REVIEW: Retaliation Storm Shadow (In Hand)

[245am]

Courtesy of Meijer, I was able to pick up a Retaliation Storm Shadow. I’m not too excited about the upcoming line, but a few figures, and this one in particular, really caught my eye. There have been some questions about articulation, accessories, paint details, etc, so I figured I’d post my first impressions and some pictures to help others make up their minds.

PACKAGING: Not much to say about this; I’m not a MOSC collector, so I don’t care much about the card art or packaging. IMHO, it’s pretty boring; I already miss the character digital paintings and definitely miss the vintage-ish filecards. Reading the card’s copy, it’s clear the ninja theme for the movie is carries over not just to the toys but even packaging itself. Roadblock is an ultimate ninja commando? OK… reminds me of when some freaked out about ROC City Strike Duke having katanas.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FZF9q1zfgjU/T43fE2MjztI/AAAAAAAAAfg/g-T0CFnIZfs/s800/DSC01755.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IH6QzS_YS-4/T43fHrFAFgI/AAAAAAAAAfo/AbpWssRjxAg/s800/DSC01757.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lZiGHCuFRe8/T43fMFfKHUI/AAAAAAAAAf4/egtUv9dMu6A/s800/DSC01760.JPG

[245am]

ACCESSORIES: Storm Shadow comes with a pair of swords, a zipline backpack, spring-loaded missle/zipline clip, and small removable backpack/sheath. The zipline backpack is nicely detailed and there’s a number of ways you can set up the cord, but I haven’t really played with it much. The swords are generic; my only real beef is that the handles seem really long compared to the blades. And speaking of… I was surprised there weren't Arashikage symbols on the katanas. Considering how that symbol is everywhere for this line, seeing the swords without them after the last, common mold had them was surprising.

Overall, the accessories are just fine; there are all the necessary ones to make this SS “complete” (i.e. katanas) but there isn’t an abundance of them like in the POC line. They are nicely detailed if not super detailed. I know this is a kid’s toyline first, so spring loaded gimmick accessories are a good draw. With that in mind, I like when we get accessories like this zipline - there’s some added playability without it being intrusive or interfering with the figure (looking at you Roadblock). Noticeably missing was a stand. Thankfully, SS doesn’t really need one to stand, but this could be an issue for other figures.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IPh8MofZJ8I/T43fS3KQwiI/AAAAAAAAAgw/zEM016WhqXk/s800/DSC01761.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GNL9559QCGE/T43fM3-WkJI/AAAAAAAAAgA/HU9fanA96nA/s800/DSC01762.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TKKWoJm5_iA/T43fTWY68-I/AAAAAAAAAg4/ZXGSRwIqLgM/s800/DSC01772.JPG

[Flint Faireborn]

Still not diggin' the Ninja Commando Roadblock it's just strange.

[Flint Faireborn]

oh... but I do secretly like the zipline accessory.
Reminds me of "Sky Commanders" toys I had when I was a kid.

[RolandofGilead]

I wish we had Meijer stores here.

[Colonel Bludd]

if roadblock is a ninja commando, then lando is a jedi on the low.

[Troops of Doom]

I like the figure but the accessories are lame. I was hoping there were more hidden under the side panel.

[gruppenfuhrer88]

Still not diggin' the Ninja Commando Roadblock it's just strange.

Yeah, I agree not liking it one bit. Also, don't forget, its ULTMATE Ninja Commando Roadblock! :)

[grunt0341]

File cards are sadly missed, even if they are redundant on the 100th version...I don't keep mine in package so, out of sight out of mind as far as ninja commando Roadblock...

[CrimsonGuard101]

Awesome figure...cant wait for this one...this ones going to be my first "definitive" version of this character. Hands down the best yet to date!

As for that lingo on the bottom back..WTF?? Ultimate Ninja Commando???? laughable...I guess Ray Park dosent wanna play Snake Eyes anymore and has to give up the lime light for the Rock..that kinda blows...but oh well its time SNake Eyes took the back seat and I guess this is the only way thats happening...,to make Roadblock the better ninja lol...

