Welcome to BEST TOY EVER an intermittent column coming to you when the mood strikes me to snap some pictures and type a few words about an awesome new toy that I’ve acquired.
Let me preface this with the honest to gosh truth that these will not be review samples that were sent by a toy company or retailer, but instead a cool toy that I plunked down my own cold hard cash to purchase.
For our first installment I’ll be attempting to convince you to hunt down the Square Enix Play Arts Kai Peacewalker Sneaking Suit Snake figure.
BEST PACKAGING EVER?
It’s a window box that shows off the figure and the additional parts/accessories. There are some pictures on the back that nicely showcase the figures articulation. If you buy this figure and are not planning on opening it, you need to reassess your priorities. If you are one of those guys that likes re-sealable packaging for storage then I suppose you will be happy since the box is simply taped shut and is easy to open. I don’t even know why I am focusing any attention on the packaging whatsoever; the fact that it safely contained the figure and all of its parts until I tore into it is great. For that reason alone it receives a 100% score.
Open your toys.
BEST SCULPT EVER?
Honestly? Probably not, but then again I’m not sure I own a single toy that I couldn’t find a single issue to nitpick. What kind of collector would I be if I couldn’t?
My love of the character is going to influence my opinion here. It looks like Snake. It’s highly articulated and can be posed up like crazy, which hopefully comes across in my photos. The joints, while not as hidden and incorporated into the sculpt as some may like, are very fluid and getting him into a cool pose him is not a chore. He really has that Japanese design aesthetic, love it or hate it, there’s no confusing the fact that this does not look like any ordinary mass market super articulated action figure. The range of motion in the torso is really nice, and there is an interesting solution to the hip articulation in that the entire pelvis section is a separately sculpted rubber piece that hides the skeletal ball jointed armature underneath.
There are a lot of nice details and textures on the figure. The sculpted straps really do look like canvas, so much so that I really had to inspect them to figure out if they were sculpted or if they were actually fabric. Snake comes with 2 sets of hands (left and right fists & gripping), 2 pistols, 1 silencer, and a riot shield (with an additional strap that fits around his forearm).
It’s a well sculpted, super articulated Snake figure. I am a happy boy.
BEST PAINT EVER?
Is it going to completely blow you away? No, but you also aren’t going to be left wanting or forced to pick up a paintbrush and fix any blatant errors. Snake looks like the in game model. He has shading where appropriate and some nicely done decals for the FOXHOUND and Militaires Sans Frontieres logos. I’ve got no complaints here.
BEST TOY EVER?
I’m weird when it comes to video game toys. The only modern gaming console I own is a Nintendo Wii, and the only 2 games that I ever play on it are Wii Sports and Beatles Rockband. Yet I find myself strangely drawn to many different toy lines based on video game properties. I remember some of my college friends would play Metal Gear Solid on Playstation and I would hang out and watch instead of going to class. It was a cool looking game and the cinematics kept me entertained. When I first really fell in love with Metal Gear Solid was the 1999 McFarlane toy line. Solid Snake was awesome looking and had all kinds of cool accessories; he was like James Bond but more badass. Then came the sequel, which I also remember watching others play and it too had a toy line from McFarlane. This time the figures had more articulation but not quite enough to quench my thirst. I researched the back-story of each game and the characters. I dreamed of a perfect line of action figures. Last year when my local comic shop (www.meltdowncomics.com) had a massive store-wide sale I broke down and bought the Medicom 12″ Snake figure. Despite my aversion to “dolls” I assumed this would remain my favorite action figure representation of this character. And yes MGS nerds, I know the difference between Solid Snake and Big Boss A.K.A. Naked Snake, let’s try not to confuse the general populace.
Well thanks to Square Enix the 12″ Naked Snake from Snake Eater just got knocked down to 2nd place. At $44, a fraction of the price of the Medicom figure, and standing at a whopping 10″ tall, Sneaking Suit Snake is an awesome figure. Would I love a 6″ Snake figure that could fit in with my superhero action figures or a 4″ Snake that could join the ranks of my GI Joes? Hell’s yes, but in no way does that detract from the fact that this is a damn good toy.
Is it the best toy ever? Well that’s always going to be debatable, but it is definitely the best Metal Gear Solid action figure I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. At least until the Play Arts Kai Peacewalker Snake / Big Boss figure gets released in a few months, its based on one of my favorite costumes and the promo shots have me anxious to get him in hand.
If you’re a fan of Metal Gear Solid or just fun action figures you should track this guy down or put your preorder in for the next one, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
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