Snake Eyes. A character with a name that you'd think would make him a villain, released initially with no paint to not take away from any of the other figures in the initial wave. But that didn't stop him from becoming a fan favourite character thanks to a mysterious history and him being both a ninja and a commando. Now, why a Ninja would be in an elite American military unit is beyond me, but it's a case of "Rule of Cool". "They need a Ninja to fight Cobra's Ninja". So, to tie into the Snake Eye movie releasing soon, the two Ninjas are getting reviews, starting with the title character himself.
As with most of the Classified figures I've reviewed so far, a few different versions of Snake Eyes are out on the market. A deluxe version came out first, with the main draws are a few extra paint applications, alternate guns weapons, alternate hands and extra ninja weapons for a display piece. There's also a recently released Commando Snake Eyes based on the original release of the figure that comes with his wolf Timber. I intend to get a review of Commando Snake Eyes out sometime soon, as I have one on the way, but for this review, I'll be looking at the general retail release. Same sculpt as the Deluxe version, just without the bonuses. However, this is a case though where, to me, the regular retail version looks significantly better than the Deluxe version thanks to the removal of specific paint applications, mainly the removal of the silver visor. Due to black being the primary colour on him, accenting colours stand out a lot harder, and while the silver and red look good on the belts and sheath, the visor being silver is not a good look. But, if you want a silver visor and can't find the Deluxe version, the recently leaked Deluxe Zartan might be able to help with that, as one of the alternate heads he's coming with is Snake Eyes with the silver visor.
Unfortunately, though, one problem the deluxe version seems to have going for it is quality control. In terms of build, this is hands down the worst figure I own in the Classified line. If I didn't get Duke, Scarlet and Destro (who's in a similar boat, but not to the same extent) at the same time, I probably would have stopped then and there because of how bad the build is on him. Most of the joints feel weak, especially the ab crunch. There is a lot of give before the joint moves to the next point on the internal ratchet, and it takes minimal effort to move it along said ratchet, especially if you want his back arching backwards. The bandolier is also very loose on him. If you want it sitting flush on his body, you need to ignore the hole on it that's meant to sit over the port on his back for accessories like his backpack (so far the only pack I don't keep with my figures, instead sending it to an accessories draw), and the sword sheath. The weak joints take the wind out of this figure, and while I know they can do better, as I said, this was almost an interest killer for me.
Getting to the accessories, none of them are inherently bad, but I can see people being disappointed in one of them. The backpack I mentioned previously is fine. The big issue I have with the pack, and why he doesn't wear it, is the issues I have with the bandolier; it makes the backpack not sit flush against his back. You also get a sword and sheath, with the sheath having an Arashikage symbol on it to match the symbols on Snake Eyes's torso and belt. This is what I prefer to be on Snake Eyes' back, as even with the bandoliers issues, it sits naturally on his back. He also comes with a knife, and the only fault I have with the sword and knife is that I wish they painted the blades silver. It's something I'm surprised even the Deluxe version doesn't do, as I think the silver blades would look amazing. Finally, you get a pistol with an optional silencer and an uzi for ranged weapons, both of which do have that "Nerf like" aesthetic to them. Unlike Firefly, I'm not that big of a fan of these two guns. While they look ok, and I stand by my view on the Nerf/ Sci-fi guns not inherently being a bad thing, it's hard to deny that the more realistic weapons the deluxe version came with instead of these two do look a lot better. The uzi especially as it seems lighter, like it would better fit Snake Eye's fighting style. At least these two you can plug together to make a dual gun? For those who want a pistol and uzi to both be in one hand and firing simultaneously? I don't think Snake Eyes will be joining the Cybertronian arms race any time soon, though; he would need more guns to plug together.
I want to love this figure. I love Snake Eyes' design, and only one thing is holding back this modern, faithful redesign for me in terms of enjoyment. But, that one thing is a massive problem and one I can't ignore. I can live with the bandolier being loose. In fact, I somewhat prefer it when comparing it to what it's supposed to look like. But the loose joints are a killer for me, making the toy feel cheap. It stings because, as "new fan" as this is going to sound, Snake Eyes was the figure that tempted me into trying the line in the first place; the other three were purchases to help get a better feeling for the line's potential.
 |
| For those wondering what the Deluxe version looked like. |
However, I do want to close out on a different final note. After writing the bulk of this review, I looked around to see if the loose ab crunch was a common issue and learned of a silent remake of the toy. Everything is the same, just with some minor changes in plastic used, some improvements to the joints, and removing a red dot on the helmet that looks like it's the top or bottom of the Arashikage symbol. An impulse purchase to see for me got here in time to be included in this review, and I can safely say that it does fix most of my issues with the release. I'm still not a fan of the backpack; it still doesn't want to sit flush against the back, but the ab crunch is stronger, and the bandoleer sits a lot better on his body. This springboards Snake Eyes from one of my most hated in the line to one of my favourites now. If you were turned off from getting the figure because of my review of the first version, look for a copy of the toy that has the knife already sheathed, not packed separately. With that said, see you for the review of Storm Shadow.
No comments:
Post a Comment