Storm Arena Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter Alpha

Ever since Jada Toys released their awesome 1/12th scale Street Fighter 2 series of figures, the question was always whether Storm was going to compete at that slightly smaller scale. Luckily the answer is a resounding yes, with Storm announcing the Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 series.

I have to say, Storm has Jada beat in terms of sculpting, paint application, and just overall artistic likeness to the source material. There's just something about the Storm figures that make them less toyish that the Jada figures.

Click through below for my video review of the Ken figure, and scroll further down for more thoughts and pics.

Both Ken and Ryu come with the usual array of hands and special move accessories. It's great that they both also have a stand for some in-air poses if you prefer that in your display. Ken also comes with a great swap out head sculpt with his iconic smirk. I also love the backdrops, which all seem to be slightly better quality these days. All in all, pretty nice sets for the both of them.

The body proportions on these Storm Arena figures are just spot on. In comparison, the original SF2 Ryu and Ken figures definitely look way too stocky, where their legs are too short. I still love having the SF2 figures in the collection, but a new reboot in the more accurate recent body proportions would be most welcome!

Ryu looks fantastic too, and I love his younger representation against the older versions of him from SF2 and SF6. You can clearly see the better body proportions in the SF6 Ryu figure, and it's great having all three to see how Storm have evolved their designs over the past few years. With such a focus on this smaller scale Storm Arena series, I do hope Storm do not forget about their larger series of figures!

Despite being slightly smaller, the Storm Arena figures have amazing articulation. They're able to be posed in incredibly realistic and natural poses that convey the game dynamics so well. Storm really have taken the competition to Jada, and we have Jada themselves to thank for that!

No matter how you pose this pair, they simply look incredible together. I cannot wait to get the other figures already announced, such as Nash, Dan, and Sagat. Chun-Li in her atheletic outfit as also been shown at conventions, so hopefully she comes out with Cammy not too far behind!

Storm Collectibles Jun (Princess) from Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets)

 I was so happy to see that Storm Collectibles were making Gathchman figures, but am really disappointed that they have not announced any more of the team since Jun. This seems like the usual trend with any company that make these figures, where only a couple are made and the rest of the team abandoned.

Putting that aside though, the figure that Storm have released is pretty awesome. There is a flaw in mine though, that annoys me no end especially when their customer service simply do not respond to help in any way. But I go through that in my video review below and in my thoughts further down.

The box art is pretty nice, and much wider than Ken's box. But everything fits fairly neatly (until I found my flaw).

When I unboxed and took out the contents, the base head sculpt had a broken antenna at the back of the helmet. This is because it was placed in the clamshell in a way where it was crushed against the back of the clamshell instead of being placed in there properly.

Despite me trying to contact Storm to ask for a replacement via several different means, they simply never responded and never sent a replacement. There were mentions informally that support would be coming, but I never heard anything. So it continues to be a massive disappointment with a company that makes such great figures, but cannot seem to organise any semblance of decent customer service.

Once setup next to Ken though, she does look fantastic. The paint app is really nice, and complements the cartoon aesthetic perfectly. The main issue with the helmet is the visor, which distorts her face significantly. This didnt happen to Ken, so it's a shame the plastic and molding shape they used for Jun causes this distortion.

It's great that they learnt from the first release, and gave her a slightly more dynamic cape pose that's an intermediate cape between fully stoic and flying dynamism. This slightly flowing cape is really nice and just what Ken needed too. The red paint on the inside still rubs off on the shoulders though, so be very careful there.

Her articulation is pretty great, and is assisted with swap out skirts that give her additional range of motion. I won't bother using her weapon accessories, but it's nice to know they are there for any photo opportunities, or for you much better posers out there.

I really do hope Storm haven't given up on the team, and make a new announcement soon. If not, the disappointment continues in finding a company that can manage to complete the whole team!

