my Mega Man sure looked lonely on the shelf.  Elec Man was one of the vinyl figures I had back in the day, and was also one of the only ones that didn’t fall apart, so I do at least have a familiarity with him.  He’s got a strong design, and seeing him in person, I caved.  I don’t need him, but he’s still very fun, and this is a great line of figures that I’m very carefully trying to avoid going all-in for.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3574: Mega Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

MEGA MAN

MEGA MAN (JADA)

Fun FiQ Fact #0053:  Mega Man is known as “Rockman” in Japan in reference to the musical genre rock & roll, something hammered home by his sister robot being named “Roll.”  His original name gained further relevance given the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” nature of the games.

Mega Man is one of my earliest video game experiences.  As a kid, I didn’t do much with video games, but I did dabble with PC gaming to a minor extent.  Amongst those games was one of the DOS Mega Man games.  Admittedly, the gameplay kind of confused me and I didn’t make it far, but it did instill in me an attachment to the title character.  And for me, you know that’s always gonna lead to action figures.  Just my luck, Jada has continued their surprisingly solid jump into the action figure game with a line of Mega Man figures, and I’m looking at the Blue Bomber himself today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mega Man is part of the first series of Jada’s Mega Man line, alongside Fire Man and Ice Man.  He’s based on the classic Mega Man design, which is really hard to beat, when you get down to it.  The figure stands just shy of 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Jada continues to impress on the articulation front; there’s a really nice range of motion on most of the figure’s joints, and his poseability is fantastic given his design and scale.  Of particular note, the elbows and knees both get further than 90 degree bends, even with only a single joint, as well as rather sizable gloves and boots.  His sculpt is all-new, and works well around the articulation.  He offers up something of an evergreen version of Mega Man’s classic design.  It translates well to three dimensions, and it’s a rather cleanly rendered sculpt.  There are some spots where it’s a little on the softer side, but it works okay for his design.  There are two different heads, one with a slight grin, the other gritting his teeth.  They’re internally consistent, so it’s clearly the same guy between the two.  Mega Man’s color work is seemingly pretty basic, but actually has a good deal of subtlety to it.  Of note, the darker blue sections get a faint airbrushing to give them a slight accenting.  He’s even got the red detailing on the bottoms of his feet, which is an awesome touch.  Mega Man is packed with two pairs of hands (fists and a open gesture combo), a buster cannon that can be swapped out for either of his forearms, a blast effect, and an articulated display stand for the effect.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been after a solid Mega Man figure for a while.  There’s no shortage of options, but none of them quite hit the spot for me.  After enjoying Jada’s Universal Monsters line so immensely, I was excited to see what they would do.  They did not disappoint.  Now, can I please get a Protoman?

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.