You know, sometimes a new toy just speaks to me.
Sure, I love and collect a lot of toys and action figures, but every once in awhile I find something that appeals to me on just about every level. Sometimes it is a very impressive and premium action figure, sometimes it is getting a plastic idol of one of my favorite characters, and sometimes it is harder to nail down exactly what appeals to me. Then, there are times when it is all of those things, and as luck would have it, this new 8-Bit Link from Jakks Pacific’s World of Nintendo line is one of those things.
I am not a gamer or anything like that, but I do love my Nintendo, and a lot of the characters from the old 8-bit days are still some of my favorites. I have been lucky to get cool action figures of Link, but also Super Mario, Mega Man, Samus, and others, so I have build up a pretty nice collection overall, and the future continues to look bright. Aside from the great characters that were birthed from the original NES, I am also a big fan of the 8-bit pixel aesthetic, and even in these modern times when it might look aged, there is still a beautiful quality to it, and even the best graphics ever struggle to have as much personality as the old titles.
So, while Jakks has been giving us a lot of action figures of the Nintendo guys in a variety of scales and executions, this new 8-bit look they have brought to their 2.5″ line is most definitely one of my favorites. Since this is not a figure of what a character looks like before it is goes into an old Nintendo engine, this is something that jumps right off the screen and is a true plastic representation of the two-dimensional sprite. I have a few little figures and statues and peg boards that pretty much accomplish the same thing, but I think Jakks did a great job with Link, and it is a fun piece that you can put just about anywhere.
I would not call this an action figure per se, but since this is from the little PVC line anyhow, that is hardly the point. So, obviously, there is no articulation or movement here, but for the most part, the execution is pretty spot-on perfect. The geometric square pixel construction has been accomplished well, and with the exception of the cool three-dimensional “layering,” this Link popped right off of the screen of your old tube television.
The little figure is actually made up of several different pieces, each cast in the appropriate color, that have been joined together to pull off the unique look. I really like that all of the pieces have been made in the various colors and that no paint what so ever has been used here. I think this was absolutely necessary in order to achieve the clean lines that are required to make this a convincing execution. They are all joined together and set on a black backing, and all of the pieces on this particular figure is placed perfectly. I suppose if I had one nitpick with this is that I wish the back of the figure was a bit more exciting that just a plain backing, but I display my figures face-forward, so in reality, it is not much of an issue at all.
Now, this figure could have been made across one plane with the front as flat as the back, but Jakks decided to turn it up a bit more and “pixel” pieces are set an arranged in such a way so that things that should be closer to your eye in three dimensions actually are. What I mean is, for instance, is that the shield sticks out further in terms of levels than the body, and face is set closer than Link’s ears. I know that could be taken as a small thing, but I am so glad Jakks went the extra mile and it makes a world of difference. I think this Link is so much more interesting at a visual and tactile level and it becomes more complex as well, so I appreciate the production engineering here.
I love this 8-bit execution and Link is one of my all-time favorite characters, so it is really cool to bring this interpretation home. Jakks has also released a Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong in this style, and they will be bought sight, the second that I find them. That will go for any other characters as well, because I would LOVE to see Samus from Metroid, Pit from Kid Icarus, the Ice Climbers, Balloon Fighters, Little Mac, the Excitebikers, any of them. Wouldn’t it be rad if they made a figure from each of the the entire original NES Nintendo Action/Adventure series games? There is a free idea, Jakks, so go forth and make more awesome!
You can find this little baby on Amazon right now, and he is Prime eligible. Woo!
