I
didn’t realize how memorable the score from Pacific
Rim is
until I started editing pictures for this review. It immediately came
to mind and is now stuck in my head – and I don’t mind at all. I
don’t even own the score (though I probably will by the time you
read this), but I’ve definitely watched the movie enough times by
now to know the key music.
Crimson Typhoon
was my favorite Jaeger in the movie, but Cherno Alpha was a very
close second. As a matter of fact, it’s entirely possible that I
have claimed Cherno as my favorite at some points. I love the thick,
tank-like design. I like that there’s no vulnerable “head”. And
of course – the piston punch is awesome.
I
don’t know that the extending fists are actually referred to as
“piston punches”, but it sounds good.
I
also love that Cherno’s pilots are basically Ivan Drago. Pacific
Rim was
not afraid to employ nationalistic stereotypes in the interest of
narrative expediency. Which is another reason why I think the movie
was so great.
I
had no problems with the first Pacific
Rim
series’ Crimson Typhoon (I didn’t buy Gipsy Danger, so I can’t
speak to that one; though I will be reviewing the one from the
two-pack). Supposedly that first wave was designed with lower
standards than NECA usually employs in hopes of getting the line into
Walmart stores. As I understand things, Walmart expressed an interest
in carrying Pacific
Rim
toys and NECA basically dumbed down their designs to keep costs
Walmart friendly. Then after all of that I guess Walmart decided
they’d rather shave another two feet off of their already pathetic
action figure aisle and declined to carry the line.
Don’t
take any of that is fact – it’s just what I’ve pieced together
through various social media findings.
I
did think that the Knifehead
from the series was sub-par, but more on that when I review the
apology NECA created for that figure (a new, huge version).
FIRST
GLANCE
Cherno
is instantly recognizable as superior to Crimson Typhoon. Like I said
– Typhoon isn’t bad by any means, but Cherno Alpha is another
level of craftsmanship. I don’t feel like we need a new
Typhoon like we did with Knifehead, but this Russian Jaeger is
impressive right out of the box. It’s heavy, sturdy, and has a ton
of articulation. And the detailing is amazing.
PACKAGING
I
hate clamshells, but what are you gonna do?
The
graphics look nice and I like the designations of “Jaeger” and
“Kaiju”. Although as you’ll see in the upcoming reviews of the
new Kaiju, the differences are fairly apparent.
There
are no creator credits on the Pacific
Rim
line, but that’s because the toys are all made from WETA scans. Or
something. Whatever it is when the source is digital rather than
practical.
LOOKS
To
me the most striking thing is the paint. Obviously the sculpt and
articulation look very interesting, but this paint job reminds me of
the Star Wars style of making things look worn and real. There’s
subtle and well-executed grime and wear all over the exterior. This
figure feels like a massive thing that has been through some wars.
The
sculpt and proportions are accurate to the movie design. In a movie
filled with Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Cherno is the one that
looks the most like the classic game bots. I’m almost surprised its
head doesn’t pop up.
That
“head” is one big, thick piece mounted on the torso. The
cylinders mounted on the shoulders are well defined and have sculpted
fronts and backs. I say this because sometimes parts like these sort
of melt into the surrounding area. The split that runs from the
“chin” all the way over the top of the head and down the back is
precise and has some detail sculpted in. The paint is also applied
quite nicely. All of the markings are beautiful and straight. Not to
trash talk NECA, but it amazes me that the same company that can’t
make two eyes on a figure look in the same direction can produce
tiny, detailed deco this precise.
The
torso is a hinged, piston-driven thing that looks kind of like an
engine. It’s the core of Cherno Alpha and representative of the
Jaeger as a whole – purely functional. While Crimson Typhoon and
Coyote Tango have a certain style and flair to them, Cherno looks
like it was built to obliterate. And I like that a whole lot. Every
bit of it is thick and industrial. The people that designed this
thing made it purely utilitarian.
The
arms are massive chunks of damage-inflicting power. I’m impressed
by how angular every bit of this figure is – it’s all hard lines
and edges. The fists are on the ends of pistons that retract into the
forearms:
Do
I even need to say anything about how fucking cool that is?
The
markings on the arms are just as clean and precise as the ones on the
head. The red circles on the elbows are actually a little blotchy,
but that could be by design. Everything else looks so great that I’ll
give NECA the benefit of the doubt on that one.
The
legs are set wide apart to give the massive trunk and arms support.
There are flaps and plates and gizmos and it all looks great. The
feet are these crazy arched things:
Pappy
Troublemaker is the engineer in the family, so he could probably
explain these crazy, arched feet. I can’t. But they look cool and
- like the legs – look like they are made to support the heavy
upper portions of the Jaeger.
ACCESSORIES
There
are all kinds of accessories that Cherno Alpha might have come with –
a damaged head, pilots the size of dust particles, one of the gantry
things the Jaegers were stored on, some helicopters – but it didn’t
need to come with anything.
That
being said, if NECA wanted to release separate accessory packs of any
of those things I would buy them.
FUN
Cherno
Alpha is absolutely packed with articulation, but before you get too
excited let me say that it doesn’t all work as well as I would
like. Don’t get me wrong – it’s very good and this figure is a
lot of fun to pose and play with. But some of the joints don’t have
quite the range I would like. Here’s the rundown since this is a
unique new figure:
Head
– ball joint
Shoulders
– ball joint
Elbows
– pivot/swivel (at bottom of joint near forearm)
Forearm
– slider
Fingers
– pivot
Abdomen
– ball joint
Hips
– ball joint
Knees
– pivot
Ankles
– ball joint
That’s
a pretty awesome selection of articulated parts. I wanted more out of
the head, shoulders, and hips; but to be honest I can’t complain.
Cherno can’t quite achieve every pose I want, but this is still a
very dynamic figure. Because of all the joints it takes a little
doing to get it to look right just standing there (something I didn’t
bother to do until a couple of days after I took the pictures), but
you can get a lot of cool poses.
This
Jaeger – and the rest of the Pacific
Rim
figures I ordered from BigBad – stayed on my desk for a few weeks.
I just couldn’t stop playing with them.
OVERALL
Cherno
Alpha is a fantastic combination of form and functionality. It isn’t
as articulated as one from a Japanese company might be, but it
probably looks a lot better and more faithful to the movie. As far as
I’m concerned it’s a must-have. It could probably be a little bit
better, but not for the same price. For under twenty bucks this is an
outstanding toy.
5
out of 5
Buy
one from Amazon and give me a little kickback!
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