Pulp Arcana Studios: The Emperor of Muay Thai Reigns Supreme

THE KING OF TIGERS: THE FURY OF SAGAT

In the ‘90’s, Street Fighter II was more than just a game. It was a phenomenon. Ya see kids, back in the day, to play the really good games, you had to go to magical places called arcades. They were joyfully noisy places, that smelled weirdly like nacho cheese and sweaty nerd, and were a glorious mix of weirdly dark and filled with bright shining lights. And the undisputed king of the early 90’s arcade scene was the Street Fighter II machine.

Since then, there have been more iterations of the game than I can count. One of which, Ultra Street Fighter II, brought a number of new characters into playable action. It is this particular game that Jada has brought to life in their line of toys.

So far, I have owned Ryu, Dhalsim, Fei Long, and Cammy from Jada, and each one has been better than the last. I have gone on record as saying that Jada’s Street Fighter line was my favorite discovery of the last year. Great sculpts, good paint, and absolutely jaw dropping articulation for an incredibly reasonable price. Today, we look at one of my most anticipated figures from the line. The Muay Thai master himself. Sagat.

A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief: Jada Toys Sagat Figure Review

ARTIFACT IDENTIFIED:

Sagat

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

Jada Toys

OUT OF THE CRATE:

The first thing that struck me is just how much larger both the packaging and the figure are for Sagat than for the rest of the Street Fighter line. I’d never seen him in stores, so this first glimpse of the box took me a bit by surprise. The box itself is delightful. Designed to look like the cabinet of an arcade game, the packaging captures the roots of the line with a sense of fun that is immediate. Bright colors, great design, and the figure and all accessories fully on display. Even though I am an out of the box collector, I still appreciate when a company goes this hard on their packaging.

THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:

In hand, Sagat is massive. He’s closer in size to a McFarlane 7 inch figure and absolutely dwarfs the other figures in the Jada Street Fighter line. The character is supposed to be an immense, imposing powerhouse and they nailed that with the size for sure. There is a wonderful weight and solidity to the figure as well.

The sculpt is great. The figure comes with two portraits. The first is a more stoic, neutral expression, while the second is a teeth-gritting grimace of rage and fury. Both have Sagat’s iconic eye-patch, giving him a fearsome, cyclopean vibe. Jada’s sculpts for the line definitely veer towards a more video game/cartoon aesthetic, and so he may not mix with more realistic sculpts from other companies quite as well, but when put next to his fellow world tournament competitors, he looks fantastic. The signature scar across the torso is actually molded into the chest rather than merely being a paint app, and breaks up the bare flesh of the upper body really well. The vibrant blue of the trunks helps the figure stand out. Overall, an absolutely great looking figure, whether on your shelf or in front of the camera.

Accessory-wise, I love what we get here. An alternate head, as mentioned above, is an excellent addition. But it doesn’t stop there. We also get two clawing/grappling hands to swap with our standard fists, and a translucent energy effect to replicate his tiger projectile from the game, complete with small stand to hold it up.

MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:

Jada’s articulation has been my favorite part of the line. They haven’t forgotten that ultimately, these are toys, and should be able to be played with. Like the other Jada Street Fighter figures I have had, this one is pure hand-candy. I found myself constantly picking him up and posing him. And he can hit absolutely any pose you might want. The joints are firm, but smooth, and the articulation scheme is fantastic. Double-jointed and pinless elbows and knees, fantastic ab crunch, butterfly joints and the shoulders, and wrist swivels all combine to give you everything you will need to capture the martial arts madness from the games or your imagination. Seriously, this is articulation on a scale we more commonly see on high-end import figures. Not something you could find at a big box retailer for a third of that price.

RECOVERED EVIDENCE:

Final Reckoning:

In a line of winners, Sagat may actually reign as champion. The statuesque size of the figure gives him both a great shelf presence and a suitable air of menace when put up against his other Street Fighter competitors. Further, the accessories help bring this muay thai monster to life, and the sculpt and paint are great at capturing the video game likeness. What it gives up in realism, it makes up for in arcade feel. But all of this pales next to the articulation. This review took twice as long to write because I kept picking up the figure just to pose and play with it. It will hit every martial arts pose you might want, and look great doing it. Even if you’re not a fan of the arcade games, this figure is good enough where it may not even matter.