[gruppenfuhrer88]

Nice review 245am, I like the figure as well, but the 'cessories are stooopid. He'll work out just fine for me.

[245am]

sorry for the delay; had some work to get to real fast... continuing...

FIGURE: Flatly put, this figure kicks ass. In my eyes, the Renegades Storm Shadow is the “perfect” modern ARAH update Storm Shadow, so I’m really open to different looks for the character. For me, this Storm Shadow fits really well with other near-futuristic POC City Strike figures (like Firefly, Destro).

SCULPT & PAINT: The sculpt is great; very nicely detailed with mostly clean paint apps. The only error I found on painting was a noticeable one on the Cobra sigil, but that probably varies by individual figure. The collar is interesting, it’s a glued-on piece that attaches to the standard ME torso. The metal armor touches are very nice accents, and I was more than happy to see the split-toed sandled feet. While not everybody will like the look and style of this line, Storm Shadow is a clear winner in terms of sculpting and detail and can fit well with other lines.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yHvS9_ctPDI/T43fNfjMLPI/AAAAAAAAAgI/LA74lRdkOQ4/s800/DSC01763.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4XPgBNjwozg/T43fOblYW1I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/rwUkpk_JhYY/s800/DSC01764.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IAwcX2eTWFE/T43fQ2rwabI/AAAAAAAAAgY/y4krIuJxDUg/s800/DSC01765.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cA4E7wTBtYw/T43fSGXLw1I/AAAAAAAAAgo/dZ0_m5nxlrw/s800/DSC01769.JPG

[245am]

ARTICULATION: This is my number one selling point on a figure. I like to open and display figures in different poses, so I couldn’t wait to double check if all the articulation points I thought were on this figure were in fact there. They are. And then some.

Storm Shadow has all the standard ME joint: ball jointed neck, ball-hinged shoulders, elbows, ball-pin hips and double jointed knees. What I wasn’t expecting (maybe I just missed in in previous threads) were the added swivel wrists and rocker ankles. Not sure if those are the right terms, but you know what I mean. The added wrist and ankle articulation really helps Storm Shadow pull off some excellent poses with his swords and to stand well and balanced without a stand in those poses. For a line with such an emphasis on ninjas, I really hope we see more of this “ME plus” articulation; I wasn’t planning on getting any Red Ninjas, but after playing with the possibility of Storm Shadow, I’m definitely interested…

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zueAehBS8do/T43fVEFXWZI/AAAAAAAAAhA/tcnN-oBlguU/s800/DSC01775.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hC0MZz63Qak/T43fVhoz0xI/AAAAAAAAAhI/9ROp_TBTWiw/s800/DSC01776.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2LrwbTzPgHY/T43fWhNC-7I/AAAAAAAAAhQ/H-o8KlJQfzw/s800/DSC01777.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YBOqI6c_xjk/T43fX8RpYuI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Ks4xDMNVehU/s800/DSC01778.JPG

[245am]

OVERALL: For me, this figure went for “meh” to “wow.” I wasn’t really interested in the Retaliations line overall, but this figure has really impressed. I don’t know if that will carry over to other characters, but this Storm Shadow is an excellent representation of a classic character. The details and painting on the accessories and figure itself are well executed, and the articulation makes this figure lots of fun to play with as a collector, and the zipline should definitely appeal to kids. I’ll be setting it up later from some Sky Commanders nostalgia. I bought this figure for $7, and it was well worth the money. I believe he’s only 1 per case, so if you see him, I would definitely recommend picking him up.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lifwT47Sjhk/T43fZHOJN7I/AAAAAAAAAhg/IOK2jOpUxj0/s800/DSC01779.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dj-lD1zsl0E/T43faTuQ38I/AAAAAAAAAho/YnpcCMlK17o/s800/DSC01780.JPG

[CrimsonGuard101]

Love his masked head. I am so replacing so many SS heads with that one lol...destroys the renegades heads thousand times over...

[245am]

oh... but I do secretly like the zipline accessory.
Reminds me of "Sky Commanders" toys I had when I was a kid.

