Review of Ryu vs. Sakura action figures
Street Fighter Ultra

Introduction

Kids Logic has been wowing the collector community with their cool Egg Attack figures, particularly with the Star Wars and Marvel releases.  Today I'm looking at some of their figures done in a similar style to the Egg Attack, but in a smaller scale. While the Egg Attack figures are usually around 6" or so, these guys are right around 3 1/2" tall. The pair I'm looking at are from one of my favorite classic fighting games: Street Fighter. The two pack contains Ryu and Sakura, ready to face off on your display shelf. If you're in the U.S., expect to pay around $50 or so for the pair. Those not in the U.S. have some cheaper options.

Packaging - ***
The pair comes in a flat box with a single plastic tray inside designed to hold the figures in a safe, collector friendly manner. No need to destroy anything in taking them out, and the large window on the front allows for good product visibility. There's not a ton of text on the exterior, but you get the general idea, and the included instructions are handy, particularly when working with the display stand.

Sculpting - ****
I really like the overall design, with the large head and sharply defined bodies. Edges every where are clearly defined, and areas like the mouth, eyebrows, and hair have depth and definition.

As I mentioned earlier, these are about 3 1/2" tall, and are wearing their standard uniforms.  The articulation and sculpt are designed hand in hand, so that one doesn't negatively affect the other in any serious way.

Ryu has been given a super pissed, serious look.  Sakura's expression is a bit softer, but she's still clearly ready for business. They both stand great on their own, and their open palm hands can work pretty well with the included energy blast accessory.

Paint - ****
The paint work is extremely clean and neat, especially around the all critical eyes. The skin tone is slightly translucent, giving the faces depth, and the brighter colors on the uniforms are consistent and even.

That doesn't mean you won't find the occasional slip, but remember - these are smaller than your average Hasbro Star Wars figure. The paint work is miles above what you might see with a mass market action figure in even a larger scale.

Articulation - ****
While I'm digging the sculpt and paint, had these been simple PVC figures with no articulation, I wouldn't have been quite as Wowed.  They aren't simple PVC figures, but highly articulated ACTION figures, ready for posing and play.

Both figures have a nice ball jointed neck that allows for a good range of movement. It works (and looks) a little better on Ryu, thanks to the longer, better designed neck.  The ball shoulders feature a unique concept - they pop outward to allow for even more mobility!  There's a cut bicep, hinge elbows, and rotating hinge wrists to finish off the arms.

The torso has a rocker joint, but it rocks quite a bit better with Sakura than Ryu, thanks to the outfit sculpt.  He can still turn at the waist, but Sakura can turn and tilt, giving her a slight edge.

The legs include ball hips, pin knees, and rotating hinge ankles. While it might seem that this is a fairly normal number of joints for a reasonably articulated figure, the design and engineering make these far more useful and attractive. You can get a ton of poses and stances, and by adding the stand, you can take those poses into the air as well.

Accessories - ***1/2
There's a pretty nice set of extras, considering the price point on these.

Each figure comes with one additional set of hands. They are the same gloved hands on either character, and each comes wearing a set of fists, with an open set in the package. They swap quite easily, and have very long wrist pegs that fit tightly in the arms.

There's also an energy blast ball, blue in color, for each.  These can be broken down into three pieces, so they can be a large blast, a small blast, or just the start of a blast in their hands. When you have all three together, you can also put them on the included display stand.

There's also a display stand for each figure, complete with their name.  These stands have support arms that come in multiple pieces, allowing you to alter the height and function.  The arm attaches to the back of the figure thanks to a small hole in the back, and is sturdy enough to support either figure in mid-air indefinitely.

You can also count the ends of their head bands as accessories if you'd like, as these come as separate pieces in the package. Just pop them into the small hole at the back of the head, and you're all set.  This also allows you to adjust the ends to a variety of poses and positions.

The package background, which shows a school year, is intended as an accessory as well. You can remove it and slip it into a slot on the back of the display bases, giving them a permanent backdrop.

Fun Factor - ****
These guys are great little action figures with a ton of play value and a sturdy build.  Nothing here is likely to break, and kids and adults alike can enjoy these thanks to the cool designs and great articulation.

Value - *1/2
I'm grading this for a U.S. collector, where the import effect is killer. Dealers in the U.S. are hitting it with a pretty hefty mark up, and you may pay $50 - $55 for the set.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. These are very sturdy, and I never feared breaking or damaging anything while working with either figure.

Overall - ****
I've heard lots of good things about the larger Egg Attack figures, and they were even on the Poppies ballot last year.  But I hadn't picked any up, and so my impression of Kids Logic was still largely unformed.

This pair goes a long way to elevating that impression, thanks to the excellent design of the articulation and the nifty sculpts and clean paint. They aren't going to be cheap for a U.S. based Street Fighter fan to pick up, but they are well worth the effort.  They have a second two pack already up for order (Ken vs. Fei Long) and I'm hopeful that we get quite a few more.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - *1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

If you're not in the U.S. you can pick them up directly from the Kids Logic site for $32 (U.S.).

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
It's been awhile since I checked out any Street Fighter characters. The last set was Ken and Blanka from Jazwares, and others include this guest take on the Medicom Chun Li, a guest review of the Revoltech series, and many of the terrific SOTA figures like the SDCC Dan, the exclusive blue Blanka, the SDCC exclusive Cammy, Guile and Ryu/Bison two pack, and the regular series 1, series 2 and series 3 reviews.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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