If this figure is anything but perfect, I may have trouble hiding my disappoint. Guile has always been one of my favorite characters, so I take any figures based on him quite seriously. I've been mostly impressed with NECA's Street Fighter IV line so far, including these Round 2 toys, but will Guile live up to my enormously high expectations or will I find him less than beguiling? Read on to find out!

Name: Guile
Line: Street Fighter IV, Round 2
Manufacturer: NECA
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $13.99-$17.99, Online: $14.99-$19.99
Scale: 7.00 in. (figure in 6.75 in. tall)
Accessories: Two extra hands
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$14.95

     Something about the styling and proportions of this guile figure work really well; he looks less chunky than the previous male figures in the line, but still has that thickness and muscularity that's become commonplace with the line. Whether or not you appreciate this style is definitely a personal preference, because it does take some things to extremes, which may not be for everyone. I do, in fact, like it quite a bit, so this score will reflect that. There's no arguing that guile is full of lots of little details across his body, including intricate muscle groups, treads and laces on his boots, wrinkles in his clothes (even his super-tight shirt has some), scribbles on his dog-tags, along with a lot of finer points in his hands and face.
    Instead of using the basic blank male torso that's been used on the other 3 male figures, NECA went ahead and gave us a new one that's a little less muscle-taut and has the shirt and dog-tags sculpted in. It might seem obvious to give him a new torso, but a lot of companies would have went with the easy route here (not naming any names) and just painted on the shirt and tags. Actually, the only molds for Guile that we have seen before are his arms above the elbow and his legs above the knee, so it's nice to have a lot of new parts here; it makes him feel unique. His head sculpt is perfectly detailed and extremely crisply sculpted like the rest of him, but the expression will certainly be off-putting to some with its bulging eyes and strange jaw. I think it's okay from most angles, although I'll admit it can definitely look pretty wonky from others. Both sets of hands look wonderful and serve their purpose for various poses or fighting stances. I'm also impressed by how nicely textured and completely flat (see comic) his hair turned out, because who is Guile without perfect hair?

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

 

     This section is where my heart breaks. I honestly have to make myself work pretty hard when critiquing paint issues, because paint is one of my smallest concerns when looking at figures. Maybe I have bad eyesight or something, because I care a lot more about sculpt, articulation, and accessories, but despite that lack of interest, Guile here doesn't require much focus at all; there are some surpsingly terrible paint issues. NECA is usually moderate to good in this category as far as I'm concerned, with great work in some places, and mediocre stuff elswhere. Sadly, Guile never reaches the "great work" part of the equation. Enough with the commentary, let's get on with the figure and my disappointment.
     To be fair, I'll start with some positives, like his colors, which are mostly just right. The green is a bright, vibrant color that matches the style of the line and his on-scree counterpart from the game, while the black boots, skin color, and blond hair all work well too. The camouflage colors aren't quite perfect, but compared to some other problems, I can live with them. The applications of the camouflage sections aren't quite so wonderful, with spotty coverage in spots, misplaced swaths, and almost utter disregard for the top of his thighs beneath the waist. I don't understand why they decided painting camo both above and below that joint would be okay, but thought that leaving it blank is somehow an attractive option. And it's not because they didn't paint it at all either, there is some on the back and a couple small spots on the side, but just none on the front, and it looks silly. Other than that, they did get the camo in all the right places, and although it doesn't line up across joints very well on his left leg, it's almost perfect on his right, so I don't know how to explain that either.
     The biggest problem with his paint, is that the torso is actually cast in green plastic instead of his skin colors. I like to think that it would have looked leagues better the other way around, because the skin-colored paint just doesn't get the necessary coverage over the green beneath it. There are various places where green is clearly visible through his skin, with an especially bad spot on the left side of his neck. There is also a green tint around the edges of the torso, and along the line where pieces meet on his shoulders. This may not be that obvious in my photos, but it's there, and it all just makes the figure look extra messy on his chest. The lines of his tank top are also pretty bad, with lots of underspray and wavy cuts instead of straight ones. I wish I had taken a closer look before picking up this exact figure, but it was the only one around at the time, and I was too excited to pass it up. I can only hope they aren't all this bad.
     Unfortunately, that's not the end of his sorrows! The extra hands included with the figure are a good shade or two darker than the forearms they attach to, so it looks like he got a very localized spray tan (the left shoulder pivot joint has this same issue, even more severely). The American flags on his shoulders have a couple rough spots, but that's a nitpicky observation born out of these other problems, and there is also a nice big paint scar on his inside right forearm. Finally, his face is mostly good, except for some really crazy eyeballs. All together, this thing is figure is anything but beguiling.

