Play Arts Kai Chun Li - Super Street Fighter 4 Review

After my Play Arts Ryu review i think one could suspect this one not far off, being very impressed with how the ultimate Street Fighter series poster boy turned out i'm looking forward to doing one for the series' poster girl or should i say, "The First Lady of Fighting Games". Unlike Ryu, the first time i saw pics of the Play Arts Kai Chun Li i am impress with the overall looks and aesthetics of the character, believing that she may be the best Chun Li figure ever released so far and much, much better than Play Arts Kai Ryu. When i got her i am happy to say that i got ONE of those statements on the mark. 

She indeed is the best action figure incarnation of Chun Li so far but is she better than Ryu? Well, let's find out shall we...

Play Arts Kai Ryu - Super Street Fighter 4 Review

This article will mark the first time that i would review a figure that i am really hesitant to grab at first, being unimpressed by it, but after getting my hands on one i would reverse my judgment. A great thanks to Mr. Malvin Lim of Greattoys Online for the sample, i really enjoyed doing this review.

Play Arts Kai Kazuhira Miller - Metal Gear Solid - Peacewalker Review

Alright, time for another late review, i just got Kaz last week, not really planning to get him before but with Play Arts Kai Solid Snake and Grey Fox to be released soon (around early 2012) why not get all the MGS characters made available so far? Master  McDonnell Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller's name first came to light during Metal Gear 2 as a member of FOXHOUND then Metal Gear Solid where Liquid assumed his guise to fool Solid Snake. In the series backstory, Peacewalker, he's the deputy chief of Big Boss in the Militaires Sans Frontieres. 

Play Arts Kai Nero - Devil May Cry 4 Review

I think i've held back long enough for this review and, i think, the main purpose of this one is that i notice fellow collectors pass up this awesome figure. I don't really know why, to me he's almost as good as the Play Arts Kai Dante figure. I actually got requests to review this figure before but i only got time to do this one now, better late than never.

A Gamer's Journal Part 1: 1997-2000 RPGs, et al.

I was rummaging through my old things and i recovered a couple of very interesting pieces of paper that i initially believed to be lost for all time. I haven't really seen them for more than 7 years and finding them just opened a floodgate of memories. I used to be a gamer back in the mid to late 90's when Playstation 1 is in the pinnacle of it's popularity while SNES is on the stage of decline. Oftentimes i play 2-3 RPGs simultaneously which explains why there are "conquered" dates that are very close to each other.

This is the 2nd draft of the list which i re-organized back in 2000 (as indicated by the date above), at least 3 pages are missing though. Apparently, i have a lot of time in my hands back then...

Role playing games are my #1 interest though from time to time a really good game comes along and i pick it up. For every game i invested time on and finished i kept a short entry on a journal of the experience as well as the dates when i actually finished the game. Sadly though, the 2 pcs of paper i recovered are just the starting pages of the journal mentioned, i don't really know what happened to the accounts i have written about the actual games. Also, the entries on the pages i got stopped on 2000, i believe there are still some games i've finished after that date which i will try to check.

"Memories, make me want to go back there..."

Play Arts Kai Collectors Guide v 1.0

This article may seem a bit ambitious since i have only started collecting Play Arts Kai, however, the justification is that who can better understand would-be or potential collectors but a newbie as well? Unlike my older lines (Transformers Classic, Transformers Movie, etc.) i never really started blindly with Play Arts Kai. The reason for this is that i know well enough which figures i would like to get, PA Kai being a relatively new line offering a rather small lineup at the moment, made mostly of characters that i am quite familiar with. As stated by one of my fellow PA Kai collector (orochicoops) from the Pinoy Toy Kolektors forum and i quote:  "I always recommend to go for your favorite character. Sometimes kahit may (even with) minor flaws, you'll let it slide na din (also) because of your love for that character "

I too started with PA Kai with that mindset, as long as the character looks cool to me, dear to me, or from a very memorable game for me i would not hesitate to grab that figure and of course, minor flaws can be forgiven, am i right Ezio?

The purpose of this guide is to promote what our chosen line has to offer, provide insight on the figures (reviews aside) and/or inspire others to pick up the line. Choices vary from person to person but, ultimately, here are some of the figures worth checking out if you are considering starting out with the Play Arts Kai line. *** Please take note that this is purely based on the collective opinion of yours truly and my fellow collectors and in no way we consider this as experts' advice, at the end of the day choices will still depend on you, also, this list comes in no particular order.

The Essentials 

"Get me or...get me, your choice!"

Warning: Play Arts Kai Metal Gear Bootlegs?

I never thought i would be writing a note of Warning regarding collectibles but i just had a close brush with a very suspicious Play Arts Kai figure yesterday. Unfortunately, i was not able to take pictures since the said figure has been with me for only a few hours. Good thing, the seller (whose name i will withhold since he's not a member of the local PA Kai community and probably not really aware of these figures) allowed me a refund but i advise all my fellow PA Kai collectors to gather as much info as possible before getting a Play Arts Kai figure from online sellers.

