Play Arts Kai Cindy Review - Final Fantasy XV

I've been meaning to return to my reviews much earlier but a lot of things kept me from it (i.e. THE GODFATHER HOBBY SHOP, shift to statues, etc.) I missed reviewing Noctis and his boyband as well as Sephiroth and all the other solid Play Arts Kai Final Fantasy releases this past year or so. Sad to say they didn't make it past the photography stage.
Heck! I even failed to finalize a well thought-out reaction piece on Final Fantasy XV.
Well, it's just good to finally have an opportunity to do a review again...

I fell in love with the story of Final Fantasy XV though i, admittedly, judged the game based on character design way back before its release. Alas, i was wrong about it and funny to think that the "tragedy" was what made it stand-out for me. 

Sadly, I wasn't able to review the 4 main protagonists' respective Play Arts Kai releases so i'm trying to make it up by reviewing the game's "eye-candy" character: that blonde bombshell of a mechanic; Cindy Aurum.

Pre-Order for Play Arts Kai NOW OPEN @ The Convergence Brotherhood

The Convergence Brotherhood Group on behalf of Clandestine Toys is now accepting Pre-order for the following Play Arts Kai figures. Click LINKS above for more details.

You can place your Pre-Order HERE

Play Arts Kai Cloud Strife Review - Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children

Hello everyone, Franchesca here. First things first, when Jeri approached me to do this review, I was hesitant seeing as I try to stay away from reviewing articulated figures (My initial reaction to such things can be summed up in three words: "It moves, yay!"). However, due to his persistence here we are. Do let me know if the format doesn't work for you so I can change it in the future. Now, let's begin, shall we?

Note: This is a picture-heavy blog.

Obligatory box pic to start the review.

Toycon 2015: The Convergence Brotherhood, Play Arts Kai Philippines, Chopsuey Toy Collectors & Hot Toys and SideShow Market, Grand Meet-up

I have no words for this year's Toycon @SM Megamall, i'm semi-retired from collecting after all, haha so i'll be posting pictures instead and putting captions which is a lot more fun than reviewing figures. Anyway, for the 3rd straight year Play Arts Kai Philippines display rocked, Chopsuey Toy Collectors joined the fray with theirs while PSEC's diorama of Midgar looks awesome indeed. Oh, congratulations to PSEC for their 5th Year Anniversary. They had a separate meet-up the night before but common members attended the "Grand Meet-up" during the 20th. Rounding up the roster would be HTSS and my main vehicle right now, The Convergence Brotherhood. My sponsor Big Boys Toy Store provided the main prizes for the raffle by the way. Anyway, i'll shut up now and just post pictures...(note: if the pics are without credits and they suck those are mine

Photo courtesy of Cheski Caram, atop high heels.

Play Arts Kai - Philippines Trading Group Rises!

The Play Arts Kai Philippines Trading Group set up a display during last month's Toycon @ Megamall and it's a huge success. Props to my fellow administrators and members for the very impressive display. A TV appearance c/o Anjo @ ABS CBN hopefully gave birth to an instant celebrity. He and his brother Bernard secured the space for our group.I contributed 3 figures from my personal collection, by the way; White Raiden, Cyborg Ninja and Kratos. Play Arts Kai MGS series particularly look damn good behind that glass cab...even from a half a mile away. It's great to meet other members of the group. MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP.

Trading Arts Kai Mini Vol.1 Yuna - Final Fantasy X & X-2

"Mini" seems to be one of the "In" things these days, from gadgets to figures and everything in between. Trading arts figures by SQEX have been around for some time and they are ripe for a reboot. I guess it's predictable then  that i won't pass the opportunity to grab one of them while on an early-year lull with Play Arts Kai. Predictably also the first figure who really caught my attention was Yuna. 

Why did i passed on Cloud and Squall and chose Yuna? Well, simply because you get 2 figures for the price of one... and she looked so damn cute. I guess my soft side got the best of me...anyway, i love the new packaging.

TOP 5 Play Arts Kai Figures of 2012

With another year gone by and everyone's looking forward to the very interesting releases coming soon, which will be draining our funds for 2013 - Yes! that would be Play Arts Kai Raiden, TTT2 Kazuya and TDKR Batman for me - let's take a look back at the best figures released last 2012. Of course these are based on the humble opinion of Yours Truly and some invaluable insight from my Play Arts Kai brothers-in-arms @ PinoyToyKolektors. Feel free to give your opinion on the comments section. Enjoy. 

5. Play Arts Kai Vergil - Devil May Cry 3

REVIEW HERE. Play Arts Kai translation of noted and well-loved antagonists are somewhat rare and far in between so Vergil is definitely a must-have especially if you already have the currently HTF DMC4 tandem of his brother Dante (if you're not that impressed, as i am, with the DMC3 Dante) and newcomer Nero. It's also good to see he's packaged with his 2 most iconic weapons in the game. Now that something Play Arts Kai Kratos should have done. 

