Play Arts Kai - TOP 10 PAKs of 2014

I've let go of the Play Arts Kai line in general to shift to a different scale but i must admit i'll always be a goddamn PAKer at heart. It isn't that difficult to enjoy or appreciate the Play Arts Kai line, even if in my case, from afar.

Cover Pic designed by JC of Sephtimus 

This "Unofficial" TOP 10 of 2014 article reflects the result of a survey i conducted in our local group "Play Arts Kai Philippines Trading Group" so some figs that are HOT elsewhere may not exactly be HOT here in the local scene. Ahem, without further ado, I present to you the TOP 10 Play Arts Kai figures of 2014.

SHFiguarts Gokou (Regular) - Dragonball Z Showcase

I don't think i need to introduce this World-famous Saiyan any longer. One of the greatest anime hero ever created from one of the greatest anime ever produced. I've seen other versions of Gokou in this particular line but this one takes the cake since this is the "Regular" edition or the basic and most well-known form of this Japanese Superman. Anyway, this would be the last SHFiguarts review i will be doing for GreattoysOnline.com

Props to a good friend Carlo Rogelio Silverio for these awesome shots. I wouldn't be able to top your shots man. 

I understand that this version is a web exclusive and knowing how meteorical the prices for these figures rise i expect him to hit absurd prices in the future. Unless of course they will not stop reissuing him, a very good thing for would-be collectors. 

SHFiguarts Piccolo - Dragon Ball Z Showcase

I've heard about this pretty nifty line from SHFiguarts and though i must admit i was turned away by some of the overpriced early figures (Trunks anyone?) I'm still glad to know that there is a considerable chance for a reissue, well, like this Namekian over here... courtesy of Greattoys Online, i'd just like to mention... 

As a 90's Child i grew up with Dragonball / Dragonball Z, i think this is hands-down the favorite anime series of the 90's, well, at least for boys who knew the characters by heart. Originally an antagonist, the son of King Piccolo, he eventually became one of the most known and beloved protagonist and ally in the Dragonball franchise. Here is Piccolo in his full SHF glory...

Diablo - Diablo 3 NECA Showcase

So what if this figure's been out for months already and is sold out in most stores locally? I can't imagine myself skipping a review...errr...a late review...i mean, uh, a showcase of this updated incarnation of the Lord of the Burning Hells. The Lord...or Lady of Terror - Diablo. Prepare yourself for a fanboy's showcase article...

First up, the obligatory background storytelling, yada, yada...I am a self-confessed Diablo addict back in the day, I was there during the Dungeon Crawl long before Prince Aidan was Prince Aidan, back when The Butcher is a scary son of a bit!# - Fresh Meat anyone? 

I was also present during the epic walk across Sanctuary to hunt down the Dark Wanderer (who turned out to be Prince Aidan) - from the Rogue Encampment, to the sewers of Lut Gholein, the murky swamplands of Kurast to the Pandemonium Fortress and up, up, up Mt. Arreat for a final confrontation at Worldstone Keep with the Lord of Destruction. It is only fitting I join in for the third (and 3.5th) time against the heir of, you guess it, Prince Aidan aaaaannnndddd during the expansion versus a renegade angel who is just so cool wielding those awesome hand scythes...it is an atrocity for me to miss this one out comrades...

Play Arts Kai The Joker Review - Arkham Origins

Guest Review: Oh, look who's back for another round? I think Francis here's packing a lot of rants for this particular figure so i dare not place some *** to indicate my personal comments. But then...oh well, take it away man...

What the PAK is up? I is Francis, and once again, I’mma be doing a guest review of the Play Arts Kai - Arkham Origins Joker.

SHFiguarts Mario - Showcase

"Its'a Mario!" If you have no idea who this character is i would like you to get out of here...you are not human my friend. Mario is one of the most iconic & most recognizable character in the history of video games and Pop culture and i'm happy to have a charming representation, in figure form, of him.  Anyway, thank you Anton for the awesome pics and Greattoys Online for the sponsored figure. This will mark my first ever Figuarts review, we have 2 more in store for you...

Anyway, let's keep this simple...

"Toys Dont Last"

PAID PR. LOL. ehem...yep, you read that right, it's DONT not DON'T, anyway, proceed...

Jan Calleja’s first solo exhibit “Toys Dont Last” is a collection of objects that tread the fine line between art sculpture and plaything.

