Figure Review: Play Arts Kai Black Widow

She's got red... on her hair!

Natasha... Ooh La La!

Truthfully, at first I wasn't really excited about the Black Widow prototype that Play Arts Kai/Square Enix unveiled during 2015's San Diego Comic Con, along with their version of Captain America. Considering there are a lot of Natasha Romanoff figures these days (and some of them I already own), I thought adding this version into my collection would be needless. However, I quickly changed my mind when I laid my eyes on the whole package itself. Now, I must admit that my ever-present impulsive urges helped me to ultimately buy the figure. Having said that, I do not regret such decision and I am actually happy about it, because this is simply among the best offerings of the Play Arts Kai line. In fact, I think this is one of the best "Nat" figures ever created!

"Ehem! My eyes are up here, okay?"

For the benefit of those who don't know who Natasha Romanoff is, here's a brief character background. Born Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova, this red-haired femme fatale hails from Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Russia. Nat (as she's been often called by her buddies in the movies) was recruited to become part of the Black Widow Program, which was a team of elite female sleeper agents. Apart from her training, she also studied as a ballerina in order to cover her true occupation (which explains the flashback/dream sequence seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron when she was bedazzled by another redhead). Her expertise and ruthlessness in the field earned her the moniker "Black Widow". Nat eventually left the program, and after some time, she became one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents under Nick Fury's command, which led to her becoming a member of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. One thing to note is that even though she's currently doing some good stuff with the good guys, she is still being haunted by her past and she tries to make amends with it, one day at a time (as ScarJo herself puts it, "I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out").

Nat's bust and bum - totally the main highlight of the packaging

The figure comes in a standard Marvel Variant PAK packaging, which is usually presented in a red and black motif. The flap/front cover shows her jumping in mid-air while striking a sexy pose. The back of the packaging shows the figure being placed in several action poses, with the 'bum strut' being my favorite.

Nat's de-classified profile

Figure/package description:

Black Widow

"Don't let the name fool you, we won't be playing house. That said, I'll have no problem with sending you to your final resting place."

- Natasha Romanoff

Trained from an early age in the art of the covert, she has become a master of espionage paired with finely honed assassination techniques. "The Black Widow" is a name feared throughout intelligence circles, if you survive long enough to have heard it. But Natasha Romanoff was born to follow her own path, and she grew tired of always looking over her shoulder for the deadly ghosts of her past. The only solution was to try to tip her personal scales of sin and virtue. She sought out heroes that she could ally herself to, and ever since has been a fierce and loyal friend.

The iconic red hourglass motif of Lactrodectus Mactans, which spells doom for its unsuspecting prey, is highly visible all over her suit. Widow's suit responds to electrical impulses sent to her muscles via tension bands stretched across key muscle groups. Thanks to continual advancements made by STARK Industries technology, her reactions and movements are faster and deadlier than ever. Her artillery boasts a myriad of weapons: her belt contains miniature explosives, her two favorite handguns are holstered close at hand but just out of sight of her enemies, and her Widow's Bite gauntlets can electrify her target or deliver rapid fire projectiles. Select areas of her armor expand and contract, allowing her to absorb a superhuman amount of kinetic impact. This suit makes her the perfect blend of speed and strength. 

A woman you will never know entirely, the MARVEL Variant Play Arts Kai Black Widow is always a step ahead...

She smells quite nice!

Just like any other Play Arts Kai product which I have already reviewed, the core figure, along with its accessories, is neatly stored within a clamshell package. As always, it would take some amount of effort to separate the translucent plastic from the black plastic. Notably, every time I separate these two plastics, I would always take a nice triumphant sniff of that familiar PVC scent that follows thereafter. Sweet!

...

And there's that freaking stand. Again.

As for her accessories, Nat's got the following:

1) Two and a half extra pair of lady mitts:

Need a hand?

2) A pair of tiny handguns that forms the 'iconic hourglass motif' when placed side by side:

Small but terrible

3) A small knife:

Whenever she wants to get too close for comfort...

4) A 'rapid fire' effect that can be inserted in both wrists:

Nat's got something that belongs to Mr. Stark

5) A miniature explosive with a blue/white 'electrifying' effect:

Her bite is electrifyin'

6) A plain miniature explosive:

The most itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny PAK accessory yet

Now, let's take a closer look at the figure:
      

She's got a body to die for!

As I have stated earlier, at first I thought that I don't need (even want) this figure, but boy was I so wrong! I have to say that this is probably the best action figure version of Natasha Romanoff to date, considering the size, articulation, details and whatnot. Nat measures about 10 inches tall from the tip of her scarlet hair down to her heels, and features around 20 points of articulation. 

Sway!

One of the things that makes the PAK version stand out among the other Black Widow figures is the head sculpt. Nat's face in particular is done perfectly, sporting a beautiful Eurasian look (Russian-Japanese, in particular) with her gleaming emerald eyes and ginger locks that add to her charm and mystery. She also comes with her signature open collar design, which is also evident in her various appearances in the comic books. Perhaps a minor gripe of mine is that the sculptor didn't make the opening spring from her cleavage, which would have made this figure a whole lot sexier! 

