While I’d like to have chain swords for my Gipsy Danger, I didn’t much care for the grittier “battle damaged” look of the new figure. So I’ll be ending my wave two reviews with Striker Eureka. Not only is he my favorite Jaeger so far, but he’s also a great example of how NECA has improved the overall design and execution of the overall line.
In the Pacific Rim universe, Striker Eureka is the most advanced Jaeger created. Not only is he more powerful and deadly, but he’s the fastest too. This is nicely expressed through his sports-car-with-jet-engines motif, making him look much more like a modern anime mech than his robo brethren.
Striker may be more sophisticated, but he’s also the shortest of the three Jaegers made so far. It’s not by much, but when you combine it with his bulky chest armor and shoulder pads then it gives him a very stocky build. He’s like a dense boxer or mixed martial artist, which also really suits the personality of his pilots.
Articulation on this little guy is pretty amazing, especially when compared to wave one’s Gipsy and Crimson. He’s got a ball jointed head, although it’s a bit limited by his high collar armor. The ankles are also ball joints, and the waist is a swivel. The elbows, wrists, and knees are all hinges, and the hips are swivel/hinges. His most impressive joints are easily the shoulders. They’re a hinge connected to the body with a swivel hinge, giving him a huge range of motion and reach. Continue to page 2…
cool design. he does look like a walking battleship mecha.
was this the Aussie or Russian mech in the movie?
Striker Eureka is the Aussie mech. The Ruskie one was Cherno Alpha – due in the third release, and the one I want the most!
Eureka and Crimson Typhoon are both better executed figures than Gipsy in my opinion. But while they certainly have better articulation than Gipsy, it’s still not what I would have preferred. It’s a shame too, with all the armor panels and surfaces I’d think NECA would have done a killer job properly getting those 1-2 more points that would have made these outstanding. Still, Randy’s stated that the following waves will improve on these first two, and I’d believe that NECA can do wonders with those now that they’re free of the effects of Walmart’s indecision with this line.
I haven’t been able to bring myself to buy a Gypsy Danger for the reasons you mentioned; every one of both versions I’ve seen have such a sloppy paint job on them. Crimson and Stryker had much tighter, better executed paint jobs.
Stryker’s articulation is definitely better, but every time I look at him I mourn the fact that those chest plates don’t open to reveal an arsenal of missile launchers. It’s the obvious articulation points that are seemingly overlooked that are always disappointing, and I wish American toy companies would realize we would pay extra to get the coolest toy possible.
Great review–I love this figure. What amazes me is how you guys always speak in the PLURAL of Pacific Rim figures you have seen…I have seen ONE in person, and I’ve had to order the rest if I wanted any, which can be a crapshoot when it comes to sloppy paint, but I feel unable to complain and glad to have them! I have some more photos of the first two waves and the backing paperwork at my blog if interested!
http://snakeandboris.blogspot.com
I just happened to be lucky and pop into Toys R Us when just after the case packs arrived. Believe me, by the next week every last one would be gone.
damn you, i was mostly dismissive of striker, till this review… you make my life more expensive.
This guy looks great! I liked the Battle Damaged Gipsy, but this guy was the star of the wave for me. If only I could find him on the pegs somewhere…
Has it been confirmed that another version of Striker will be released at a later wave? I don’t have the room for 2. Maybe I’ll have to wait…
I’m hesitant to pick this up in case NECA releases a more articulated one next year, maybe with the nuclear payload attached to it. So far it looks like Cherno Alpha and Coyote Tango will be greatly improved on articulation based on those design drawings released earlier.
Does anyone else see Bay-Former Sideswipe in this design?
Haven’t seen “Pacific Rim” but the similarity alone is enough to make me contemplate picking this one up.