Culling from personal experiences that deal with the conflicts of economics and relationships, Calleja uses techniques in production and advertising to take control of these influences as they manifest themselves in bits and pieces of plastic and metal, to be molded, re-assembled and given form in the shape of a toy collectible. With a process that converts intangible concepts (usually reserved for adulthood) into playthings, Calleja turns the bothersome and the throwaway into objects that evoke memories of play and visions of science fiction robot battles.

Big Boys Toy Store's "Funko" Weekend

I wandered into Big Boys Toy Store Funko Pop! Special event yesterday at Promenade, Greenhills and it was a rather new experience. I would also like to take it as promise of things (or events!) to come. The eye-candy display was very casual collector friendly i must say, well, that's coming from an (ex) Play Arts Kai and (current) 1/6 scale guy. 

Well, it's a "welcome change" from the usual toy display routine, at least for me and i got to hand it to Big Boys for officially reeling in this very interesting line. I know a little about the line, i have Daryl Dixon and Michonne of The Walking Dead after all, and they are definitely great display pieces. I just hope there is much to review but they are nice just the way they are. Congrats to Big Boys and we hope to see a Play Arts Kai themed event soon. And oh, i think i'd just mention, they got more pics in their FB page (and i'm happy to know i'm not the only one with blurry pics! LOL).  More photos after the jump...

ThreeA Emile 1/6 Scale Review - HALO: Reach

GUEST REVIEW: This just in, well, he actually came before Logan downstairs but then...you know...anyway, this review is from my good friend and most prolific guest reviewer Anton. I'm surprised he got this but then i think he's really dedicated to the ideal that we should not run out of figures to spend our money on, so here he is; ThreeA 1/6 Scale Emile from HALO: Reach, which is, as far as i know, a pretty old game already though i must admit the last stand of the Noble Team was pretty bad-ass. *** Anyway, means i'm sharing my insight or just randomly spewing out trash to add length to the review.

Strike 2 Anton, no box pic again. Emile here and that PI Batman. Next time ok? OK?

*** Emile here is one of the more popular characters of the HALO: Reach game, i remember having the Play Arts Kai version of Emile way back. I was not able to review him but he's pretty impressive, well, for a small scale PAK at least. Imagine how good he will be packed with details and superior paint apps then you get the idea of the 1/6 Emile figure. Ok, i'll shut up now and let Anton take it away...

Hot Toys The Wolverine Review

I really don't get why collectors aren't exactly big on you Bub! For sure out of the 3 Wolverine figures released so far by Hot Toys this version's got the best headsculpt, an uncanny (Ha! Uncanny!) resemblance to Hugh Jackman, if i must say so, the titular character in this Wolverine movie...i lost count which part this is since all X-Men movies are basically Wolverine featuring some X-Men members, or so they seemed to me... Anyway...

...before i go on rambling i'd like to thank Arturo of Hot Toys & Sideshow Market FB Group for Logan and Anton for playing the part of Hermes...LOL. Look it up Bub!
Anyway, Logan's experiencing some serious price drop these days, i dunno, maybe they overstocked him! Or the movie isn't that great to begin with, but hell, he's still THE Wolverine. A great time for collectors to join the mix i think, after all, he's a pretty good figure.

Play Arts Kai Superman / Supergirl Review - DC Variants

GUEST REVIEW: I was surprised and delighted to find this review in my PM today. Well, the style will be a first though i tried using this same method for my old PW reviews way, way back when i started with PAKs. It's very time consuming so i appreciate the effort very much Ryan (the MOS HT debacle is now settled, LOL). Anyway, let's give it up for Ryan and his eye-candy review of the new Play Arts Kai Superman and Supergirl figures from the DC Variants line. *** once again denotes my personal comments.

*** and i'm flattered to find out he's into excessive lighting like me...

***The new DC Variants arrived with much fanfare and there is no stopping them. I've seen most of the new releases and though some are visually unimpressive i must admit there are some really, really good ones. You be the judge of these two...anyway, i was asked to edit this review but i wish to keep it's charm, plus, i hate to waste some of the pics so i'm using Ryan's title page...

Play Arts Kai Punished Snake (Sneak Preview Ver) Review - The Phantom Pain

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...

Play Arts Kai Snake Review - Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes

I've received some requests for a review of the latest Play Arts Kai Snake (Big Boss) figure so that kinda perked up my interest to do one. I initially have no plans of doing it since I don't think i'll be going back to PAK MGS, but that was another story. There was once a time i couldn't imagine missing out on this particular figure. Credits to Bryan Erickson Suguitan and Josh Chua for the Snake figure.

