(Playarts Kai first blog)
I remember just how ecstatic I was to know that these were coming out. Suffice to say, I nearly did backflips! Playarts always had my attention with their Final Fantasy works and when they started spanning out into different games/characters, well, suffice to say that their move was prudent at best!
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| The Much improved 'window' boxes |
To initiate my love for this said toy, the box (Like Lightning's: Playarts Kai: Lightning FFXIII-2) is friendly to both kinds of collectors: the one who opens and the one who keeps them in the box. The latter, it's pretty obvious that one can enjoy the toy's aesthetics through the transparent covering while at the same time 'keeping' the value and keeping the toy safe. As for the collector that opens, it's quite easy to take the toy out without damaging the box in case one wants to put it back in for safe keeping, or of the sake of putting it back in for display or what not.
Out of the box, and this is one I cannot really show in pictures but I can try and draw out through words, Commander Shepard holds some weight. The toy is heavy and one can fathom that he is quite durable, though I won't exactly perform asinine experiments on dropping him or what not just to see how much he can take; or can't. Joints are very rigid so bending the figure will take some effort and will usually make one be a bit more cautious in regards to how one should handle it... will it break? Will it stay? Is it just that hard? But it took me a few tries here and there with the elbows and the knees until I realize just how much effort one should exert into acquiring the posture needed.
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| N7 Pistol |
Like all of the playarts Kai or not that Square Enix comes out with, Shepard comes with interchangeable hands and a set of weaponry. For this case, he comes with the N7 Pistol, the N7 Valkyrie, and the ME3 speciality: the Omnitool Blade!
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| Omnitool Blade. |
I won't complain as well in regards to the choice of weaponry in the playarts' disposal because they are naturally trademark for Shepard. The weapons may have been DLC in ME3, but the concurring 'N7' Logo on the weapons makes it the right choice for Shepard to have! And just speaking game wise, after upgrading the Valkyrie to its limit it became one of my more potent hitter. Though the numbers of the enemies would proliferate at some points of the game, the way I had the Valkyrie set up (and amongst other factors in regards to my Shepard) would not allow them too much leeway. So with that said, I did rather enjoy having Valkyrie with Shepard in his Playarts adaptation.
Now detail wise, this toy has me enamored with how they articulately carved the details within his armor, made it as 'simple' as he has it on the game, but at the same time, every nostalgic and fine line into the armor is within the toy! The color may be a bit more vibrant than in the game in regards to the default color and the texture of the said armor may be leaning more on the shinier spectrum, however I can't exactly complain at all considering. It just doesn't resemble Commander Shepard's armor and guns, it's a version of it in the form of toys and collection. Everything that makes Shepard be the iconic Soldier of N7, the intimidation, the ever so masculine physique as well as the sternness of his armor is well adapted into this figure.
Now, not everything is perfect. There are some minor things I would like to confess about in regards to Shepard's playarts Kai version. First and foremost, the face! Not so much the facial features or what not, but the skin color is almost leaning into... total false! he is a bit too dark. With that, it throws off the idea of Shepard ALMOST immediately. The only thing erroneously similar is his ... hair. And the slight 'scar' that goes along with it.
The articulation is fantastic! Yes that is an apparent fact, however, posing him isn't that ideal. Something about his ankles and feet posture that makes it a tedious task for certain action shots. I mean, don't' misconstrue, I could get Shepard to have some tantalizing action shots but for the reason that it may take five minutes for one posture, my patience runs thin and I almost just give up immediately. The other reason of course would go hand in hand with all toys this caliber: I don't want too much wear and tear! Posing here, posing there would cause that notion and I don't entirely want that!
Suffice to say however, with such 'major' complaints, the playarts Kai of Commander Shepard is still in high regards and became one of my top favorites in my collection. The great box it came in. The Details. The weaponry. The fact that it is Commander Shepard! Well, one can't exactly disdain if one is a collector and a mass Effect fan! Glad to have the N7 soldier on board! Now for the rest of the Crew (least the ones I am interested in having on board).
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| N7 Valkyrie |
Now detail wise, this toy has me enamored with how they articulately carved the details within his armor, made it as 'simple' as he has it on the game, but at the same time, every nostalgic and fine line into the armor is within the toy! The color may be a bit more vibrant than in the game in regards to the default color and the texture of the said armor may be leaning more on the shinier spectrum, however I can't exactly complain at all considering. It just doesn't resemble Commander Shepard's armor and guns, it's a version of it in the form of toys and collection. Everything that makes Shepard be the iconic Soldier of N7, the intimidation, the ever so masculine physique as well as the sternness of his armor is well adapted into this figure.Now, not everything is perfect. There are some minor things I would like to confess about in regards to Shepard's playarts Kai version. First and foremost, the face! Not so much the facial features or what not, but the skin color is almost leaning into... total false! he is a bit too dark. With that, it throws off the idea of Shepard ALMOST immediately. The only thing erroneously similar is his ... hair. And the slight 'scar' that goes along with it.
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| Shepard default? |
The articulation is fantastic! Yes that is an apparent fact, however, posing him isn't that ideal. Something about his ankles and feet posture that makes it a tedious task for certain action shots. I mean, don't' misconstrue, I could get Shepard to have some tantalizing action shots but for the reason that it may take five minutes for one posture, my patience runs thin and I almost just give up immediately. The other reason of course would go hand in hand with all toys this caliber: I don't want too much wear and tear! Posing here, posing there would cause that notion and I don't entirely want that! Suffice to say however, with such 'major' complaints, the playarts Kai of Commander Shepard is still in high regards and became one of my top favorites in my collection. The great box it came in. The Details. The weaponry. The fact that it is Commander Shepard! Well, one can't exactly disdain if one is a collector and a mass Effect fan! Glad to have the N7 soldier on board! Now for the rest of the Crew (least the ones I am interested in having on board).
Who is next on the line up....?
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