AIR MAIL FROM JAPAN: This just in from one the top-tier international makers of superior quality figures around, GECCO. It is a true honor to be afforded the opportunity to review SNAKE - the lead character from Hideo Kojima's growing video game franchise, Metal Gear Solid V.
Arriving in just two days from the opposite side of the world I was thrilled to slowly open the layers to get to the treasure inside. It was nice that they wrapped the box in tissue as well, nice touch. Please share in my anticipation through these few images above/below....
The packaging is sharp and colorful with a peephole to see Snake's staring face ahead! The plastic peephole is lightly imprinted with a skull (seen above left - from the inside out through the box). The rear inside of the box is also fully printed with the image to the right.
When you first open the top cover you will see a card taped inside (above) describing the contents, acting for all intents as a certificate of authenticity. The excitement is building....and honestly, I do not even play video games in general - but this may sway me and my general curiosity. Let's open him up:
So inside the outer cardboard box you have a standard two-sided snap plastic tray holding the figure, and even now you know this is going to be epic from this view! You can see Gecco has supplied the figure/statue, three various head sculpts, a base, and extra weaponry (assault rifle and accessory). We should take him out of the plastic to reveal the painstaking paint job and look at him in the round.....
So, here is Snake in all his glory. This 1/6 scale statue (320mm) was just released in March and is made of PVC/ABS. The retail price is just under $200, and hopefully through the review you will see why he warrants that tag. First thing to note is the attention to detail. This figure is strictly about detail from head-to-toe and back again. You can see from his pose he is wielding a knife (which you can finagle to get so it looks as though it's pointing (yes, it has a bit of give). His boots, laced kneepads, teeny tiny "grommets", a walkman with a cassette inside, various water bottles and packs, his pistol which you can remove and replace with other gadgets. Needless to say I am mightily impressed by this pristine specimen. And it should be as Yoji Shinkawa (art director for Kojima Productions) supervised the process in detail.
And don't forget the base, complete with broken concrete, rusted industrial spikes and a "hidden" XOF patch at the back. It's the perfect environment for Snake to prepare his next move. The figure is sleek, tough looking with a look that sort of crosses (if there be a film one day!) between veteran actors Kurt Russell and Jeff Bridges (who wore a patch in his Oscar winning role in True Grit)....
We thought this review needed a little action, even if it were slo-mo. And here's a quick video 360° so you can take a closer look at the figure in the round...
For those of you who haven't yet delved into the world that is Metal Gear Solid, there's still time :) The action-adventure game, originally released in 1998 has had many iterations and has sold millions of copies worldwide. The video game is a 3D environment and its latest edition, from which this figure was based is called Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It's available on MS Windows, PlayStation 3 + 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Part of the extras include this assault rifle and matching suppressor which fits snuggly together and can be strapped to Snake's back. The small weapon is intricate and the shoulder base actually swings out and the srap is made of a cloth material.
Probably the element that makes this figure most exceptional is the incredible head sculpt x 3. Yes, you get three (easily) interchangeable heads, each with a similar expression: one standard, one bloodied/scarred, and one (my favorite) with a set of night-vision goggles (and this one is a slightly different sculpt due to the headstrap which is pristine. The eyes alone are super-realistic and the paint job to bring these to life is absolutely meticulous - superb!
RATING
Sculpt: 10/10
Paint: 10/10
Design: 9.5/10
Packaging: 8.5/10
Accessories: 8.5/10 (we crave more!)
And from the collage of details you can see other aspects where Gecco spared no short-ends to bring alive a figure of true collectability. From the eye patch, to the backstraps and FOX patch, from the rippled chest plate to the tossled locks of hair, to the fierce grimace of Snake - this is one serious contender for figure of the year.
Right now this figure is only available in Japan, though after speaking with Gecco's North American distributor I learned that Snake will be arriving to local retailers like Amazon and Entertainment Earth very soon. For now you can take a look at Metal Gear's Raiden Figure: here (best price we found online)
*** The Metal Gear Solid phenomenon is spreading. There are other MGS figures are available now from ThreeA and this Fall from SquareEnix, PlayArts Kai and Kalyodo.