They're really big...

Moving on to the chest area, I have to say that whenever I look at it, only one word comes into my mind - BOOBS! Yep, Nat's one hell of a busty figure, and I just love her for that! As far as the paint job goes, the figure boasts a neatly applied color scheme. Nat's costume sports a lot of black, red, and golden hues that are blended seamlessly all over. Furthermore, a brown color has been added to her suit, resulting in some refined leathery accents.

"Bye-bye bikinis"

Nat's waist section is also filled with some nice details, particularly when it comes to her belt. The strap is filled with some miniature circular bombs, with her trademark hourglass insignia etched on the buckle. Interestingly, her gun holsters are not placed on the side of her upper legs or hips, rather, these can be found on her back covering her sultry bum (two for the mini-handguns and one for the knife). 

"Spying in High Heels"

As for her lower limbs section, Nat sports the same combination of colors as her upper torso, however the color red is more dominant in these areas. She also wears a pair of high heels, which actually makes it difficult for her to stand up at times. Seriously, it took me a while before I made her stand straight and balanced during her photo shoot. That being said, the heels work pretty well for Nat, genuinely complementing her femme fatale look.

Be careful, she bites!

The Widow's Bite gauntlets are among the elements of the figure which piqued my interest. They are intricately designed, and this is by far the best execution I have ever seen in a Black Widow figure.

She's armed to the... ass?

Like the PAK Stormtrooper's case, the handgun holsters are open on one side, which allows for a smoother and easier placement of Nat's hardware. The knife holster, on the other hand, is a sealed piece which holds the accessory snug-tight.  

Even Optimus is distracted by the 'view'

Nat sports a couple of shoulder plates which also bear the hourglass insignia. Also, she dons a pair of semi-fingerless gloves, as if she can't decide whether or not to 'go fingerless' or 'go finger'.

So here's Nat doing some nifty poses:

Nat's flauntin' her sexy bod

She could be a Bond girl, you know?

Nat the Ripper

Megatron: "Yep, she's one helluva sturdy chick!"

Close enough...

And here she is doing some crossovers:

Marvel x DC: Bats got himself caught in the Widow's web

Marvel vs DC: Knife fight!

Lockhart vs Romanoff: They're measuring the size of each other's 'ego'

Final thoughts: To wrap things up, this version of Nat is another great addition to my growing collection of PAK action figures. An excellent rendition of a certified Marvel legend, this gal is one of those offerings that give the best bang for the buck. Putting it simply, she's one hot and beautiful figure, so what's not to love?

Oh yeah, she's feelin' 'em alright!

Okay, since I started this review with a ScarJo pic, so shall I end it with another ScarJo pic...

Well, that smile just drives me 'Nat's

Is this the finest version of Natasha Romanoff yet? Or is there any other worthy contender for the best BW figure? Let me know in the comments below.

Packaged Review: Play Arts Kai Marvel Universe Variant Venom

Marvel's infamous 'mouth with a face' gets no cooler than this...

He's the personification of the word "sticky"

Play Arts Kai has recently introduced their rather interesting 'twist' to the characters from the two 'big guns' of the comic book industry, namely DC and Marvel. As a comic book fan, I have always been more on the Marvel side than DC, but strangely enough my current collection of Play Arts figure consists almost entirely of the latter. Perhaps it's because DC came first instead of Marvel in their 'Variants' line, or I gradually became more interested with the brainchildren of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson than Michael Goodman's, I'm not sure. Anyway, moving along, when I heard of Play Arts having their own take on the Marvel characters, I made a personal vow not to get any of such figures to limit myself, considering the sweat-inducing price tag. Then along came this image:

Brock's got the mother of all tongues

Let's put it simply, this is one of those promo/prototype pics that made me say "Oh sh*t!". Venom, a.k.a. Eddie Brock, is one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Comics, and him being rendered by Play Arts (particularly by Hitoshi Kondo) is an eye-candy that I certainly wouldn't want to miss out on. As a brief character background, in the comics Brock is a journalist who exposes the identity of a certain 'serial killer', only for the real suspect to be caught by Peter Parker's alter-ego, Spider-Man. This left him disgraced and suicidal, and eventually he came into contact with an alien symbiote (an amorphous extraterrestrial parasite known as the 'Klyntar') which Spider-Man previously rejected. Sharing a mutual hatred for the web-slinger, Brock and the Klyntar bond together, resulting in the ugly MoFo known as Venom. Though he repeatedly clashes with Spidey, he also tries to redeem himself, becoming some sort of an anti-hero who protects those he considers innocent. This earns him the moniker "Lethal Protector".

Along came a spider...

The figure comes in a standard PAK Marvel Universe Variant packaging. which is comprised mainly of a black/red motif (excluding the obligatory package labels). The magnetic front cover/flap of the box shows Venom in an arachnid-like pose, wherein he menacingly crawls on his obsidian webbing, seemingly stalking an unsuspecting prey/enemy/whatever.

