Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Not that picking up another 6-inch scaled figure from a property you don’t care for made by a company that you’ve never bought from is a huge stretch, but there is still a little nervousness going in. Sometimes that pays off…
I’m not a huge Mortal Kombat fan, or of fighting games in general. On top of that, I can’t think of a figure I’ve ever bought from Mezco. But my son is currently playing Mortal Kombat X, and when I saw Raiden at Toys R Us I figured I’d give him a try, both out of curiosity and knowing that if I didn’t have a place for it, the boy would. Even though I like the figure, it’s still going in his room. He’s a smooth talker, that one.
The figure comes in a fairly plain package, black with a blister. The Mortal Kombat logo is embossed on the front with standard art on the back.
My only complaint is that a pair of the extra hands are hidden behind the front placard. I didn’t even realize that they were included until I looked on the back. Not a huge deal, though.
The figure itself is impressive in sculpt. So many little details.
The shin and wrist guards are so cool with their swirly detail work. The same goes for the loincloth and over-vest. There is so much to look at here that it’s easy to get lost in it all.
The paintwork is basic, just solid colors with no shading, but it’s all crisp and clean.
But both of those points don’t distract from the fact the articulation is limited. The elbows and knees are hinge-and-swivel and don’t bend nearly as far as they could. And the ankles are just a ball, offering only a slight side-to-side and even less front-to-back. The wrists hinge fairly well, but if you overextend a bit, it pops the hands out because of the depth of the wrist socket on the forearm. I show all of that range and more in my video review.
He can’t achieve super-dynamic poses, but he looks pretty on the shelf.
Raiden comes with two extra set of hands. One set is a clear blue with a white frost. These may be my favorite out of the hands. They simply look fantastic.
The second set of hands are kind of weird. They are splayed out flat. I’m not sure if this is a reference to something from the game, but these are my least favorite. They just look… odd.
Then the hands that come on the figure. They are more relaxed than the above hands, but they do serve an extra purpose. Raiden also comes with an electricity ball that has a pin that plugs into a hole in the right hand. It works better than I expected.
Scale-wise Raiden is probably closer to 1:12 scale than Marvel Legends. He comes in shorter than Age of Ultron Captain America. You probably can’t mix Mortal Kombat figures with most other lines, but they should look good if you keep all of your properties separated.
Overall, despite the articulation shortcomings, Raiden is a nice figure. If I had any emotional attachment to the property, I would totally have a dedicated shelf. But I’m short on room as it is, so he’ll be better appreciated in my son’s room.
