One of the cool NECA surprises from Toy Fair 2015 was the introduction of their LittleBigPlanet figures. At the event, they revealed three Sackboy figures based on other licensed properties. They included Kratos from God of War, a Helghast Soldier from Killzone and Nathan Drake from Uncharted. These licensed figures will be introduced in different waves as the line progresses. Series 1 is starting to hit stores now, and they include the Kratos Sackboy, a Happy Sackboy and a Sad Sackboy.
NECA sent along the series 1 figures for us to review. We have 55 high resolution photos and a full review after the jump.
LittleBigPlanet Series 1 by NECA
Pros
- Excellent sculpting detail
- Compatible with NECA figure stands
- Kratos looks amazing
- Great representations of Sackboy
- Blades can mount on Kratos’ back
- Solid, heavy feel
- Clean paints on all three figures
Cons
- No elbow or waist articulation
- A few accessories would have put these over the top
Overall
One of the most important games of Playstation 3 generation, to me, was LittleBigPlanet. It was a game that felt truly next gen at the time. ot for its main game modes, its looks or even how it plays. It was the creation suite that truly wowed me. As players got more skilled, the creations became truly astounding. After LBP2 hit, and newer tools were released, those creations became an endless series of truly unique games. Some of the creations I still enjoy include a fully functional pinball arcade, complete with custom soundtrack and recreations of real tables. I’ve also seen people create the 1st dungeon from the NES Legend of Zelda, and done so well it looks like you popped in the cartridge. I’ve even seen people create functioning computer operating systems within the game. It’s a wonderful, weird game series that still blows me away to this day.
At the center of it all is Sackboy. The adorable looking protagonist that looks like he was hand sewn together. In the game, you can customize him to your hearts content with patters, outfits, accessories and more. A huge assortment of licensed costumes have been released for the game. It’s one of the things that keeps it so fresh. The NECA figures definitely capture the charm and whimsy of Sackboy. The figures look as if they’ve stepped right out of the game. The sculpted details, especially in the yarn patterns, is quite nice. The exaggerated expressions, which you control in the game, are wonderfully brought to life here. While the happy and sad Sackboy’s are the mainstay characters, the real gem of Series 1 is the Kratos Sackboy. Top to bottom, the figure looks stunningly cool. The included Blades of Chaos can mount on the back or be held in his hands.
The figures feature okay articulation. The figure features ball jointed articulation at the shoulders, hips and neck. There’s no elbow or waist articulation. Due to the very thing nature of the the character designed shoulders, I can see why it was left off. The joints would have wound up being really close together and would have taken away some of the game-like aesthetic. However, it would have made posing them even better. The standard Sackboy figures don’t include any accessories, which feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to play up the whimsical nature of the line.
In the end though, I still really enjoyed these figures. I don’t have the Mezco LBP figures to compare them to, so I can’t say how they compare one way or the other. This line is going to have a chance to really stand out due to the licensed characters such as Kratos, who is fantastic, and Nathan Drake. If you’re a fan of the game, these are well worth grabbing. They’re great representations of the game and just fun to mess around with.
