Nerd Rage - Update
Way Past Cool

Friday
May 24th, 2013

It was recently announced Sega has signed an exclusive deal with Nintendo for the next three Sonic titles. Because this is the internet, angry Sonic fans have started a petition to have the deal reverse.

For a while now I've wanted to do a strip that introduces Sonic as a delusionally-out-of-touch celebrity who still thinks he's living inhis glory days, and the announcement of this partnership was the perfect scenario. Because who's really helping who here -- is it a boost to Sonic's low sales, or Nintendo's?

And be sure to check below for a review of Kaiyodo's Revoltech Snake!

Revoltech - #131 - Snake

The camo index on this review is through the roof!  It was so hidden even I didn't know I was going to be writing it this week.

For the longest time the only option for Metal Gear figures were the McFarlane toys.  These "action figures" are more statue than figure, though, with only minimal articulation.  Legend has it Mr. Kojima snatched the license away after they spoiled the existence of Raiden before MGS2 came out.

Then there were the Play Arts figures from Square-Enix.  Although they're more articulated than the McFarlane offering, the Play Arts line is an awkward 8 inches – bigger than most collector lines, but smaller than 1:6 scale.  They also have some notoriously strange double joints.

Then, after numerous Zone of the Enders releases, Kaiyodo and Konami announced the Revoltech Snake.

Snake is the first of Kaiyodo's Revoltech line I've reviewed for Nerd Rage.  To preface, Revoltechs are known for their revolver joint.  Revolver joints are a fully swappable ball-hinge joint that ratchets.  Some people hate 'em, some people love 'em.  Those that hate them generally find the ratcheting features makes figures harder to pose (you only get set angles, not smooth rotation), or that the exposed joints ruin the aesthetic of the figure.

Revoltech's earliest success was mostly with robots and mecha – figures where the revolver joints were more easily hidden or just looked more natural.  Some of the non-robot figures (especially those with high accessory counts) have been smaller…so I was pleasantly surprised to see how hefty Snake is.

THE BOX

It's a box.  It contains the figure and has some nice sample poses decorating it.  As you can tell it's just a box.

ARTICULATION

Normally I'd map out the joints on a figure, but it's sort of redundant with this line – most joints are revolver joints in varying sizes.  For this particular figure the hands have a single hinge peg like a few previous Revoltechs (Prof. Layton) and most Figmas.

The head assembly is rather…unique.  The back of Snake's mullet connects to the back of the neck by a joint…the back of the hair connects to the top by a joint…and the face pegs into a hole beneath the bangs.  The bandana is not attached when you open the box; be careful pegging it in because it feels a little fragile.  You can turn it for varying blowing effects, but you can't really do anything stationary (besides remove it, I guess.)

And yes, Snake's eye is even articulated.  There's a lever on the inside of the face plate that let's you position it however you please.

Some other nifty stuff I've found: there's a soft plastic cover on the thigh joints.  This let's them move around without revealing the revolver joint beneath or an unsightly gap.  I have to wonder why the joints in his shoulders or base of his neck weren't better disguised.

Also, the kneepads are hinged.

PAINT APPLICATION & SCULPT

Paint application is serviceable but not amazing.  Although details are included, right down to the individually painted rivets, the edges to bands and large areas are sometimes rough with occasional paint flecks.

The weapons, on the other hand, lack any real paint application.  The stun rod includes some metallic paint on the edges, but that's it.

The sculpt is in no way accurate to the game model, Yoji Shinkawa's art, or Ashley Wood's.  That being said, this piece was sculpted by Kaiyodo's Katsuhisa Yamaguchi.  Yamaguchi is known for his dynamic sculpts that forsake accuracy for the sake of looking cool in action poses.

ACCESSORIES

Don't worry about procuring supplies on-site for this mission: Snake comes with a bunch right outta the box.  You get a hand gun (the silencer is molded on), assault rifle, and stun rod.

Included are the Revoltech staples: a plastic box to keep accessories in and their stand with a foot-peg on the base and an arm to suspend your figure (this time cast in clear plastic with white joints).

You get 11 hands total (2 clenched fists, 2 gripping hands, 2 trigger-finger hands, 2 flat palms, 2 open palms, and an open trigger-finger hand).  There are also two grips you can put in his hands to hang off stuff.

There are two effects pieces – the trademark Metal Gear "!" and the sleepy "Zzz"s.  By coupling these with the stand's arm and the extension you can put the effects over a character's head.  There's also an effect base that you can peg into Snake's foot that has been reused with just about every Revoltech release.

Then there's the new 'tripod' stand I haven't seen.  It's just a transparent , hinged stabilizer that plugs into the stand hole and supports Snake in awkward wide-legged stances.  It seems to work decently, but I don't know that I trust it over a full stand.

Finally, there's the box papercraft.  It's printed on a thick cardboard-y paperstock; I was surprised how hefty it feels.  I elected not to use mine yet, so I whipped together a cheap replica by scanning the sheet and printing it on my own (cheaper) cardstock.

I just wish they'd printed a box accurate to the game, rather than this 25th anniversary Metal Gear one.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Snake is a cool figure; if you aren't put off by the somewhat-dated revolver joint system, you'll like this figure.  Mostly I'm excited to have a Snake that has actual articulation and isn't huge.  Here's hoping we get a more recognizable version in the future (because why do companies keep making more Peace Walker merchandise?)

To grab your own, be sure to watch Amiami or HLJ for a restock!

A new challenger approaches!