{"id":27406,"date":"2014-03-21T07:54:56","date_gmt":"2014-03-21T12:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27406"},"modified":"2014-03-23T16:56:09","modified_gmt":"2014-03-23T21:56:09","slug":"vault-review-necas-pacific-rim-battle-damaged-knifehead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27406","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: NECA\u2019s Pacific
Rim Battle Damage Knifehead"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had a different review planned for today, but I seemed to have misplaced the accessories.\u00a0 So while I search for those this weekend, I thought I\u2019d tide you all over with another Pacific Rim figure.\u00a0 This time I\u2019m taking a look at the new battle damaged Knifehead.\u00a0 While he\u2019s not quite the perfect kaiju in the line, he\u2019s still a bazillion times better than NECA\u2019s first pass at the character.<\/p>\n

\"knhd1\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll talk about this a little more in Trespasser\u2019s review, but since I\u2019m going to talk about the sculpt of the figure then I had to mention it here also.\u00a0 NECA does an amazing job of reusing a figure\u2019s tooling.\u00a0 Every time I see a new Dutch figure, it still feels like a new thing instead of a repaint.\u00a0 It happens that NECA is able to use this talent with some of the Pacific Rim kaiju. In the storyline of the movie, all the kaiju are basically clones, many of which use the same base body with various alterations.\u00a0 This is pretty much a perfect scenario for any toy company.\u00a0 But even with the similarities, NECA has done an amazing job of giving Knifehead and Trespasser their own unique feel.<\/p>\n

\"knhd2\"<\/p>\n

NECA\u2019s original attempt at the figure also feels like a completely different character, but in a bad way.\u00a0 This diminutive little monster looks like Son of Knifehead.\u00a0 Their bodies have the same shape, in a general sense, but even that\u2019s not entirely the same with this new kaiju buck.\u00a0 Instead of one molded piece, new Knifehead\u2019s body consists of four different parts.<\/p>\n

\"knhd3\"<\/p>\n

This really allowed for a much more detailed design and improved articulation where he needed it.\u00a0 The whole body is textured, but now there are distinct differences between the rock-like armor and softer scaly areas.\u00a0 That\u2019s not even counting his backpack shell.\u00a0 Knifehead is now so bulky that poor Gipsy doesn\u2019t look up to the task of taking him down.\u00a0 (Luckily, NECA has already announced they\u2019re making a new Gipsy. YAY!)<\/p>\n

\"knhd4\"<\/p>\n

There are so many good things going on with this figure, but I think one of the best has to be the new paint job.\u00a0 The figure itself is in a dark gray plastic with the familiar yellow tribal marks running down his body.\u00a0 There\u2019s also the glossy black claws and some nice brown weathering on his back, all of which come together nicely and will make the non-battle damaged figure look great.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

\"knhd5\"<\/p>\n

But the paint apps that really impressed me were the blue battle damaged areas.\u00a0 This almost came as a shock, because I didn\u2019t care about all that blue blood when the figure was first announced. \u00a0But I can\u2019t deny I was blown away with the effect once I had him in hand.\u00a0 There\u2019s this great mix of light and dark neon blue, which looks neat on its own.\u00a0 But they also gave the darker blue a glossy wet look, making the figure seem like he\u2019s still bleeding from his head, mouth, and stomach.\u00a0 A very nice effect.<\/p>\n

\"knhd6\"<\/p>\n

Knifehead\u2019s articulation is great, but not perfect.\u00a0 His head, wrists, waist, hips and ankles are all ball joints.\u00a0 His shoulders, elbows, and knees are all swivel hinges.\u00a0 His jaw is hinged, and he has a bendy tail.\u00a0 The ball joints are the areas with the most issue because the body sculpt limits the range.\u00a0 It\u2019s not too bad in most places, but the head is definitely the worst since it can\u2019t do much more than swivel.\u00a0 But the figure can still pull off some really good poses, making him light-years ahead of their first attempt.<\/p>\n

\"knhd7\"<\/p>\n

What surprised me the most is that his tongue is also articulated.\u00a0 It can actually move in and out.\u00a0 Unfortunately this is difficult to accomplish because the paint on both the tongue and mouth stick to each other, making it hard to slide.<\/p>\n

\"knhd8\"<\/p>\n

No accessories with this figure, which is fine because he doesn\u2019t need any.\u00a0 His head is his weapon, and if that fails there\u2019s so much plastic here you could just pound other figures with him.<\/p>\n

\"knhd9\"<\/p>\n

My biggest complaint about this figure is that his head doesn\u2019t move, otherwise he\u2019s pretty damned perfect.\u00a0 He\u2019s just as big and imposing as I want.\u00a0 A lot of the other characters are going to need new versions to match this larger size though.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been waiting for a good Knifehead, this is it.<\/p>\n

-Vault<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"chal0\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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