Interview By:
FranksFigurePage
"Cash up front? This, I like. The water needs turning on, and those toilets need flushing."
**DISCLAIMER: effect parts sold separately. This review is also not sponsored.**
Hi, I'm Frank! I run a small review page on Facebook, and this is my first review on ToyNewsI's forums! I wanted to start strong by reviewing my personal favourite figure, the
1000Toys Dante from Devil May Cry 5.
I guess I'm gonna start this review with saying "this figure is quite possibly the best figure in my collection". I've never owned something of such quality and poseability. The closest competitors are the Sixth Scale figures I own, and the One:12 Collective Sovereign Knight Batman. Even then, it's like 1000Toys are playing the proverbial action game with a Guitar Hero controller, and somehow taking no hits. Not to over-hype the figure, but it's the most innovative figure I've ever laid my hands on. The fact that it's a six-and-some-inch figure is what's baffling me even more. I'll explain exactly why in this review.
Starting out with the sculpt, one will notice they went with a slightly more stylized look, rather than realistic. It's mostly evident in Dante's facial structure, as well as his slightly-longer-than-normal arms without the coat on. I think the sculpt works for this figure, and it feels like Dante came off the pages of a comic, rather than out of the game. There are details where needed: creases on his shirt all look natural when posed, and just as well, his pants are textured really nicely -- emulating leather perfectly. Besides all that, there are furrow creases on the corners of his brows, and there are also veins sculpted onto his arms; so 1000Toys definitely have that eye for detail needed in such a competitive industry. I also never expected his biceps to be fully sculpted under the coat -- I expected it to be more like a basic grey and barely look like a general bicep area, but nah; there's creases on the sleeves, and muscles are toned through the shirt.
When it comes to high quality figures, sculpt isn't the only thing of importance. Articulation is another key factor one should consider. Because of how this figure is engineered, it comes with a LOT of articulation. It's surprisingly even more articulated than the Amazing Yamaguchi Batman I reviewed on my page a while back. The figure's torso is pretty much a skeleton under a silicone shirt. His clavicles are about the level where the skeleton ends, transitioning into the sculpt of the neck. This way, no sculpted parts get in the way of posing.
You can put this figure in some HEAVILY dynamic poses, and it'll stay with no fight at all. One should definitely worry of the silicone of the body starting to warp if it's kept in a dynamic for too long, but that should be an easy fix with a hairdryer -- STILL, best not to risk it. The torso itself is comparable to the Figma Joker from Persona 5, but this one does it a lot better as it's infinitely more poseable. The best part is all the articulation is really well-hidden, making the figure look almost-seamless. I mean, goddamn, it can pull off kneeling poses better than the aforementioned Amazing Yamaguchi. One can put this figure in ANY pose they want to -- be it straight from the game, or from their own heads, and it WILL look good.
Before I forget, there's also a ball-peg on his back, meant to stick up through the coat for his swords to hang from.
The paint applications are a direct reflection of the quality of this figure too. There is NO bleed at all, thus making the figure seem as though all the parts were molded in their specific colours. There's nice shading on the face, hair, and bandages, as well as very nice paint-detailing on the face (namely the beard and the glisten of his eyes). His belt-buckle is also painted a nice gold colour -- also no bleed at all. Looks almost as if they printed it on.
Finally, since I got the deluxe edition, Dante comes with a friggin shipping yard full of accessories. His swords: the Rebellion, Sparda, and Devil Sword Dante; All three forms of King Cerberus, all with really nice gradient effects emulating their respective elements; His shotgun, the Coyote-A; His twin-pistols, Ebony and Ivory; A backplate for his coat; A smiling and a wincing faceplate; an alternate hairpiece; Hands to hold ALL of these accessories, as well relaxed hands, and a pair of fists. 1000Toys went HAM on these accessories. They're all sculpted and painted with the precision of a sniper with the ability to shoot a bullet through a straw and still hit the bulls-eye from 400 meters away. There is a part of me that wish he came with Balrog, but alas, engineering for the pauldrons, as well as placing the gauntlets on his forearms would probably have proven a hassle to both 1000Toys and the consumer.
Additionally, his coat is fully removable, which is why I'm only now really getting into it. It's got really nice thread patterns, is layered really nicely where needed, and features a wire running through it's edges and waistline. It's also made of a really nice leather-like material, if not actual leather. I had initially thought the coat might've been a touch over-sized, but after having it in hand and futzing with this figure as much as I did, it really isn't -- it's fitted to the figure surprisingly well. Had it been any tighter, it's possible articulation in the arms would have been compromised. Nonetheless, it's when the figure is posed that's when the coat looks its best. If Dante's just in a standing pose, one would have to futz with the coat just a touch in order to make it look good.
Anyways, yeah this is probably the best figure I've ever owned. I've finally been spoiled by the quality of a 1000Toys figure. Now any figure I get, I have to compare to this. This really figure really raised the bar for 6-inch figures, and I hope more companies follow suit. For $150, I can wholeheartedly recommend this for the price -- be you a fan of DMC, or just a general collector. If not, go for Hellboy or even Abe Sapien. This company needs as much support as we can give, so we can keep getting collectibles of this calibre.
+ Very visually appealing sculpt
+ Precise eye for detail
+ Very highly-articulated
+ Innovative engineering
+ High quality paint applications
+ Boatload of accessories
Seriously, this figure's so good I succumbed to the temptation of getting Nero.
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