Older Play Arts - Final Fantasy collectors would be quite familiar with the bootleg PAs by now and could easily spot the tell-tale signs of a bootleg figure even if it's boxed. Of course, the Final Fantasy series is a bootleggers favorite so i was not really surprised to see bootlegs of the PA Kai Final Fantasy Dissidia figures that are now available in the market. However, i was deeply disturbed by the fact that the alleged bootleg figure i got is NOT from the Final Fantasy Series but from Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker.

Play Arts Kai Adam Jensen - Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Hi everyone, just got the time to make another review. I actually got this Play Arts Adam Jensen figure last week but i was not able to play with him due to busy work schedule.

Anyway, Play Arts Kai's newest line is from the awesome video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. By awesome i mean that the game really got terrific reviews from video game critics and is considered one of the best in its genre.The main protagonist of the game, Adam Jensen, is an ex-SWAT turned security specialist who was given cybernetic augmentations when a deadly attack on his charges (researchers and scientists of Sarif Industries) left him critically injured. Here he is in his full Play Arts Kai glory:  

Play Arts Kai Dissidia Final Fantasy Gabranth Review

It was never really part of my plan to complete the 1st "Series" of Play Arts Kai Dissidia Final Fantasy. I am quite happy to get Cloud and Squall since i have played and conquered both FF7 and FF8 and i am thoroughly familiar with both characters. I have never really played FF12 and i am not familiar with Gabranth although i must admit i find his representation pretty b@d@$$. I thought it over for quite some time, made a background check about his character and role in FF12 and Dissidia and eventually he won me over: he's just too good to pass up and that armor certainly rocks!

Pictures on the wall...

Just some random sketches on the walls of my old room, i never had the chance to finish them though. These are some of the most memorable characters , scenes and places for me. Sorry for the low-quality pics, i took these using my old cel's cam.I used a standard pencil on wall plaster, hehe.

 Rough sketch of Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings

Rough sketch of Liquid Snake and Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid

Transformers Movie line: A Look Back part 2

Another moment of recollection, here's the line that started it all. It pained me to let these guys go more than the Classics but it's all good...

Transformers Classics: A Look Back part 1

I would like to share my old collection, before i got hooked into Play Arts Kai. Kinda missing these guys though not as much as when i left the TF Movie Line.

Play Arts Kai Chris Redfield - Resident Evil 5 Review

I am a big fan of the Resident Evil (Biohazard) franchise and the PA Kai Chris Redfield is one of my main targets when i shifted to this awesome line. To be quite frank i am a tad bit disappointed with his figure although i am awed by the accuracy of the details as well as the uncanny likeness with his video game counterpart.

Chris comes in a very attractive box, well, for PA Kai who seems very into the minimalist approach. This time the packaging just screams “look at me,” the dark elements certainly added up to the effect.

Play Arts Kai Dissidia Final Fantasy Cloud Strife Review

One of the most enduring characters in the Final Fantasy Universe is Cloud Strife, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. Having multiple incarnations already in various Play Arts lines, it is small wonder that he will also be a part of the 1st wave of the Dissidia Final Fantasy line of Play Arts Kai. Mixed reactions from fans clamoring the missing figures from the previous series (i.e. Barret, Cid, etc.) momentarily disregarded, it is plain to see why Cloud is ever present on the figure frontier: He's simply that famous and any version of his figure is a sure hit for hardcore and casual FF fans alike. I myself, admittedly, belongs to the latter, having played and conquered only 4 games in the series so far (FF6 up to FF9).

Play Arts Kai Dissidia Final Fantasy Squall Review

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.

Play Arts Kai Dante - Devil May Cry 4 Review

Hello everyone, for my third review i'll be going over this awesome Devil May Cry 4 Dante figure by Play Arts Kai. This review is actually a request from a fellow PA Kai collector who i successfully BI'ed to get an Ezio figure.

Dante is the famous protagonist of the Devil May Cry series of video games though for the 4th installment of the series he was replaced by the new character, Nero, for a large part of the game at least. He was thought to be Nero's enemy at first but eventually teams-up with him as the storyline goes along.

Play Arts Kai Ezio Auditore da Firenze - Assassin's Creed 2 Review

Most of the guys around here (cybph.com and pinoytoykolektors.com) know me as a TF guy but due to unforeseen developments i decided to shift lines and focus on...well...i wouldn't say focus because i'll be getting figures from whatever lines i find attractive from NOW on.
Well, a true blue "Collecteur sans frontieres" i shall be.

I discovered Play Arts and their highly-detailed, highly accurate figures that would pass for statues at first glance but unlike the DC Direct figures (which are, by the way, highly detailed as well) , the PA guys actually threw in a perfect balance of detail and articulation on their products. I myself would like a shot.

During my shift, one of the first figures that caught my eye is this mysterious guy over here. 

Play Arts Kai Jungle Camo Snake - Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker Review

The figure i'm going to review today is actually my very first Play Arts Kai figure and a very memorable character to me. I became a HUGE fan of the Metal Gear series when Metal Gear Solid first came out on the PS1 although i haven't really played the other games from the series (as for familiarization, i got as far as Snake-Eater and currently "watching" Peacewalker and Guns of the Patriots though i did skip Sons of Liberty)

To all those familiar with the series, you all know that this dude is actually the father of the equally well known series protagonist Solid Snake (and all the other clones of Big Boss - Liquid Snake, Solidus)