Play Arts Kai Raiden Review - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

As if we haven't had enough of Play Arts Kai Raiden figures last year... Anyway, the human Jack arrived hot on the trail of Liquid Snake and of course, as expected, me and my fellow MGS fans snapped up one for our respective collections as soon as he's out, giving little or no heed at all whether he's a good figure or not. Because of that, this review's pretty much useless already IMO. But then i feel i owe the local PAK community this review of Jack...whether they and YOU like it or not.

The Play Arts Kai Raiden from MGS2: SOL is the 2nd character in this particular MGS storyline and he's got massive shoes to fill in the form of Solidus Snake, one of the best PAK's ever produced.  To be quite frank, i feel i've had enough of Raiden last year so this particular figure wasn't exactly a favorite of mine. I'm not expecting much anyway since i don't think he can match the intensity of the MGRR Raiden figure. In reality, only very few PAKs actually can...

The most notable difference between the new MGS PAKs and the previous releases is the lack of accessories, or perhaps i was just expecting a lot since MGRR Jack and Solidus are heavily armed. Raiden doesn't stray too far from the older Peacewalker figures when it comes to accessories though the details are what i would consider a bit too "simple" for an MGS PAK figure. As for his face, it's close enough to the in-game model but his hair, errr...oh well, as far as i know it should be lighter and a bit less 80's like. And oh, i forgot about his long neck (looks like a goddamn 18th century lady).

Those Dog Tags, like i mentioned in Liquid's review, provide a nice change though a very subtle one at that. The suit may be too simple but the paint apps are definitely much better than that of Liquid. It is very easy to see how Jack changed over the years if you compare him with the MGRR version and though i'm kinda sick right now of seeing another Raiden incarnation, i think it is interesting to see his early cyborg stages on an MGS4 Raiden PAK figure. 

On the plus side, his simple armor allows good articulation as compared to the heavily detailed MGRR version. I'm just afraid to put too much stress on his Dissidia hinges since they look and feel weaker than the usual for an MGS figure.

Jack's SOCOM w/ suppressor is basically the same as Solid's though it's good they did not package the gun inside the holster thus preventing a bent and floppy suppressor out of the box again. My problem though with the Jack i got is that his sword came a bit deformed straight out of the packaging. They shouldn't have kept it inside his scabbard (with strap so you can now sling it on Jack's shoulder without problem), goddamn...

The masked alt-head is a welcome inclusion though i'm yet to try it out with the other figures. It kinda reminds me of Psycho Mantis' gas masked head and i hope SQEX will read this and decide to do one for future PAK releases. LOL. Needless to say, he's in perfect scale with his adopted father Solidus and significantly smaller than the MGRR version. Remember, this is Raiden's pre-high heels days...

I don't think i'd point out the seemingly lackluster appearance of and interest for MGS2 Jack since for sure we almost lethally overdosed on the MGRR version last year - by the way, I see a lot of Jacks floating around the local shops so it's not that hard to get him. It's also perfectly understandable that he'll be one step back from the awesome MGRR version anyway since this is from an older story/game from the beloved MGS series. If you have Solidus Snake, MGS2 Jack is a must have but if not and you just wanted 1 Raiden for your collection then you are better off with the MGRR version.

Some cool shots for Raiden courtesy of fellow PAKPTG member Michael Cartago below, do check out his YouTube channel as well, enjoy comrades...