... the zipline should definitely appeal to kids. I’ll be setting it up later from some Sky Commanders nostalgia.

great minds think alike... it's buried in my sig pic, but I really loved the SC toys as a kid... I don't really "play" with my toy collection, but I'm eager to test out how well the zipline works :)

[orezona]

God, I hate that packaging design.

Those discount figures Gyre posted yesterday have a significant advantage over the Retaliation in the graphic design/typography department. I feel bad for the designers who had to do that. I can only imagine someone from Hasbro/Paramount's marketing department saying,

"No no no NO. It needs more POP! It needs to be more... Ninja-y! Put some Japanese characters on it and some koi scales. Oh yeah, and use some random 'asian' looking font like what you'd find in a Pei-Wei menu... PERFECT!"

*shudder*

Nice little review. Very thorough and you covered pretty much all of the usual parameters. I can't believe you hadn't heard of the ankle/wrist articulation! You must have definitely had a "SQEEEE!" moment when you realized how articulate this figure really was outside of the package.

I have to admit that I wasn't really liking this version of SS but he seems to be growing on me.

[Xenos]

Great review, thanks. Do you have a Renegades Storm Shadow? If you do, could you toss this guy's head on it and snap a picture? Thanks.

[CrimsonGuard101]

Great review, thanks. Do you have a Renegades Storm Shadow? If you do, could you toss this guy's head on it and snap a picture? Thanks.

^^^THIS that will be wicked to see, one of the headswaps I wanna do, and put it on old 25th SS if ya got one handy please!

[turner]

"Ultimate ninja commando roadblock"???!!!

[WVMojo]

oh... but I do secretly like the zipline accessory.
Reminds me of "Sky Commanders" toys I had when I was a kid.

I wish I still had my Sky Commanders

[Arashikage39]

Thanks for the pics and review, definitely getting a few of these, hopefully he'll be easy to find because of the movie.

[245am]

God, I hate that packaging design.

Those discount figures Gyre posted yesterday have a significant advantage over the Retaliation in the graphic design/typography department. I feel bad for the designers who had to do that. I can only imagine someone from Hasbro/Paramount's marketing department saying,

"No no no NO. It needs more POP! It needs to be more... Ninja-y! Put some Japanese characters on it and some koi scales. Oh yeah, and use some random 'asian' looking font like what you'd find in a Pei-Wei menu... PERFECT!"

*shudder*

Nice little review. Very thorough and you covered pretty much all of the usual parameters. I can't believe you hadn't heard of the ankle/wrist articulation! You must have definitely had a "SQEEEE!" moment when you realized how articulate this figure really was outside of the package

Totally agree about the packaging... it's just so bland and generic. I don't know if this makes sense, but it feels really childish (understanding these are kids toys). I've been reading the posts about Mike Thompson's digital paintings for the POC/ROC card art and it's really opened my eyes to how much better that looks and, I'd guess, more expensive it is to produce. You're commissioning artwork for every figure in addition to paying graphic designers to lay out the photos & text. This seems like another cost-saving move like the driver articulation. And I feel the same about it - not a big deal to me (I toss the cards & rarely take out drivers) but I can see why others are upset.

Great review, thanks. Do you have a Renegades Storm Shadow? If you do, could you toss this guy's head on it and snap a picture? Thanks.

I do! I'll do a headswap and post some pictures later tonight. Also wanted to post some comparison pictures and some group shots with other POC City Cobras. That's where this SS fits into my collection...

[Jinx723]

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YBOqI6c_xjk/T43fX8RpYuI/AAAAAAAAAhY/Ks4xDMNVehU/s800/DSC01778.JPG


Mr. Horse.m4v - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Mj1Us13Yk)

[Laser Viper]

Looks cool! ill buy him

[ilzuccone]

thanks for the review!

[BL4CK5H33P]

I have to say that after reading this review I am more excited about this line now - 95% satisfied - the other reserved 5% is the customizer in me talkin... if ALL the new figs have the "rocker" style ankle articulation it limits the usefullnes of those parts in conjunction w/ previous lines... hopefully it is just the ninja figs that incorporate that design...