| Final Fantasy VII Collector's Edition Gift Pack |
| 1997 Bandai |
| This is a REALLY cool set! It's from the popular video game, Final Fantasy VII, as the name implies. I have never played this game, nor do I intend to start playing it (I just don't have time for games anymore). But I don't mind having this set of cool figures from Japan. They are in Anime style, with really big, round eyes and big feet. All of the limbs are detachable, which is cool because it keeps them from coming loose, or so I assume. There are four figures in this set, plus a frog and a bird-like creature called a Chocoboo. The figure I did not mention is Barett Wallace, who has the biggest muscles I have ever scene on an action figure. His right hand is a gatling gun. The reason why I chose the following three figures to mention is because I consider these Asian. Even though they have Western facial features, they were created by Asian programmers and artists, and were made popular first in Japan. I would also consider these figures a part of the Anime section. |
| Aeris Gainsburg | Click here for image | This figure is articulated at the arms and the head. She has big blue eyes and carries a staff that hold magical power, or something like that. |
| Cloud Strife | Click here for image | This figure has the most articulation of this whole collection. He can hold one of his two swords in almost any position, including the position that is shown in all of the animations. He's got hair that points in all directions. |
| Tifa Lockhart | Click here for image | her arms and head. She has long hair, that actually makes it difficult to move her head without knocking her arms off! |
| Marvel vs. Capcom |
| 1999 ToyBiz |
| These two-pack figures became popular in 1998 with the X-Men vs. Street Fighter series (see below), and have continued in popularity. Well, actually, I'm not sure how popular they are since I've been able to buy any of them at Clearance prices, but nonetheless, they are still being made. One of the unique things about this is that it pits Capcom, a popular Japanese video game publisher, against Marvel, a traditional American comic book company. So, in a since, Capcom vs. Marvel action figures are really Japanese vs. American action figures, i.e., Domestic vs. Import car. Well, it could be worse, at least most Capcom characters are drawn in Anime style, so they have the big-round American eyes. So I guess this means these figures are American vs. American --- "Can't we all just get along???" |
| Mega Man vs. War Machine | images coming soon | If you're into protruding and flying projectiles, then this piece is for you! Mega Man, though small in comparison to War Machine, is chock full of snap-tight accesories and vac-metal armor. He's the coolest smallest articulated action figure in my collection, and he has a missle which can be pulled and then released from his arm canon. I like this style better than those push-button projectiles that break so often. Speaking of which, War Machine (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Iron Man) has this huge apparatus that loads from his back and turns into two huge shoulder canons, which are activated by push-button release. It's a good thing I wear glasses, otherwise I might put my eye out with all these flying missles. |
| Strider vs. Spider Man | images coming soon | Strider was one of the last video games I ever got into. I was one of those kids who had a ton of Nintendo (NES) games but never played any of them (I also had an Atari 2600 and even remember playing on my brother's Pong, does anybody remember this or am I old school?). Strider, however, was the exception. I just liked the idea of flying through the city night slashing through all these bad guys with all sorts of martial arts. I often thought to myself how poor a job the law enforcement officials did in this city, but then I realized that I was playing a character who went up against thugs and cops! So in a sense, Strider brought friend and foe together by killing them all. How philanthropic. Well anyway, Strider's figure is really weird. His cape sticks out like a sword in his back, and his sword has more handles on it than it does blades. He has this "sword-slashing" action to him, but every time I try it he ends up stabbing himself!? I will comment about a cool sheath on his back that can hold the fold-out dagger (ala switch-blade) he has. The Spider Man figure joins a cast of about two-hundred thirty-three (exaggerating) various Spider Man action figures available in the world. I don't know why Spider Man is so popular, but he is. Personally, though I don't follow him, I don't mind a Spider Man as much as I detest spiders running around the house. And I live on land that was an old burial ground for spiders, so I see them everywhere!!! |
| X-Men vs. Street Fighter |
| 1998 ToyBiz |
| I believe these two-packs are from a comic book series, but I know that Street Fighter is a popular video game, and I have seen X-Men video games out there (and I needed another line of figures to include in this section) so that is why I decided to include these in the Video Game section. As I just mentioned, these are two packs that pair an X-Men hero against a Street Fighter hero. They are a good size for an action figure (roughly 6 inches), and many of them have cloth clothing. The concentration here is on the Street Fighter figures. There are actually representatives from many cultures in the Street Fighter line (Hindu, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, South American, etc...), but I only chose these two because they look more Asian than the others that are supposed to. |
| Ryu vs. Magneto | images coming soon | This figure has a small head. I mean, it really doesn't look proportional to the rest of his body. Perhaps the most noticeable feature is his HUGE chest. I mean this guy is cut! He wears a white cloth 'karate' uniform, and is articulated in many places, including the ankles which isn't common. He comes with a blue flame ball that he can launch from his fists. I believe he is one of the main characters of the video game (and the movie and the comics that have stemmed from the game). It's a story of honor and courage and all that stuff that martial arts stories are made of. Aren't these the things that ALL Asian Americans deal with on a daily basis? Yeah right... It still makes for a good game though. |
| Chun Li vs. Juggernaut | images coming soon | This figure is not as cool as I once thought. Her head sculpt isn't bad. It really captures the animated look that this character is made of. However she is so disproportionate that she can't even stand on her own. The articulation points appear as if Play-Doh was used, and the paint job almost rubs with a touch. On a brighter note, Juggernaut is really cool, and if you're a Juggernaut fan, then I highly recommend this piece. One of the best accessories I've seen is the steel I-beam that bends (remember, I grew up without all these new fangled Wrestling Action Figures that you can buy boxes full of odds and ends accessories for). |
| Apocalypse vs. Dhalsim | images coming soon | These two figures scare me. Apocalypse is just big and cold-looking, and Dhalsim has tiny shrunken heads all over him. The accesories scare me too; it's just a bunch of extra arms for Apocalypse. |
____________________________________________________________________________________________
All images and text have been created by Peter J. Chen...
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from their respective creators.
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Revised: February 6, 2000
