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Packaging: ****
As you would expect from Play-Arts this figure’s box is beautifully
presented with the kingdom hearts logo in the top left and a complete
show of the full product. As usual from Play-Arts are also the windows
on the top and both sides to show off the figure from all angles and to
allow light to go through.
The back includes copyrights and a rather large picture of the product
and 3 smaller portraits of other characters from the series.
Sculpt: ***1/2
Axel’s sculpt is almost a perfect liking to his In-Game counterpart.
All body parts are in perfect proportion.
His hair has been recreated perfectly with every spike accounted
for.
There are also several crease
lines on his costume and this makes his cloak looks very realistic and
adds t the incredible detail put into this figure.
Another thing I'd like to point
out is the draw string on Axel's cloak which is made of actual rope
giving him more of a realistic look.
One thing I’d like to complain
about is the lower half of the cloak which restricts the movement of
the legs and prevents you from doing decent poses.
Paint: ****
Play-Arts is well known for its
quality and Axel is no exception. He has no bleeding anywhere, perfect
symmetrical eyes, clean and consistent paint everywhere possible.
I'd also like to point out how wonderfully painted Axel’s hair is. Most
toy companies paint al of their figures one single colour but this
figures hair is coloured as if a sense of light was shone on
it with the lower half of his hair (between the spikes) being deep red
and getting lighter more towards the tip.
Articulation: ***1/2
The level of articulation on
Axel is fairly good but it could be slightly improved.
Axel has 18 points of articulation including a ball joint neck, ball
joint chest, ball joint shoulders, cut elbows as well as hinged elbows,
ball joint hands, cut legs, cut thighs, hinged ankles and pinned feet.
Most of these joints work perfectly for many poses but one problem is
that the cut legs are extremely restricted because of the lower half of
his cloak allowing you to move each leg only a couple of millimetres.
Accessories - ***1/2
There are few accessories that come with this figure but I don’t see
much need in too many because all axel does is try to pick fights.
The first thing you can notice when you see axel is the odd hula-hoop
rings he uses. These are called chakarm and he uses both to make rings
of fire and throws them at an enemy like you would a boomerang. Both of
these are in extremely high quality and are painted to the perfect
liking of its videogame counterpart.
The other accessories included with Axel are an extra pair of hands
gripped into a fist. I don’t think many would use these hands but it is
an added bonus for certain poses.
Axel stands well on his own but a stand might have been a good idea to
include for those who want to pose him on an angle or are having
problems finding his centre of gravity.
Fun factor- **1/2
Although many would have fun playing around with Axel I’d like to think
of him being more of a display figure that you create a pose for and
then you place him on your shelf to bathe in all of the kingdom hearts
glory.
Value: ***1/2
This figure set me back $35 AUD (Australian dollars which is about 30
US). It’s worth you hard earned money but it could be slightly cheaper
and I am sure that you could purchase it from eBay and discount online
stores for about $20-$25 US.
Overall: ****
This is an awesome figure to add to your collection, even if you are
not a fan of kingdom hearts this will be a great asset to your
collection. It has perfect paint, great articulation, and a small
amount but excellent accessories.
Score Recap:
Packaging ****
Sculpt*** ½
Paint ****
Articulation *** ½
Accessories*** ½
Fun factor ** ½
Value *** ½
Overall ****
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