Welcome to another Dan's ToyBox review. Yeah, I know Fei Long has been out for a minute or two and I'm ok with just now getting around to reviewing it. I've actually had this figure for a few weeks but have had a lot of other stuff on my plate, but now, here we are. I watched several reviews on this figure and thought that it would be nice to add to my collection, but it wasn't a pressing want or need. I happened upon Fei Long in a Target and was shocked to find it, so I decided to pull the trigger and grab it. I am very, very happy that I did.
Fei Long, a legendary martial artist hailing from Hong Kong, boasts a backstory steeped in tradition, struggle, and the unwavering pursuit of perfection. Born into humble beginnings, Fei Long's journey to become one of the world's most renowned fighters is a testament to his relentless determination and innate talent.
Growing up in the vibrant streets of Kowloon, Fei Long was exposed to martial arts from a young age. His father, a former practitioner of Wing Chun, instilled in him the values of discipline and honor, teaching him the fundamentals of combat. Fei Long's early years were marked by intense training sessions in local dojos, where he honed his skills under the guidance of seasoned masters.
As he matured, Fei Long's passion for martial arts only grew stronger. Inspired by classic kung fu films and the legendary Bruce Lee, he set his sights on mastering the art of Jeet Kune Do, blending elements of various martial arts styles into a fluid and devastating fighting technique. With unwavering dedication, he embarked on a pilgrimage across Asia, seeking out renowned teachers and challenging formidable opponents in his quest for enlightenment.
Given that Capcom designed Fei Long in honor of Bruce Lee, naturally, I'm thrilled to have this figure as he can stand in as the legendary martial artist on my shelf. This excerpt is from Capcom Fandom Database.
Fei-Long is Capcom's tribute to the Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do movie legend Bruce Lee, the basis for his design. Not only do the two look alike and come from the same city, Fei-Long also lets out similar battle cries to Lee, and is just as furious and fast. Also, Fei Long (飛龍) is Mandarin for "flying dragon", as well as a type of kick. Bruce Lee's Chinese screen name was 李 小龍 (Li Siu-Long) or "little dragon".
Accessories: 8/10
Fei Long comes with a decent array of accessories. He has two face sculpts, one with his mouth partially open and the other with an angry expression, mouth closed. He has a pair of fists, and a pair of fighting pose hands. Lastly, he comes with the flame effect for his special attack, the Shien Kyaku or Kindling Blaze Kick. While it is possible to get him into a kicking pose with the effect on his leg, you might need a stand to keep him upright as the weight of the leg and effect can cause him to tip over fairly easily. The flame effect is translucent, with a color transition from orange to yellow and it really looks spectacular. I can see using this with other figures for some pretty cool fire displays.
Appearance: 10/10
Though I haven't bought any of the other Street Fighter figures, each of the reviews I've seen on them has impressed me. Jada has done an amazing job capturing the likenesses of each of these characters. As mentioned earlier, Fei Long is based on Bruce Lee, thus having a similar appearance. I'm impressed with the paint applications on this figure. First and foremost the face applications look incredible and are so clean and even. I think Jada really knocked this out of the park. Even more so with the subtle shading of his muscles. You have to look closely to see the different paint which darkens the lines around his musculature, but it's there and it looks terrific. Jada Toys is making a strong case for becoming a premier player in the action figure market! Aside from the paint, the sculpt work on this figure is top notch, done in such a way that the joints are very well concealed and the eye isn't drawn to them when posing the figure. The texture on his pants helps to give them differing sheens when light hits them. I think, my only nitpick is that his ears are very small and set rather far back on his head, but even that is really a minor detail.
Articulation: 9.5/10
The engineering on this figure is absolutely fantastic. I feel like I've got import level quality in articulation given the range of motion this figure has. Starting up top, his head is on a peg akin to Mafex, allowing Fei Long to look up, down, left, right, and tilt his head. The neck also has some range allowing for side to side tilt, though I couldn't get it to rotate. The shoulders can rotate a full 360 degrees and the arms can raise to just over a T pose. The butterfly joints work better than I expected and can rotate the arms forward and backward fairly well. The bicep swivel works fine and the double-jointed, pin less elbows bend fully. The wrists can rotate, but the hinge is somewhat limited so don't expect a whole lot there. The upper torso has great motion, twisting, tilting side to side, and bending forward for decent crunch, while also having a decent back bend. The lower joint can also swivel and will increase the range of forward crunch and back bends as well. The legs can hit solid splits, but my joints were kind of tight, so I have yet to meet the extreme range. They can kick forward very nicely, but have little back kick to them. The thigh cut is fine and the double-jointed knees can bend very well, though the shape of the pants/calves does prevent him from bringing his heel all the way to his back side. There is a swivel just above the ankle joint and the ankles hinge up and down fairly well. I have struggled to get the ankles to pivot, and have decided NOT to push my luck. Toe hinge on this would have been a nice bonus, but overall, I really like the range of motion on this figure.
Affordability: 8.5/10
As mentioned, I picked this figure up at Target and paid $24.99. I actually feel that given the superior articulation, excellent paint applications, and decent accessories, this is a very reasonable price. Add to that the fact that the box is shaped like an Arcade Game and there is a lot of bang for your buck, in my opinion.
Overall... dang, I really like this figure. I don't believe that I'll pick up any more of the Street Fighter figures, but you can bet that I'll keep my eyes open for other Jada Toys lines that might interest me. With that in mind, I'm thrilled to give Fei Long an exceptional:
9 out of 10 ToyBoxes
Whether or not you are a Street Fighter fan, the Jada Toys Fei Long action figure is a tremendous add to any collection. For me, he'll be my Bruce Lee character until I can get an actual figure of The Dragon. Until then though, I'm really pleased to have Fei Long in my collection. Thank you, as always! Until next time... GEEK OUT!!!