So, every since I've made friends in the US, I've actually been able to take advantage of the fire sales that BBTS puts on. I just might have to wait longer to actually get the goods, but at least the $4 shipping makes it worthwhile. Also, lets be honest - if it was the latest and greatest, it wouldn't be on fire sale, now would it? Nope... but that doesn't mean there aren't gems that pop up. Back in March it was the Star Ace Batman Ninja which was.. OK for $100 USD. Since then, there's been three items that I deemed worthy of the trouble, the first of which is the Storm Collectibles 1/12 SFV E. Honda, NYCC 2020 edition.
I guess either in an effort to save costs for the inevitable SF2 version, or to take advantage of the fact there are people out there who only want classic outfits, Storm decided to go right to the "Nostalgic Costume". It doesn't look bad or anything, it's just... well he's look this way pretty much up until his new look in SFV, so you really can't tell which version he is just by looking at the figure. The NYCC exclusive version is green, and because collectors are anal retentive about P1 colours, this is the one that ended up on clearance.
I believe this figure retailed for $90 USD, which is about average for a Storm release. In fact, considering its very much related to size and all that, it's a bit on the cheaper side, and I think I've figured out the reason.
The actual figure itself is pretty standard in that you get the the body, three heads (Neutral, Gritted Teeth, Shouting) and 8 total hands. I feel there was a missed opportunity to give E. Honda his trademark laughing expression. The effects, on the other hand, is probably where they save their money. In stead of a base/stand and a Hundred Hand Slap effect we get... some hit sparks, including one that I guess replicates a hit from a Hundred Hand Slap? Either way, pretty lame, so I didn't even take them out to do pictures with.
Out of the box, the figure is looking good and off to a great start. While you're never going to get the physique 100% accurate, I feel Storm did a pretty good job here and got it 90% the way there. The general shape of the body is maintained (can't say the same for the SOTA relaease, which was the last figure of the character). Sculptors have given the figure some nice musculature, which is representative of the character. Shoulders look a tad wonky, and if I'm being honest, the arms look a tad small overall, but ultimately not deal breakers.
Head sculpts are the usual "it's pretty close". I know E. Honda isn't the prettiest character in the game, but to me it feels like the eyes and the mouth are off. The overall shape of the head, however, is very much bang on. Detailing on the hair is also pretty good too.
Just jumping a bit ahead here, if you look closely, you'll notice it looks like E. Honda has extremely dry skin. Now I don't know what happened, but it looks like someone decided to use the cheapest brush known to mankind when applying paint to this figure. I even see it in the promotional pictures for other versions. There are brush marks all over the thing, not just the softer rubber parts. I've taken a quick look at the two Zangiefs and the Sagat I have here, and none of those have this issue. The heads and the hands are relatively streak free (they might be there, but it's not glaringly obvious).
Articulation wise, everything from the waist up generally does what you'd expect it to. Butterfly shoulders, double jointed elbows. All the good stuff. Wrists actually are probably some of the better ones in the product line, as the pegs are fairly large and there is ample clearance between the hands and the wrist. Range of motion at the chest level is a bit restricted due to the shape of the body, but its not like E. Honda was particularly limber. Also, like so many other Storm releases, if you position the upper body in a certain way, you're gonna get a nasty looking gap on the back.
My biggest gripe with this portion of the figure is that due to the neck peg being rather short and small, the moment the chest piece gets shifted out of place, the head will pop off.
Legs are kind of where things go wrong. So, first off, there is a waist joint, but to actually be able to use it the figure pretty much has to be standing up. Otherwise, the skirt gets in the way of the movement, and actually might have been a non factor had they used the modern outfit, which does not have a covering along the thighs. The other issue is that the figure really looks unnatural in anything resembling a crouch or deep squat. This is because the legs lack the range of motion, and I'm not entirely certainly its the skirt to blame. It's more the general shape of his body, and the figure really could have used some pull down hips. Basically if you try to get the figure to squat, you'll notice that the legs will rotate and you'll end up with a pose that looks like E. Honda is trying to hold in a fart.
Paint wise, there's nothing else to discuss I think. Paint work on Honda looks rough. It isn't like he shows the most skin, because Zangief is more naked than he is. But, what I think might be the complexion itself, with this particular colour difficult to work with, like white. I'm sure somewhere, there's a logical explanation for all of this, but for now, it basically comes down to things just don't look right.
Build wise, there's the odd design decision here and there. Parts generally hold together quite well. . Finishes on the various parts appear to be rougher than usual when compared against other Storm product I have here.
I like the overall offering, but there are some clear flaws in this release. I really can't explain the bad paint job - that one boggles the mind. I guess the good news is that unlike other flagship characters, E. Honda isn't AS popular, and even on BBTS the P1 colour is just $5 US more than this exclusive edition. If it were any other character, you know they'd raise the prices like crazy.
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