Transformers Masterpiece MPG-13 Shattered Glass Jetfire

I always try to get two versions of an MP mold in different colours to display in different modes. So could not resist getting this Shattered Glass repaint of the Jetfire mold. Click through below for the video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

The set doesn't come with too much, and the lack of a flight stand is disappointing. Luckily I have all the MP-52 figures and their flight stands, so at least I had a way to display it in flight.

Bot mode is nice enough, but the vast amounts of unpainted black paint is also disappointing. It doesn't look too bad on display, but more paint would've been appreciated. Tolerances in the transformation were a bit better than the original, so I found it easier to transition between the modes.

Since I have all the cartoon colours in bot mode, I'll definitely have this version in jet mode. It's a bit cumbersome to display on the flight stand from MP-52 since there's only a single connection point. So I may use some other flight stands that have more connection points, and see how I go.

Either way, this will be it for me for this mold. I don't see Takara making any other version anyway to be honest. Hopefully they announce some actual new G1 Season 1 and 2 characters soon, and not just repaints!

Transformers Masterpiece MPG-10 Lift-Ticket and MPG-11 DK-2 Guard

 More Diaclone repaints in the MPG (rebranded MP) series. After so many years, they finally released the black Ironhide, so I could not resist! Click through below for my 2-part review of the two figures, or scroll further down for more pics!

Video Review Part 1:

Video Review Part 2:

Both sets come with a decent array of accessories! Hate that Takara went cheap and provided stickers instead of tamping on the decals!

Both figures look pretty awesome in either car mode or bot mode.

Next to their original releases, the new colourways look fantastic. It's always great to have the old Diaclone repaints as homages to their original toys from the 70s.

Storm Collectibles Ultra Street Fighter 2 Blanka

I've been loving the Ultra Street Fighter 2 series of figures from Storm Collectibles, and this latest Blanka figure is no exception. In fact, I think overall this has to be their best release yet! There's just so much to like about this figure.

Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.

As always with the USF2 releases, this Blanka set comes packed to the brim with accessories. Of course it comes with his electric thunder, done very nicely in transluscent yellow plastic that captures the electricity very nicely. It also comes with 4 head sculpts in total, each of which are beautifully sculpted and painted. The expressions are very accurate to the game, and I absolutely love the loser expression that they always include with the USF2 figures.

The array of hands give you all the possible options to replicate his poses from the game. They also come nicely painted, with the reds at the base of the finger nails being a stand out detail. To round things off, the usual backdrop from the classic character stage is also included. 

The figure itself brings the best of everything that Storm has done before. The sculpting in the musculature is perfect, and the paint application brings it all to life. The shade of green is fantastic, and incredibly consistent across all parts of the figure.

The use of softer plastic or vinyl around the hips and groin area allow for the deep crouching poses. But I do worry that the area may tear if left stressed for long periods, so I would go for more static poses for long term display.

All head sculpts come with the same orange hair piece, that is made of a softer plastic. This way when posing with the head looking up, the hair is not so hard as to scratch the paint on the back or hinder the articulation. In fact, it's more the neck joint that hinders the figure looking even more upwards. That point of articulation is probably the only negative point that I would fault with the figure.

All other articulation points are the same as those from the previous best in Storm's range, such as Sagat, Balrog, and Fei Long. With the ankle rocking and stability in the joints, there's really no problem in getting him into a variety of poses that don't need stands to support.

The hardest pose is really the crouching, bent over pose to complement the electric thunder accessory. I had to do it at least once to capture a photo of his classic special move! The use of the additional ab crunch hinge helps getting him bent over more. But the ability to look more upwards would've sold the pose even more.

All in all, it's a fairly minor complaint against all the other positives of the figure. The sculpting, paint application, articulation, and general body proportions just perfectly fit into the series. His gorgeous orange and green bring some bright colour to the cast, and they just look sensational all displaye together. It's just pure 90s arcade nostalgia for me when I look at them on my shelf! Here's hoping Storm announce more USF2 figures for preorder very soon.

