Play Arts Kai Isaac Clarke - Dead Space Review

"Good men mean well. We just don't always end up doing well." So sayeth Isaac Clarke, the main protagonist of the Dead Space series who recently debuted as a Play Arts Kai figure. Now, all those following our group @ Facebook - Play Arts Kai Philippine Trading Group - know well enough that i am not familiar with this guy and, honestly, i haven't played a single Dead Space game. Relating it to Clarke's words of wisdom, i mean well with this review - i just hope i don't screw it up... after all I was just encouraged to do this one by a fellow group admin who's really into Dead Space - yes, i'm referring to YOU Anton! This was supposed to be a live review during our group's TOYCON exhibit but having a lot of things going on i'm gonna submit another late review.

You must pardon me if the pics aren't exactly that sharp since i'm using a weaker camera on the exhibit area that time. I just hope to do a quick rundown of what this figure has to offer. Coming from a non-DS3 fan i sure do hope i won't be biased.

Packaging is pretty good, very similar to the HALO 4 Kais to me, or he would be so to the eyes of the uninitiated. The accessories are decent enough: Plasma cutter, Pulse Rifle (HA! Thank you google!), a couple of trigger hands and that lovely stand. It is very crucial though that i mention this since Anton suggested it: they should have included an alternate open masked head since there are certain game moments where he's not hiding his face. So there...

Clarke's details are good and faithful to his in-game counterpart. The first time i saw him i commented how his colors and weapons (most especially!) seem to me kinda Hasbro-ish. I did not expect much because of that but believe me now when i tell you that up-close (& in-person) he's a pretty good figure:detail and accessory-wise.

Perhaps the only drawback i encountered that time was his balance. I have to find certain angles before i can pose him. The heavy weapons, while equipped, make balance issue more evident.

 I was not able to test the joints - lest i break him and earn Anton's wrath - so i couldn't really tell the "fragile: handle with care" parts though i do have concerns about his built-in armor details (chest piece, leg armor, upper arm thingy) and of course the Dissidia hinges. No biggie though, they just look fragile to me.

The ball joints of his arm are also very visible and a part of the rifle looks detachable, refer to pic below, Anton advised that you should be careful about losing that "screw" part.

A personal gripe of mine though are the knee connectors on the pic above. They are quite thin and noticeable if you pose him in a crouching position. Clarke is also off-scale with the larger Kais, which, in my opinion, would have made him a better figure. Noticing how he seemed to be sold out on some of the local stores i would assume that there are a lot of Dead Space fans locally. I would also say that he's better than the older NECA version, despite of having not played with one. This is an Isaac Clarke Play Arts Kai we're talking about after-all.

None of the issues though are unique to him so overall he's still a pretty good acquisition once you get past the scale. If you are a Dead Space fan you should not miss out on him.

Alas! I arrived too late...NOOOOOO!