Welcome back to BEST TOY EVER!!!
This column, like a phoenix from the ashes, has returned due to my overwhelming desire 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 are not review samples that were sent by a toy company or retailer, but instead are cool toys that I plunked down my own cold hard cash to purchase.
For my third installment (AKA: The Resurrection) I’ll be gushing over Max Factory’s 153rd Figma action figure, star of the video game franchise The Legend of Zelda.
Allow me to introduce you to Link, specifically from the Skyward Sword installment.
BEST PACKAGING EVER?
I seriously don’t know why I bother with this part. What we’ve got is a window box that shows off the figure and a few of his accessories. The photographs on the box showcasing the accessories and poseabilty is nice touch. There is the benefit of the packaging being “resealable” if you don’t have a place to display him, but really, you damn well better make some room — he is awesome and keeping him in the package would be a ginormous mistake. One of my favorite things about this figure (and of all of Max Factory’s Figma releases) is that they include a heavy duty Ziplock-style bag. It’s pure genius — there are too many additional parts with all the hands, extra faces, etc. to keep on display, so they give you a bag to store them all in! I wish more companies were thoughtful enough to do this, then my wife would stop getting on my case about how many Ziplock bags I go through on a regular basis for storing bits n’ pieces. So while it could technically be included in “accessories,” it’s meant to hold them, so I’m considering it “packaging” and exclaiming that it helps make this the BEST TOY EVER!
BEST SCULPT EVER?
This isn’t the first Link action figure, but it’s easily the best.
If we’re judging based on articulation, then he literally wipes the floor with all past releases. This Link is extremely poseable. As you can see in the pic, he comes with the standard Figma stand, but the articulation is so well done and the figure is so well balanced that I didn’t even need it for any of my posed shots. The range of motion is really good, even the skirt, made out of a very nice pliable material, has a well-hidden slit on the sides where the rear “fabric” flap overlaps the “chain mail” underskirt, allowing his legs almost full unobstructed movement.
Let’s talk accessories. Link comes with both his sword and shield. He has a removable sheath that pegs into a hole in his upper back, and you can even store both the sword and shield on his back, which is always a cool bonus. He comes with 10 interchangeable hands, and my favorite part about this (and the shield) is that you can swap parts around in order to make Link left-handed. In the vast majority of his appearances he’s wielded his sword using his left hand and carried his shield on his right arm, this was changed when Nintendo introduced the Wii. Since the majority of players are right handed, Link was switched to a righty to make using the motion controller more “natural” for gamers. Luckily, we have the parts needed in order to display him in all his ambidextrous glory. As you can see in my images I prefer him as a lefty.
He also includes a nifty slash accessory that slides down over the sword blade as well as an interchangeable angry face and slightly tousled hair piece. If I were to make one complaint regarding the sculpt, it would be on the hat articulation, that’s right, I said “hat articulation.” Link has a swivel joint at about the midway point in his hat so you can position it flowing down or blowing off to the side depending on the pose. If I could travel back in time and be an armchair project manager, I would have suggested that they hide the swivel much closer to the front of his hat in the natural fold of the cuff. Now, before someone says that they wouldn’t have enough room to peg the hair in this way, just imagine the peg being on the cuff side and the hole for the swivel on the hat side. there — problem solved / articulation well hidden.
BEST PAINT EVER?
No real issues here. All of the paint work seems clean with no slop or quality control problems that I’ve noticed thus far. If I’m going to nitpick, it would be regarding the color choice for his pants — they just seem a bit too yellow to me, but I honestly haven’t gone back to compare to the source material for a comparison.
BEST TOY EVER?
Yes.
But seriously, if you are, or ever have been, a fan of The Legend of Zelda, do yourself a favor and track down this figure. This is a toy that I’ve been waiting years for and it does not disappoint. While the price is a little on the high side since it is an import, I got mine for $49 shipped via EMS from www.amiami.com, and it is absolutely worth every penny, in my humble opinion. He fits pretty well, scale-wise, with the Figma Samus Aran from Metroid and the Bandai D-arts Megaman X (can’t wait for the soon-to-be-released classic version!). I’m assuming the upcoming Figma Pit action figure from Kid Icarus will blend in with the rest of this crew just as smoothly. Now where are my super-poseable Mario Bros?!?!?
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