Storm Collectibles Street Fighter 6 Ryu

I've played Street Fighter since SF2 back in the early 90s, spending countless hours at the classic arcades. I even played some SFAlpha too, but cooled off the game until it came back with a vengeance in SF4. I didn't like SF5 at all, but then when SF5 came out, it felt like the perfect game.

It had the gameplay that I liked from SF4, with improved visuals. The new game mechanics were something that I learned and adapted to fairly well across a number of different characters too. As it turns out, I really do feel that it's the most complete and fun Street Fighter game since SF2.

As always, my go to characters is Ryu, and I love that they've balanced his gameplay to have really strong fundamentals, and he hits like a truck! Not the top tier in the game, but a character that you can learn and improve upon with time and practice.

I love the Storm Collectibles Ultra Street Fighter 2 series of figures for all the nostalgia they bring. And when I saw that they were also releasing Ryu from SF6, there was no way that I was going to pass on him! And I'm glad to say it's a fantastic figure release!

Click below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.

The set comes with a nice array of accessories, including a beautiful backdrop from the game. The softgoods cloak is a nice touch, but I prefer to display the figure without it. The fireball is a given, and the vast array of hands and head sculpts give you all the pose options you want to replicate his moves from the game.

The paint application is the usual high quality from Storm. The sculpt is perfectly proportioned, and the paint details bring out all the nuances in the musculature. The skin tone is really nice, and even the scarring on his body is sharply done. The dirt wash in his pants also nicely highlight the spotted detailing and folds in the sculpt.

The head sculpt too is a gorgeous rendition from the game. I've grown to like his bearded look and his character ages in the game. Add the scarring and the sandels, and his nomadic warrior persona really comes to the fore.

Articulation has always been a strong point for me with Storm. They have found a nice balance between a beautifully proportioned sculpt, with movement that has a great range of motion that doesn't have to break up that sculpt.

I always love their butterfly shoulder joints with the floating inner piece that fills gaps. The elbow and knee joints have also been perfected to still look great when deeply bent. The soft upper torso is icing on the cake, where it allows great forward, back, and sideways tilting to get those natural martial arts poses.

The different head sculpts complement the figure perfectly. You can pick whichever one you want to display to match one of his iconic poses from the game. I for one love the screaming head sculpt, which conveys the strength of his character so well.

All in all, I think this is another fantastic release from Storm. I am usually only an USF2 series collector, but am so glad that I also ordered this SF6 Ryu. If anything, I actually wish they would re-release an USF2 Ryu and Ken with this SF6 Ryu body proportions. That would make them fit in with the latest figures in a much more consistent way.

But either way, I hope Storm continue to release quality figures like this. Yes, their price range is high, but I feel you get the quality to go with that. With how much enjoyment I get just looking at this Ryu and others in my display cabinet, I really don't have anything to compain about. Here's hoping for more Street Fighter goodness in the not too distant future!

Yolopark AMK Pro Series G1 Megatron, Optimus, and Starscream

I was a bit late to the game with the Yolopark releases of their AMK Pro Series Megatron and Optimus. But seeing more and more photos appearing online, I just couldn't resist. I was so impressed that I ended up preordering their new Starscream too, and they did not disappoint!

These model kits, with some diecast parts, or hands down the best value figures on the market today in my opinion. At roughly US$50 each, there is nothing that I can think of with the size, paint application, build quality, and array of accessories that even comes close to being as value for money.

Click through below for my reviews for the three figures over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

Each model kits comes packaged pretty nicely in its separate parts. So there is a bit of assembly needed, but thankfully there's no painting or glueing needed. The assembly process is fairly straight forward, but do be a bit careful in adjusting any tight joints in case of breakage.

Once all setup, the figures look fantastic. Since there's no transformation engineering to worry about, there's very little kibble, and the interpretations can be as faithful to the source material as it can be. The way in which the paint applications have been done is outstanding, and the battle damage and panel-lining brings out some great detail.

