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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Vega - Street Fighter
1/4 Scale Statue 'Player 2' Exclusive

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles
Date Published: 2016-12-16
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Introduction

If you're a statue fan, you know Pop Culture Shock Collectibles. They've been turning out beautiful work in the 1/4 scale arena, as well as some outstanding 1:1 scale busts, and they're even dabbling in other areas these days, like sixth scale action figures.  One of their top licenses is Street Fighter, a license beloved by their founder, Jerry Macaluso, who created arguably the best Street Fighter action figures back in the day with SOTA Toys.

He's working that magic again with all the fighters you love, and their latest release to hit my doorstep is Vega. As is often the case with PCS, there were multiple versions of this statue: the regular release which originally ran $410; the exclusive with swappable head and hands that was $415 and was limited to just 375 pieces; and the 'player 2' exclusive that also included the swappable heads and hands, but was done in the green and yellow player 2 colors. That one was limited to 275, initially cost $420, and is the version I'm covering tonight.

This isn't their first Vega, either. They did a 1/4 scale mixed media version about 6 years ago, but this update is all polystone, better suited to match their other more recent statues.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Packaging - ***1/2
The large box does job one well - keeping the various pieces of the statue safe and sound. Inside the eggshell trays are the two heads, two right hands, one left hand, body, base, and tails of the belt.  These pieces all assemble easily and are held in place with strong magnets.

There's also a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Jerry with the edition size and specific number, which is repeated on the bottom of the base itself.  Also included is a large print of Vega, of which I've included a photo.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Sculpting - ***1/2
The slashing, leaping Vega is captured here mid battle, in a pose best described as half flamenco, half impending death. He's quite large thanks to the tall base, and comes in at about 23" overall.

The musculature and anatomy are excellent, always a strong point for PCS. The pose is extremely dynamic, and they've created a unique look that sets itself apart from the other Street Fighter statues released so far, and captures the essence of this particular character from the game beautifully.

The body is attached to the base with a very long, steel rod on the left foot. While it might look a bit precarious, the connection is very solid and strong, and the overall design keeps the center of gravity properly aligned, so there's less concern about tipping.

The large base itself is highly detailed, and gives off a Spanish architectural vibe.

The two heads provided are easy to swap, and are held in place with strong magnets, as are both hands. One head is wearing the mask, the other is not.  The mask itself is a little off around the eye holes, which aren't quite as even and perfectly lined up as I'd like. It's a very minor nit though, and you have to pay careful attention to notice.

The unmasked head can be a tad disconcerting, thanks to the long tongue, but it fits with the character's game personality. My only other real nit is with the hair, which (like many polystone sculptures) is fairly smooth and lacking in detail. It's not terrible, and as I said it is consistent with the industry style for sculpted polystone (which implies manufacturing issues with getting greater detail in the strands), but it is an area I'd love to see companies improve overall.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Paint - ***1/2
Overall the paint quality is well above average, with very clean lines, sharp contrasts, and zero slop.

The skin tone looks a little darker in my photos than it does in hand, thanks to the muted, diffused lighting I was using. I'm not sure I'm completely sold on the freckling they used to give the skin a more realistic look, but I have to admit that in hand it works pretty well.  It becomes more apparent in photos, but in person you'll notice it less, and it does a good job breaking up what would otherwise be a vast, much too consistent swath of color.

The small details look terrific, especially the gloss work on the tongue and the detail work around the teeth. The blades on the left hand are bright and consistent, and the colors of his pants and belt are very bright and eye catching.

I have two minor nits here as well, but neither are extreme. First, there's those eyes on the unmasked face. The right is tracking off a bit, not quite lazy, but not exactly in sync with his partner either.

The second is with the snake tattoo. The quality is excellent, don't get me wrong. But there's something too fake about the look, which classes with the rest of the realism. A big part of this is a natural problem with trying to turn a cartoony game character into a more realistic design. There's going to be some areas that don't quite jive up, and this is one of them. Again, it's not a major issue, and is one more of aesthetics than quality.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Articulation - N/A
I just wanted to make it clear that there is no articulation here. That's not a negative, but with the heads and hands swapping in and out, you might assume you can turn them or adjust them.  That's not the case.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Accessories - ***1/2
As I mentioned earlier, there are two heads and two right hands.  One head is wearing the mask, the other is without, and the hands go with each head. When using the maskless head, you have a right hand holding the mask - when using the masked head, you have an empty, posed right hand. They swap easily, the magnets are strong enough to keep them in place tightly, and all four look terrific. It's great to get options like this, especially when they are so easy to swap up.

I also mentioned the included print earlier, and there's one extra bonus for the OCD among us - a pair of white gloves for handling.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Value - ***
While it might seem like $400 - $450 is a lot for a statue, it's not.  The going rate for many 1/4 scale statues is quite a bit higher than that, and considering the limited nature of the majority of PCS releases, the pricing here provides a solid value.

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Things to Watch Out For -
Obviously you'll want to take a little care when swapping in the heads and hands, but you should be able to manage it without issue. PCS even includes a pair of white gloves for handling the statue, a classy touch!

Overall - ***1/2
Another terrific release in PCS' Street Fighter line, and one that commands your attention on the shelf. The anatomical sculpture is really impressive, and providing options to swap up the display easily is a huge benefit. They've even maintained a reasonable price point here, considering the overall market, and that's no easy feat.

Just don't stare at his nipples too long - they can be mesmerizing.

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

Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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Where to Buy 
The exclusives were only available through the PCS store originally, so ebay is your best bet now. Online options include these site sponsors:

- has the regular Player 1 version for $410.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other amazing statues and busts from PCS include the recent Robocop statue, the Mortal Kombat Scorpion 1:1 bust, the Mortal Kombat Shao Kahn statue, the Judge Death statue, the Judge Dredd statue, and the Sub-Zero bust.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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Street Fighter Vega 1/4 scale statue by Pop Culture Shock

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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