Paint Score: 3 / 10

 

    I'm glad to move on to another section, and I feel entirely secure going through the rest of these quickly. Guile has the standard articulation for the male figures in this line so far (pictured above), and that's a heck of a lot of points that have many an option for posing. There's little you can't do with Guile, and only some poses that you can't simulate accurately. All the joints are in good working order, although one of his ankles did take a good solid jerk to loosen up initially. It's a little tough to move the joints because they're so tight, and some are tough click joints, but I prefer that over the alternative, which is loose flimsy joints. I think most of the joints look all right, and even the giant double-hinge plate on the back of his knee is helped by the paint applications. The wrists do come off as pretty obvious, whereas most other figures have had gloves, ropes, or something else to hide that ball joint, these are out there and look a little unflushed (made even worse by the mismatched color apps). In the end, this is a great articulation model for a figure that needs a dynamic set of joints. 

Articulation Score: 9 / 10

     Guile is one of the most recognizable and most-loved Street Fighter characters, because he's been around for a while. His design is nothing super-creative or all that lively, but it does look great in a simple way. The toy captures that feeling and even blends it into the weirder style of the Street Fighter IV video game. Whether a Street Fighter fan of old, or an avid current player, this toy will probably catch your eye and intrigue you, at least for a little while. His articulation is diverse enough to keep play or display going for quite a while, and the two extra hands help a little in this regard too. It would definitely be nice to have a couple more accessories, like a build-a-stage stand or energy effects to match the character. Guile would have worked particularly well with a very small comb, which could have been a quick and easy addition that added a lot of personality. Despite these missing pieces, Guile is still a lot of fun to mess around with and even his packaging has a few interesting stats and some great artwork to help keep a buyer entertained for that much longer. Despite any enormous problems (like paint), this figure is still quite fun.

Fun Score: 9 / 10

 

     Guile can be purchased at retail and online for just about $15. I think that's a fair price for a solidly constructed, licensed, and well sculpted action figure in the current market. Admittedly he only comes with two small accessories, but they're something, and he's still a comparably priced toy. The real downside here is the poor paint applications, which I'm sure aren't consistent across every figure, but extra steps could have been taken to avoid these problems, or at least this particular guy could have been thrown out due to his deficits. Still yet, he's a well packaged toy that will offer hours and hours of fun to even the most casual Street Fighter fan, so it's hard to complain a lot.

Value Score: 8 / 10

9 / 10 - A lot of details and an interesting style.

3 / 10 - An absolute mess and complete disappointment.

10 / 10 - Plenty of points that work well.

9 / 10 - Could use a couple more accessories, but the great articulation and fun character make up for it.

8 / 10 - Priced competitively considering the character and construction, but poor paint and lack of extra accessories keep the score from rising.

79 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

Rarely do my reviews reveal figures that are at such opposite ends of a spectrum. Guile is an amazing action figure except in one category. His paint is so poorly executed that it keeps the figure from achieving the next label. Even a mediocre score would have resulted in an overall score in the high eighties, but I have to review them as I see them, and one of my favorite characters of all time is a bit of a disappointment, despite still being a good action figure.

-The Articulated One

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