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McFarlane has done a great job making each figure
so attached to the box, it’s like performing root canal work to remove the
figures. I like to think I’m fairly deft at removing action figures from their
packages but these babies took a long time to remove – even just using brute
force.
Ivy is sure to grab a lot of attention from male gamers for a couple of
reasons: her whip sword and regular short sword. Of all the figures in the set,
she is the only one with a couple of weapons, which helps a bit changing things
up for display. Her sculpted stance accommodates both weapons, but I tend to
favor the whip sword. She has five points of articulation and actually manages
to be the most poseable of the five, but they’re all seamed. The paint job is
accurate to the game renderings; however, her upper body flesh sports a matte
finish while her thighs are glossy. (At least, on the review figure.)
Nightmare is probably my favorite of the bunch for his weird
gothic/organic combination. He also has the biggest sword. But again, he doesn’t
possess much poseability (4 points); however, the sword is so big that even a
minor change can make the figure look very different. Nightmare is very
detailed, getting the rivets and sinew right on. A point of interest –
impossible to see from a distance – are the eyes. It’s amazing to me that the
eyes were included at all because the slit on either side of helmet are so small
that they could have been skipped. The blood red “ponytail” makes a for a great
color mix – the blue steel, the silver highlights and the brown bone capture his
game likeness.
Voldo – everyone’s favorite blindfolded blade expert – may be the most
McFarlane-esque figure. You can’t help but draw some similarities between some
of the Tortured Souls figures or Dorothy from the upcoming McFarlane’s Monsters
(featuring the Wizard of Oz). Bondage and blades, and all that. At least Voldo
keeps his intestines on the inside and skin firmly secured to his body.
Regardless, he still has a strong “creepy” factor. I like the color scheme and
the detail of the armor is very good, especially on the scabbard that plugs into
his back. His articulation is low – the best chance for different poses is his
left arm (simply due to Voldo’s sculpt).
Astaroth is your typical big brute, armed with a huge battleaxe. Of all
the characters, Astaroth is the least poseable, but probably the most menacing.
He’s in the middle of a double-fisted swing and only his waist can be moved when
installed on the base. The axe is removable but why would you want to? The way
he’s sculpted, you can't even move his arms much. Just leave it – that’s the way
it was meant to be. Like the other figures in the set, Astaroth is packed with
detail and a stellar paint job – the regal purple is put to good use – but the
helmet "horns" seem to be a bit of overkill and strays from the videogame
version.
Necrid rounds out the set and marks McFarlane’s character contribution to
the Soul Calibur universe. GMR (September 2003) describes Necrid as “taken
straight from the pages of Bad American Comic Book Design 101.” Are those
fighting words? Whether you buy that line or not, Necrid manages to fit in with
the set, even though he’s not one of the original characters from Soul Calibur.
Typical of a McFarlane creation, Necrid, as his name might suggest, is a bit
demonic and dead-looking. Once again, because of the straightforward seam joints
there’s not much in the way of poseability. Like the other figures, a ball-joint
here and there, would have created many more opportunities for display. The
color is good but they’re so earthy he doesn’t stand out as well as the other
figures when the backdrop is installed.
Playability for the set is practically zero. These figures cross the line from
action figure to strictly collectibles. That’s not necessarily a bad thing
because the display properties are very good, particularly when you have all
five arranged with their bases in a line or a geometric shape creating a “Hall
of Heroes” effect.
Bigger figures with better articulation would have been my choice, but even so,
the Soul Calibur II figures should satisfy fans of the game.
- Omni
(August 25, 2003) |
