Okay, first off I have to say that the actual costume for the Retaliation Snake Eyes is light years better than the first film’s. The first film was just weird with that armor-looking, skin-tight chest piece. It just looked like he had no shirt on through the whole film. Ugh. Anyway, I got my hands on Snake Eyes from series 2 of the Retaliation line.
He’s actually a really nice figure. The overall design kinda screams more “Boba Fett” than Snake Eyes, but I do dig the more futuristic look to him. If you’re going to get a movie Snake Eyes, this is definitely the one to grab.
It’s a very nice sculpt with all the details being very clean and well defined. There are tons of little armor and padding sculpted in along with some very nice seam lines on the pants and arms. For some reason his shoes just look cool to me.
His weapons are really nice too. He comes with two swords, a knife, his assault rifle, a back pack that holds one of his swords, and a pistol. The swords are so detailed on the handle that it actually looks like a wooden handle. I tried getting a real close up of it but I couldn’t get it clear. Very nice touch. It’s also nice that he has a sheath for his knife and a holster for his pistol. I really hate when they don’t give the figures a holster. Give all your Joes a holster, Hasbro!!
His articulation is on par with the very best of the Joe line. Plus, he has the cool new rocker ankles that allow him to get into some great ninja poses, and, of course, he has the wrists that move up and down that allow for sword poses or relaxed gun carry poses.
His head sculpt is one of his highlights. It’s spot on with the source material and really well detailed. Couldn’t ask for much more in a movie Snake Eyes head sculpt. Again, this is just such a better design for him than the first film. This is a cool looking Snake Eyes, be it a movie design or not.
Altogether a very nice figure, and while I know the movie stuff isn’t everyone’s cup of Joe, this is a figure that everyone probably would be happy with to add to their collections even if you’re not a fan of the movie. Or, of course, if you’re like me and must have every Snake Eyes figure ever made, this guy is probably already on your radar. Either way, I highly recommend picking him up.
