Figma: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Link

Figma is a Japanese toy company that makes toys which are highly articulated, highly accessorized, and (let's not forget) highly priced.

They handle many different licenses, but the one I'm most intrigued by is Nintendo. For some reason, there haven't been many high-quality NES action figures released in the US. There have been a handful of attempts at Mario characters, but these are usually simple and - for the most part - fairly unarticulated.

I ordered Link a few years ago, only to be thwarted by a distribution issue. Fortunately, that got resolved, and I managed to re-order.

This is actually the second Figma figure I bought, after Samus. I never got around to reviewing Samus, due to some unfortunate timing.

This is technically the version of Link from Skyward Sword, though the design is close enough to earlier versions of the character to work as a non-specific Link.

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Appearance and Construction: 9/10

There's a case to made that this should be a 10. The overall look of the head and body is absolutely flawless, and the colors are vibrant and game-accurate.

But there's also a case this should be an 8. The joints on this figure are extremely obvious, even at a glance, and that gives the character a "wooden-doll" look. It's actually made a little worse by the fact the rest of the figure is so clean. I don't think "uncanny valley" quite applies here, since it's an animated design, but there's a similar discrepancy between visual accuracy and artificiality.

In the end, I split the difference and called Link a 9.

Like every time the articulation cuts into the appearance, it's important to remember this was a choice. There's almost always a trade off between the two: I'm not saying it was the wrong call; just a decision. The negative impact is felt here; the positive will be covered in the Play and Display section.

I like the figure, but I do have one complaint, though it's not something I feel should impact the score. Link stands about 5 1/4 inch tall, which is quite a bit shorter than Samus. While I believe every figure needs to be considered on their own merits, I am disappointed the scale wasn't closer.

Packaging and Extras: --

First, let's take a look at the package this came in:

It's a nice, reusable box, and the photos on the back do a good job showing off the figure's posability and accessories. No issues here.

I suspect there are some people surprised I'm not giving this any bonus points for the accessories: Link comes with a lot. However, this is something of a high end toy. They had to include this stuff to justify the price. If anything, I felt like I was getting cheated out of a detailed base. But let's set that aside and look at what's included.

Link comes with a Figma stand, an extra face/hair piece, a sword, sheath, and shield, eight extra hands, and a "whoosh" effect for his sword. That's quite a bit. Let's start with the hands.

The extra hands are needed, in part, to permit Link to hold his sword right or left-handed. The character has traditionally been left-handed, but they switched this for the Wii games so it would align with right-handed players using the Wii-mote.

You get right and left hands capable of holding the sword outstretched, holding the sword at right angle, holding the shield, and open. It's a good assortment, and I appreciate the attention to detail.

Link's face and hair snap into and out of his head, which creates a creepy effect when they're removed. The faces are distinct, but the hair pieces are almost exactly the same: I'm not sure why they bothered including two, to be honest.

The sheath and shield are designed to snap on Link's back, either together or separately. The shield is actually multiple pieces. If you want him holding it, you have to disconnect the bar across the back, remove the strap, then reattach... you know what? There are instructions. Suffice to say, it takes some work to get it in place, so you'll probably want to stick with the look you like best. The good news is that the shield is pretty secure when in place, though the stand sometimes knocks it off it you're not careful.

The sword is also a couple of pieces: the very bottom of the hilt snaps off so you can slide it into Link's hand. Again, it means a little work, but it results in a sturdy grip.

The sword looks fantastic, as does the shield. I think the sheath looks good, though it's not quite up to the standard of the other two.

I like the concept of the Figma stands: they attach via an extending arm into the figure's back. You can then position them in dozens of poses without having them fall over. You can even use the stands to display the figure mid-leap.

The only thing I don't like about the stand is that it's generic. At this price point, I feel like it should be character-specific.

Moving on, we come to the "whoosh" effect. This is a great concept: you slide it over the sword to simulate the rush of air as Link slices. Unfortunately, the concept is better than the reality. It works alright, but it doesn't quite deliver the effect I wanted.

Like some other aspects, I feel like it's a victim of the figure's success. Link looks so good, the effect comes off looking like cheap plastic in comparison.

Overall, it's a good assortment. If this came with almost any other figure, I'd be pouring on the bonus points. But at this price point, I want a little more. Where are the bow, hook-shot, bomb, boomerang, and other iconic Legend of Zelda items? Where's the heart container and Triforce of Courage?

Play and Display: +1

The articulation is incredibly good, with a couple exceptions. I'm not going to run through the joints on this thing: as a rule of thumb, if you're looking for a joint on a Figma figure, it'll be there.

Like I said above, there are some exceptions this time. First, there are no cut joints on Link's upper arms where his white undershirt meets his green tunic. There's some rotation in the shoulders and a tiny bit in the elbows, but not quite as much as I wanted.

Secondly, Link's legs are somewhat hindered by his tunic. He can still take some wide stances, but he can't pull off a kick, for example. It's not a big deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Other than that, there wasn't anything I missed. The articulation present is plenty to award this a bonus point. If it weren't for those missing cuts on the arms, I'd have gone with a second.

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Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10/10

This is a very good figure. No, that's an understatement: it's a great figure. But if you can't manage to make a great 5" figure for $50, you really have no business producing them.

Yeah, $50. Plus shipping. Ouch.

It's actually quite a bit less than I paid for Samus. The sad part is, if Figma ever produces a Zelda in this scale and style, I'll buy her, too. In fact, if anyone from Figma is reading, you can interpret that as a request.

I'm not above begging.

At any rate, I'm happy to have this in my collection. I waited a long time for him - at least two years since I originally ordered. I wish he'd cost less, but it was actually worth it to finally add Link to my Nintendo shelf.