If you read my Batman and Joker review, you know that I heaped a fair amount of praise on Square Enix for their efforts on the two. I'm happy to say that while Kratos doesn't evoke the sheer amount of "cool factor" as Batman and the Joker on looks alone, he's got the same attention to paint, sculpt, articulation and quality control as Bats and Mistah J. The character is very on-model to his game counterpart, and I have very few gripes from an aesthetic standpoint. Check out some more of my pics and we'll discuss after:
Here's how he stacks up to other releases, scale-wise:
The Good: Again, Kratos looks fucking rad on the shelf. He's very imposing and is spot-on for his game counterpart. His "tattoos", scars, armor (the Golden Fleece, bitches!) and weaponry are all fantastic-looking and painted very nicely. The Blades of Exile are especially nice, and subtle paint applications like air-brushing and dry-brushing really make them pop and look more realistic and less toy-like. A very nice touch that I felt they didn't have to include are two fine lengths of chain that plug into his wrists (where you'll also notice sculpted chains) and the Blades of Exile or the Claws of Hades. Both sets of weapons fit very nicely into his grip hands, and it's also not too huge of a pain to have them hang from his open hands like he's about to flail them at someone.
The articulation is exactly what I expected and why I ordered him in the first place. The joints are tight, some ratcheting, and hold just about any pose you put him in. He's also very easy to stand, even in what seem like precarious poses.
One point of contention I've read among fans is his face: some say it's too passive an expression and the dark grey air-brushing looks bad. I disagree. While the airbrushing is a little distracting, it is present on other areas of the figure's skin. It could be a little more consistent and not as prominent, but if you played the games, do you ever remember a point where Kratos stopped to wash his dirty ass? Me either.
As for the expression, I don't think "passive" describes it at all. Kratos is a character who, while driven by his rage and desire for revenge, seems very resigned to his lot. Yes, he's a pissed-off character, but it doesn't have to show all the time. Neutral would be a better word for his expression, and I prefer neutral sculpts as opposed to the full-on "rage dump" face that permeates far too many comics and action figures these days. I'd rather have Kratos look likes he's quietly sizing up his opponent and merely seeing them as an obstacle in the way of his ultimate goal to kill his father, Zeus.
Kratos comes with two sets of hands: gripping and open, slightly gesturing ones. Along with the chains for the aforementioned Blades or Claws, there's an ash-white peg that fits through both sets of weapons and plugs into the center of his back for storage, another detail that didn't have to be included.
He set me back about $60 plus shipping, same as Bats and Joker. I feel like he's a better deal than the Joker, who was light on accessories, but both Joker and Batman are smaller than Kratos, as you can see above, so I'd say he's about on par for Batman value-wise.
The Bad: Like the Dante figure from Devil May Cry 4, Kratos suffers pretty easily in places from paint rub. On his right gauntlet, which you might notice in a few of the pics before fixed with a sharpie, there's a spot where paint just rubbed off, exposing the ash-white plastic underneath. Yes, it was easy to fix it with the sharpie and it's now barely noticeable, but I shouldn't have to fix stuff like that. You hear me, Square? find better paint that adheres to your plastic, goddammit.
The chains are, again, very fine, and I already had to fix a link with some needle-nose pliers while fiddling with him to take pictures, so be mindful of that when handling.
I suppose I should mention the face sculpt, since I appear to be in the minority. If you want him looking angrier or like he's taking a shit, this is not the Kratos for you. But if you're like me, and hate overexaggerated constipation-shit faces, then it probably won't bother you as much if at all.
Kratos is a great addition to the Play Arts Kai line, and a great toy to boot. I'm looking forward to more from Square Enix, specifically the Armored Batman and Harley Quinn from Arkham Asylum (and yet another Batman, Robin and Catwoman from Arkham City) and Vergil from Devil May Cry 3, my favorite entry (and character) from that series. Here's hoping that their quality control improves (paint rub), although they haven't got far before they're damn near perfect.
That's all for now, kids. I should be back (hopefully Friday) with my The Dark Knight Rises review. Till then- smoke 'em if you've got 'em. The rest of my vacation calls. Meanwhile, the Dark Knight may have met his match on the shelf...
-Swift
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