The Flash Play Arts Kai DC Comics Variant Photo Shoot

Square Enix has been releasing “Variant” versions of figures they have the license for, including DC Comics. Rather than doing a straight up representation of the character from a comic, game or movie – they put their own spin on it. Play Arts figures often have a very Japanese, unique look to them anyway – but these are full on over the top with that style. The DC Comics line has run through the Justice League – with more extended characters coming. Today though, we are going to focus on The Flash. Check out our thoughts and over 40 images of Mr. Allen after the break, courtesy of site sponsor Entertainment Earth!

Related searches on Entertainment Earth: Flash Figures, Square Enix Figures, Play Arts Kai Flash (sold out).

The Play Arts Kai line for me has been hit or miss. They are big, and feature great paint and most of the time great articulation too, so I’m immediately drawn in whenever they unveil a new one. However, from past experience I am now a bit more reserved because they tend to break easily. When I first saw the DC Comics Variant figures I thought they were cool, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to redo the entire Justice league in 8/9 inch scale, all with a unique Japanese style. Especially at 80 bucks a pop. Batman looked cool, rocking a samurai theme, but the others were a bit too weird for my personal tastes. Future releases of Superman and Batgirl look great though. So my first purchase into this world is The Flash, and if he holds up, I’ll be grabbing Superman and beyond.

First thing I’d like to say, and it’s important – he didn’t break. Yay! Not only that, I didn’t feel like it was going to break. All the joints and attachment pieces moved, came on and off, and handled the pressure of repeated posing, dropping, and man-handling I tend to apply to these things when shooting. So, that is a super duper plus.

The styling is different than normal Flash representations – rocking plated armor instead of a streamlined suit. That is what drew me in. Their promotional hype inside the box mentions being influenced by fighter jet or race car, and I think that shows through, and I like it. Wouldn’t want this to be “THE” look for Flash, in a movie or book, but as a one off piece of art, I like it, and it will rep on my shelves well.

He comes with several speed force lighting bolts which snap into areas around the body so you can pose him up running at super speed. This feature was well done, though they tend to pop out with handling. Articulation is top notch, getting a full range pretty much everywhere. A nice touch was the crotch piece (umm) – it’s detached from the torso and hollow, allowing for optimal leg and abs movement when getting him running. Paint is also very well done, lots of 3D highlight and shadow painting to make all the cuts and lines in the armor pop.

Overall, this is a great one-off figure and if Square Enix can keep the quality control at this level so I’m not afraid to break the thing every time I move a joint, I’ll be grabbing more down the road. Check out some key shots now, and the full gallery in slideshow mode below that!