Play Arts Red XIII and Cait Sith

        Long, long ago (okay, four years tops), these two were released onto the world.  At that point I couldn't really afford them, so I passed them by.  Boy was that stupid.  Afterward, I was unable to track him down at conventions, and venturing onto Ebay was... almost as agonizing as it is right at this very moment, actually.  But then clouds parted and there was a sane seller and a damaged box and holy hell I paid nowhere near what Ebay's asking and not much more than the original retail value.  Mine.



        You can see the "box damage", but... seriously, it's just a lot of rubbing.  Nothing's been crushed, the factory seals were still perfectly in place, the box is just as stable as if it'd come right off the factory floor.  But because of a bunch of scuffs, I got a major discount.  Thanks collectors.



        And the back, just 'cause.  The only other figure I have from this set is Sephiroth.  Naturally.  Though perhaps one day I'll go after Vincent.  I mean... Vincent.  Far less scary than the AC version.



        And then of course I ripped them out of the damn box.  Only four pieces of tape were in my way.  Glorious!



        Right off, I was actually quite impressed with Cait Sith.  For such a tiny figure, he's got a lot of detail and articulation.



        But like I said, he's tiny.  And really delicate.  Which is why I didn't bother changing his megaphone out for a plain hand, the only additional part this set comes with.  Just not worth the potential breakage.



        But, y'know.  This is what I was really waiting for.  Red XIII, also known as Nanaki, is really more impressive than I'd thought.  Yes, the joints are rather obvious, but this was a 2008 release and before Play Arts Kai came along.  For a Play Arts figure, this is awesome.  Mostly because all the joints actually work.  That's been a rarity in my experience.  Though his neck doesn't have as much range as it appears.  His tail has wire inside, which... I hope will hold up for a long time.  Don't want to be replacing that.



        I love the detail.  The eye, the earring, the feathers, the hair, the symbols; fur is textured in, but not overly so.  The seams aren't immediately noticeable.  He has shinies.  His tail is also partially transparent for that flame look.



        And for some reason this just amused me.  So obviously he can stand on his back legs with the help of his tail, and... uh... howl?  Dance?  Whatever it is that he's doing, I'm sure he's doing an awesome job.



        It seems... kinda wrong to take an ass shot of Nanaki, but... well, everyone else gets one, so hey.



        EVERYONE.



"I have no idea why I remain friends with you."