NECA recently received the right to make Street Fighter IV figures based on the upcoming video game. Street Fighter IV Round 1 is the first wave of figures released under this banner, and if C. Viper is any indication, it's going to be a strong line hitting a number of different characters.
Check out the rest of the review...
I was never particularly stunned by looking at any pre-release photos of this figure, but now that I have her in hand, it's clear they spent a lot of time on her sculpt. First things first, the general profile and overall look of the sculpt are very stylish and attractive. She's a slim female with super long legs (maybe a little too long) but I like the porportions used. I think her design is ugly, though that's definitely not NECA's fault and they've done a nice job translating it into plastic form. She has a number of well done details like her belt buckle, the pinstriped texture on her pants and coat, fantastic clothing wrinkles, and perfect braided hair. Her coat is thin and flexible, which is always a good effect. The head sculpt on this figure is really crisp with well defined features, but it's still kind of ugly. It's the best of the three Round 1 figures, but still not great, which again may just be the design at fault, although her clear goggles do come across quite well. I hate this hairstyle and it still manages to look good. She stands in a variety of positions relatively well despite her very tiny feet (I even balanced her on one leg in a few poses). She's the tallest of the three Round 1 figures too, which is okay because she's the same height according the cardbacks, but is also wearing heels. Two extra hands are included so you can have fists or open hands, whatever your preference might be.
Sculpt Score: 9 / 10 - Great details, nice clothing appearance, generally good proportions (long legs), ugly face and hair from a design standpoint.
C. Viper's paint job is mostly good, I just have a few problems that some might even consider nitpicking. Her color choices are pretty basic and still come across well. The black of her suit is appropriately matte and works great with the texture. Her boots are a subtly differnt black highlighted with a bright neon pink. The hair is an almost unnatural pinkish-red with some black to bring out the strands. I like the gray brushing effects on her vest as well as the skin tone airbrushing on her waist and chest, although it comes across a little sunburned. The paint applications are usually very tight with crisp lines at her boots, gloves, buttons, and her black tie. Her face is beautifully done with clean eyebrows, lips, and hair lines. The eyes look great through the clear yellow goggles. The only problems I have are some small ones, like lazy work at her collar, some skin tone on her vest, and some of the black in her hair is way too thick for a dirty kind of look. You'll probably be very impress with this paint from it subtle hue changes in the skin and clean applications, even though there are a few small issues.
Paint Score: 9 / 10 - Clean work on small details and the face, good simple color choices that complement each other, some small problems here and there.
Looking at the press photos for this figure, I didn't think she'd have a lot of articulation. On the contrary, she actually has a pretty great articulation model that allows for a ton different posing, although it's a little less than the other figure in the line. I'm not going to list every point of articulation here, just know according to the packaging it's numbered at 27. I didn't notice any lacking areas that absolutely required extra joints. Everything worked really well out of the box and holds all the different positions really well. There are some limited joints like her shoulders which can only move up to a point parallel with her shoulders as well as her ankle hinges which are limited by her pant legs. Every other point moves freely for some great possibilities. I think she looks fantastic despite all this articulation, because it's hidden quite well within the sculpt, especially in neutral poses. I do hate the way double hinged knees and elbows look when fully bent, especially with this figure, though it's an issue that rarely comes up.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10 - It all works well, it looks great with the sculpt, some of the double hinges look funky, and the shoulders are limited in range.
Street Fighter is a much loved game for a number of years now, so if Street Fighter IV is as popular as the rest, then this figure will certainly benefit from that popularity. She suffers from a pretty simple visual design, it's just an exaggerated suit without any really interesting visual elements save her hair, which is very unique and cool. I don't think anyone is going to enjoy just looking at this figure. On the other hand she does have a lot of articulation that makes posing in fighting poses or playing with her a blast. There's nothing particularly frustrating that will suck the fun out of her, and she comes with optional hand swaps which adds to the enjoyment factor. Including other accessories like energy attack elements or bases from in-game levels would help a lot here I think. Having a complete SF IV cast will be great and she's an important part of that.
Fun Score: 8 / 10 - Nothing frustrating, some great articulation poseability, fun to fight other figures with, extra hands are good, no other included accessories.
This toys going to run for about $15, maybe a little more or less depending on where she's purchased. That's not a terrible price for a figure this size with such high production values. She's made of very solid plastic, there are no quality control issues, and she feels sturdy enough to last through an actual street fight. She also included some accessories and came in a nicely put together package with a great art style. I think she'll only become more enjoyable as this line begins to flesh out and even for a kid, she's going to be fun to play with for a while to come. I'd easily lay down $15 for her again, I just wish she was a little better known character (I didn't know her until now).
Value Score: 9 / 10 - Durable figure made of tough plastic, feels good in your hands, includes accessories, great packaging, high production values, no QC issues, just not a famous character.
Summary
9
9
9
8
9
Overall Score: 88 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
C. Viper is almost there in every important category which means she's actually a great action figure and solid first entry for NECA in the Street Fighter franchise.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if she's the one).
-The Articulated One
