Series: GamePro Presents, 2 (Virtua Fighter 4)

Craftsmanship: 8.0 / 10

- Generally good likeness and sculpt

- Big figure

- Solid installed on the base

- Very good display piece

- Not very poseable

Playability: 5.9 / 10

- Knee joints seem to get looser that more you play with him

- Hands pop out without much effort but the rest of him is solid

- Clothes can split easily and head band “pony tails” torn off easily

- C’mon, he’s a martial arts figure and bound to be played with

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Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter 4)

by Joyride Studios

Virtua Fighter 4 is probably one of the best fighting games ever created – at least according to the included GamePro review, since I’ve never played it. That doesn’t make me unqualified to review the Akira Yuki action figure though. When you think about it, what would make me unqualified? While you ponder that – making snide comments as you go – I’ll take a look at the figure…

Installed on the base, Akira is about 7 ½” tall. On the base, he’s entirely solid but lacks radically different poses. He does possess decent articulation – ball-jointed

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shoulders, hinged knees, seam joints at the calves, neck, wrists, and waist – but the sculpt limits the positions he can be put in. His right foot is bent at an awkward position, at least if you want different poses. His arms suffer a bit from this as well. Since his arms are sculpted in that “ready to punch your teeth out” way,

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radically different poses aren’t possible – a joint at the elbow would have given him more mobility. As a strict display piece, Akira ranks high, especially installed on the base. Some collectors will balk at the overtly present articulation points though – they aren’t hidden by any stretch of the imagination.

He doesn’t seem to have much “texture” but the likeness is pretty good. One minor note with paint job though. The ends of his belt are missing the symbols and markings that can be seen on just about every high-res image I’ve seen of Akira.
Another factor to consider is the big base he comes packed with, which is about 7” by 4”. If your toy shelf is packed some major rearranging will be required.

Playability is marred by a few different factors. The first is probably the ease at which his clothes can be split. Under a bit of rough play I managed to split the seam on his right shoulder. With fabric clothes, stitching a tear is easy. But since you have to deal with rubbery plastic the repair job can be agonizing. The ends of his belts and his headband can be ripped off quite easily and by the time you notice they’re gone repairing them won’t be an option. Another problem is the knees. Under continued play they got extremely loose, which makes freestanding Akira an impossibility. (This problem becomes moot when on the base.) Overall, he’s pretty tough, except for his wrists. The hands are pretty easy to pop out, creating a choking hazard as well as frustration as you grope under the couch in a vain effort to find an errant hand. (The answer of course is glue!) And Akira will be played with – he is a martial arts figure, after all.

Joyride’s new to the action figure game – this is only the 2nd Series. They can learn from their mistakes and any shortcomings and improve upon future endeavors. However, they’re off to a good start and Akira Yuki’s a good example, even with the downsides. A good display piece – especially for Virtua Fighter 4 fans – but not a great play toy.

- Omni
(January 25, 2002)