Ashura’s halo threw me for a surprise. I was expecting it to be exactly like the ones used on the previous two figures, and the mold is the exact same. What’s different is that the halo was made out of a translucent dark yellow color and then painted over with a green that resembles tarnished brass. In front of a light this gives off a really neat glowing effect, and I really wish the other two had a similar feature.
Ashura’s paint is interesting. All of the parts showing skin was molded a deep red with a black dry wash added over it. This gives the really interesting illusion that the figure is almost burnt because of how dark it can get. This same effect was used on his three faces, but it wasn’t as heavy and there’s plenty of detail. There was an interesting technique used on Ashura’s clothing to make them shine like worn copper in certain areas.
Ashura has a fantastic amount of articulation, but there are some issues too. First off, his heads, neck, shoulders, elbows, chest, waist, hips, knees, and ankles are all Revolver joints. To make articulation a bit easier, his halo and tails to his robe were also given Revolver joints. One of the few difficulties I’m having with this figure is that a lot of his articulation is partially blocked by clothing or body parts. His arms in particular seem too bunched up and tend to get in the way of each other.
Instead of a Jaki demon, Ashura’s base is a piece of rock. The base itself is sculpted very nicely, but it’s definitely not as exciting. Ashura also comes with a traditional boomerang shaped Revoltech base too.
All of Ashura’s other accessories are entirely comprised of alternate hands. There’s a set of clutching, open palm holding orbs, holding, praying, and holding weapons. I was hoping to get multiple sets of hands that were the same. This way he could be holding the same gesture on all six arms. I was also disappointed to discover that his bow and arrow are molded into their respective hands. This really limits his weapon wielding abilities.
I really do like this figure. The posing gets easier the more you play around with him. The arms still are limited by each other, but you find ways to work around it mostly. The biggest disappointment is the lack of weapons and more alternate hands. This really would have made the figure perfect, but I’m sure it would have also upped the price. So for now, I’ll just have him meditating on my shelf while wait for the fourth figure in the line.
-Vault
THIS is the coolest looking of the three IMO, althought the lack of Jaki base is a slight letdown. Way to make figures I would have never looked at seem cool Vault!
Thanks Doc! He does look pretty cool, I just wish he came with more alternate hands. I’d love to see him wielding six shotguns. 😛
This dude looks awesome. Going by the line-up, these are only about 5″ tall? even better!
where are you finding him online? Does Revoltech have a master sales site or are you going through someone like sponsors BBTS or PGT?
I order most of my imports through Amiami.com, you can usually get them at a much cheaper price than BBTS.
“I think this may be my first three-headed action figure.”
Does this mean you have had six-armed figures in the past?
Ashura is a confusing character.
His name, also written as Asura, originally meant “life”(asu) “provider”(ra) which eventually became interpreted as “void of”(a) “heaven”(sura), which could be interpreted as “demonic”. However, he is more commonly thought as a creature with heavenly powers but not of the heavenly realms – this doesn’t necessarily mean that he is opposed to the heavens or a demon.
He is also known to have attacked Taishakuten (a.k.a. Sakra, Sakka, Dishitian, Shiti Huanyin, etc.) who rules the four heavenly kings – which makes it reasonable to consider Ashura an enemy of the heavenly kings.
Ashura, generally isn’t considered to be evil, but a god of justice, filled with rage towards evil. When punishing evil, his rage gets the better of him, causing him to lose his ability to show mercy.
When talking about the origins of Ashura, he is usually referred to as an individual. However, after departing the heavens, the name “Ashura” has been given to all of his kin.
Anyway, that’s the basics of what I undertand “Ashura” to be. If you want to get into the details, there are alternate understandings of different portions and contradictory stories which can (and do) fill the pages of entire books.
Marvel’s Spiral has six arms and been been made into plastic twice, in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Red Hulk series, and in ToyBiz’s 5″ X-Men line preceding ML.
Wasn’t there a Superhero Squad too? There definitely needs to be more figures with multiple arms!
Thanks for the info, Dorkey!
Since this figure is based on his Japanese history, I decided to leave out his Indian roots. But I did find it interesting that the introduction of Christianity in India turned him from a holy figure into a demonic one.
I also like that he got really drunk and was deposed from his mountain home, and from that point on he never drank again! Lol, guess he learned his lesson.
Part of the fun of these figures is learning their very complicated histories. I’d definitely be up for a line of religious and mythological figures from around the world. Especially if they were done as nicely as these Buddhist figures.