Let me preface this review by mentioning that in highschool, I was a huge Street Fighter fan. In particular, I was a major Ryu nuthugger. That being said, I held off from buying this guy for so long due to the price point. I can happily say, I am glad I bought it.
Kaiyodo brings to us a line of Street Fighter figures based on the video game, Street Fighter Online Mouse Generation. I have never played the game, but that's besides the point. For those of you who aren't familiar with Kaiyodo's Revoltech brand, it's based on these patented ratchet joints that allows the figure to pull off, and hold, incredible anime-accurate poses. By far, some of the best articulation out there hands down. Kaiyodo started out primarily with mechas, but they've branched out to human characters.
The figure comes with a stand, four replaceable hands, and Ryu's fireball.
First of all, the sculpt is fantastic. It's sharp and clean, and the paint applications are flawless. My only quibble is with his hands. He suffers from DCIH-itis, which basically translates to massive freakin' hands. But as you can see below, he's a lot of fun and the revojoints allow for a wide range of movements. There are 12 revojoints in his neck, shoulders, elbows, upper body, hips, knees, and ankles. His wrists are connected by a simple peg that rotates. Ryu's gi is made from a soft, maleable material where the skirt of the gi is, which looks great, and doesn't interfere with the articulation.
The blue fireball attachment has a tiny peg that fits right into a hole placed on Ryu's hand.
The stand is not your typical Revoltech stand. It has three revojoints itself, one single, and a double, which allows for great control.
The figure stands really well on its own, but sometimes you need the stand for some of the more "action" poses.
Another little problem I have is with the shortness of the stand. I would have liked a slightly taller stand, or one that can be lengthened for poses like the classic dragon punch, but again, I'm nitpicking.
One thing of notice was how small he was. I didn't realize he was almost Joe sized until I put him next to a 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe. Now here me out: I know purists would probably throw a fit, but I think it would be awesome to have Kaiyodo get a kick at some North American properties like G.I. Joe, Marvel, DC, etc. It's not unreasonable for them to have it in 3 3/4" scale, and the quality of the build and anime-accurate sculpts would only help to produce some high quality figures. The 25th Anniversary G.I. Joes, IMO, are the best in the 3 3/4 scale for articulation. However, it's nothing like this.
Because this is an import, it's tough to find him for anything under $24.99 at the moment. Pricey, I know, especially considering the small size, but if you're a Street Fighter buff, then it will be worth it. Definitely one of the best Revoltechs out there. I plan on picking up a few more of these figures in the near future. Personally, the nostalgia I felt posing this guy for the first time was almost overwhelming. No tears though. Cause, I'm a man.
I'm not sure if I'll end up getting any though, I'm trying to track down some old SOTAs first.