Play Arts Kai Kratos - God of War 3 Review

It is with distinct pleasure that i bring you Play Arts Kai Kratos, one of my favorite video game characters of all time, the Play Arts Kai incarnation of the fabled "Ghost of Sparta." Took me a while to get him since 1) my sponsor sold him out quickly, heck! he's sold out even in the online shop of Square-Enix; 2) gotta be careful of getting one "elsewhere" since he's been bootlegged already and; 3) i hesitated to buy him at first since i saw that his scale is messed up again. However, having located an authentic one at a very reasonable price i decided to bite the bullet and grab him.

Play Arts Kai Collectors Guide v 2.0

About 7 Months ago i came up with a list of the Play Arts Kai figures that (based on my personal opinion and the collective opinion of my comrades @ pinoytoykolektors.com) newbie Play Arts Kai collectors should include in their "hit lists" and are definitely worth a look or two by would-be/aspiring collectors. After some great releases, and a share of disappointing ones, we would like to present the must-haves and for-your-consideration figures from Play Arts Kai in the past 7 months. But before that, a brief rundown of our Play Arts Kai Collectors Guide v 1.0 last October 2011.

The Essentials - the Must-Haves: Dante of DMC4, Big Boss/Naked Snake Jungle Fatigue and Sneaking Suit versions of MGS: Peacewalker, Gabranth of Dissidia FF, Ezio Auditore da Firenze of AC2.
The Niche - for Fans of the Series: Adam Jensen of Deus Ex: HR, Edward Elric of FMA, Ichigo Kurosaki of Bleach, HALO: Reach line.
Outside, Looking In - Underrated figures: Resident Evil/Biohazard 5 line. 

*Thanks a lot to bro Maykello of PTK for letting me use his awesome pics, you rule bro
** Thanks to the following for their input: andrew, ramir19, tri3dge, hikari03. 

The Essentials - "Must-Haves"

"Can't always be the Living Legend, eh Snake? Oh s#!i i've been spotted!"PHOTO BY: Maykello

Solid Snake - Metal Gear Solid - (REVIEW Here)
I've said much about him on my review already which i will no longer repeat here but think about this: Solid Snake is the "face" of the Metal Gear franchise. Not even Raiden can change that. This rendition of him is from the game that revived the interest in the line and the genre. If i'm going to have just 1 Play Arts Kai figure, Solid Snake is my hands down choice.

Play Arts & Play Arts Kai Bootlegs tell-tale signs

While waiting for a new figure to review (Play Arts Kai Kratos) i might as well create this partial list of all Play Arts (the older Final Fantasy-based line) and Play Arts Kai figures who are already bootlegged as well as the tell-tale signs that would help fellow collectors avoid being duped. Since i am no expert when it comes to the older Play Arts line (and i don't profess to be one, PA Kai perhaps) i enlisted the help of my comrades from the local Play Arts community in PTK (pinoytoykolektors) to help me out with this article.

I would like to give due credit to the following: Balthier - for the Play Arts bootleg list and the ultimate collector of Play Arts; Tri3dge - for his load of researched data and invaluable insight; Jeff1031 and Squall - for additional info. Hopefully, i can get the others involved so we can further expand this list.

Please note that this is not a complete list and we don't have data yet on the tell-tale signs of some figures, however, i will endeavor to provide updates from time to time. If this proved to be a hit then i will make this a permanent page in this blog site.  

Photo courtesy of Zelu1984 of FinalFantasyMerchandise.com

Photo courtesy of Zelu1984 of FinalFantasyMerchandise.com

LEFT - Original, RIGHT - Bootleg

Proceed to the list...

Play Arts Kai Batman - Arkham Asylum Review

Ok, let's make it simple, when you come across a Play Arts Kai Batman from Arkham Asylum...

Yes, this one indeed.

...selling at lower than SRP (i.e. 3.7- 4K), GET HIM! If you are a fan of the Arkham Asylum game, GET HIM! If you are a Batman collector, GET...oh well...i don't think i need to tell you that. There is a good reason he's selling like hot cakes right now, most shops who got their first shipment of Batman sold him out pretty quickly. Aside from being a really famous character with a large fan-base that transcends toy lines, the Play Arts Kai Batman is really good. He's not perfect, but, well...we'll get to that in time. 

Play Arts Kai Lawrence Barrett - Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Ok, time for another "back" review, i've been considering getting a Play Arts Lawrence Barrett from the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the longest time but with the 1st release going price of Play Arts Kai figures these days, it's a no brainer that i passed him for other more famous figures (Super Street Fighter 4; et. al.). I was finally able to get him for an "On-Sale" price hence this review.

Lawrence Barrett, if i remember correctly, is the first of the 3 augmented mercenaries that the main protagonist Adam Jensen will have to defeat in the game. He's a member of the Tyrants, the group responsible for the attack that left Adam with cybernetic augmentations.

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.

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!