Bad-ass extraterrestrial poses

The back of the packaging shows the figure being placed on several nifty poses, mostly with his alternate hands which I will discuss later in detail.

Open Sesame!

Opening the flap of the packaging, there's the detailed description of the action figure itself, which I could say is somehow longer than the ones seen on the packaging of the DC variants. The window of the packaging sports a horizontal red bar striking across the lower section.

Figure/package description:

Venom

"Spin your webs, little spider... Venom is always watching, always waiting... always hungry!"

- Eddie Brock a.k.a. Venom

Disgraced reporter Eddie Brock discovers a corrupting alien Symbiote and the result of their bonding is Spider-Man's greatest nemesis: Venom.  Brock has inherited knowledge not only of Spider-Man, but also of Peter Parker, from the symbiote's brief bond with our web-slinging hero, understanding his opponent literally inside out. The thirst for vengeance is twofold, since both Brock and the Symbiote despise Spider-Man. That hunger is expressed in the distortion of Spider-Man's iconic emblem on Venom's chest, and the hulking exaggeration of Brock's already considerable physique. 

Venom has adopted various inhuman traits displayed prominently on this figure. Tightening its skin to protect itself during combat or extending its form for intimidation is just the beginning. Brandishing multiple, powerful webbing nozzles atop each clawed hand, this Symbiote is a formidable foe. Once venom has prey in sight, its mouth unhinges like a serpent, revealing a frightening vision of innumerable teeth and a terrifying tongue unraveling from within its maw.

A constant, looming threat to any who would cross its way, MARVEL Variant Play Arts Kai Venom is always right where you least expect. 

A jolly inmate

In a typical Play Arts tradition, the core figure is stored within a sticky clamshell packaging along with the accessories, which include the following:

1) A pair of closed nozzled fists: [If he chooses to beat the crap out of Spidey the old-fashioned way!]

If Brock's in the mood for fisticuffs...

2) Three hands sporting some webbings: [Though it is a sensible way to depict how Venom shoots his webs, I'm not particularly impressed with the representation of his predominant ability. I mean, the webbing-symbiote combination that springs from the nozzles of his knuckles is kind of short (literally). They could have made it a bit longer, or they could have added another fist that shoots a single long webbing, as he usually does in the comics. Anyway, it's a 'variant', so what are you gonna do, right?]

Oozing with extraterrestrial snot!

3) An open-mouthed head: [In my opinion, this is where the figure shines. According to some online reviews that I've seen, the alternate head features a removable tongue, which is something that I would look for in any type of Venom action figure. Even the jaw is articulated, which is also kind of cool. Furthermore, the tongue is designed to be shifted sideways, which allows for more option when it comes to posing the head.]    

He's making that nasty face again...

Now, let's get on to the core figure:

Tall, dark and never mind

Looking at the actual figure itself, I'm happy to say that I'm impressed with it overall. It's one of the best designed variants produced by Play Arts Kai, just like this figure, It is truly a unique take on the character, which is comprised of neatly meshed black and violet/purple hues. Standing around 10 inches tall, Venom sports over 20 points of articulation, which is typical being a PAK figure.

Brock never gets tired of smilin' that damn smile

The default head features the signature "Venom smile" seen in the comics, and I'd say it is well-executed through the sculpting - the teeth, gums, and the lips are chiseled to perfection! The eyes are a bit thinner as compared to its comic book counterpart, but blends well with the overall facial design. Another nifty feature of the figure is the emblazoned (and twisted) metallic 'spider' insignia, which is somewhat spread all over the upper half of its torso.

He's got the groin

The figure's default hands are the opened ones, which again show the nozzles on the knuckles. The lower torso is not adorned with any of the metallic 'residue' from the spider insignia, rather it is sculpted with lines and in overlapping patterns as well.

Alien fungus

The figure's foot are sculpted nicely also, as the toes are visible underneath the black symbiote. This is another factor that makes the figure stand out above the other renditions of the character, as most of them (if not all) only depict his foot like an almost triangular shoe.

Final thoughts: Initially, I was planning to get the figure out of the box and then do a full review of it. However, when I was carefully examining the figure's packaging, I found that it's in a 100% flawless condition - without dents, folds, and other elements. I tried to look for the slightest imperfection, but to no avail. So, I ultimately decided to only do a packaged review. I must admit that a 'perfect packaging' is my personal Kryptonite as a collector - once I get my hands on it, it will stay that way forever. Taking everything into account, Play Arts Kai's Variant Venom is certainly a must-have, especially for those who consider him as one of their all-time favorite characters in the Marvel Universe! It's superior sculpting as well as the effective combination of colors make it one of the line's coolest offerings. 'Nuff said!

Ehem! How's about a Carnage, Play Arts?

So who's your favorite Marvel character that you'd want to be rendered as a Play Arts Kai variant? Let me know in the comments below.