Solid Snake once again gets a toy!
The latest action figure comes from Figma, who is kicking all kinds of ass with their different toy licenses these days. Snake is no different. The figure reviewed is one of two versions: the GoodSmileCompany exclusive that features an extra pack-in, a GoodSmileCompany box and the Heckler & Koch USP (DisThunder might correct me and tell me it is the SOCOM), and suppressor. The regular figure comes with a box, M9, M4, suppressor, rifle flash effects, hands, hanging stand, Figma stand, hands, cigarettes, and an angry face.
Solid Snake is the main character from immensely huge video game series Metal Gear from Konami. The game is basically the baby of Hideo Kojima, whose vision of gaming continues to change the way video games are made. My introduction to the series was on Playstation when Metal Gear Solid was released. In fact, that was one of two games that made me want a console system in the house. I can’t remember how many hours I spent on the game, but it was super fun to play! When Metal Gear Solid 2 came out on the Playstation 2, I had to play using a friend’s console as I couldn’t justify the PS2. It, too, was a great game and one that I could play for hours.
Snake’s appearance changes in each game — he seems to age and he gets cooler gear. The upgrade from Metal Gear Solid to MGS2 has Snake move from a more traditional BDU with body armor to a unitard-looking all-environment suit. MGS2‘s look is more streamlined and a bundle of fun. The suit is known as the “sneaking suit” and has a complex history of its own.
One of the great draws to the game is the endless supply of weapons. Metal Gear does not let the weapons enthusiast down as there is a full arsenal of killing devices at Snake’s disposal. Some of them you can get up front, others you have to grind for, and others still you have to finish events in the right order. It can be a royal pain in the ass, but the rewards are great. From knives to shoulder-fired rockets, you get it all.
Figma had a huge challenge ahead of them: they were not the first company to make Snake and his co-horts. Macfarlane, or Spawn Toys, made an excellent set of 6-inch action figures for MGS and MGS2, and Play-Arts also makes excellent figures in 1/10 scale. Even Revoltech has some cool, stylish 4-inch and 5-inch figures. By throwing their hat into the ring, Figma drew a ton of attention and interest. Some people were skeptical as Figma can be hit and miss, and their misses can be big. But all the previews had us believing this figure would be a hit.
And it is. It is arguably the best 6-inch super-posable action figure of Solid Snake made. The sculpt is fantastic, the scale is excellent, the accessories are spot-on and the fun factor is off the charts. And while this reads like I’m blowing smoke up your ass, it’s because I am. I love this figure and he’s been so much fun to play with the past few days, but he isn’t without faults that I have no intention on dwelling on.
The paints need to be discussed. There are a number of people getting versions with a light blue sneaking suit with no wash and no shading. Mine seems to have the correct shade of blue, wash, highlights, and shadowing. I’m not seeing a huge difference in the initial product photos and my own. But then I might be looking at him with rose-colored glasses. I’m actually amazed at how much the figure looks like the one advertised.
The sculpt on this figure is just amazing, and that’s been something collectors are discussing. It’s not that Snake’s face sculpt looks softer than originally planned, I just don’t see it (again, rose colored glasses). The head sculpt does have an “anime” quality to it, but that’s ok; it makes him easier to place in other collections, like your Smash Brothers one you have building up. The body sculpt is full of good details and is the best version of this figure to date. The rubber waist section could be tightened a bit as it does have a “diaper” look and sits loosely on the hips. But who cares? It doesn’t look horrible and doesn’t take away from the playability.
And the playability is awesome! Yes, as mentioned hundreds of times before in my Figma reviews, this is standard Figma articulation. It’s all there and it all works. Almost. My figure’s bellybutton ball joint and the double ball joint lower torso and upper torso are loose, not extremely, but just enough to be kind of annoying. This is a big fault and one that I’m rather bummed about. I can get Snake into every position that I want and he does seem to hold the poses, but with some care needed. In addition, some collectors mentioned the shoulders, which are double ball joints. The shoulders almost have a full range of motion, but the back and the lats prevent a full backward movement of the arms, and this can be annoying for many collectors. I personally don’t have a problem with it, but then I don’t pose Snake in positions that require this range of movement.
As I mentioned in the beginning, this figure has a ton of accessories and they are a ton of fun to play with. Now that I have this figure, I’ll have to start investing in Tomytec’s Little Armory accessories as I want to be able to trick-out Snake. Of course, I’ll need some grunts for him to take out!
Without a doubt, hands down, this is the best Solid Snake figure ever made. He’s a must-have and I can only hope that Figma has plans to make other versions of him as well as other characters from the series.
You can still order the regular version at:
