So... Playtoy Chun Li. Finally sat down and compiled my thoughts and overall, it's better than the Third Party figures I've handled, but the ones I've handled are generally complete trash.
By now, everyone knows the story. Both this and the Star Man version were solicited roughly the same time. I chose this one over Star Man as I wanted that more swole look, and I didn't want a face that reminded me of your typical Nail Salon worker.
The actual head this figure came with isn't perfect, being a bit too simplified but acceptable. Just wish there was an actual expression. Eyes are articulated so you can have a bit more freedom with the posing.
I've mentioned I'm not a fan of the tiny neck hole which makes changing eye direction a pain for me, and the collar not only just loosely holds the head in place, but it can also knock the eyes out of alignment.
Actual paint work is pretty much limited to the head and bracelets, so might as well quickly discuss this point here. Paint isn't bad at all, and is in line with what was promised. Compared to that Third Party disaster at the beginning of the year, it's nice to ablet o say that.
The body did deliver in its promise for something that was a good combination of curves and swole, and I will give Playtoy credit this is the first Third Party figure I've handled where the proportions actually seem right. The articulation of the body is about the same as your typical Phicen, though I got more resistance at the hips, perhaps a result of the additional material. Back arch didn't seem as prevalent as Phicen I've handled in the past, though I may revisit this point in the future. Upper body mobility did not seem to affected by the muscles, but that stupid neck collar certainly affected, at the very least, the ease of which you can angle the head, though I feel it also affects the actual range of motion.
While this is definitely the best looking Muscle Mommy body on the market (at this time) it's still a bit too slender for a Chun Li, who I expect to have thighs that could crack atoms.
The seamless ankles are pieces of garbage. Could barely get the figure to stand on both feet. Whoever took the other photos if you were able to get this thing to balance on one leg, good for you - your ankles must be better than mine. Keep in mind as you pose your figure, there is a zipper on the right hand side of the body which can become undone due to stretching, which can mess with the knot/loop things on her chest and collar.
Also keep in mind that again, no underwear with this figure though at least the stockings are sheer enough to not give anything away. But as a lifelong Chun Li worshipper, this does look kind of weird.
You'll probably quickly notice that sadly, there is a noticeable tone difference between the hard plastic parts and the body. The funny thing is that... basically they never actually match anyway, but I guess people are looking for reasons to hate one version over the other.
Quality of the outfit is overall not too bad. The stockings are a nice colour but are fragile. the actual Qi Pao itself has some decent fabric, probably some sort of polyester or nylon, but it isn't some flimsy single layer of fabric with some trim glued on, which is more than I can say for some other product. The sash with its embossing is actually quite nice, and was another reason I bought this, but it wasn't the major one.
The included effect part is... basically useless. I believe it is to simulate a Lightning Kick, but without a stand and with crappy balance, you might as flick the effect at a misbehaving child.
To satisfy my own curiosity, I was wondering if this body would actually fit a Hot Toys head. I slapped on my trust CW Black Widow (after removing the collar) and found that the actually fit is pretty good, meaning the socket size is correct. The issue is the length of the neck - maybe it would work quite with a head featuring a socket that is at the proper depth. Proportionally things look pretty good as well, and if you found the right head, it'd only be a matter of
A few weeks back, I opened my box to immediately discover QC issues, namely that the head didn't come wrapped in plastic and got scuffed, and the earring on the left lobe fell off. Well, I wish I could say that was all she wrote, but the list of additional QC issues is as follows,
- Silicone on the left elbow ripped, a common issue it seems.
- The right eyeball fell out of the head and required me to pop it back in several times while photographing.
- The loop on the collar was not big enough to actually go around the knot on the other side, resulting in me giving up and leaving her as "Casual Chun Li". You can probably make out that I was starting to fray the loop with my constant attempts to stretch it.
- Stockings don't take much to become damaged.
- Mine didn't come with the Swimsuit.
- Crappy ankles.
I'm waiting for the parts to verify, but it seems like Playtoys took the Super Duck set and gave it different flaps at the shoulder. If you look at the back of the waist on this figure, you'll notice that the dress doesn't quite sit right. This is also on the prototype, and it says to me that it was meant for a slimmer body.
I really wish this release wasn't this problematic, because there are quite a few positives. But having such basic things screw up within the first day of posing is kind of annoying.
