16bit.com Figure of the Day Review: Good Smile Company Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Samus Aran Action Figure

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Good Smile Company Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Samus Aran Action Figure Good Smile Company, 2018

Day #1,896: February 8, 2018

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Samus Aran Action Figure Max Factory x Masaki Apsy Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Figma Action Figures Item No.: Products Number 349 Manufacturer: Good Smile Company Includes: Stand, plastic bag, 4 hands, 2 cannon tips, Morph Ball Samus Action Feature: n/a Retail: $79.99 Availability: January 2018 Other: From Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
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I generally don't like buying high-end figures, but since it seemed it would be a while until we got a Figma based on a decent 2D Samus Aran I went ahead and ordered the Metroid Prime 3: Corruption version a long time ago. Like... a year ago or more. The figure is basically a fancy-pants version of the Comic Con Box Samus [FOTD #1,347] which is less impressive, but has a higher contrast paint job at a fraction of the price. Jakks' armor colors are much more interesting, but the Figma is an engineering delight. The Figma is truer to the game colors, sure, but sometimes getting it wrong makes for a more exciting product.

At about the same 6-inch scale as Marvel Legends and Star Wars: The Black Series figures, Samus is fairly sizable and a roughly 1:12 replica of what the real thing might be. She has an exception range of motion with articulated toes, wrists, elbows, hips, thighs, and I could go on. Multiple joints in the neck allow this armored warrior to express considerable personality in how she can be posed, with special cut joints in her torso and thighs to allow for an even greater range of motion than most figures. I can't get every pose I'd want to get easily, but I was able to find a number of really good poses for the figure without trying very hard. The figure looks good regardless of what you do to pose her, and you can add to the changes in mood with four different hands. Wide fingers, a fist, a thumbs-up, and a general "grip" hand are all included to be one of few ways you can emote through this armor.

The cannon tip can also be swapped out, with an open tip incorporating the rockets as your other option. The open tip feels like it could break under pressure, and the painted piece is a very tight fit in the arm socket - so take care when using it. Similarly, the hole in her back is a very tight fit for the clear peg on the Figma Display Stand, so don't snap it off in there. The parts all work fairly well, and they clearly put a lot of thought in to how she will live on your desk. Even the morph ball Samus figure has a hole for the display stand. She clearly doesn't need it, but it's here, because someone cared enough to incorporate it.

The figure has exceptional detail, from the multiple pieces of plastic in red, orange, and yellow fitting together to the clear green elements to give her an even more fleshed-out appearance. The metallic green visor is opaque, but if you look at it you can almost imagine the face of the hunter behind it. It's shiny, it's metallic, and it's perfect. There are clear green elments on her arms and legs, appearing with small round gems that would probably light up if this figure cost another $50. Maybe we'll see that in the next decade. The armor bits are painted nicely, with lots of panel lines - many of which aren't painted. The elements that are painted versus those that aren't are strikingly similar to the Jakks figure, just with differing levels of precision and refinement. Good Smile Company ensured crisper lines, little green bits in the shoulders, and hints of life and energy inside areas that were simply black lines or blobs on the mass-release figure for the US market. Given the difference in prices, you should not be surprised.

Swapping fists is an easy task, and the figure is able to express a lot if you pose her just right. The colors are a little flatter than I would like as a long-time fan of the series, but I can't say it isn't authentic. Nintendo's legendary approval process no doubt resulted in delays and refinements to this definitive action figure take on one of their most beloved and largely ignored protagonists. I think this is a really marvelous figure, but I'd also drop it in a hot minute for a Varia Suit version based on Metroid II: Return of Samus. We all have our preferences. I expect new versions of Samus are in the works for the future, and given her current price I don't expect you'll see them on the market in the bargain bins. If you can swing it, this is a really wonderful figure.

--Adam Pawlus

Additional Images

See more Good Smile Company figures in Figure of the Day:
Day 1,568: Good Smile Company The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Link Deluxe Action Figure
Day 1,896: Good Smile Company Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Samus Aran Action Figure

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