Something
missing from the SSX Tricky figures is a sound chip to play a couple of
catchphrases.Each of them
come with a base, so why not rig up a little electronic chip to spout a
line elicited from an uber trick to really knock it up a notch?In Elise’s case her pose doesn’t suggest anything even
approaching an uber trick so I suppose I’ll let it go this time.
The
biggest hit to Elise is the facial sculpt.It comes close – hits part of the target – but it misses the
bulls-eye.It looks more
like Elise when the sunglasses are in place.However, if you lose the sunglasses this point becomes a bit
glaring.I think part of
this problem is that we usually see only the back of Elise’s head as
she carves down a course, so we don’t necessarily have much to compare
to the facial sculpt.Admittedly,
I might be a bit tougher
when scrutinizing Elise because I used her the
most during the game. (She is, after all, the only Canadian character.)The rest of the sculpt, including the base, are very well done.It really does capture Elise’s curves, that’s for sure.
The
paint job is also very good and authentic right down to the
“Butterfly” written on the board and Spiderman symbol between her
shoulder blades.I really
like her shiny blue tights.There’s
no oversplash or other imperfections.
As
a display piece, Elise is very good and definitely recommended for fans
of SSX Tricky.However,
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poseability is quite limited owed to the sculpt.She’s articulated at the wrists, shoulders, neck, waist, and
boots.It sounds like a lot
of articulation but it sure doesn’t make for drastically different
poses.(Reposition her
boots and she’ll fall over.)The
most dramatic change is achieved simply by removing the board from
behind her back.But then
you have the problem of where to put the board so you don’t lose it;
however, she looks better holding the board. It would have been better still if she had more leg
articulation, ball-jointed shoulders and the ability to peg into her
board. (And possibly variant figures with different boards.)
Playability
is somewhat limited thanks to the inability to secure Elise to her
snowboard.There’s
nothing stopping you from playing with her in the snow, but being able
to stick her on her board and send her down a hill would have been fun.Her sunglasses are extremely easy to lose.I speak from first hand experience on this one.The glasses slide easily and snuggly into her head just above her
ears but all it took was one knock and they flew outta there – and
became lost forever.(I
still can’t find them a couple weeks later.) Highly recommend
glue.
Elise
is hampered by several things, but I’d still make her a recommended
figure – and not just because she’s a Canadian character.Although there are aspects I’d improve on, she’s still
possess the right amounts of attention to detail and displayability that
makes her a good buy if you’re not that interested in playability.