For one thing, i haven't played the new game and was only able to get information regarding the story from other sites. Story is pretty good IMO, well, what do you expect from MGS? If you can get past the twist and turns and names and events you have a hard time remembering you get into more convoluted plotlines and unlikely scenarios...and i love them. Ground Zeroes was set a few years after the Peacewalker plotline and pitted the MSF against the Skull Face-led XOF. We get Paz again who survived the events of PW together with Chico, Huey and of course Kaz plus a ruse by XOF to blow up the MSF Motherbase. Well, read the entire story somewhere else, me got a figure review...

Play Arts Kai Rorschach Review - Watchmen

GUEST REVIEW: I recently met a customizer from our group Play Arts Kai Philippines Trading Group and he offered to do a guest review for the brand new Play Arts Kai Rorschach figure. He's not expected anytime soon here in the Philippines so this one's rare treat. I'll give the floor to Francis Pañgan (DEVIANT ART Gallery), and oh yeah, *** indicates my comments but seeing that even the captions were provided by him i feel i'm in for a long spell of silence in this review. LOL.

What’s up people?! I is Francis and today I’mma be *guest* reviewing the Play Arts Kai : Watchmen – Rorschach figure!

Rorschach (pronounced roar-shack), alter ego Walter Kovacs - to those of you who aren’t familiar with this character, is from the DC Watchmen comic universe. He doesn’t have any superpowers. Like Batman, he is just a guy fighting crime with a mask. What makes him different from Batman however, are his methods- this guy doesn’t hold back – he will kill if he believes the end justifies the means. I am not really a fan of the movie or the comics but I purchased this guy online for some custom PAKs later.

Play Arts Kai Edward Kenway Review - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I just got my hands on an Edward Kenway Play Arts Kai figure from Assassin's Creed courtesy of Big Boys Toy Store, regardless, i'll be doing a pretty late review of the figure. Now i haven't played any of the new Assassin's Creed games, i lost interest after losing Ezio to a heart attack back in Embers and not really a fan of Edward's grandson Connor for some reason. Anyway, Edward James Kenway is an incidental Assassin, more attuned to piracy than anything else. Greedy of wealth, morally ambiguous and cruelly ambitious, he was a rather interesting anti-hero, well, based on what i've read about him. And oh yeah, he's a goddamn identity thief also.

As for EJ's Play Arts Kai incarnation, i was surprised how good it is, well, knowing what an eye-candy the Play Arts Kai Ezio was back in ACII. It was a choice between Connor and Edward but i eventually went for Edward and i'm happy i made the right pick. For one thing, personally, i think he's a clear-cut candidate for a slot at the TOP 5 Play Arts Kai figure for 2014 countdown.

Play Arts Kai Deunan & Briareos Review - Appleseed Alpha

GUEST REVIEW: Hey comrades, i should be the one doing this but i couldn't get a sponsor, so let's give it up for Josh Chua, a fellow member from Play Arts Kai Philippines Trading Group. This is his first Guest Review so give him a break. *** Indicates my Comments btw. Let's roll!

Play Arts Kai Appleseed (Appurushido) Alpha is a Japanese CG-animated sci-fi film based on the legendary manga written and illustrated by Shirow Masamune in 1985. The story follows the adventure of two ESWAT members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires in Olympus. The series merges the elements of cyberpunk and mecha genres with a heavy dosage of politics, philosophy, and sociology (Source: Wiki). Now without further ado, here’s my take on the figures. I’m not a hardcore fan of the series, but more of a “casual fan” if there is even such a thing, but when the prototype and the colored version of these two was released I had this “auto PO” moment which I did and PAK delivered. Just look at them! 

*** I said LOOK AT THEM! F#!KING LOOK AT THEM!!!

The box design has the flap cover that covers the window where you can see the figures inside the box and the artwork on them looks nice.

Play Imaginative 1/12 Scale Super Alloy Warmachine 2.0 Diecast

GUEST REVIEW. Hey, look who's back? Anton's got another high-end figure for review. He just returned from a vacation abroad, and he owes me 2 more reviews after this one. You guys missed him? I for one did not, that's for sure. LOL. 

 First things first, this Diecast Play Imaginative 1/12 Scale Warmachine figure was sponsored by Big Boys Toy Store. So yeah, check them out, they're pretty cool.