Review: S.H. Figuarts Perfect Cell

Posted by plannedbanter on January 4, 2013 · 1 Comment 

Christmas! A Time for new toys, and that’s just what I got! To complement my fantastic Figuarts Trunks, I received a Figuarts Perfect Cell for maximum fighting action (courtesy of fellow Planned Banter official Richard)! Perfect Cell is commonly referred by Dragonball Z fans as the point they loved the show more or less. He is a polarizing character given his great power and length of story. I personally love the Cell Saga/Games and consider it my favorite arc of the series. My Trunks review featured various amounts of praise for the sculpt, paint and articulation while receiving detracting comments for value. Can Perfect Cell replicate the good and over come the bad? Let’s find out!

Packaging

The always attractive Bandai  ___arts packaging is just as vibrant here as any release. The choice to stay in the color palette of the figure is a great choice as usual. The glossy black with silver-ish lettering for the name reveals a sinister-like “aura.” Funimation” and the Dragonball Z logos affixed as a sticker. There is a mix of English and Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji. All the appropriate words needed are in English, for import purposes I imagine. The back features Cell variously posed with a character bio. Everything looks great here, and all the pieces came securely (with no less than four layers of molded plastic protection!). The box is compact enough (given the figure’s size/weight.accessories), and is easily stackable for stores or if you leave it in package still looks great. It is also easy to place the figure back in the box for storage.

5/5

Paint

I found no paint issues (which I don’t typically expect with Figuarts), and all the paint choices are model accurate while still feeling very fresh. The purple stands out easily from his blueish skin (which has been an issue with Cell figures in the past) while the deep green in the armor/exoskeleton indentions all look expertly applied. This is an amazing feat that every single toy company should follow suit or learn the secrets. The yellow boots look believably  wearable. The blacks are a semi-gloss that very accurately translates the character’s designs. Everything here I can only praise.

5/5

Sculpt

Here’s were I find some problem areas with Perfect Cell. Every sculpt choice for exterior exposition looks fantastic, from the headgear to the torso. The scratches on the boots are inspired for a “worn in” look. The shoulder guards covering the shoulder articulation are a great choices as well. The main problem I have is the sculpting choices for the removable parts (which are plentiful). The sculpted joints are extremely flimsy and easily moveable. I would say most people would have a hard time attaching the head and hands. The ball piece is tiny and the fear of snapping the figure to set it is immense. And just when you think it’s places well, it just falls right off. This is the opposite for the arm removal (to place a folded arm look). It’s extremely difficult to remove and set the new arms. This is probably because of the amazing articulation and the lack of places to hold correctly. It does take a couple of tries to make sure the new pieces look fine and aren’t making a leper out of Cell. This is in comparison to Trunks, who’s pieces snap together very easily and don’t easily fall to pieces. But every other sculpting choice is creative and accurate. It’s one of the most faithful source to figure translations I’ve seen in an action figure, and especially great considering the very specific Akira Toriyama design work. He looks exactly like the character created.

Articulation

Perfect Cell passes the breakdance test.

With all the hands and faces (more on that in the next part), you can get hundreds of new and exciting poses from Perfect Cell. As references in the picture, Cell follows the standard set forth by Bandai’s premium figures of the past. Most of the joints are stiff enough to stay in place, there are tons of articulation (26? did I miss any?) and good movement. There are some problems here though. The design elements of his boot hinder foot articulation, and the elbow joints seem like doubles but don’t seem to work in that manner. The torso can get a bit loose, but it holds it’s position well enough. The wings move up and down, which is fine by me. As mentioned earlier, the head can be tricky to set when placing a new face, but when it holds it stays very well.

Accessories

The folded arms looks a bit out of place when not on the figure, but blends in well enough. It’s odd that more detail wasn’t used since it’s such a high point for the figure (who doesn’t love arrogant action figures). Four sets of hands total (two on the figure current) and 3 faces. All the paint praise from above applies to the hands and faces. There is even some shadowing detail in correct portions. The big selling point is the Kamehameha stand. It’s beautiful, dynamic and can easily work for your other figures. The blast is smooth and the misty pain looks fantastic. Phallic look not-withstanding, this is the reason for the figure for many collectors. I can’t say it justifies buying the figure completely, the figure should do that. But it does what it’s suppose to extremely well. I’ll say it may be a bit difficult to place on the peg precisely, but as with the head and hands you get use to it.

Value

You can find Perfect Cell anywhere from Just under $50 to around $57. It seems like a lot. It is. These are amazingly sculpted, painted, and articulated figures. But even with all that, it seems like a major investment to own these fine figures. Now, as I mentioned I received Cell as a gift (and am very glad for him/it). So while that might enhance my enthusiasm, I can’t say $50 for Cell is a great value. You’re paying a premium for what are some of the best action figures ever made. I can’t say expensive cars like Maserati’s or Mercedes are great values for what you get either. You knowingly are willing to spend more for higher quality (even if that premium is a bit more than I’d say is reasonable). Factoring in the cost of import is important but I would just feel these would fit right around $35, even as a premium. Still love the guy.

3/5

Overall

Thinking about getting him? Do it. He’s highly recommended, and any quibbles are minor versus getting the best interpretation of a classic character yet available. This line continues to prove Bandai wants to put all toy companies to shame, and Perfect Cell is a shining example. Plus…the base. KAMEHAMEHA!!!!

Filed under Action Figures, Anime, Bandai, Jaysun, Reviews, S.H. Figuarts, Toys · Tagged with Bandai, Dragonball Z, Figuarts, perfect cell, Review, Toy review