Here's the set-up: Recently, I was visiting my cousin. I handed over to him 4 shoe boxes of some of my favorite comics and, in return, he showed me some YouTube videos produced, written, and directed by Kevin Tancharoen. For those of you not "in the know", these are the Mortal Kombat Legacy videos that have racked up more than 16 million views each. Now I see what's been spearheading this recent resurgence of t-shirts, action figures, and other merchandise. Syco Collectibles noticed this trend and has produced an assortment of Mortal Kombat character statues. Past Generation Toys recently started carrying the Syco statues so I took this oppertunity to bust one out of the box and really get a close-up look at what the
Sub-Zero Mortal Kombat 18 Inch Premium Format Syco Collectibles Statue is all about.
The figure measures 18 inches tall, then add another 1 and 1/2 inches for the height of the base which is roughly 11 inches by 10. It's pretty intimidating. I love his stance. Sub-Zero looks relaxed, yet the positioning of his feet give the impression he can pop a punch or snap a kick with the speed that would register only after you woke up in the hospital with a mysterious shoe print on your face. It's like water that can instantly freeze into rock-solid ice. Does that sound corny? (Don't answer that.)
Appropriately, Sub-Zero straddles the legendary Mortal Kombat dragon symbol. When I look at the edges of the mount, I wonder if the bases of the other statues can attach to each other so the characters can stare down one another, just before they face off. I am pleased that no ice balls or icicles were attempted as it's always hard to get the look of ice just right. Usually it's too blue or looks too much like frosting. Yet, even with the absence of ice, the bare gray stone and the muted blue costume give the impression of cold. The pocked armor texture works well with the paint and pulls off the impression of a used, smoky metal.
The face mask and connecting hood are my favorite aspects of the statue. The combination of skilled sculpting and paint applications make the head genuinely appear to be covered in a supple leather that not only could be worn, but gives the appearance of unhindered movement -- and you get two of them! That's right, you can swap between two nearly identical heads. The difference is in the eyes of the beholder. Sub-Zero being the "beholder" since they are his eyes. Or, the owner of this statue could be the "beholder" since... Never mind! It's just a roundabout way to say Sub-Zero has two different eye repaints on each head. The first, is the standard head with pupils and irises, as you would expect, while the second head sports only empty, white eyes. The "coolest" feature of this statue is the glowing eyes. With 2 AA Batteries and a press of a button, this figure just became even more impressive.
The only areas of the statue that could have used a bit more of attention are the eyebrows and arm color. The scar over the right eye was painted over the eyebrow on both heads. Also, the skin tone on the arms could do with a little more color variation as the attention to detail demonstrated throughout the figure seems neglected when studying the hands.
Overall, the sculpting is top-notch with wonderful detail highlighted in both heads, armor, and costume color palate. So far, this is the best Sub-Zero statue out there. Pick yours up as Past Generation Toys! That's
pastgenerationtoys.com.
See ya in the toy aisles, Steve "R. Ticulation"
