NECA Pacific Rim Crimson Typhoon

So much for updating daily! I should have learnt the folly of making grand claims like that a long time ago... Anyway, a quick review of the Crimson Typhoon figure from NECA then. For those who somehow missed it, Pacific Rim was essentially a love-letter to Japanese Kaiju and giant robot fiction, and was utterly fantastic for it. I can see how some people found it cheesy, but to me that was somewhat of the point. It celebrated all that was good and bad about the genres. Crimson Typhoon was one of the Jaegers, which was the name for the mechas in the film. I found the robot designs to be better overall than the Kaiju, which felt a little generic, and Crimson Typhoon is my pick of the bunch, followed closely by Cherno Alpha. One of the ideas that I loved in the film was that there were regional variations and designs for the Jaegers, from the all-American Gypsy Danger to the utilitarian Russian Cherno Alpha. Crimson Typhoon is the Chinese entry, and is one of the more unique looking. Crimson Typhoon is primarily a deep shade of, well, crimson, obviously referencing the communist China stereotype. It has a single 'camera' eye head, apparently based on HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Oddyssey, and a third arm on its right side, which contributes to the unique look. Rounding it out are a pair of goat-legs, giving it a suitably devilish look. It stands apart from the other Jaegers. The toy captures the look well, with good articulation and attention to detail. It's a hefty figure with a lot of bulk, ad doesn't feel as over articulated as some more modern toys do In fat, it almost harks back to McFarlane Toys glory years,right down to the paint job. It's great representation of the live action design. Complaints? The right arms are either limited in range from an articulation perspective, or the shoulders are jammed on mine. The legs also can't support the weight of the toy if you try to straighten them to make it a bit taller. It does balance well, though, and can get into some good poses, though. Then there's the lack of accessories, but it is hard to see what they could have included with it, to be honest. It's not a perfect toy, then, but it is damn close, particularly if you love the design as much as I do. By all accounts, subsequent wave from this line have improved on the quality of the toys, whih bodes well for the line as a whole. I may well pick up the battle damaged Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka. Cherno Alpha is also supposed to be released in February 2014, which will be a must buy for me. This is a good, fun toy which looks good on its own. I can't help but think that it needs a Kaiju or two to challenge it though.