For San Diego Comic-Con 2015, NECA offered a very different type of exclusive. The put together a box set of stylized, Chibi versions of a few of the Jaegers and Kaiju from Pacific Rim. Each 3″ tall figure features an adorable take on the different characters. The set contains five figures.
- Romeo Blue
- Horizon Brave
- Trespasser
- Karloff
- Hardship
NECA sent along one of the sets for us to check out. We’ve got a full gallery and review. You can check them out after the jump. If you missed one of the NECA items we’ve photographed, be sure to check out our selection of NECA Toy Galleries.
NECA San Diego Comic-Con 2015 Exclusive Chibi Pacific Rim Box Set
Pros
- Adorable figures
- Small enough to display anywhere
- Nice selection of characters
- Horizon Brave is especially cool
- Movie accurate prop replicas (see edit below)
Cons
- Some extra paint would have put these over the top
Overall
NECA dipped their toes into the stylized vinyl market with the Pacific Rim mini-figure set. The figures come packaged in a window box. The plastic inset allows the figures to be placed back in for easy storage or in-box display. It also has a nice backdrop included.
They’re solid looking, have a bit of articulation here and there, and quite adorable. Each figure is sculpted to give a soft, almost child-like appearance. As if Muppet Babies crossed over with Pacific Rim. At 3″ tall, they’re a little smaller than Pop Vinyls and more in line with slightly larger blind box type figures.
The paint details on these are minimal, and like the sculpt, very stylized. Hardship and, especially, Horizon Brave stand above the rest in my eyes. They offer just enough paint and variation to be the best of the bunch. A few spots of paint on Trespasser, Romeo Blue and Karloff would have made the set even better. If you’re into vinyl figures, or looking for some different types of Pacific Rim figures, then you’ll likely really enjoy these. They make a great work place display (which is what I’ll be doing).
EDIT:
An important detail was brought to my attention by forum members En Sabah Nerd and big e. As I hadn’t seen the movie in awhile, I had completely forgotten that these are actually prop replicas from the movie itself. They can be seen at the beginning of the film where a child is playing with these exact toys. So that explains the one minor criticism I had, which was only a little paint. Adding extra apps would have made these less authentic.
*NECA provided this set for review purposes.
Check out a few select photos below, with the full gallery after that.
SDCC 2015 Exclusive Pacific Rim Chibi Box Set – Toyark Photo Shoot
I like the idea of this set, and I love their unorthodox selection when it comes the Jagers (I really dig Romeo Blue and Horizon Brave). This set popped up at my local TRU with NECA's other SDCC stuff, but I gave it a pass for two very important reasons:
1. There's barely any paint apps or detail in the sculpts. I get that's the look they were going for, but it just made them look like cheap dollar store figures.
2. They were asking $50 for this set. I mean, $50. That's crazy, especially considering how very little it probably cost to make these things.
Again, I like the idea of this set, but the execution was lacking and the price is ridiculous for what you get. I wouldn't be so critical if the set was cheaper, however. Meanwhile, the Pam/Little Jason SDCC set was $50 as well, but that price seemed way more fair considering what you got.
I'm glad they showed up at TRU too. Being a sucker for PR stuff I wanted these once I heard of them, but seeing them let me down a bit. No lie my gf picked up the boxed and said "Is this for people to paint their own figures?"
I will also say 5 articulated Chibis for only $10 a piece isn't that bad a deal and honestly if they blind boxed these at $9.99 a piece I know I would have a couple at least.
Another plus of seeing these at stores means they will eventually have to come down off that price for them to move. I am a toy collector and Pacific Rim especially, but I'm not paying that.
The paint had to be minimal to remain faithful to the movie.
I love that little Karloff! This set was an easy enough pass for me as I wait for an actual Karloff figure. I think enough people may justify paying $50 for this set because of its limited nature, I payed the extra cash for Ambush Predator when I found that one in TRU because I didn't want to risk paying more in the future or passing on it then and regretting it later. They may not truly be con exclusives at this point but they still seem way smaller in number than a normal figure run.
Since I did not see it mentioned in the write up anywhere...
These figures are exact replicas of the figures some kid is playing with in the prologue of the Pacific Rim movie.
I know some may want more detail or more paint apps etc, but this is exactly as they appear in the movie. It also explains the selection of characters. They are pretty much movie props.
https://youtu.be/ExS4BFzD5TM?t=3m31s
Edit: En Sabah Nerd beats me to it.
These figures are exact replicas of the figures some kid is playing with in the prologue of the Pacific Rim movie.
I know some may want more detail or more paint apps etc, but this is exactly as they appear in the movie. It also explains the selection of characters. They are pretty much movie props.
https://youtu.be/ExS4BFzD5TM?t=3m31s
Edit, En Sabah Nerd beats me to it.
Thanks for that guys. I hadn't seen the movie in some time, so that bit slipped my mind. I'll amend that when I get a chance.
I didn't realize they were replicas of toys actually used in the movie either. I didn't remember that so big ups to En Sabah Nerd for that screenshot (although at first I though you were posting a pic of your own display, lol). That raises the cool factor a bit and explains why they look they way they do. I get it now.
Still, nothing anyone will say will convince me that this set is worth $50.
Full Thread: SDCC 2015 Pacific Rim Chibi Photo Shoot
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