Street Fighter figures generally sell well, particularly the imports, so it's no surprise that the first Chun Li Figuarts was eagerly snapped up by collectors like myself. Yeah there were people complaining about the anime aesthetic and small stature (an issue remedied by the Storm release which also sold nicely) but ultimately sold them all.
So much to the surprise of... nobody, Bandai announced that Chun Li and Ryu were receiving an updated colour and being resolicited again. While I call it a 2.0, it really isn't... it's more like a 1.5. Officially these are Outfit 2 editions. Oh right.. I kind of bought it immediately.
If you're familiar with the first release of this figure, then only new things you should be expecting is a nice metallic Blue rather than the flat Blue of the first release, and an extra face - the laughing one. Early adopters might also realize the price for this one is almost 60% more than the first one, even though it's only been 6 years.
Man those COVID years were rough.
If you're new to this, then I'm just gonna give you the TLDR, which is you get a very competent body with fundamental hands and a LIghtning Kick effect (sadly no peace sign). You'd think with this up charge and second opportunity that they'd try to wow us with, oh, I duuno, a Kikoken or something, but they did no such thing.
Modern Chun Li figures generally get her physique right, and the Figuart is no exception. You get her feminine curves combined with those insanely built legs that she's known for., and not just that, you'll notice that proportionally she looks great as well. No Battle Costume release yet, so she's in her classic outfit with some great sculpting to create various fabric folds. My favourite part of course is the fact that her ass cheeks are molded directly in the rear of her skirt. The ribbons in her hair are sculpted dynamically which not only helps recreate dynamic poses, but they also are easier to maneuver. Boots are nicely sculpted as well, and are the right size, showing off the giant calf muscles Chun Li possesses, and if you have a Cammy, you'll also remember the disaster that was her ass compared to the likes of Chun Li and R. Mika.
And here we go, the most anime part of the figure. Whether or not you like this figure generally makes it or breaks it based on these. The addition of the Laughing Face is nice, though most people probably won't use it because of Context, but you probably know I don't care. While we're on the subject, I remember people weren't too kind regarding this face as I think the prototype wasn't the right size. Looking at it closer, I don't think it's a size issue, but rather that her eyes are a bit low on the face and the eyes being a bit small, overall throwing off proportions.
The Lightning Kick effect remains made of that harder, more brittle translucent plastic but has the benefit of being capable of fine details. You slap it on the stand, get the left leg in position, and pose away. I don't think that the effect can be used with the right leg.
With regards to Articulation, I'm just gonna let these photos do the talking and just assure you that you'll be fine. There are a few limitations , mostly due to bulk, Knees are pretty average due to the single joint and bulk, and the giant poofs on the shoulders get in the way of articulation. The strangest limitation is with the head and neck, where basically you get head tilt but not head arch. As stated above the buns on her head do rotate for posing options. Thigh twist is built into the hip joint itself and as such you're not going to get a dramatic amount of range there.
Paint Application wise, beautiful application of the rich metallic Blue and Gold trim. I don't know if this paint is a reason why things cost so much more, but at least it looks nice and the application is nice and crisp. I think overall, only the flesh tone is not actually painted, and it all looks great. Decal work on the faces is competent, being crisply printed and not misaligned.
Build Quality wise, nothing of concern. Everything fits nicely, moves nicely, and holds nicely. No issues with poor finishes or other visual distractions. Limbs are all the same length, with no issues trying to get the figure to stand properly on a level surface.
An excellent figure overall, and probably the easiest to source high end Chun Li figure at this time. While the Jada is an excellent product in its own right, sometimes you want that more premium experience. Having said that, it's rather alarming how much the price on this figure has jumped to, despite really offering only one new actual part. I can't help but wonder if this is Bandai simply taking advantage of Street Fighter mania.
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