The latest Starscream is definitely more of a G1 cartoon aesthetic, and looks extremely similar to the MP design. I would've actually preferred some more artistic licence in a slightly different interpretation, like the did with Megatron and Optimus.

You can see in the Megatron comparison photos below that whilst the Yolopark is obviously a G1 interpretation, it has slightly different proportions from the source material and MP to give it a different character feel.

The Megatron figure also suffers from being the very first in their series. It lacks some of the technological advances in Optimus and Starscream, such as the adjustable hip joints that can extend the leg and provide more range of movement.

Optimus is a pretty accurate representation of his G1 form, and aside from the obvious scale difference, is pretty close to the MP too. The silver hips and thighs is nice from a paint application perspective that is a little more real-world. But I still prefer the nice shiny white in those areas of the MP.

Optimus and Megatron also suffer from the electronics in their eyes, so without the batteries the eyes look dead. Yolopark addressed this with Starscream using a plastic that still looks red without the light-up feature. For most displays, this is a massive improvement. I'll have to figure out a way to paint the eyes on my Megatron and Optimus figures.

All in all, if you're a G1 Transformers fan, this Yolopark G1 AMK Pro Series is fantastic. If you're thinking that you'll pass purely because they don't transform, then all I have to say is you're missing out on some great figures that look fantastic on display! I for one am hoping they announce more G1 characters soon in this series!

Storm Collectibles Fei Long from Ultra Street Fighter 2

It's always a great day when Storm finally release another Ultra Street Fighter 2 figure in their series. For 2024, it looks like only Fei Long and Blanka are on the schedule, but at least Fei Long has been released on time without any major delays.

And he's a pretty awesome release at that! Click the link below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a like, and also subscribe to the channel to stay tuned for the upcoming Blanka review when that arrives. Have a read further below for more photos and my thoughts.

The set comes with a great set of accessories, including Storm's typical set of swap out head sculpts. I love the loser head sculpt that is a unique aspect of this USF2 series. The paint application across the figure itself, head sculpts, and hands are all very nicely done and consistent.

The special move accessories are also a nice touch. The flaming leg is good for the odd photo, but I don't think it's very practical on display, unless you have a separate stand of some sort that can prop the figure in the air. The nunchucks round out the accessories, and it's good that they include a metal chain with it, as they should in this price range.

With all the various hands and the head sculpts, you can pretty much put him into any iconic pose, either from the game itself, or for Bruce Lee who he's obviously inspired by. The ankle joints are a little tight, as well as the top of the thighs where they join the hips. So just be careful when moving those areas in case anything snaps.

The musculature of the figure looks awesome. Storm have perfected the use of the soft, vinyl-like torso area, along with the butterfly shoulder assembly. You can get some really organic and realistic poses from the figure. The range of motion is not hindered by much at all, and the figure balances well when you spend a bit of time getting the figure in the right pose.

I didn't feel the need to heat up any joints or accessories to swap out, unlike many figures from Super7. The head sculpts here in particular swapped out very nicely, without feeling too loose or too tight. Sometimes there are concerns around paint rub or flaking when posing or swapping out hands and head sculpts, but this time I had no issues at all.

Together with the rest of the cast, they all look fantastic. He is a little leaner, especially when compared to the original Ryu and Ken. The scale seems a little on the smaller side, but only slightly. You can tell especially with the size of the head sculpts that are smaller than the others.

But in the original game, he did have a slightly smaller body, and it mostly aligns with his character profile in terms of his height and weight. Looking at Ryu and Ken, I really do wish Storm would re-issue them with the new body proportions that they've designed with their newer figures. Ryu and Ken still look too stocky, with legs that are too fat and short.

But in the scheme of things, I think they all look fantastic. As a long time SF2 player since the early 90s, the cast of figures just brings so much nostalgic awesomeness to my collection. I can't wait for Blanka to release, which should happen in August if all goes to plan. Stay tuned for that review!