Revoltech #133 Hunter Swordsman Jinouga

Jinouga is the flagship monster for Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and with it's addition comes equipment created with it's carve.

Out-of-box content. Not much but I am impressed that Revoltech includes 2 sets of weapon.

Front view of the figure.

Close up on the figure. Once again, I am impressed with the detail.

Dual Sword Oppressor's Miracle and Long Sword Oppressor's Law.

The long sword comes in 2 form. A sheath and unsheathe version.

The unsheathe long sword can be attached to the back of the figure.

The hunter with the unsheathe long sword.

Somehow i feel that this long sword is a bit too blunt. Where are those whetstone when you need em?

"I have the POWER!!!"

I am a big fan of dual sword. Nothing beats slicing up monster using one of these.

There are an amazing amount of detail on the swords.

Ready for some attack pose!

Forward slash.

Side slash.

Lets go pal!

This is a great figure from Kaiyodo. I cannot emphasized enough the amount of detail on figures from the Monster Hunter line. Looking at this figure brings back fond memories of days gone by where I go hunting with my buddies. I am still holding to the hope that Capcom will one day come to it's senses to release a Monster Hunter game on the PS Vita.

Soul Sacrifice

It is so dark and damp here. Where am I? What am I doing here? And the most important question of all. Who am I???

That is the prologue to one of the most anticipated game for the PS Vita. You play as a captive who is locked in a cage awaiting for the day which you will be sacrificed to Magusar, a sorcerer who has been driven insane by his inability to die. But all is not lost, within the cage you find a living book, Librom which prompt you to read it. By reading the book, you will relive all the event written inside and gain the necessary skill and power to confront Magusar and to regain your freedom.

Soul Sacrifice is a great game which is much needed for a console like PS Vita. One of the main reason why I get a PS Vita is to scratch my gaming itch which I would like to call the "Monster Hunter Withdrawal Syndrome". To be honest with you, I really missed Monster Hunter. So when Sony announced Soul Sacrifice, I thought it was a good substitute but I was wrong. Soul Sacrifice is as unique as Monster Hunter was. Although both games play similarly. The plot, execution and art design for Soul Sacrifice is distinctively unique.

So if you owned a PS Vita and have yet to play Soul Sacrifice. Grab a copy of this great game. We have souls to sacrifice.

Revoltech #123EX Hunter Swordsman Azure Rathalos

Azure Rathalos is a subspecies from the Rathalos family. It provides carve material which can be used to make an entirely different sets of equipment.

Out-of-box content. The hunter depicted in this release is wearing a full set Azure Rathalos armour.

Front view of both Azure and Red Rathalos hunter.

Back view of both Azure and Red Rathalos hunter.

There are basically no difference between the 2 figure besides the colour scheme.

The great sword is still a pain-in-the-ass to prop up.

The detail on both the figure and weapons are superb.

Great sword upward swing!

Jumping slash. No, you cant do that in the game. It looks great though.

Downward slam! The effect part is useful to capture the motion.

A comparison of both the great sword. Rathalos Firesword and Shiny Rathalos Sword.

Monster Hunter PvP!!! No, this does not happen. =P

My comment on the previous Rathalos Hunter figure applies here too since it is basically the same figure with a different colour scheme. Once again, I would like to point out the weakness in the Revoltech joint which is unable to withstand huge amount of weight. Hence, it is very difficult to prop this figure up without the usage of the stand and in most cases, the stand does very little to support the figure. It makes matter worse if the great sword was equipped on the figure. 

As a conclusion, the detail on the figure is topnotch but the the flimsy joints make it less desirable. That aside, it is still a must-have for any Monster Hunter fans out there.

Revoltech #123 Hunter Swordsman Rathalos

Enter a lush and pristine world fill with deadly monsters. The player is in the role of a hunter who will have to develop strategy, skill and resource management to slay or capture these monsters. In order to combat these unforgiving monsters, players will be able to acquire and upgrade their weapon and armor over the course of the game.

Out-of-box content. The hunter depicted in this release is wearing a full Rathalos male blademaster armor set.

Front view. To be honest with you. I was a bit skeptical when Revoltech announced that they have acquired this IP and is producing figures for it. You can say that I was impressed when I finally acquired it.

Close up. All the detail is finely crafted on this figure. Every scale, chain, plating is accounted for.

This figure comes with 2 sets of weapon. Sword & Shield: Blazing Falchion. Greatsword: Rathalos Firesword. Similar to the figure itself, these were all sculpted with great detail.

The articulation for this figure is pretty good.

Zetsuboushita!!!

Yatta!!!

Time for some SnS!

Jumping chop!!!

Shield bang!

Greatsword! A compulsory weapon in most fantasy setting.

I am charging my attack!

Aim for the head/tail!

Come and get some!

Whack!!!

I am really really impressed by this figure. From the fine detail to the superb articulation. My only issue with this figure is the balancing. It is very difficult to prop this figure up without the usage of the stand and in most cases, the stand does very little to support the figure. It makes matter worse if the greatsword was equipped on the figure.

As a conclusion, this is a very good figure and I would love to see more figures from this IP. Definitely a must have if you are a Monster Hunter fans like me.

Enter The Dragon

Twenty third of January 2012 mark the beginning of a New Lunar Year for Chinese all around the world. I saw this very comical ads a few days ago illustrating a dragon, booting the rabbit out which signaled the end of the year of the rabbit and the beginning of the year of the dragon. Here were some quick facts I found on the net regarding the dragon:

1. The dragon is usually illustrated as a four legged serpent with a long snout and a mane. There are multiple explanation on the origin of the dragon. Look up wiki if you are interested with it.

2. The dragon is the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle and the only mythical creature in the lunar calendar.

3. As of 2013, we are in the Water Phase of "Wu Xing" (Five Movements/Phases/Steps/Stages, commonly known as the Five Element) so this is the year of the Water Dragon. It will take approximately 60 years for us to revisit the Year of the Water Dragon which is in year 2073.

4. Chinese believed that it is good to have a baby born in the year of the dragon. Hence the increase in birth rate in the year of the dragon.

With that, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.

Credit goes to Zid for this great illustration of Amatsu from the Monster Hunter series.

Its Wabbit Season!!!

Third of February 2011 mark the beginning of a New Lunar Year for Chinese all around the world. Most of us knows that its the year of the Rabbit but how many of us actually knows the detail behind this Lunar Year? Here are some quick facts I found in the net:

1. The Year of the Rabbit is an erroneous translation. There are no native rabbits in China but there are 7 native species of hare. So the correct translation should be Year of the Hare.

2. The hare is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle. The Vietnamese Zodiac which has similarity to the Chinese Zodiac has the rabbit replaced with the cat.

3. As of 2012, we are in the Metal Phase of "Wu Xing" (Five Movements/Phases/Steps/Stages, commonly known as the Five Element) so this is the year of the Metal Hare. It will take approximately 60 years for us to revisit the Year of the Metal Hare which is in year 2072.

You should check out wikipedia if you are interested to know more on the topic. With that, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.