But I'll take a break from stuffing myself to talk toys just for a bit. And since it's the Chinese New Year, what better way to celebrate than with the awesomest, stealthiest, Chinese warriors of them all: Ninjas!
What? Whaddaya mean...oh. Uh, yeah. Ninjas are Japanese. Right...
Well...so what?
That ain't gonna stop me from reviewing 3.75" Rise of Cobra Arctic Assault Storm Shadow!!!
What really attracted me to this figure is how gory it actually looks. I don't think we've ever gotten a Joe (or any other action figure for that matter) with bloody cuts all over. He comes as a maskless variant too, but I much prefer the masked Storm Shadow because he seems more uncompromising, as if he won't reveal his identity no matter how badly hurt he is. Nice.
But we all know ol' trusty Storm Shadow doesn't die despite being run through by Snakey. Heck, actor Lee Byung-Hun has signed on for at least another movie and word is that they've offered him a bigger role in the sequel. Good work, Stormie! Could it be he acted so well that he not only wowed audiences but fooled Snake Eyes too? I mean, after all, he's a good guy spying on Cobra, right? So does that mean he kinda 'let' Snake Eyes win in that climactic fight? Storm Shadow fans like me would like to think so. (Yeah he did. For sure. ;P)
So let's see how his toy measures up to his oh so sneaky-but-skillful-enough-to-dodge-death character!
Like: The amount of detail on this guy is simply stunning. You've got his sculpted cuts all over his body; his Arashikage tattoo on his right arm which is nice and sharp; great ninja-esque musculature (not too buff but plenty like Bruce Lee); wrinkles and folds on his pants and half-gloves; molded-on leather gauntlets (also with laces) under the metal ones; detailed sneakers with laces; and the subtly molded cloth mask on his head.
And that's just the sculpt, The amount of sculpting on his accessories is also simply top quality as well.
The great thing is that he can carry all of it at one time except either the sword sheathes or the blade backpack. And even then, he can hold the backpack in one hand and the Bo staff in the other while his swords are sheathed. It's so nice to have a figure in this scale that can bear everything that comes with him at a go. It makes the toy feel completely thought out and well-designed.
The other plus point is the elbows. AA Stormie gets a nice flexible 90 degree bend if you shift his metallic gauntlets down a little or remove them completely. PP SS's elbows are limited by his jacket's sculpt.
It's a winning combination--the clean sculpt of superhero-like arms and chest combined with the top notch GI Joe articulation gives this guy the best poseability of all the movie Storm Shadows so far.
Like: That you can remove all his accessories (or have them all on for that matter) and he still looks kickass.
See how great he looks *without* the un-ninja-like backpack?
Dislike: And this is the biggie--that huge frickin' mechanism on his gauntlet for his hidden blade. I mean, yeah, it's a cool gimmick and all, but the blade doesn't go past his hand, nor can his wrist bend since there's no hinge. So effectively what's left is a huge box attached to his gauntlet and a so-so feature. In fact, at the current price point, I'd be really tempted to go out and buy another one of him just so I can give him two proper-looking gauntlets, gimmick be damned.
RATINGS
Aesthetics: 9.5/10 - The minute I saw preview pictures of this guy in package, I knew I had to get him. There was something about him that was different from his previous Rise of Cobra versions, namely Paris Pursuit and Ninja Mercenary. Even the variant Arctic Assault version of him unmasked seemed to be missing something (I think he was a little too half-naked for me. Lol). So I whipped out PP Stormie, compared the two and realized what the difference was--he's taller than PP and Ninja Merc Storm Shadow!
Arctic Assault has slightly longer legs and his chest pivot is slightly higher than Paris Pursuit's, so he looks better proportioned and cat-like.
Poseability: 9.5/10 - At first his gauntlets got in the way of his elbows. But then I realized they were removable so yay! They were a little tight initially but some gentle coaxing and tugging made them come loose. It's just great that this figure didn't lose any flexibility because of non-removable parts and heavy sculpting.
The two things that bother me the most when posing AA Storm Shadow are his senselessly bulky backpack and the gargantuan excuse for a hidden blade mechanism. That thing is so huge that there would be no way it would be considered concealed if it were life-size. Good luck trying to take a pee with that thing strapped to yer arm. ;P
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Value: 9/10 - I can't remember what I paid for him except that it might have been close to the retail price here of S$18.90 (US$13.50). At the new price point, he'd be a perfect 10. But even at that old price I'd say it's a great deal, simply because of the number of accessories and the detail that went into him. (He doesn't have a gun, though. But that would be overkill for a deadly ninja. And he'd have no where to put it anyway. ;]) So I say buy him if you see him and like Storm Shadow. If you don't fancy the character but are looking for someone to lead your Cobra forces, then this is the man and this is the version. I mean, how cool are you when you are called 'Arctic Assault Storm Shadow' but don't have any warm clothes on? Very, very cool.
Overall: 9.7/10 - AA Storm Shadow get bonus points for that X-factor you find in certain toys when you open them and are not expecting them to pop. In his case, I was expecting quite a bit and still got more than I bargained for.
Granted, he's the one Joe figure that I seem to have the most likes and deepest dislikes for, but somehow he comes together nicely with his accessories as an excellent whole package. The design is almost flawless save for the play features they tried to give him, and if they'd left the concealed blade and backpack-full-of-blades shenanigans out of the equation, Arctic Assault would have been the perfect movie Storm Shadow.
Japan celebrates the lunar new year too. Last year I wished everyone "Happy Chinese New Year" on my facebook status and one of my Japanese friends complained! LOL
ReplyDeleteHaha, oh my. Well then, there ya ho. Ninja's are so mysterious and powerful they even celebrated Chinese NEw Year in Japan. :P
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, apologies to any Japanese readers out there. And Happy Lunar New Year to all!
Nice review, I saw this figure in another review recently, yours and that one have convinced me to make my first, and best, Storm Shadow purchase.
ReplyDelete@Prowl26 - Haha, nice. I also just realized this--Arctic Assault Storm Shadow may also very well be the tallest SS figure in the line. I just opened up the Target Exclusive Arashikage Bike version and he was slightly shorter than this guy, but not as tiny as Paris Pursuit SS. ;)
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