Play Arts Kai Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

My brother (*i only have 1 brother back then) and i got into the Playstation craze back in the mid 90's and one of the first games we've ever played was, predictably enough, Tomb Raider. It's a pretty revolutionary adventure game back when side-scrollers still sell and 3D Polygon is a new thing. The game's heroine, (back when girls are only in the game to be saved  and/or annoy the hero) Lara Croft, has always been a favorite of mine and her striking visage is deeply rooted in fond memories of late-night treasure hunts on old Roman ruins, deep sea dives in the Atlantic and trekking through snowy Himalayan peaks. Unsurprisingly, when the seemingly stagnant franchise did a reboot of the game we decided to (re-)jump (into) the bandwagon.

It was an excellent game indeed and, since EIDOS is now under SQEX, we know it's only a matter of time before they do a Play Arts Kai version. And truly she did not disappoint, somehow...

Pardon me for the lengthy introduction... now, down to business. Lara's loaded with all her in-game weapons: shotgun, pistol, bow and arrow, ice axe and 3 alternate hands. Like all the recent PAK releases she's got a stand and an instruction sheet. I also have an extra bonus sheet with a unique DLC code for a nude skin...lol, JK, i happened to have 2 sheets on my box.

Her details include a holster for her shotgun and pistol and a really, really dirty/grimy  finish. I can only wish they included a holster or something for her ice axe and a quiver for her arrows (yes! they should have given her more ammo). Well, you can work on those if you have the skill.

General paint apps are good and sneaky since Lara's really intended to have a dirty finish, just watch out for the lip paint - small red blotches (or was that intended to be blood?) and the eyes and eyebrows. Thankfully, i have none of those issues. I am not too happy though with her arm ball-joints since they are too visible. The legs also have that crooked look on certain poses. My biggest concern though is her flimsy arms, i'm afraid to move them around since they look and feel so fragile. I've encountered broken limbs twice and both those figures have thicker arms than Lara. Do be careful with those guys since Lara's such a joy to pose.

Her looks deviated a bit from her in game model, it's still acceptable for me though i think this would be the main turn-off for collectors. If you are also after the classic Lara look then this figure is not for you.
I must say though that the biggest pro for Lara is her playability and her compatibility with the Play Arts Kai Nathan Drake figure. They are in perfect scale with each other, weapons included. Neither one needs to be alone now on their adventures right?  If you have the Nathan Drake figure already you better get Lara and vice versa. If you are a fan of the franchise and of the rebooted game you'll be happy with the Play Arts Kai Lara Croft figure but for a casual Play Arts Kai collector or those very particular with scale, i don't think she will be impressive enough. She's still worth a look or two though.

Nate: Uh, hey Lara, tell Anton to get me soon...

Note: After this shot, i needed to do reconstructive surgery on  Nate's right arm, reinforced it with a metal screw. yeah that's  f#!ked up, i know!

Hey JC, as promised, this one's for you.