The final wave of Heroes of the Storm figures by NECA can be found in stores now. The assortment includes Jim Raynor from Starscraft, Sylvanas from World of Warcraft and Thrall from Warcraft. As each of the three figures is very different in style, I’ll be taking a look at each of them individually. I’m kicking things off with the Jim Raynor 7″ Scale Figure. Originally part of the Starscraft game franchise, Raynor is a basic attack Assassin Hero in Heroes of the Storm, excelling at ranged attacks. The figure includes the C-14 Impaler Gauss Rifle. Toyark sponsor Dorkside Toys has provided us with the figure. You can read on for my thoughts as well as a full gallery.
Related Dorkside Toys links: Heroes of the Storm Raynor and Sylvanas, All NECA Figures
Heroes of the Storm Jim Raynor 7″ Scale Figure
Pros
- Outstanding sculpt
- Great paint work
- Figure has a nice weight to it
- Visor opens to reveal Raynor’s head sculpt
Cons
- Bulky suit hinders articulation a bit
Overall
Heroes of the Storm Series 3 is looking to be the best of the line, which sadly ends with these releases. When originally revealed, Jim Raynor became my most anticipated figure in the line (previously held by Stitches). The figure may look like a basic release, but having the figure in hand will change that perception quickly. Raynor come in a rather plain looking clamshell package featuring Heroes of the Storm logos and elements. A bio for Raynor and checklist for Series 3 are included. The figure comes with a C-14 Impaler Gauss Rifle.
The Heroes of the Storm Jim Raynor is a big, bulky and quite heavy figure. As soon as I removed the figure from the packaging I was surprised to feel that this was not a hollow figure. The bulky torso and thick limbs are all solid plastic. While it makes the figure slightly top heavy, it does help with balancing as I had no tip over issues at all. The brilliantly designed feet (yes, feet) also help. They feature two separate hinges allowing you to adjust the front and back separately. It’s a design element I expect to see on larger figures, and not on 7″ tall ones. The rest of the figure has good articulation, but the range of motion is hindered a bit by the design of the suit. I fully expected this when I first saw the figure. You can still get some great poses out of the figure, but it’s not as dynamic as a figure without heavy armor would be. Thankfully, this is a great looking figure. The sculpt work here is top notch, with the armor looking appropriately imposing. The head sculpt hidden behind the visor is also nicely done as well. Paint work is strong here with clean lines where needed, and nice scuff marks throughout the armor.
As someone who has never played Heroes of the Storm (and barely ever played Starscraft), I can still easily recommend this figure to fans of both franchises. It’s a great looking addition and my personal favorite release in the line. See some highlight photos below and the full gallery after that.
The background in some shots comes from Extreme Sets. Use code TOYARK at checkout for 15% off your order!
NECA Heroes of the Storm Jim Raynor Figure - Toyark Photo Shoot
NECA Heroes of the Storm Thrall Figure - Toyark Photo Shoot
NECA Heroes of the Storm Sylvanas Figure - Toyark Photo Shoot
I honestly can't believe that the figures in this wave are only selling at TRU for $21.99. They quality goes way beyond that price point. The Raynor figure looks and feels like it should be selling for twice that. Sylvanas is fantastic as well, with complex detail and quality you'd never expect from a $22 figure. Shockingly for NECA, none of figures in this wave have any major QC issues, although some Sylvanas figures have very minor paint problems (but if there's more than one on the peg, you'll be able to find a perfect one easily).
It's like, remember those garbage Killer Instinct figures that came out recently for $30 or more? NECA's new Heroes of the Storm wave makes those look even more like the total crap they were.
It's like, remember those garbage Killer Instinct figures that came out recently for $30 or more? NECA's new Heroes of the Storm wave makes those look even more like the total crap they were.
While I personally love and own all of the figures in NECA's Heroes of the storm line, my one complaint is that all of the figures in the line are sadly undersized. I don't know if it was a running error or part of the figure liscese agreement, but all of these figures are more like 6in scaled instead of NECA's typical 7in figures.
Sylvannas and Nova kind of fit in when posed with other NECA figures, but it's sad when a typical human sized figure like Dutch or Ripley are the same size or taller than most of the beefier figure in this line like Thrall, Raynor and Arthas.
This is one of my favorite lines NECA has put out to date and I'm grateful for what they were able to put out but it would have been perfect in my opinion if it weren't for them being so undersized.
Thoughts?
Sylvannas and Nova kind of fit in when posed with other NECA figures, but it's sad when a typical human sized figure like Dutch or Ripley are the same size or taller than most of the beefier figure in this line like Thrall, Raynor and Arthas.
This is one of my favorite lines NECA has put out to date and I'm grateful for what they were able to put out but it would have been perfect in my opinion if it weren't for them being so undersized.
Thoughts?
I pose and play with figures from all scales, lines and universes including this one and I have a blast doing it. I just find it strange that NECA would make these smaller than their typical 7in scale. Unless I'm missing something and these are in 7in Scale.I was just wondering if I was in the minority in thinking they were small or if others thought the same.
(To be honest one of the reasons I got this whole line was to give Kratos some formidable fantasy characters to do battle with and to add two more members to a ragtag squad of sci-fi mercenaries.😅
Jim Raynor isn't really depicted as a very big guy, he's kind of just average in size from what we see of him out of the suit and only stands just a bit taller than Kerrigan in her human form or is the same height about as Matt or the other male humans. Tychus is the one shown to be a big brawler of a man in and out of the armor. In Starcraft 2's cutscenes Raynor in his armor isn't very much taller than he is without it, it isn't like wearing a Hulkbuster Iron Man suit.
I saw these over the weekend and thought they looked rather small, too. But, I have no knowledge of the source material. I thought the green bloke was maybe a troll or something because of his size.
Given how huge Raynor and Thrall were I could see the scale of the line being reduced so they would fit in the standard sized packaging. I certainly don't personally feel they are undersized.
This wave is definitely the best of the HotS line and it is a tragedy it is the last. Raynor, Sylvanas and Thrall are all as close to perfect as I think they could get in this scale.
I'd like to think that if this wave sells really well that maybe NECA would reconsider ending the line? Unless it's Blizzard that's calling the shots in this instance.
Sylvannas and Nova kind of fit in when posed with other NECA figures, but it's sad when a typical human sized figure like Dutch or Ripley are the same size or taller than most of the beefier figure in this line like Thrall, Raynor and Arthas.
This is one of my favorite lines NECA has put out to date and I'm grateful for what they were able to put out but it would have been perfect in my opinion if it weren't for them being so undersized.
Thoughts?
Sylvanas is up. Check the link above.
Sweet photos, Joe.
Again, I gave both Sylvanas and Raynor and I really have to reiterate that these are fantastic figures, a real high water mark from NECA (and those of you who know me know that I don't hesitate to call them out on QC issues), and it still boggles my mind that you can get these little miniature works of art at any Toys R Us for $21.99. Such a bummer that this line is ending.
That said, I do have one issue with Sylvanas. It appears her face is a separate piece that mounts into the hood under her hair, and on some of the figures I've seen at retail her face is either crooked or not up high enough, leading a gap between her forehead and the top of the hood. I had to look around a little to find one that looked good in that regard, but that's all the complaints I have. Otherwise, the figure is fantastic, and I don't even play World of Warcraft so I don't have nostalgia backing that statement up.
i like this line, figs are well made. i like the blind guy, forgot his name. just to be picky, i dont like the big elfs shoes thou
Full Thread: Heroes of the Storm Series 3 - Toyark Galleries
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