Hi guys, just got this new figure from Play Arts Kai's latest line – Dissidia Final Fantasy. I never thought i'll be grabbing any of these “new” guys – well, they've been released before but on a smaller scale – but seeing hope for the other yet to be released characters/icons from the numerous Final Fantasy series I decided to take a gamble and start collecting this line...letting go of my Advent Children figures in the process since they are a bit small for my taste.
For my first Dissidia review i'll be tackling the hero of Final Fantasy 8 and “emo-poster-boy” Squall Leonheart. Packaging is ok and attractive especially if you place it side by side with the black boxes of previous Play Arts FF releases.
You get Squall a couple of extra hands, his famous “gunblade” and of course that foreign-language tutorial sheet that people rarely notice. I feel Squall's accessories to be lacking though and the box got that half-empty feeling when they are displayed inside. Just a detail, the box is as big as the PA Kai Peacewalker's box but with less content.
Squall's features are also very “Dissidia,” that is, they gave him a more anime look than the standard pretty-boy-don'tgive- a-s#!t-about-the-world-look from the older Play Arts and FF8 game Squall. It's nice to find the familiar details though such as his black leather jacket with feathers, his “Griever” pendant and silver belt buckle as well as his trademark scar on his forehead.
Scale-wise i will not hide the fact that i am disappointed with Squall, he's definitely taller than the previous Squalls but not tall enough IMHO. When PA Kai mentioned a 9 incher i was expecting him to be at par with the other awesome PA Kai figures like Dante, Snake and Ezio but check out these pics:
He's a few inches shorter than the rest of the PA Kai guys, well, to me he looks like the kid brother of Nero.
Articulation is good enough and the PA Kai improvements are welcome addition to the figure such as the ball-jointed hands, 360-degrees shoulder movement and more importantly the ability to hold his weapon with both hands without problem.
Squall: “HA! You're taller than me but can you do this pose?”
Dante: I don't need to do that kid, i got two pistols already and they look nasty when you strike a Mexican-stand-off pose like this one”
It's still a nice addition since none of the bigger figures can do that without creaks or stress.
Should you get him? Now the answer will depend on what figures you are targeting, for me Squall is a good buy because:
1. I am after the icons in all FF games and with Dissidia you have a chance to get them all – well, even the villains (given that they are eventually produced). I am actually hoping for Kefka and Terra so this line is worth getting for me.
2. He's somewhat keeping at par with the rest of the new PA Kai releases albeit a bit smaller. Still he is bigger than the game version Squall and to me that's a good thing detail wise. I got mine on Sale for 2520 via Great Toys Online (SRP is 2800) so he's priced the same as the bigger releases so unless you plan to get the other Dissidia figs then you'll probably think twice about getting him. I think he's more worth buying though than the first and smaller version of Squall (1.5K+)
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