Ok, we have another review here, i hope this one's not over-late comrades: The SDCC 2014 Exclusive - Sneak Preview version of Punished Snake for the upcoming MGS game The Phantom Pain, the sequel of Ground Zeroes. But first things first, I'd like to thank Bryan for letting me review this figure. I was looking forward to bashing it by the way...LOL.
First time i saw this figure online my reaction was "WTF?! SQEX?!" seriously, who wants a 'Mime/Street performer' Snake variant anyway? Jeez guys, you didn't give us a Jetstream Sam figure and now you're giving us this Heisman Trophy replica? F#!k it! The Bronze finish is very unappealing, i don't understand who would love this color. Bronze? Why not Gold and be done with it?! After all, a Bronze medal finish is below Silver and Gold. Why not Platinum? Yeah i'd go for that. Needless to say, i am not excited to review this when Bryan offered me one. But then i have nothing better to do anyway so i'm giving it a shot...
First up, Snake's arsenal: an alt head, an alt scarf thingie, knife, pistol, AK (Bryan mentioned a different gun model but i'm not paying attention to him so i'd say AK), a Smart Phone, errr...Radar? Radio? and 2 pairs of alt hands. Standard fare for the new MGS PAKs, and oh, you got the stand and that piece of paper with Japanese characters that Bryan insisted i include in my shoot...what a weirdo...LOL
I WAS SURPRISED and DELIGHTED, Snake's details are very good, it is evident underneath all that toxic lead shower he took. For one thing, his Headsculpt is way, way better than that of the Sneaking Suit version. His costume details are way bulkier (reminding me of the Jungle Fatigue and Battle Dress versions) but they are well rendered and they give the figure a fuller look compared to the SS version.You'll notice the nice details of his Ammo Pack, Canteen and Holsters. He's got a holster for the knife also, something i failed to notice on my previous Snake review. I just don't know what that dangling belt/strap is for. It kinda looks ridiculous in my opinion.
A cool feature of the figure is the interchangeable head and scarf. You can hide half of his face with the scarf though i must mention that the head keeps falling off if you move it too much. Not really sure if it's an isolated case but the connector's not that tight. The issue on the figure having a really long neck are actually remedied by angles so i don't think it's a big issue especially up close.
I must concede that i really enjoyed posing the figure, that is perhaps the highlight of this version of Big Boss which is missing from the SS Snake of Ground Zeroes. My eyes lighted up when i pulled an imitation cookie-cutter CQC stance, poseability isn't not exactly fluid but miles ahead from the other MGS PAKs. I would rank his poseability behind Sneaking Suit Snake from Peacewalker and MGRR Raiden and that would be saying a lot knowing full well how good those 2 figures are. A small detail though, his right knee came a bit loose out of the box.
The Bronze paint finish actually worked to his advantage since we're spared of the sickly, shiny hue of the new PAK figures. You would appreciate the details more especially his face sculpt. Additionally, the joint connectors, though fairly visible, aren't much of an eyesore because of the paint. I hope they won't overdo the paints on the regular version.
Speaking of regular versions, i think the main drawback of this particular version of Snake is: SDCC 2014 Exclusive = more pricey than the regular PAKs twice or thrice over. Unless you are a hardcore MGS collector you would wisely wait for the regular release instead of biting into this overpriced badass.
To sum it all up, the PAK Punished Snake is a very, very good figure. The best release thus far from the more recent MGS line-up. I rarely change my mind when i dislike a PAK but this one changed my initial terrible impression. He's another early addition to my TOP 5 PAKs for 2014 unofficial list. I am now actually intrigued to see the regular version soon. Hardcore Fox Hounds check this figure out,
I read somewhere that the strap is supposed to look like a tail to give Snake a more demon-like appearance but I agree that it looks kind of silly.
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