Alright - here’s a release I was kind of humming and hawing over, but finding it for a sane price at Fan Expo, I decided to add him to the horde.
If you’re a fighting game fan, then Sagat needs no introduction. The final boss in the 1987 arcade game Street Fighter, Sagat would make his return in Street Fighter 2 as a sub boss, and from Street Fighter 2 CE onward, would be a playable character. While he hasn’t appeared in every single game, Sagat is in most of them, with notable absences being SF3, the VS games, and some of the EX games.
So, with a resume such as this, why would I be hesitant to add the King of Muay Thai to my collection? The answer is simple - it’s because the version is too old.
You see, Storm Collectibles, in their wisdom, started dipping their toes into the Ultra Street Fighter 2 roster. This figure, being such a release, was based on the artwork from that time. The USF2 artwork tends to be much less detailed as compared to the SFV does, so there was a concern about inconsistency of art style.
Sagat, however, seemed on point.
This particular Sagat figure is a SDCC exclusive, wearing white trunks with red stripes, rather than her default blue trunks with red stripes.
The set comes with the figure, 3 additional sets of hands, 4 total headsculpts (neutral, win pose, attack, lose portrait), as well as a Tiger Shot effect. Like with Battle Costume Chun Li, this figure does not come with a stand for the figure, which is annoying to say the least.
Sagat is definitely tall enough. Officially, he clocks in at 7’ 4”, 4 inches taller than Zangief. A quick comparison with the Storm Zangief does show Sagat to be about a half a head taller. Body proportions are generally on point, with the exception of the chest which appears to have a less pronounced chest as compared to the official game art.
Articulation is very good - after all, that is the selling point of the figure. Everything you want is there, including bicep swivel, neck and head articulation, and toes. There is no forearm articulation, which would have been nice. Furthermore, range of motion isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good. Deeper knees, elbows, and hips would have helped expand the repertoire of poses Sagat can achieve.
Overall, whatever Sagat can do in the game, the figure can pretty much replicate, though not as natural looking, especially anything involving raising of the arms overhead.
Sculpting is very good, down to the scars on his body. Storm Collectibles appears to have chosen an appropriate bronze for the skin, which has been consistently applied all over the body, including the rubber chest section. The weakest paint apps would be on the eyepatch, which can appear messy on some of the heads. Some of the heads also appear to need some additional sanding as mould lines were still present.
Overall, this is a great figure, even with the inaccuracies of the upper body and limitation of articulation. Easily the best Sagat figure released (not that it was particularly hard to beat the competition). Excellent sculpting and very good paint work are the icing on this cake.
It’s good to know that Storm has a strong platform on which to base their inevitable SFV Sagat, and, if I’m lucky, Alpha series. If you’re a SF fan, this is an easy recommendation.
